Riga Gp Tickets 2014

[Triple.H. 1,986]

Do the local promoters pay BSI a fee to run the meeting if so in my book that puts BSI at the top of the tree and ultimately responsible for any shortcomings by the local promoter. I was going to try and get to Riga as a spur of the moment thing this week. It's a great place for a weekend away glad it all went t**sup now.

SWC

in Great Britain next year ? All 4 rounds over here at 4 different tracks.

[racers and royals 8,734]

Refunds can be obtained via the ticket agent, although this usually does not include the booking fee. I got my ticket via Bilesu services and refund information is available here:

 

http://www.bilesuserviss.lv/lat/zinas/zinas/sportistu-drosibas-un-nelabveligo-laika-apstaklu-del-parceltas-rietumu-bank-latvia-fim-speedway-grand-prix-sacensibas-spidveja-16-08-2014/

 

I will endeavor to get an address for Paul Bellamy as I intend to write to him personally and seek a proper response to the whole shambles. Saying sorry here's your money back is not good enough. If anyone knows the address to communicate or an email then please post it here. I will post the letter on this forum for comment. It's time to stop putting up with this and demanding a fair deal and appropriate compensation where applicable.

BSI SPEEDWAY LIMITED

MCCORMACK HOUSE

BURLINGTON LANE

CHISWICK

LONDON

W4 2TH

[waiheke1 4,295]

In some cases I don't think a rehearsal would be practical - it wouldn't have been at western springs for example.

Would be interesting to get a true view as to whether the track would have been raceable without yesterday's rain. If it would, then maybe a test meeting wouldn't have proved anything?

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

With due respect phil, bsi are still going to make a decent profit from this season though aren't they?

More than can be said for bill buckley or the riga promoters.

Surely the series is theirs, so they need to take some responsibility when things go wrong.

As others have mentioned, organising foc cosch transport would have been a way of showing respect for the fans, and is hardly going to bankrupt them.

NOT sure that you can blame BSI if the Riga promoters don't make any money... they were responsible for the installation of the track and moving the Latvian GP to Riga in the first place and refused any assistance from Ole Olsen when it was first being laid.

 

The Riga promoters had a vision of establishing a speedway base in their capital city and had sought and received government backing to start the project of bringing the stadium up to scratch and that dream has now been well and truly shattered. Obviously they got some things badly wrong but the fact remains that had the weather not turned sour this week the meeting would have gone ahead.

 

Bill Buckley entered into a three-year deal with his eyes wide open and might even have balanced the books had he done a few things differently.

[salty 2,202]

In some cases I don't think a rehearsal would be practical - it wouldn't have been at western springs for example.

Would be interesting to get a true view as to whether the track would have been raceable without yesterday's rain. If it would, then maybe a test meeting wouldn't have proved anything?

Yes, but Western Springs is not a "new" circuit to the sport like the ones in Riga and Tampere. We were very close to going to Riga for this weekend, but chose Copenhagen instead. Don't think I would risk going to a meeting in a first time stadium in the future.

[Triple.H. 1,986]

Two new tracks on the circuit this season and neither have been fit for purpose.

Surely more stringent control ( a successful rehearsal meeting?) needs to be introduced.

Wasn't it always the way back in the day that a track had to have a meeting held on it to prove everything was in order before the "main event" to identify and hopefully prevent things going wrong on the day.

Didn't Berwick get their FIM meeting this year because St Johann ? was deemed inappropriate as wouldn't be ready or of suitable standard in time. Yet they can run the GPs at unproven tracks

[Ghostwalker 1,859]

Weather today has been sunny with the odd light shower still undecided to do the 3rd bus ride tomorrow

Weather today has been sunny with the odd light shower still undecided to do the 3rd bus ride tomorrow

Agree with speedy

Agree with speedy

 

 

Light shower? Yeah right...

 

http://instagram.com/p/rwZPRio_I_/

http://instagram.com/p/rwY81ko_It/

http://instagram.com/p/rwYxTzo_Il/

 

Track yesterday evening:

 

http://instagram.com/p/ruYIqqI_O2/

http://instagram.com/p/ruYC3qI_Om/

http://instagram.com/p/ruX4Lyo_OK/

https://twitter.com/dmu_sport/status/500311070125617152/photo/1

https://twitter.com/dmu_sport/status/500310900184977408/photo/1

http://instagram.com/p/ruYslVo_AL/

http://instagram.com/p/ruYZpmI_Ph/

http://instagram.com/p/ruIUvBI_Bx/

http://instagram.com/p/ruIN5II_Bp/

http://instagram.com/p/ruIGxcI_Bc/

http://instagram.com/p/ruFwzpI_OE/

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Do the local promoters pay BSI a fee to run the meeting if so in my book that puts BSI at the top of the tree and ultimately responsible for any shortcomings by the local promoter. I was going to try and get to Riga as a spur of the moment thing this week. It's a great place for a weekend away glad it all went t**sup now.

SWC

in Great Britain next year ? All 4 rounds over here at 4 different tracks.

BUT BSI are not responsible for every aspect of a Grand Prix. They are the commercial rights holders but the FIM still have a role to play ... they licence the track, issue safety certificates, appoint officials, and much more. FIM officials actually make the decisions about the tracks and it was they who determined that on this occasion it was potentially dangerous and therefore unfit. It is a joint operation but I would agree that there are some grey areas which need closer examination.

 

Obviously BSI have greater control over the events they promote themselves than others. But on this occasion the onus would have been on the local promotion to present a track and stadium fit for purpose and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the FIM as quite clearly laid down in a comprehensive manual first put together by Olsen when the SGP came into being.

THAT'S my lot for tonight ... leaving Riga for Daugavpils at 7am in the morning along with Kelvin Tatum, Nigel Pearson and Chris Louis. Won't get a word in edgeways!

Edited August 16, 2014 by PHILIPRISING

[Ghostwalker 1,859]

AS BSI are not the promoters in this case I would presume that any refunds come from the Latvian organisers...

 

Who gives a about who the promoter is? BSI and FIM have the top responsibility both when it comes to tickets and when it comes

to the tracks (regardless of who the local track workers are) since BSI is usually the one who takes care of the profit generated by the SGP.

If they take care of the profit, then they are also responsible in the other end when their actions costs people allot of money.

 

The track looked poor before the refurbishment started but if it was that bad why did BSI decided to host a GP at that arena?

Selecting arenas is BSI's and FIM's responsibillity. BSI/FIM need to make sure that the local workers which usually gets

the blame when things doesn't go as planned. Regardless who works the track BSI/FIM have the responsibility to make sure the track is ok.

Also there has to be someone from FIM who have inspected the track and approved it. Who was that?

 

3 years ago BSI/FIM decided to go ahead with the GP at Ullevi despite that the rain had started well before the first heat.

BSI/FIM didn't care and pretended that the rain but perhaps that was also the local promoter's fault?

https://www.gp.se/sport/1.626909-regn-stoppade-vm-pa-ullevi

 

So don't blame the track workers or the local promoter, blame BSI/FIM who decide to go there.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Ghostwalker

[waiheke1 4,295]

NOT sure that you can blame BSI if the Riga promoters don't make any money... they were responsible for the installation of the track and moving the Latvian GP to Riga in the first place and refused any assistance from Ole Olsen when it was first being laid.

 

The Riga promoters had a vision of establishing a speedway base in their capital city and had sought and received government backing to start the project of bringing the stadium up to scratch and that dream has now been well and truly shattered. Obviously they got some things badly wrong but the fact remains that had the weather not turned sour this week the meeting would have gone ahead.

 

Bill Buckley entered into a three-year deal with his eyes wide open and might even have balanced the books had he done a few things differently.

Phil - you pointed out that bsi are incurring some extra costs due to this debacle. Mine was that its hard to feel any sympathy for them.

Id also suggest that if they want to make speedway truly global, surely it is in their interests for promoters not to be losing shed loads. Would be interested to know what the few things bill b should have done differently to save him the two million bucks he lost.

Final point is that surely bsi need to take some responsibility when things go wrong, not just take platitudes when things go right (and cash regardless).

[OveFundinFan 4,143]

Let us hold a meeting in August at a new track. Its summer time, weather is usually hot, so no need to worry about drains etc.

 

They forgot there is a global warming which makes unpredictable weather. Doh!

 

This sounds much like the thread on Malaysian Air Crash. An injustice has happened, but no one wants to accept the blame.

[Ghostwalker 1,859]

another photo from DMU-sport: http://instagram.com/p/rxYi64I_Gs/

 

För 2 minuter sedan

SGP8 RIGA - so much rain on the track one hour after all the riders had left the stadium

 

[Chris Brown 542]

As usual the speedway press defend the backside off BSI

 

These people have been destroying the sport for years in my opinion, they could not give two hoots about the supporters yet those who pay naff all to go continually defend them.

 

And they wonder by the sport is dying on its arse

[HenryW 1,178]

Yes, but Western Springs is not a "new" circuit to the sport like the ones in Riga and Tampere. We were very close to going to Riga for this weekend, but chose Copenhagen instead. Don't think I would risk going to a meeting in a first time stadium in the future.

Am I mistaken or has this stadium in Riga previously hosted speedway?

I know that the track had to be laid afresh as it had been concreted over a while ago, but I thought that it had hosted speedway back 10 or 15 years ago. If it has then it really isn't THAT different from Western Springs.

[phillipsr 2,057]

Id find it easier to take the defence of BSI when things go wrong if they weren't so keen to take the praise when things are going well. They seem to want all the glory when a GP goes well but none of the responsibility when it goes wrong