PHILIPRISING

IT was ...

TORUN would probably be top of most people's list

WHERE would the money come from?

THAT is a view probably shared by many but not all ...

PRAGUE has improved drastically since the younger Ondrasik took charge. But, to repeat myself yet again, you cannot always blame the actual track for a lack of passing. Lonigo, thankfully, is but a distant memory but had some great times staying by Lake Garda.

LET'S not forget that in years gone by many riders skipped practice. I have had several private conversations with Armando Castagna regarding Poland staging TV meetings on a Friday and he is strongly opposed to it. But the FIM, like most big corporations (which is what these international sporting governing bodies are these days) are frightened of lengthy, expensive legal disputes and there are lawyers in Geneva who are wary that trying to block these Polish meetings could come back to haunt them. BSI along with the FIM have introduced transponders and time trials in an attempt to make practice more attractive and meaningful for the public and riders. Personally, I don't find any entertainment in watching a single rider do four laps against the clock. And does it actually make any difference on race night? Zagar was fastest in Warsaw and came last in his opening heat and had a poor night. Lagutra was fastest in Krsko and did not win a race. Speedway isn't about the fastest, it is who gets to the chequered flag first.

AS stated earlier, why always blame the track?. It certainly wasn't dangerous and riders like Zmarzlik proved many times that passing was possible. Perhaps other riders simply lacked his ability. Been there many times and am no fan of the venue (in speedway terms, lovely country) but all current GP riders are quite capable of winning races and/or not being passed.

ZMARZKIK won and he didn't practice... but we weren't talking about practice as such but the time trials to allow riders to chose their starting number.

THE SON is in effect the World Team Cup but with a different format.

NOTHING wrong with the track when Zmarzlik and Woffinden were passing and re-passing which begs the question: if they could do it, why couldn't others? Do we too often blame the track when, in fact, it is the riders not making the best use of it?

SOME good races so far, especially from Emil and Bartosz

BUT many Polish sponsors do so because of the global coverage provided by the SGP.

WHATEVER you may think of the SON, it is a World Championship and certainly seen as such by the riders, especially those that collect a gold medal.

THINK it was a joint effort from both the FIM and BSI/IMG to beef up interest in Friday's practice but, unlike F1 for example, being fastest the day before actually means nothing.

YES it is. But with GP practice not being compulsory, riders know what side their bread is buttered and will race in Poland on a Friday not only for the money on offer that particular night but to ensure their future lucrative employment with the club. The FIM have definitely looked at stopping this but legally it would open a can of worms.

QUITE a lot actually and, of course, speedway is only part of it. There was a time when members of the BSPA contemplated operating outside the FIM but, of course, that would have led to complete isolation. Countries like Denmark, Sweden and Poland would never have followed suit which would have meant British riders being excluded from any international events including the World Championship. Was never going to happen despite frustrations with Geneva.

THE Danish Final isn't an FIM event ... with British tracks not racing at home every week some fixture planning should not go amiss.GP practice isn't compulsory so the riders can chose. However, I do agree that the FIM should have stopped Polish tracks from staging meetings involving GP riders on a Friday before a World Championship round. But not all agree.

BUT a great deal of their sponsorship comes on the back of the GPs.

APPARENTLY Rob Godfrey has stopped grading the Scunthorpe track during the meeting and racing has been terrific

IT wasn't 24 years ago ... John Postlethwaite and BSI first bought the commercial rights from the FIM in 1999/2000 and then JP sold out to IMG, the current holders whose contract is up for renewal in 2021. IMG also pay licence fees to the FIM for each SGP. Believe there are a number of companies showing an initial interest in the SGP and SON but IMG and their relatively new American owners are a vast organisation with a great deal of financial muscle and if they deem it worthwhile reinvesting then I would imagine they would be in the driving seat.

MORE than one million is millions...

THERE is, of course, the TV element. TV companies want a final race to determine the winner of each SGP rather than have the meeting lose steam at the end.

CONSISTENCY is the name of the game ... ask Mark Loram

THE TV fees obviously go to BSI, part of the "commercial" deal because it is they who provide all the facilities, pictures, etc and negotiate with the various countries that screen the series.

AND BSI pay the FIM millions each year for the commercial rights.