PolskiZuzel

Rob, if you really want to know then I'll tell you. I'am retired man with all the time for myself. So I look here, there and everywhere to see what is of interest to me. BTW what OneSport has to do with this? What better crowds have to do with fees BSI are charging?

The BSI needs to change its approach to business. It’s time to move out into the world , and not just keep milking us Poles out of money. It is good that the ban on competing in the World and European championships has been suspended, but it's wrong that it’s only for a year. It seems to me that in the proverbial speedway sandbox, there is a place for the SGP and the SEC provided that BSI would change its approach to the business. As it is, the English company has had focused exclusively on milking us Poles . It charges us higher rates for the licences in order to be able to lower its price in Vojens or Terenzano . In addition, the BSI sells its licences close to Polish borders , as in hope that our fans will travel there and buy tickets . This is an easy business , but it cannot continue so , because soon there will be no World Championships but the European Championships .The English Company must begin to jostle its elbows in the United States, Australia and New Zealand , because there was a time when speedway there was very strong . They (BSI) needs to find new ambassadors in those countries, like we had in Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs . Mauger especially worked very actively in the Antipodes , organizing tournaments , inviting riders from Europe and the speedway was alive there . But Ivan is more than 70 years old , so let BSI find someone younger, like Jason Crump for example, and persuade him to spin speedway in Australia and New Zealand. It might do worldwide speedway a lot of good. As it is riders for a half a year are sitting on their bums and doing nothing. In my time come January we flew to the antipodes and rode in dozens of tournaments. Let's go back to that. Let’s invest money in that because such an investment will pay off . This is my appeal to the BSI, because I am afraid that the FIM will do nothing . They (FIM) get few pennies for issuing some 500 speedway licenses , so speedway is not of interest to them. Gentlemen from the FIM are well aware that speedway will never be a mass sport that it will not be of interest to large corporations of Japan, etc., so they simply don’t care . But perhaps BSI can do something about it. America is waiting. It's a great shame that the Grand Prix has been in existence for so many years , and yet there was not one tournament in the United States. I look forward, with hope, to successful tests of a new, silencer being created by Leszek Demski . This pseudo - ecological silencer , which is currently being used should be smashed against a wall , because it made speedway dangerous. In general, and this is ironic what I am saying , all the technological changes kill speedway . On the one hand thanks to them it is safer than ever on the track , but on the other hand there is less excitement for fans as riders don’t ride elbow to elbow . Speedway does not have to be fast , but it has to be spectacular. In the 70's I experienced as a rider some significant changes . From a two-valve to Java. Then came the four-valve engine . There were significant differences associated with these changes , but the excitement on the track was still there. Now every change makes a much greater difference. * The above text has been translated and copied from Zenon Plech's blog , the 1979 speedway world champion runner-up.

It looks that way... if you believe what people write on the net :-) I'm just an observer and sometimes a messenger. But from what I read in the Polish media it is clear to see that the BSI does not have a good name over there. For a number of reasons, whether they are true or not, I don't know. This picture ( true of false) has been painted for some time now, especially since the emergence of OneSport and their SEC. It alleges that the BSI have done nothing for the development of speedway, that it practises favouritism, among other things. As the latest example, the case of "Bomber" Harris is often brought up. Anyway, it is something that would need a lot of time and proverbial ink to explain.

It is widely reported in Poland that the suspension of FIM resolution issued on 7th February was pushed through at the BSI request. Krzysztof Cegielski who12 years sustained neck breaking injuries in Sweden commented on it like this. It's a bit like a thief who returns stolen goods .. and because of that we ought to applaud him. If this suspension really happened at BSI request then it gives even worse picture of the FIM than it was originally thought. We have now a situation in which BSI asks for something, and then withdraw from it. It provokes thinking that leads to a conclusion that it is not the FIM that manages those issues but the BSI itself, which is very sad.

Hopefully, we can now get on with the new speedway season...as planned. This is a motion voiced by a majority of speedway opinion in Poland. Speedway to thrive needs its own governing body, not FIM.

and Tai is riding - as a guest - for the Stars, alongside Iversen and Bjerre http://www.kingslynnstars.co/world-champion-joins-stars-select/

Nicki Pedersen's Danish home track will host the third round of the controversial SEC series August the 9th is the date for the third round of Speedway European Championships at Holstead, Denmark, where the locals will have opportunity to see in action not only their home riders, three times world champion, Nicki Pedersen, and last year winner of the SEC, Martin Vaculik, but also Emil Sayfutdinow and Tomasz Gollob - Although we have previously staged Speedway World Cup , this is clearly the biggest event ever in Moldow Speedway Arena, said club president Rudi Steen Hansen. We are especially looking forward to Eurosport's international television coverage .- The race will be broadcast live in 71 countries and more than 30 million people are expected to follow the event on Eurosport , so we do not get a better showcase for our club and our region , says the President, who is confident that the club can benefit from staging this event . more here: http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_sport/motorsport/speedway/article2221795.ece

"At the moment, our lawyers analyze the situation , to take direct legal action to block the bizarre decision and obtain appropriate redress for us and potentially disadvantaged players, in the absence of reaction and its changes from the FIM." http://www.speedwayeuro.com/news/n/206/statement-of-one-sport-llc-according-to-fim-decisions.html

Sayfutdinov isn't the only SGP rider who complains how BSI are treating it's riders. And since this matter has been raised I can reveal another case. When Tomasz Gollob after the pile-up in the Stockholm GP round found himself in the Swedish hospital none of the BSI people visited him and asked him how he feels . What's more , Tomasz himself had to settle the bill for the stay in the clinic. As far as I know there is an unwritten agreement between the BSI and their riders of a general care in case of any unfortunate event. Tomasz’s gruesome looking accident certainly was such an event. But no one from the BSI bothered to visit him in the hospital , no one asked the Swedish doctors to care for him or any other assistance. No one even came and asked " how do you feel and if you need something ? " . There was one phone call to his manager, but nothing more.

Not necessary. How FIM will explain in courts that last year it was OK for SGP riders to take part in the SEC, and this year it is not.

What options ?

In answer to this I can only say: Yes, the club may be broke, but the city is not. They refused to pay money BSI was asking for. That' all. When BSI talks with PZM, Berlin and Gdansk eventually failed, the BSI turned to Bydgoszcz and Bydgoszcz eventually agreed to a deal but at a lower cost. PZM had nothing to do with it.

Perhaps it's a spin for the English speaking fans :-) As severnsider points out a meeting beetwen PZM and BSI took place at the end of last month and Polish fans were duly informed that Mr Paul Bellamy flew to Warsaw where he met with the president of the Polish Motor Association, Mr. Andrzej Witkowski . But Mr Bellamy was not satisfied with the financial offer put forward by the Polish side. According to press releases, PZM was prepared to pay £220’000 for the right to host the event. Last September both sides also failed to agree the amount PZM would have to pay for staging one of the 2014 SGP rounds to be staged in Warsaw stadium , a venue like Cardiff Millenium. It seems then that Poles are still interested to stage GP rounds, but NOT for the money BSI is asking.

No, he has a sponsor who would like him to ride in both, and for that purpose an extra 200'000 euros is for the grabs.

And who said it does... anyway It would be telling, wouldn't it? There is more to life than sportowefakty, believe me. It only proves that the shift of people who know how happens not only on tracks with two bends.

The recently introduced ban on competing in the European championships for SGP riders is exposing riders to high financial loses . The Moldov Company, Nicki Pedersen’s sponsor for some time now is not happy that he is prevented to publicizing their name to millions of Eurosport viewers broadcasting four rounds of the SEC. Moldov, apparently put on a table 200’000 euros for this purposes. Nicki has now a tough nut to crack, because nobody knows how Moldow is to react if the rider chooses to compete in the Grand Prix instead in the SEC. By the way , the Dane is in a trap , because accepting Polish club, Leszno, offer to ride for them in 2014 season he also signed a million PLN worth advertising deal with the local firm, Polcopper (long standing sponsor of Leigh Adams, which implies that he is to advertise Polcopper name in the GP . It seems that there is no way out for Pedersen. This same problem as Nicki, is facing Emil Sayfutdinov who finally managed to sign a deal with the Russian sponsor which put on the table around 100’000 euros, on condition that Emil rides in the SEC which is broadcasted in Russia. If Emil is not in the SEC, the Ural Company may completely withdraw its offer , or drastically reduce its support. Russian rider therefore has a lot to think about.

And that is exactly what is happening. I go along with Humphrey who said : "They ( Polish rounds organizers) should have done their sums and worked what was a reasonable fee, or even based it on a percentage of the profits". I think they learned that the hard way and are no longer as foolish as before. Like This Quote MultiQuote

How much do they charge cities to host GP's ? It is widely known fact that BSI are asking much more from Polish cities than from any others. Gorzow city council already last year wanted to renegotiate unfavourable (in their opinion ) contract with the BSI . Torun does not want to pay for their contract extension even half of what is expected by the BSI . The British/American Company wants 5 years contract extension for astronomical sum of £2’500’000 which is a half of a million GB Pounds for a year The Tourn City Council is prepared to pay £200’000 and for no more than three years. Polish speedway club are no longer so eager to stage SGP rounds. For many reasons. One of them is that their City Councils have lost interested in this form of promotion. Bydgoszcz speedway for this year license is paying around £220’000 GBP, with their own money. Another reason is that profits from such an event are falling drastically . Bydgoszcz in 2010, when Tomasz Gollob was crowned on his home track as the world champion, earned short of a half a million GBP. It was a record . Earlier gains hovered at less than half of that . Wroclaw on each event earned an average around 200’000 GBP. Last year, Bydgoszcz earned only around 80’000 GBP and Gorzow a hundred K. Now when there is an alternative in the form of Speedway European Championship and Speedway Best Pairs, Poland will think twice whether to stage SGP as well as SEC. SEC organizers’ asking fee for a licence is around £120’000. This is in theory , because in practice, none of last year's assignees have paid that much. In any case, Torun is wondering whether to replace SGP with the SEC, and this means that come 2015, Poland will stage only one SGP round, at Gorzow .

The truth is that they do pay licence fees to FIM. The problem is that it is FIM-Europe, not FIM, and the latter doesn't like it :-) If its nothing to do with Poland, then what it is do with, or with whom? You're Trees.

So why then BSPA/ACU are against everything that is not in their own interest.

You are entitled to your own opinion...but I can tell you one thing. sportowefakty.pl are NOT "the party paper of OneSport. Yes they advocate speedway matters from the Polish point of view, but are not what you are accusing them of.Their aim is to cover all sport disciplines, and speedway is only one part of it.

Widely accepted you say... then you know very little about reality. Yes SF are basedi in Poland, in the same way as BSI are based in the UK. If you think that SF are the mouth piece for OneSport then tell me whos's mouth piece is speedwaygp.com ?

I could not have phrased it better !!!

Where would the riders find sufficient employment ?... it depends what one regards as sufficient. As far as I know Polish EkstraLiga pay sufficient money for top riders to give Denmark and GB a miss. Chris Holder is the latest example. Others found this some time ago.

As far as I am aware Sajfutdinow team is drafting a petition to the BSI requesting cancellation of the SGP entry form, which he was obliged to sent earlier. The form was sent before FIM ruling effectively banning SGP riders from taking part in the SEC .The problem is that the Russian has signed sponsorship deal which obliges him to ride in the SEC. It is quite possible that BSI will refused Sayfutdinov’s request. If that happens Sayfutdinov’s lawyer will have no option than open a legal battle in courts. They will argue that their client was not aware that situation will change so drastically. Nicki Pedersen is a similar situation and the story goes that he has already sent a letter to his National Federation asking for help in this matter.