spiegal

Thank you for your interest...in fact this was the first trip we have ever cancelled. It was a mixture of lack of numbers, the unreliability of CONFIRMED fixtures...Hoteliers who tripled the room rates, plus the internal transfers suddenly became 200% dearer for no reason....I am not prepared to risk clients, their money or our reputation..so I knocked in on the head. Another real problem is the location of the tracks. Many require a transit through Moscow, and internal fares are no longer a few US$ in cash. The country is coming out of a long dark tunnel, and it is a mixture of western/russian business methods...and i felt that the signs just did not prove to be as reliable as I always insist on. We have an extremely good,honest contact in Moscow, but she "lost it" with the local hoteliers, who basically held us to ransom with prices.Better to be safe than sorry. having been to other parts of Russia, I am happy with Moscow/St.Pete..and a few of teh othe rbig cities, but truthfully i got the wrong feeling about everything. My opinion is that a GP will happen in Russia, but it will dpend on several factors other than just the quality of racing....as for the date, i simply have no information, but i do have an idea when it might happen. Trust this helps

Could anyone advise if the meeting at SANOK in POLAND this coming weekend is on a "Natural" Ice track,or man made such as Inzell/Assen. also what is the forcast for this coming weeknd's event Thank you

Thanks for your comments but they are indeed eronious. i have spoken with my team in Sydney and they confirm that everyone saw all the meeting and all the races. They were indeeed pushed to get back within the drivers hours but did so by just 2 minutes. Thanks again to an understanding Bus company. You are obviously well informed, and a regular sunscriber but i must tell you that we never leave any timings to chance...ever. We were advised by THE STADIUM that teh event had to close by 2215hrs,with a 15 minute extra "Just in case"... So Half way round the world, and for teh first time in 27 years we were almost let down with the "organisation" of the event. Anyhow, all's well, and i can confirm that once again our 70+ people enjoyed the atmosphere and hospitality of a superb nation. No doubt that superb scribe PEDRO WHITE will havea few words in his Star column next week.

Please forgive the blatent plug...but this is the easy way to contact all those people who have been calling. Our 2008 Tours brochure will be in this week's SPEEDWAY STAR (Sat.22 Dec) issue...all 20 pages in a bumper edition. Also on a personal basis, sincerest best wishes to Speedway People everywhere for a peaceful, healthy Christmas and New Year. James. Travel Plus Tours

After your posting, today i went back to the ETAP contract...you are indeed correct. It was not that clear, especially with teh breakfast arrangements but i should have looked more carefully....anyhow it makes more sense now I have ammended the ETAP pricing, and teh new leaflet will be up on our website by tonight. The room cost incl brekkers is £70.00 for 1/2 or 3 persons. Apologies and those who have already booked will have an ammended invoice.

I can assure you that we paid very considerably more than £32.00.. per person NOT per room for the rooms mentioned. Indeed last year as the hotel was new, the rates were very cheap, but this year, ALL the hotels are very expensive. But you as the client have the ultimate choice. The big hotels knew of the date before even we did. they are in the business of making money, and they have the right to charge whatever the market will stand. Equally the deal we have at the University is in my my opinion, exceptional. Try buying a room at Cardiff for the footie or the rugby, and THEN you would good reason to squeel.

Thanks...a lot depends on my IT man...he has his instructions, and unless he fancies limping for a month, it should be on the web pages at 1900hrs UK time. The lead in price is believe me ...amazing

For those who still require rooms for the SATURDAY night...no 2 night minimum. Check our web pages on Saturday night 13 October at www.tptours.co.uk We have some rooms at amazing prices, plus the usual top rated hotels around Cardiff Bay...Holiday inn Express, Premier Inn,Novotel etc.etc Bookings start Wednesdayfor existing Speedway Star Travel Club members, and Monday 22nd October for all other clients.

It is amazing how the passage of time clouds the facts. For your information, the biggest post 1970 crowd in UK for a Wembley Final was 72,000...a massive figure but against teh number (18) Div.1 tracks, it makes the issue clearer.The often quoted 80/90,000 were the realms of good publicity. Even in those days sponsorship was minimal. One of the major reasons the World Final ceased was the lack of nations willing to stage the qualifying rounds. Mostly they were always loss makers.Same with teh World Team cup, always lost a bomb. That makes JP's gamble even more impressive. how do i know, well i was at the FIM meetings when the changes were originated way back in 1988.The GP ideas were masterminded by Gunter Sorber and Joss Vaessen, huge names, and impressive figures in those days.But they were visionaries, who saw that the one off Finals were attracting less people. Also as somebody who suffered at the hands of the GP possibly more than most....1991..we took 2,200 to Gothenburg..even Pocking 1983 ..was 1,200, and to Vojens we took about 950. In the first year of the GP in 1995, we took precisely 46 fans. Sometimes people forget that we have always backed the sport, tend to forget figures like that. The best finals, naturally everyone remembers the Penhall finals of 81/82...the excitement was always there, but todays events do actually produce a genuine Champion. Interesting how the likes of Penhall, Nielsen,Carter etc. would have added to their totals. We shall never know.

Well done you people. Some very good, well blanced, thoughtful, and idot free discussion. Whether you agree or disagree, it is good to raise the level above the banal and trivial. I cannot comment as I am directly involved. But teh main gripe I have is that i didn't think of the whole series first. Lack of nuts, lack of serious dosh. Ah well...but well done everyone, an interesting series on this forum.

I think that this has all gone to far I have had time to sleep on the matter, and I accept that probably my reaction was too "blood and guts".. You see I actually care passionatelyy about my reputation, the tours we produce, the quality of our product...everything.There have been times we have lost a great deal of money, just by keeping faith with our clients. That is why I am like I am. I genuinely think the remarks made were harsh..not fair, and not understanding what had happened...but hey ho..there are wors ethings out there.Equally if we are big enough to do this type of product then sometimes remarks like this come with the country...and i frankly did not think before reacting..but there agin..I do care. The situation is closed...I have asked my girls in the office to give me a good smack, I will contact the individual concerned and finalise everything, and maybe even send him a Fawlty Towers dvd....Try Phoenix Nights its just as good. There are always losers in this situation...never winners.... But let's at least make a winner...we helped raise £600 for Steady on our tours. Today i am sending him another £50.as a guesture and a lesson to me not to be so passsionate and white/black about things. hey ho...at least it makes teh woldl go round. And at least I know when I have been a prat !!

Thank you everyone. You really are most kind. Best wishes from us all

Fortunately everything was sorted within minutes. The office is open 0900/1400...there is a 24 hour answering message with a mobile contact which is ALWAYS open... No message was left on our answering machine, no message was left on our mobile, the first we knew was the opening of this forum. The problem was acted on in 5 minutes, the client called, and they were by all accounts, mightly relieved....they are old establised clients and very nice people On 2 previous occassions this year the Post Office has lost our tickets. You can imagine we did not view the situation lightly, the clienst have invested hard earned cash in their holiday, and they had seemingly nothing from us. I would be panicking if I had been them. We send everything 1st Class, with extra postage, and it is personally taken to the sorting office. Everything is sent out 2 or more weeks in advance As for Fawlty Towers, I wish the Travel Business paid as well as the TV series. Sorry if you got the wrong impression, ....but if you have any doubts over Marmande...just ask those who went this year. Baaaaaasil

THIS IS OMEWHAT SURPRISING. WHAT TOUR ARE YOU ONE...WHO ARE YOU This office is attended each day 0900/1400hrs...and the mobile is always available We are Not happy with the contents of the above message at all. All tickets for BYDGOSZCZ went out 2 weeks ago..all tickets for KRSKO went out last week. This is hardly the way to conduct business Please call us 01473.730000....at above times

Just back from putting together our 2008 Speedway tour to California. Some amazing racing at both INDUSTRY HILLS and FAST FRIDAYS. Also met up with teh promotions of Costa Mesa and Victorville. More passing in 1 race than an entire Elite League match,some brilliant promoting ideas and enthusiasm. Kids of 8yrs racing between the main events and believe me they can race, and some wonderful 15 year old talent. Add full stadiums, 180yd tracks,super food..not the cr*p we get, 30 races a night and for way less than what you pay for a PL fixture.And the very top names incl Hancock,Hamill,Schwartz,Larsen,Venegas,Faria,Bast etc.etc. Best of all was to see and chat with the legendary John Cook who is now almost fully fit and as interesting and friendly as always. Maybe Phil Rising will allow me page in the Star to fill you in with the details......but one last point On leavinG Fast Friday's the promoter Dave Joiner was at the main gate thanking everyone and "Looking foward to seeing ya'all next week....now that is class. James

We have managed to get some very late extra rooms....not many..at CARDIFF. We have 1 x Twins (HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS)...2 X DOUBLES (IBIS...the onenear stadium) just saturday night...bed & breakfast....£50.00.p.p.p. night. Please call if we can help at TARVEL PLUS TOURS 01473.730000 e mail suffolktravel@aol.com Regards

Oh dear that PUX is some personality. yep it's all true. My motley crew of valued clients...approx. 70 of them will be heading down under in or around New Year. We will miss MIDURA as flights already booked...sorry Mr Adams..but will be iN SYDNEY at New Year, then Adelaide, then it all depends. As for PUX...we requested a quiet, poetry loving teetotal, mild mannered and reclusive Australian to help us around the more refind tea rooms of the Antipodes. As for PUX...well....looks like we got it a tiny bit wrong !!! Top man is Pux.

We very sadly have just had 2 very nice guys cancel from our Friday/Monday weekend from STANSTED. Anyone who maybe wants to join us, at a very reasonable price please contact. Contact us on 01473.730000 Regards JAMES/TRAVEL PLUS TOURS

A lot of you are missing the whole point regarding the GP series. It has nothing to do with racing,points,performances...it is all down to TV which= advertising which is far far more what the GP is all about. again the whole point about China/Russia/far East is the tobacco revenues. these places have little or no restrction on such promotion, and as you may be aware the Tobacco companies are teeming cash and with nothing tp spend it on. Look at what IMG will bring, huge corporate advertising to outlets which simply need sports to promote their goods. Buxton/Swindon/Kings Lynn etc they ain't worried about

The same reason why Chelsea,Man Utd,Arsenal etc etc thrive at the top o Footie. It thus does not follow that the game is any better at that level,its just teh craem coming to the top. But eat to much cream and in teh end you grow sick of it. Speedway is like food...vary it as much as possible to get a quality diet.

This has always been the opinion of the enthusiast rather than the realist. Look at the attendance figures for British Speedway. Look at the dearth of British Riders.Look at the prices for 30 minutes racing, cos that is what you are getting at the moment. Look at Rugby League,look at Cricket. They saw the problem, and rectified it. The ONLY hope for British Speedway is to have a total rebuild. there is no other option. You cannot forever go down the road of trying to retain your existing public. That is the big mistake the BSPA made back in 1980. Read John Berry's books. The days of the bobble hat,woolly scarf and rattle are gone, and the stuck in the mud enthusiast has gone with it. I could tell you a very very interesting story about re-inventing a business, and basically speedway here in Uk must do it or die. British Speedway must rebuild itslef or simply it will slither down into a demise the likes of which will be horribly rapid. People are simply fed up with racing teh same teams 3 or 4 times each year. It needs a 20 team league with its own growth generation., to provide comparisons and genuine Team racing. You make your own stars/heroes/teams within 3 years. Who in their right mind supports a team full of Poles/Swedes/Danes/Americans etc who have no allegience whatsoever to their side. Professional senior sportsmen including speedway Riders are like Hookers. Who ever pays them teh most they will love until the next, and bigger paymaster comes along. Time for the purple coated specs to be replaced by genuine realism

We have looked at this and our thinking is that on Thurs and Sat there will be 2 bus travel to LESZNO, and it may make more sense to keep the Sunday meeting to a local track rather than another long bus ride to ZG. The OSTROW team is full of riders who are in Uk action, so the action should be jkust as lively. If however we get the indication that people wish to retain ZG then obviously we can change it back

The only option for BRITISH SPEEDWAY is to go down the road of BSPA owing the riders contracts. If ever there was a case for it, now is the time. Let the GP riders go...half of them are gone already...level up all the major 20 clubs...all the Elite..half of the Premier..have a levelling out of averages and re vamp the whole league. Let's face it teh GP riders don't give a flying **** about British Speedway, let them have Sweden/Poland and us ethe oppertunity to get as many British riders in a big league. It would have so much benefit to the league strata, and enable the Brits to start where the Swedes/Poles were 10 years ago. If you think that Elite League can go on as before then you are in for a very nasty shock.

Just to confirm that we have produced a new brochure for the WORLD CUP weekend at LESZNO. Departs Thursday from LUTON...staying 4 nights at 5 star SHERATON HOTEL in POZNAN...taking in WORLD CUP PLAY OFF..WORLD CUP FINAL...a POLISH LEAGUE match on SUNDAY afternoon. Details on our web page as from SUNDAY. www.tptours.co.uk Regards as always

May be a bit before many people's time. And indeed only a bit part rider in those days. But having seen him ride, and know him well personally, I can vouch for one CYRIL CRANE. He was very enthusiastic, bit invariably forgot to turn left after the start. he could manage Norwich with its wide open spaces, Yarmouth was a different matter. always value for money dear old Cyril