PHILIPRISING

JUST received an email with photos (don't know how to include one here ... any advice?) from Steve Saint, who directs the TV operation at SGP events, who has been in Riga this week. The stadium is unrecognisable from even a few weeks ago. Says Steve: "The stadium has gone and is still under-going a huge revamp after several years of not being used. The track itself actually is part of a bigger motor racing complex with a proper race track at the back of the pit area that is still used today. I believe they have a round of the European drift Championships next month ahead of the Grand Prix arriving." Steve's photos show the new fencing, track and grandstands ... a bit like the stadium in Gorican. Looks very neat and tidy now. The Latvians want the Speedway World Cup in 2015 and Riga would make for an ideal staging city that would surely attract a lot of external visitors.

I repeat that Tai is only saying that if the EL want the top riders to race in England there has to be changes not for his sake but theirs.

BUT he is only suggesting that if British speedway wants the top riders racing in its domestic leagues then changes have to be made. If it doesn't, then so be it. He is not saying it has to change simply to suit Tai Woffinden. While it is true that having the top riders in a meeting doesn't guarantee great racing, surely there can be no denying that they remain draw cards and are more likely to pull in fans than lesser lights. That's the way of the world. I also don't think Chris Brown's argument that Tai learnt his trade here and should repay that by continuing to race in the UK no matter what holds water. He is effectively just a tradesman and no different to someone climbing the ladder at one company and then leaving to join another. That, too, is the way of the world.

... and your point is?

WHATEVER we finish up with in 2015 fans need to know with certainty when their track will be staging meetings and when they will not. It's pointless people like frigbo having a crack at riders like Tai. Quite naturally they will want to earn as much from a limited career, which could end tomorrow, as they can and right now that means racing in Poland and Sweden ahead of the UK. One race night has been a thorny chestnut for British tracks for a long, long time and it remains tough to seen how that hurdle can be overcome. But if British fans are to get the chance to see more rather than less of the top riders racing here then some solution will have to be found. It is not just the money but the inconvenience of commuting in and out of England on a regular basis that is taking its toil. Some sort of super league, with limited fixtures and tailored for Sky, could be the answer with those teams perhaps also competing in a secondary competition, possibly the Premier League which might be split geographically.

RIGA promoter was in Cardiff last weekend assuring everyone that everything is okay ... BSI reps going there on Tuesday for a final check.

NOT sure why you posted this. The meeting was originally scheduled for Poole (hence the comments above) but is now taking place (where else?) in Poland.

41,800

CANNOT see the British GP being staged anywhere other than the Millennium for the foreseeable future... it's a perfect fit for all concerned.

CROWDS for the race-off are always dismal and tough to see why that will change this year. Hopefully, things will be different for the Final. Interesting team selection ahead for Poland. Will Gollob get back in after effectively throwing his dummy out last year when they won without him? Even if Holder isn't fit, Australia look strong enough to go straight to the final but Denmark's team selection for Vastervik has made that one harder to predict. If the Danes do make qualify at the first attempt, wouldn't be surprised to see the Latvians come through the race-off (on a Polish track) if they actually get that far.

THIS season the championship leader is introduced last. Not in favour personally, think it should always be the reigning World Champion. But last year, with Chris Holder injured, Ales Dryml got the top spot!

WASN'T too chilly last year

CLUB culture in Sweden counts for so much. So many volunteers help to keep staff costs down, local sponsorship helps pay the riders along with gate revenue which is a lot better than in the UK.

NO Nicki Pedersen, Niels-Kristian Iversen or Kenneth Bjerre in the Danish team for their opener in Vastervik. None of the youngsters like Michael Jepsen Jensen either. Wonder what the thinking is behind this selection...

IT'S all in the eye of the beholder...

AND your evidence for "most" is?

EVERYONE around my mob thoroughly enjoyed the opening ceremony. Or would you prefer they just come out on an open truck? I suppose you could say that it would give it a lift... boom, boom!

TORUN is a nice town, not on the scale of Prague of course. Also Riga but, as yet, we do not know how the stadium and track will stack up. Stockholm superb but expensive. Great stadium though..

HAVING to fit a Polish match in between probably didn't help ... must be knackered after such a tiring and emotional night at the Millennium

FIRST look at Leicester for me and judging by a string of comments from riders on both sides it isn't conducive to good racing. And already there have been too many crashes. Which is a shame because otherwise it has much to offer. What a pity that more thought and planning didn't go into the actual track shape. Shorter straights, wider corners, it isn't rocket science.

YOU must be able to do better than £299 a night surely? There are many on here who have already done much, much better than that.

AM not just talking about the stadium executives but the general staff without whom things wouldn't tick over as smoothly as they do. THOUGHT the opening ceremony was terrific and the riders, who knew nothing about it until an hour before the start (and not much then) enjoyed it. Brainchild of BSI Event Manager Gemma Fordham who wanted to "give every rider their own moment in the spotlight." "It was like being a rock star for a few seconds," said Hancock.

I TAKE your point but I actually think Cardiff attracts more 'casual' fans than would Wembley for many of the reasons already stated by me and others previously. One thing that is easy to forget... the Millennium actually enjoys and encourages the British GP. Cannot see Wembley doing the same even if a deal were to be struck. Incidentally, thought the led advertising strips along the front of the stands, which were also used for meeting info, were terrific. First saw them at the Friends Arena in Stockholm last year. Only the second time they have been operational at the Millennium.

CARDIFF crowd may be fairly static, although up to almost 42,000 (figure supplied by stadium) on Saturday, but considering how domestic crowds are dwindling it remains impressive against those figures. Many EL and PL tracks are playing to audiences of less than a thousand and it is hard to see that trend changing. PRESUMABLY because no one was informed.

NOT 100 per cent sure the track would stand up to what would be almost four meetings. Practice for GP equivalent to almost 40 races alone and there would have to be practice for the SWC as well. Fine in theory, maybe not in practice.