PHILIPRISING

ALTHOUGH the actual terms haven't been made public by either Sky or the BSPA, the consensus is that the money on the table is comparable with what was previously paid without the sponsorship. Bet there are already some at Sky already questioning their decision to renew.

SPEEDWAY'S popularity in Poland is indeed parochial but where it is raced (mainly in the north) it does have a large following. How many fans from places like Torun and Zielona Gora will travel to Warsaw is the 64,000 dollar question but, as previously stated, it is the PZM rather than BSI who are the motivation behind the move. Will still be surprised if the final SGP of 2015 isn't at Torun.

MOST likely to be the opening round in Europe .... BUT this meeting will be essentially be a Polish promotion so presumably they won't be slitting their own throats

ISSUE dated March 29 ... usual 128 page special

I WOULDN'T put too much store in the figures being quoted here. No contracts signed as yet. But it does look as though it will happen. Not just that the PZM want it to materialise, the stadium are desperate for more events like many similar ones throughout Europe which although primarily for soccer are massively under-used.

MORE propaganda from our Polish friends but have said before that PZM are desperate to have a SGP (not an SEC!) at their national stadium like the Danes and Swedes and Brits (the Millennium is our adopted home)...

BEEN lucky enough to know all the World Champions for the past 48 years pretty well and none of them put money before winning their first title. It's like putting the cart before the horse. Plenty of other sportsmen or women do exactly the same.

THOSE with the talent to win it should certainly do so.

THIS is the last year of Torun's current contract with BSI... I am hearing that Ashley Holloway, who lives in Bydgoszcz and is Emil's prime engine tuner, even offered to act as driver and unpaid mechanic this year to help reduce the rider's expenses but the offer was declined. Plenty of people in and around Emil telling him that he has made a bad decision but sadly those pulling his strings weren't listening. Of course Emil should be his own man but he is still very young and under the influence of one or two who are steering him in the wrong direction. Few are blessed with his natural talent, which deserves to be rewarded with a World title, and there is still plenty of time but he needs to start controlling his own destiny rather than allowing others to do it for him.

BUT it's a long term deal so that adds up to several million. GRAND CENTRAL: was simply pointing out that, contrary to the views of some on here, BSI do actual pay proper money for the World Championship and invest a great deal more.

ALONG with the World Championship trophy...

BSI also pay each of the 15 permanent riders $12,000 at the start of the season. This has replaced the bumper cash prize that was on offer a few years back. Riders agreed that they would rather see the sum distributed in this manner to help with new season expenses. So that's $180,000 in addition to paying the FIM several million for the commercial rights and around 20,000 Euros in inscription fees for each SGP.

COME down to Florida Alan ... it's baking here as usual!

UNFORTUNATELY speedway doesn't have a ready made market for sponsors and advertisers ... no major bike or engine manufacturers, limited accessories, etc. No major oil companies (like Mobil) involved and so on. Speedway lives in its own little bubble and suffers because of it. Newspaper coverage does little or nothing to encourage major sponsorship these days. It is all about TV, which is why F1 flourishes.

WOULD Gollob have withdrawn from the SGP had Monster still been paying him a hundred grand? I doubt it. Let's not forget he hasn't been at his best for some time and his value to Monster was obviously diminished but he acquired the deal in the first place because of the SGP ... just as have Holder, Ward and Woffinden. Would Pedersen have Moldow without the SGP? I doubt it. And there are various other examples of how riders are benefitting from their TV exposure in the SGP. I wouldn't argue that BSI themselves have found it tough to acquire a wide variety of sponsorship contracts but the Monster one is significant and the deals with various tourist organisations like those in Denmark, Sweden and Wales have proved very beneficial and not just financially.

YOU mean the old ITV programme World of Sport? Think TV audiences in UK, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Australia would beat that let alone those showing recorded highlights either on the same night or later. And, of course, times 12...

THE World Championship belongs to the FIM as a whole not the various national speedway authorities. BSI actually do a lot to "promote" speedway by staging 16 major events each year in various cities including the capitals of Latvia, Denmark, Sweden and Wales and most likely Poland next year and the most populated city in New Zealand. Their TV viewing figures also raise the profile of the sport globally but unlike some on here i don't see it as their job to get involved with grassroots speedway or to play any part in developing riders. That should remain within the province of the FIM who could and undoubtedly should do better. BSI provide a stage on which ambitious riders can aspire to perform and the better they do their job at SGP events - and only a fool would argue that the general organisation, especially behind the scenes, is not light years ahead of what it was 10 years ago - the better the impression on the general public. SGP riders also have the not insignificant benefit of at least (injury permitting) 12 major TV appearances a season rather than just one as in the old days of the one-off World Finals. And, of course, the total TV audience is bigger than it was. That has to be a major factor when attracting sponsors, which in turn help to promote speedway. Of course, everyone can do more but my answer to the original premise of this thread is "yes."

NO...

ACTUALLY agree with a Twitter comment by Darcy Ward that Emil's withdrawal might have more to do with his manager Susi than the rider himself. Susi has been around the SGP scene for a long time, firstly with Tony Rickardsson and then as mechanic-cum-manager with Emil. Perhaps he is tired of it all and fancies less travel and work and time away from his family in Bydgoszcz. It is Susi who has got Emil in hot water over his protracted loan move from Czestochowa to Torun which has still to be satisfactorily resolved. Of course, Emil should be man enough to make his own decisions but many suspect he is not. Would love to see Rickardsson get involved and tell Emil that he is sacrificing a wonderful talent. When Emil originally booked his flights to NZ he upgraded all four of his tickets at his own expense. No sign of financial difficulty there.

HAVEN'T actually seen his letter but understand the context centres around his fitness ... or rather lack of it. GET your facts right. BSI didn't start any war. RIDERS' air fares and hotel accommodation for New Zealand is provided free of charge by BSI. And, of course, he will lose the $12,000 that all 15 permanent riders are paid prior to the opening round. Prize money is determined by the FIM. It is actually the riders who insist on Friday practice.

GIVEN away? Come on Humphrey, you know full well that BSI/IMG pay the FIM a great deal for the rights and spend even more on promoting the series as a whole. Give your argument the correct balance.

Sad for both Emil and the SGP series. There have been rumours for some time that he hasn't fully recovered from last year's crash, as evidenced by his lack of activity on a bike since. Also some suggestions that his acrimonious departure from Czestochowa has left him financially impaired and it does appear that his threats to withdraw if he couldn't also ride in SEC might have been at least in part a smokescreen. Not only one of the most talented riders on the current international stage but also one of the most exciting. Let's hope he can still forge out a career at the highest level and achieve what surely should be his ambition of becoming the number one rider in the world ...

IT is although negotiations for an extension are on-going.

THIS is not new. The City authorities want to move motorsport away from Western Springs into a new venue on land provided by them out of town and nearer the international airport and have been trying to force Buckley out for several years. They believe the venue - now surrounded by housing which it wasn't originally, shades of West Row (Mildenhall) but on a much bigger scale - is more suited to cricket than midget cars. Buckley is fighting them in his usual combative style and has been given a stay of execution but he is not a young man and may feel that it will become a battle not worth fighting. I did an hour-long radio programme with one of NZ's leading sports commentators last year aimed at drumming up public support for the continuation of motorsports at such an iconic and traditional venue but even he admitted that he felt like swimming against the tide.

AS sure as I can be...