PHILIPRISING

TIME mainly. Ice racers don't compete in Sweden on a Tuesday or UK on a Wednesday or Thursday or Poland on a Sunday. Impossible to fit that in with a road trip to Togliati to be there on a Friday and out Saturday evening.

THE major issue with Togliati is not so much visas for those travelling but the actual logistics of getting there and back. It is simply not practical, or indeed safe, to make the long journey by road. Flying in and out (perhaps from Warsaw) would seem the most suitable solution. It would also enable the riders to be back in Poland on the Sunday morning and able to fulfil their Polish league commitments.

DON'T think it is that easy to tell the Russian authorities anything. One thing that the FIM seem to forget is that riders cannot simply hand over their passports for several days in order to acquire a visa. It does, however, work both ways. I recently had a conversation about the Laguta brothers and their problems getting into the UK this year and was told that the British Embassy in Moscow needed to have their passports for at least two weeks in order to process their applications for visas. Their problem was also compounded by them leaving it late, seemingly unaware of the process. But due to their commitments in Poland and Sweden they couldn't relinquish their passports. Am quite happy to raise the question with someone from the FIM asap. Hoping to have a pint with Tony Steele shortly and will see what light he can shed on it. But getting visas for Russia remains a major hurdle and one that the authorities in Togliati, who fancy a Grand Prix round, must overcome. Unless they can agree to flying the whole shebang (riders, mechanics, officials, equipment) in and out, with all visas pre-arranged, they will never get past first base.

HOW many World Final venues required a track to be laid? The LA Coliseum ... but then it doesn't rain much at that time of the year in LA.

DOESN'T he win that every day?

YOU have heard the true story about Gelsenkirchen a million times but you choose not to believe it so it is hardly worth raking over again. After such an experience neither side was falling over themselves to try again and, in fact, a change in the stadium management between years one and two had already moved the goalposts if you will forgive the pun given the stadium's prime purpose. But even if the stadium had been willing to welcom speedway back it would have been impossible to fully exorcise the ghosts of the previous year and regain the publics's trust. That remains a problem at Ullevi which has had more than its fair share of weather problems and why many remain wary of going there. Which is why the new covered stadiums in Stockholm are so attractive. However, a lot of research has gone into the preparation of temporary tracks, the ideal mix of materials has been established as has how the dirt needs to be stored in a climate controlled environment. Lessons were learned from Gelsenkirchen although the conspiracy theorists probably prefer to believe otherwise.

WE are talking about the British GP, which is by far the most expensive to stage. And there is the option of a stadium with a roof. Just as there is in Denmark and probably in the near future Sweden. The next best thing is Torun where they have at least extended the roof to cover the track. It is not entirely weather proof but the next best thing. If you have the option of a stadium with a roof why ignore it?

BECAUSE the massive cost of staging the British GP (not just any speedway meeting) requires the insurance that a roof provides. Simples...

OLYMPIC stadium doesn't have a roof either and I would still be quite happy to drive to Cardiff (and pay the toll) rather than East London. I was born in London but don't share the view of some that it is the be all and end all as far as staging sporting events is concerned. THE KNOW: Andy your disillusionment with speedway is well known and as a personal view that's fine. But it certainly doesn't follow that speedway in Poland, especially given the facilities they generally enjoy, will fall out of favour with the younger generation.

I have been to Wembley on more than one occasion this year. It's all in the eye of the beholder but in my view Wembley (not London) cannot hold a candle to Cardiff.

AND the hotels, bars, restaurants, etc in Wembley as opposed to Cardiff? Anyway, it's all academic. The British GP takes place in Cardiff and I for one have no problem with that.

DO you need a lift?

WHAT makes you think racing would be any better at Wembley?

IRIS123 ... you haven't tried the pudding so how do you know what it tastes like?

CRUMBLING wreck? I'll have some of what you are on. Sponsors can be and in fact are royally entertained at the Millennium. Have you ever seen the Methanol Club facilities? Or the corporate boxes? And the fantastic new HD screens? And .... no matter, pass the bottle.

OF course I don't have a vested interest other than enjoying the fact that speedway has such a great showpiece event which reflects well on the sport to many on the outside. I just don't see how anyone could see gambling upwards of half a million on putting on a speedway meeting at Wembley, with no cast iron guarantee that the event would even go ahead or what the crowd would be, makes any sense at all. The roof is a major factor not just on the day itself but for track preparation. BSI effectively hire the Millennium for a week. How much do you think Wembley would cost for a similar period. The Football Association don't even recognise the history speedway had at the old Empire Stadium and efforts by Barry Briggs to locate a speedway museum there have simply fallen on deaf ears. The weather is rarely kind in Gothenburg but the city is desperate to keep the Grand Prix there especially as so many other major sporting events in Sweden have moved elsewhere. However, the lure of covered stadiums in Stockholm, one of which I believe actually has a temperature controlled climate, will be tough to resist. And, personally, I think the capital is much nicer place to visit.

MICKTHEMUPPET ... said before, the old Wembley had a permanent speedway track. The new Wembley doesn't. And in those days there was no choice. There is now. And a better one in my opinion. But that's all it is ...

CARDIFF is a capital city ... very accessible from many parts of the UK, more so for many than Wembley. You should try it sometime. And Wembley is a poor location. Tens of thousands of fans may attend various events there but that doesn't mean it isn't a nightmare journey for them. I live in Surrey and I have tried various methods of getting to and from and all of them torturous.

NONE of us actually know how many people a speedway meeting at Wembley would attract. But we do know that it would be a massive financial gamble. The cost of staging a meeting there, even if the Wembley owners sanctioned an event, would run into many hundreds of thousands of pounds. So, the essential question is who will stump up the money in the first place knowing that it could quite conceivably end in tears. Even if the weather was kind. Cannot accept the analogy of soccer fans turning up in their droves for Cup Finals. Might do if Belle Vue attracted 76,000 for their home matches as do Man United.

See Chris Holder's comments on speedwaygp.com

PERSONALLY don't see why you think Wembley would be a sell-out and it is hardly in the middle of London is it? Great stadium, obviously, but poor location especially when travelling by road. And, to repeat, it doesn't have a roof and the cost of renting the stadium and putting in a track (which in itself would be well in excess of £100,000) when it could all be wiped out by rain would be financial suicide. Why do you think that tourists coming to London (not Wembley) would be interested in going to a speedway GP? Staging GPs at Ullevi is probably enough risk for one year and with the availability of two new covered stadiums in Stockholm one must wonder for how long Gothenburg will stay on the calendar. I just don't possess the same sentimental feeling for Wembley as many on here do. That era ended in 1981 and I say that as someone who saw every World Final there from 1962, the 1966 World Cup Final, Manchester United winning the European Cup two years later and countless England internationals. The old stadium had a special aura despite the fact that in many respects it was a bit of a dump. The Millennium Stadium is far better suited for GP speedway than Wembley for all sorts of reasons, not just the roof and, but as Humphrey points out, the ease in which the grass pitch can be temporarily removed. It is a much more compact arena and generates a fantastic atmosphere which frankly I don't think would be replicated at Wembley. Also, and this cannot be over-stated, the Millennium officials love having the speedway there and beg over backwards to do everything they can to help. Do you honestly think the Football Association, who have already obliterated speedway's history at Wembley, would do the same?

BUT they didn't have to lay a track at the old Wembley, just tart up the one that was permanently there. Of course they are worried about 'getting wet' as you put it. Why take the risk when there is such a fantastic facility as the Millennium Stadium ready and willing to stage speedway and a town like Cardiff which has much more going for it than the neighbourhood in which Wembley is situated.

WEMBLEY doesn't have a roof ...

BEST suggestion yet

GEARHEAD ... don't get me wrong, I also fail to understand what riders actually glean from practice most of the time and also find the whole two hour session tedious. And you are right, more often than not riders will comment that the track on race day is totally different to what it was in practice, although that is less common now with temporary tracks. One reason that practice will now start at 6pm is to try and better replicate atmospheric and weather conditions the next day. For example: practice under a hot sun will be very different to racing conditions the following evening. However, unlike say road racing on a surface that never changes, or motocross where it doesn't really matter, speedway surfaces are notoriously fickle and are obviously susceptible to weather conditions whether it be sun and wind or just rain. Preparing the perfect speedway track isn't an exact science, although it must be said that the progress made by Ole Olsen in ascertaining the optimum mix of materials (now in place at Cardiff, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and, hopefully, Auckland) is narrowing the gap but there again practice can often wreck all their efforts. However, as previously stated, riders want practice, which in effect they see as a rehearsal for the following day, and it would be tough to deny them that.