PHILIPRISING

TAFFY has a pass ... ALSO true ...

VERY true. I am also aware of the other side of the story and have already expressed my disappointment that the author of the piece did not bother to solicit a view from the BV management. WalterPlinge has summed up the actual circumstances very well. Will ensure that the BV management, if they wish, can put their side in SS asap but it may be that they want to let the dust settle.

AND on a relatively small track where some throttle control comes in handy rather than the full gas for four laps approach.

OF course initially he was just a meeting reserve with no great expectation of getting a place in the whole meeting.

CORRECT ... last year they did it from a BT studio in London. Jason Crump will be doing the interviews.

DON'T think anyone will blame him. The bikes were shipped out two days after Torun. Although they go air-freight, customs clearance in Oz can take an eternity.

THE danger of holding a SGP in the Southern Hemisphere at the end of the season, rather than the beginning, has manifested itself in Melbourne. Four of the 2017 starters missing through injury and two of their replacements (Fricke and Millik) unavailable as well That scenario would be most unlikely at the start of the campaign.

AND sanctioned by the FIM

BUT still unlikely to hold up in a court of law

THE big question is how British speedway as a whole will help these undoubtedly promising young riders to progress. That should not be left to chance.

COULD be one next year. There has already been a world rallycross event at the same stadium in Riga. Don't understand most of your rant. What SGPs do I trumpet? Have never thought it a good idea to end the series in Melbourne, especially not a five-year contract, which now seems unlikely to run its course anyway. Some of the venues use you mention aren't dropped like a hot potato, they leave of their own accord.

SOON after Melbourne I would guess. Don't think Amsterdam is an option although did hear a rumour about a speed skating stadium in Holland.

OBVIOUSLY BSI would look first at proven speedway markets where there might already be a core audience but the fall-off in significant interest in both Denmark and Sweden is a blow. Have a feeling that there might be one new venue in 2018 but not in a country currently on the rota. Russia seems likely in 2019 and possibly somewhere else.

SPEEDWAY'S major commercial problem now is the same as it has been for years. It exists in its own small bubble with very limited exposure outside of that and as a consequence not that attractive for a host of potential sponsors or, indeed, advertisers for the likes of Speedway Star. Every time I open a golf magazine, for example, I am green with envy. Compare speedway with rallycross, which comes under the same umbrella at IMG with Paul Bellamy now the head honcho. The calendar is growing rapidly and the sport taking place not only in Europe, but also South Africa, Canada, the USA (Austin is coming on stream), Argentina and next year, at Silverstone for the first time. Global car companies actually pay to enter teams, there are major oil companies and component manufacturers amongst a host of sponsors, TV deals, etc, etc. And yet, in my opinion, speedway can be more exciting, easier to watch (the whole race is on screen all the time) and in every respect a better spectacle.

WHO said that all applications from Czecho were from bona fide journalists? Those that were got accreditation. WHO is this mentally ill person you keep referring to? Are you now a doctor as well?

ALL of them hopefully. Accreditation is much stricter now. I still handle the international applications for events outside of Poland and turned down many especially a late surge from the Czech Republic after Millik came into the meeting.

IN 2012 he was the best rider so, in my opinion, yes he would. His biggest asset that season was a fantastic engine that neither he nor pjr have replicated. Remember, it blew up in the last race. I wouldn't dream to suggest I know better than you Russ, but got the feeling this year that with so many riders out injured the general enthusiasm wasn't the same. THE feeling amongst the Aussie riders is that Melbourne is actually too far away for the majority of fans down there. When the novelty wears off, as it did in Copenhagen eventually, and the costs (travel, hotels, etc) come in to play the crowds dip. THE reality is that speedway's fan base outside of Poland is simply too small to sustain some of these venues. Have said on many occasions, here and in SS, that the loss of superstars in places like Sweden and Denmark and indeed the USA is having a dramatic effect. I asked Ole Olsen in Torun why there are so few young Danes coming through. His answer was that many parents see riders, like Darcy Ward and Nicki Pedersen, sustaining serious injuries and decide that the risk isn't worth the rewards that are on offer and prematurely curtail their sons' potential careers. Swedish teams have probably employed too many foreign riders in recent years and stunted the growth of their own kids but there and elsewhere, including the UK, a career in speedway isn't what it used to be. There are many more alternatives, less dangerous and more financially beneficial. The profile for speedway generally has never been as low key as it is now. AS an example of how the media in Poland treat speedway, the average number of journalists attending an SGP outside of Poland is generally around 80. Cardiff just about tops the 100. In Torun earlier this month the number was 210.

WHO might they be? If, as usual, you are pointing the finger at me the only vested interest I and Speedway Star have is that a successful SGP is good for the sport , showcases how exciting and dramatic it can be and provides young riders with an aspiration to become World Champion. Since 2015 when the former Millennium (as it was then) stadium boss was running the Etihad, enthusiasm for the event there has diminished and the new owners seem unprepared to actually promote the SGP.

NOT sure about your last comment. The novelty has worn off and riders aren't over-enthusiastic about travelling round the world at the end of a tiring season. If NZ does return (not next year) it will hopefully start the season when everyone including riders are fresh and roaring to start a new campaign. Torun, in my view, is perfect for the finale. Terrific stadium and track, full-house making an electric atmosphere, speedway mad town, what's not to like? IT was ...

PLENTY of places want a SGP but sadly they are mostly in Poland. Current problems centre around the lack top riders who put bums on seats. If the likes of Rickardsson, Pedersen at his best, Crump, etc were still riding the scenario would be very different. The SGP can only be as good as the riders competing and at present the only country with a healthy stock of talent is, again, Poland. Looks like next year's World Champion will be crowned in Torun, which is a good thing.

NOTHING wrong with the competition ... it is the way it is organised (or rather not organised) that is the problem. The KO Cup Fin al used to attract the biggest crowds of the season. Have designated, firm dates for each round and ensure that the final is held before the end of August. It's not rocket science.

IN Poland last weekend much of the chat was about riders leaving a club and going elsewhere when their contracts expire. Freedom of movement. Makes life much easier but assets have been the bane of British speedway for years.

Torben Olsen, Managing Director of Speedway GP marketer BSI, will be able to present races at several new venues in the future. "But that depends on the interest there," says the Dane. For the third time, the Speedway GP will be on the 28th of October 2017 at the magnificent Etihad Stadium in Melbourne's Docklands. Australia is the only World Cup run outside Europe, since the 1995 Grand Prix there was only one other Overseas GP: in Auckland / New Zealand. In the Western Springs Stadium, from 2012 to 2014, the last race there won sensationally Martin Smolinski, thereby providing the only German Grand Prix victory. SPEEDWEEK.com teamed up with Managing Director Torben Olsen of GP promoter BSI to discuss possible future races. Torben, with the high logistics costs for the race in Australia: Would not it make sense to link Melbourne to a race in the USA or New Zealand, thus splitting the costs? We look to make things as efficient as possible. But there are not many places in the world where we can ride on two continents within a week, as MotoGP does. For safety reasons, to mount the motorcycles and because of the customs. At the moment when a weekend is between the races, the logistical cost savings are eaten up by hotel costs. We always keep an eye on the costs. It also depends on which promoters are interested. For the race in Melbourne, do you pay for the airfreight of the material and the tickets for the drivers and their mechanics? The costs will be borne by us together with the promoter, also for the hotels. Do you see new countries in the calendar of the Speedway-GP in the medium term? Yes, we are talking about new countries. There are France and Russia, there is interest in a temporary race track in the Middle East. In Argentina there was a U21 World Cup. We will not see Grand Prix in Argentina, USA or Canada next year, but we are fighting for it. Do you see countries where the Speedway sport has developed particularly well over the last few years? There are a few Youngsters coming from the UK, where some efforts have been made. Denmark always beat well, but at the moment there is a small low. In Sweden, we work together with the Svemo at a Speedway Academy. It helps the FIM to establish the new 250 championship. Numerous promising Youngsters still come from Poland. RUSSIA in 2019 is on the cards...

PRESUMABLY you mean NOT getting paid...

DEFINITELY no Auckland, very much doubt Gorican, Riga a possibility