jellyman

I've got a spare pair of tickets for the Speedway World Cup playoffs and final at the new National Speedway Stadium in Manchester on 29th and 30th July. They are in Block E in the main grandstand and their combined value is £150. However, I'm not looking to sell them. I willing to give them to the person who offers to make the highest donation to the Speedway Riders Benevolent fund before Wednesday 27th July.

As far as I'm concerned that's a minor detail. The main thing is that it will be possible to watch the GP and World cup. Even if they don't show the events live it seems at least we'll be able to see highlights. I'm still crossing my fingers for live coverage too though obviously.

Eurosports TV guide already states it will be showing highlights of all GP and World Cup rounds on Eurosport 2 so it's not a stretch that they may also add live coverage. http://2013tvguide.eurosport.com/index.html#/28 They are also showing all four rounds of the Speedway European Championship.

Are there currently any British riders who deserve a wild card on merit alone? If not, should a rider be included simply because he is British as Great Britain is considered to be one of the major speedway nations even if current form doesn't necessarily back that up? Obviously I'm assuming that Bomber doesn't make the top 8.

I'd agree with that. The thing I'd actually like to see though is a knockout competition with only two teams in each meeting run along a similar format to league meetings.

Because once a better rider gets his nose in front an inferior rider will struggle to pass them no matter how good the track is.

St James Park would be a great venue for a Grand Prix. As long as it didn't rain and you could manage not to get your head kicked in for looking at some Geordies Bird in the Big Market.

Look on the bright side and be thankful of it just being a puddle of beer. Maybe I've been to too many football matches.

That's true. I suppose you could try and eliminate the idiot factor completely by introducing measures such as blanket alcohol bans. However, this would have far more of an impact on the majority of drinkers who just enjoy having a couple of pints whilst watching the event. It's all about finding a balance really.

I still believe that it is. The vast majority of people who attend meetings know how to behave themselves. If you happen to come across someone who doesn't I'd say you've just been unlucky. I certainly wouldn't say it would be representitive of the majority of peoples experiences of the event.

So as not to waste your time in the future I should point out that I don't respond to people who have to resort to personal abuse rather than rational argument. Troll someone else. I'm not biting.

I think there needs to be a little perspective here. Whenever you get 40,000 people in one place it's highly likely that a very small number of them will be morons. If you're the kind of person who can't accept that you're probably better off not attending.

That's typical of my experiences as well. The Poles are always fantastically welcoming and great fun to be with at a meeting. I can only assume that anyone who has anything negative to say about them has never actually been to Poland and experienced their hospitality. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and I'm sure there is the odd Polish knobhead out there. But, on the whole the Poles are usually a credit to both their nation and the sport of speedway.

I don't think you can read too much into that. The first time I went to a Polish match I was stunned to see lines of riot police outside separating the opposing fans. I was also surpised to see that all the away supporters were segregated into their own pens and surrounded by police. It's not what we're used to at speedway matches over here. Speedway in Poland is controlled by the authorities in very much the way that football matches are controlled over here.

I think people tend to view Cardiff through rose tinted spectacles as it's by far the biggest Speedway event we have. If the event had been at another large stadium in another city for the past ten years and the idea was suggested of moving it to Cardiff I imagine many would say it couldn't possibly be as good. People just get comfortable with what they are used to and don't like the risk of change. I actually believe that there are a number of venues in a number of cities that could have temporary tracks fitted and provide just as good a product as Cardiff has. That isn't reason to move away from Cardiff at the moment. But, if for any reason the Millenium Stadium is no longer availabe I don't see it as being the end of the world.

My partner and I have done it a few times. For the first couple of GPs in Cardiff it was fantastic. However, the last two times it felt a lot less exclusive. Everyone was crammed into the dining room and the quality of the food wasn't great. The smart gifts that you used to get in your goody bag such as the methanol club jackets had been replaced with sponsors mouse mats and key rings. Now the price has risen to £350 it's just not value for money. You'd be better off buying good tickets and booking a table at a decent restaurant. Having said all of that. The one thing that you will experience is walking out from the pits, down the tunnel the riders come out of to the side of the track. The first time I did that and saw and heard the crowd it really was a hair standing up on the back of my neck moment. You couldn't buy that.

I believe that the only reason that Poland currently has so many GPs is because no other country can be found to host them. So in the short term I wouldn't see the number of rounds increasing dramatically even if new venues outside of Poland are found. In the long term I also couldn't see the number of rounds increasing too dramatically due to the league commitments that the GP riders have.

I think the blunt answer is that none of our current speedway stadiums are good enough. Not when compared to those in Poland. However, with the National Stadium that's going to change and we'd actually be in a position to make a good case for a 2nd GP.

I don't think it's value for money at all any longer. The experience has gone downhill since the first GPs.

You've hit the nail on the head there. The problem we have in this country is that we are starved of atmosphere when it comes to our league speedway. This a picture I took at an Ekstraliga meeting last year and I can assure you that the atmosphere was every bit as electric as that at Cardiff. I think the only reason that we put Cardiff on such a pedestal in this country is because it's the best we currently have by a long way. I don't think it necessarily follows that if the GP is moved to a purpose built outdoor stadium with only half as many seats that the event will be any less spectacular. Although my preference would be to retain Cardiff and have a 2nd GP in Manchester.

Usually I can't be doing with yanks either. But, when it comes to speedway there's something about the way the Americans approach the sport that I've always liked. Maybe it's because I view Greg as being the last of the old guard. But, there's nothing I'd like more than to see him win another world championship. For the record I do like Ben Barker as well. Does that make me bipolar?

What's the score with Artem not having any sponsorship anywhere on his bike or kevlars in the GP? Is he some sort of rich kid?

I think this is one of those cases where times have changed. It used to be the case that a wildcard could enter a GP and actually have a chance. However, due to the investment needed to be competitive in the GPs and the fact that the standards have got higher I don't think that this is the case any longer. Maybe it's time to ditch the whole idea of wild cards and have an extra regular rider.

Maybe the new Belle Vue stadium could change that when it's built. From the images I've seen that place looks like it's crying out to stage a world class event.

I thoroughly enjoy the world cup as well. But, considering the World Cup is supposed to be a team event I can't understand why they have a format that only has one rider from each team per heat. I also can't understand why Poland keep getting home advantage in the final. Can anyone enlighten me?