Papa Bazarou

Yep you're harmless enough ! How's things going ? I've gotta admit that you cannot beat Bydgoszcz GP weekend having been twice now, 3rd time looking a strong possibility this year. Hotel Brda, Bydgoszcz kebabs, the Elwood troupe, PKP state railways, Tomek Gollob, the stadium, the build up, the atmosphere, the racing, the locals, zloty & pivo, ! Check the pictures at the following site (49 JPG's) http://community.webshots.com/user/papabazarou

So the top 10 from SGP 2003 are, Nicki, Jason, TRick, Leigh, Greg, Tomasz, Scott, Runa, Ryan and Andreas. 11th is Pepe, whos through from the qualifier, as does Bjarne, Jesper B, Lakannen, Brhel (who was 22nd overall in the GP standings) and Ales Dryml. Looking down the list, I would think that the 6 places are given to possibily the following :- 1. Lee Richardson (started slowly but performed better in the second half of the GP calendar) 2. Lukas Dryml (season ending injuries, but has shown the pedigree to mix it at top flight) 3. Mark Loram (ex-world champ, an injury ravged season, and with a bit of fitness and confidence will allways be in there and provide some entertainment) 4. Jarek Hampel (world U-21 champ and semi-finalist at Bydgoszcz) 5. Matej Zagar perhaps - to help to keep the Slovenia round on the calendar ? 6. A Swede ? Max has been really dissapointing, perhaps Ruud or even Ljung (he seemed to mix it at Ullevi and in the SWC) Other considerations could come from Hans N Andersen, Bajerski (didn't do enough 2nd half of the year for me), Peter Karlsson and Joonas Kylmakorpi, then obviously there would be 2 wildcards for each round. If there is a German round as indicated, then perhaps that may have an influence ? The above would balance it out, with national representation as follows:- Aus - JC, LA, RS UK - SN, LR, ML Swe - TR, AJ, T.B.A Pol - TG, PP, JH Cze - LD, AD, BB Den - NP, BP, JBJ Nor - RH Fin - KL Slo - MZ USA - GH + 2 wildcards Anyway, I'm sure that BSI have it all sorted pretty much by now anyway and will put us out of our misery soon.

Think you could have something there - I went to Hamar last year, and being slick and flat, it is route 1 into the 1st turn. Could get a bit hairy with everything riding on this meeting, not just for the top 4, but also the battlers for the top 10 and automatic qualification for next year. Anyway, I'll go for the following after a re-run. Pedersen off white and Crump off yellow in the final, with Crump being excluded after helping Nicki off on the 2nd lap after Nicki had given Crumpy a big right elbow off the line 1st time of asking ! Drama indeed as Millard would say. 1st Nicholls @ 14/1 - worth a fiver ? 2nd Hancock 3rd Pedersen 4th Crump FX Therefore that makes Nicki champ by 1 point !

Come on Rip Van Winkel Rico :roll: Ahhh - just woken up !

Just got back from Stansted after trecking back from Bydgoszcz via Berlin. Wow what an evening ! To witness a Gollob victory in front of his adoring fans will be something I'll remember for a long time ! especially from the 'kop' that is the 2nd bend / back straight area for the home 'Bydgoszcz Polonia' faithful. Quick hello to Rico and co. met them all at the Hotel Brda and also on Sunday again at Gniezno, sorry didn't get a chance to meet Mateusz. Full report on the weekends events and pictures to come - time to sleep now. If you get the chance, you simply must visit Bydgoszcz - will Saturday have been the last occasion for a GP at this venue ? time and ultimately money will tell.

Mateusz have you room for 5 British fans ?? Not decided where to sit yet - 2 years ago sat in amongst the wild bunch on the exit of turn 2. It was absolutely fantastic - I have a video diary of the evening that savours the atmosphere perfectly - shame it was a Crump win on that night though :-( . I remember walking in amongst the fans trying to find a seat to realise that the local fans had actually got in there as the gates opened and marked out a section exclusively for themselves using yellow tape (bit like a crime scene) we breached that zone, but were warmly received in the end (we were moaned at initially in Polish - perhaps we looked strange ?) but then they realised it was 4 harmless English fans - so no problem and the fans took us under their wings and we had a great time. 2 Peterborough fans with us were proudly adorned head to toe with Europress Panthers hats, shirts, coats, you name it, don't think they left wearing the same clothes - if any !!! I also have 1 proud Polish fan on tape with a newly aquired British flag with Mark (or Marek as they called him) Loram emblazened across it. Never forget the 30 foot long fishing rod used as flag pole, and Nina (whats her name ex channel 4) being mobbed as she tried to conduct a TV link and crowd shot), not to forget the fire works, the ticker tape, the toilet rolls, the flares, the bells, the hooters, the fires - the sheer noise it was just so cool. Any way I cannot wait till next week now. Go Tomek do it for your home fans !

Did anyone notice Crumpies rear wheel disk just before tapes in the final ? It was way out of shape, vibrating all over the place and looked to have dropped somewhat from the centre of his wheel. I know some riders set them up so that they do not rotate with the wheel (Havvy and Sean Wilson I think) but wasn't aware that Crumpie set his up in that way. So if not, was this the cause of his stoppage as the tapes rose ? Mechanical failure, or not tightened up properly during tyre change ? Or was it something completely unrelated - again he did not look happy. Adding up Slovenia when he had an EF in the semi on the last lap when set for a final place (fuel I think - lack of) and possibly more points in tonights final if he'd have got away from the tapes, then it would be even closer at the top than it is currently. I'm sure that the missed points could prove costly in the final reckoning.

Pictures of the relaid track and todays practice session can be found at http://www.kaparna.nu/ Click on the bilder link and navigate the following links Bilder från träningen inför GP´t på Ullevi: Del 1 - Del 2, 29 aug A couple for shots of yesterdays exclusive session for Trick, Ryan and Jason can also be found via the link Bilder från provkörningen av GP-banan på Ullevi, 28 aug

I've just put a fiver on Tomasz at 8/1 Come on Gollob, with a regular circuit beneath you, show 'em what they're missing !

1st Gollob 2nd Crump 3rd Holta 4th Nicholls

It wasn't Gollobs day They screwed up the program, anyone notice the action shot of Greg Hancock on Tomasz's page :-( They screwed up the presentation, getting confused with Ronni, Greg and Tomasz :-( Then he gets excluded in a very iffy decision :-( No wonder he feels the way he does

Coventry Evening Telegraph reports that the official attendance was 36,676 has the bubble burst or at least started to deflate ? They keep talking about filling the place, guaranteed the prices will go up another fiver next year. I've been to all 3 Cardiff GPs, also sampled Prague, Vojens, Norway, Bydgozszcz and Slovenia for a GP challenge and all the atmosphere in the world served up by Cardiff (which was down this year IMO) cannot be matched by Poland. They are crazy, the atmosphere is brill and the racing top notch - Bydgozszcz is the meca for action. I'm off to get the home movie out from the Poland 2001 trip, I cannot wait until September. And remember folks, in the interests of the comfort of fellow spectators, please ensure that you direct your airhorns upwards :!:

I'll be there with my well travelled St George Cross, complete with COVENTRY SPEEDWAY wording and fighting Bee - it can also be seen in the back window of the Supporters club coach on Saturday as well as somewhere on the upper tier of the stadium. Countries visited on the 2002 tour are : England - all over Wales - Cardiff Scotland - Edinburgh France & Belgium - Heusden Zolder Norway - Oslo & Hamarr Denmark - Vojens Czeckoslovakia - Prague Slovenia I think - can't remember if I leased it out ! Australia (speedway GP and the Ashes) Hong Kong if you include the stop over and soon to visit Germany & Poland in 2003. Eventually it will be ceremoniously planted on the moon

Up in the heavens, nose bleed territory :x 3rd tier somewhere, I think operating the winch for the roof probably , someone else has got the tickets, haven't even asked which block they are in.

Taken from the SGP web site 22-05-03 FIM MERIDIAN LIFTS SWEDISH SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX ANNOUNCEMENT Due to domestic strike action in Sweden, a decision over whether or not the FIM Meridian Lifts Swedish Speedway Grand Prix will be held at the Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, will be made early next week. An alternative venue in Avesta has been provisionally booked for the weekend and will be the host of this year’s Grand Prix if strike action continues into next week. Commenting on the situation, Rolf Sundberg, Secretary General, SVEMO, the local organising promoter said: “Admittedly this is not an ideal situation for everyone involved in the staging of the event. We do have contingency plans in place to hold the GP at Avesta should the strike action fail to be averted. “In the meantime, we ask supporters who have already purchased tickets for the event to keep hold of their tickets until a decision has been made. If the event has to be moved we will give fans a choice of replacement tickets or a full refund.” John Postlethwaite, Chief Executive, Benfield Sports International, rights holders of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series said: “The one definite fact is that there will be a Swedish Grand Prix on 31 May. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Swedish media for their support of our case to stage the Grand Prix at the Olympic Stadium. The Grand Prix Series, which is broadcast to over 100 countries worldwide, attracts fans from all over the world to visit Stockholm, and it would be a real shame for the city if the event was not held in the historic stadium a week on Saturday.” FIM Race Director, Ole Olsen, commented: “The only restricting factor in terms of making an early decision is the laying down of the racing track at the stadium. We will leave this to the very last possible moment in order to maximise our chances of staging the event in Stockholm.”

Travel de Courcey (Nookie Bear travel) - we'll get you there ! Poor old PB, all that planning and they couldn't read a map or take advice ! Best bit was Maurice and the driver having a lets call it 'discussion' on arrival at the track - its a long way to walk Maurice, had to buy him a false beard and funny specs to get him back on board 8) As for that safety fence, concrete uprights and criss cross members with solid wooden facias, hmmm.

Does anyone know anything about the potential council strike in Stockholm, that may put the meeting in jeopardy ? Someone eluded to the fact on a mail list, don't know if there is any fact there or just another rumour.

Latest odds for the GP this weekend are:- T Rickardsson 13/8 J Crump 4/1 T Gollob 7/1 R Sullivan 10/1 S Nicholls 14/1 L Adams 14/1 G Hancock 14/1 M Max 20/1 A Jonsson 20/1 N Pedersen 25/1 L Dryml 25/1 T Wiltshire 33/1 L Richardson 33/1 R Holta 50/1 P Karlsson 50/1 K Cegielski 50/1 H Andersen 50/1 P Protasiewicz 66/1 J Lyons 66/1 B Pedersen 66/1 S Ulamek 80/1 T Bajerski 100/1 R Kurmanski 125/1 B Brhel 125/1 They haven't removed Andreas Jonsson, his place being taken by fellow swede Peter Karlsson who is showing in the listing above.

Ok hows this then Kate ? 24 Piwo dziekuje Important words I'll need to know are:- Good Morning Goodbye Hello my name is xxxxxx

I know a Polish word PIWO (Lech Premium Sport goes down a treat !) I'm going to Bydgoszcz again in September and this time I hope to know more to get me by. Folks - do you know any good translation web sites ?

Right folks - 3 weeks until the 1st Grand Prix, the series this year starting in Poland at the Slaski stadium in Chorzow the scene of Nicki Pedersens first Grand Prix victory. The Polish wildcards have been named as Sesbastian Ulamek and Rafal Kurmanski. Any websliders making the trip over to Poland ? Who do you think will take the victory and 25 GP points ?

Watch out Mateusz - Papa Bazaoru is coming to town ! Great website http://speedway-poland.kadra.pl/ superb for picking up the extraleague results.

Certainly is Rico. Narrow streets and old buildings on the bank of that huge river, the railway station though is a taxi ride across the bridge on the other side of the water. Ate in a nice Bistro called The Sphinx after the Torun-Gorzow match in 2001, and Tony Rickardsson and Andreas Jonsson were both in there winding down. I probably won't go to as many GP's this year - but Bydgoszcz is on the calendar ! If you do go make sure you sit in the Kop with the locals (Polonia Bydgoszcz fans) exiting turn 2 just by the pits entrance - I've got some excellent video footage - the atmosphere is all on its own !

Went to Bydgoszcz in 2001 - the place is just awesome. Atmosphere racing everything, the Poles are crazy / wild ! Its an amazing track. Bonus, you get to pick a Polish Extraleague match on the Sunday to watch if you so wish. (eg Torun is 1 hour away from Bydgoszcz) We flew to Berlin then used the train across to Bydgoszc, but that was using BUZZ who have been bought out by RyanAir who in their wisdom have zapped the route ! I know plenty of people that have also flown into Warsaw then trained it back to Bydgoszcz.

For Vojens -fly RyanAir from Stansted to Esbjerg (1h 15min flight), then its about 45mins to 1hour drive to Vojens. For Copenhagen and the GP you've got Copehagens main airport (big carriers like BA etc.) then Malmo in Sweden (which is literally across the Oresund bridge 30 mins away) and also Aarhus for the cheap airlines RyanAir etc.