Grand Central

Yes, someone at BSI was astute enough to work out that rainwater would flow down the sides. Next year they may work out that they must give the tarp a little 'shake' when they take it off so they don't spill the water back on the dry material. You have to remember that this is high Tech stuff that a Danish University has helped Ole work out. I know I'm not properlyqualified but can I propose the use of a Shed?

"We cover up a pile of shale so that the British Climate of it getting p1ssed on is controlled by using the facility of a large sheet of Tarpaulin" Simple really.

Yes, the Cardiff attendance gets boosted massively by the 'Once-A-Year' attendees. A lot of people who have stopped going to Speedway regularly still make this one annual event. Many parties going will have one or two Wives/Sisters etc who would generally not be seen dead at their local track but will be easily persuaded to have the weekend in the Welsh Capital;.And a high prportion those will really enjoy the Speedway too .... but they still won't be dragged along to suffer a league match.

I know I had a 'pop' at Tai's tattoos so I wanted to redress the balance with a very positive comment. I just happened to be idly looking on YouTube and came across the Polish Canal+ version of the SGP at Bydgoszcz earlier in the year. When conducting Pits interviews it is the norm for non-Polish riders to be asked questions by the young lady in English and for her to translate their English reply back to Polish. I was so incredibly pleasantly surprised to see that Tai took his questions in Polish and then answered in Polish as well! The young man is looking like a class act, off the track as well as on. .

Quite. This is the one meeting each year that she can be persuaded to attend; having 'an act', in fact any 'act' to offer as a sweetener is helpful. Despite their often tuneless mime. To tell her that this year there is nothing 'extra' would be one thing. But to tell her that instead she will have watch another, much more boring, form of motorcycling for twenty minutes will be asking too much. I do hope that Mrs Bellamy will be equally unimpressed. .

No, it was fairly obvious that this thread was about discussing the warm-up act that BSI had booked in a similar vein to Suzi Quattro, Tony Hadley or Belinda Carlisle. Every year we have had 'someone' of this ilk. But apparently not this year. A motorcycle trials demonstration is taking place. One man, at least, feels that is adequate. My wife, I'm afraid, will not agree.

So, just to be clear so that I can get my timing right. There is no pre-meeting entertainment in the Stadium. And we would be better advised to make as much use of the outside 'fun' as nothing is happening of any note inside until 5pm. Is that correct? .

The complete description you give explains a great deal more than I knew. The conclusion that this is "fine" does not naturally follow. .

I think you are right in most of what you say... BUT I do think that with Tai taking a top 8 spot combined with likelihood of Greg retiring there is a real possibility of a an extra British wildcard and with BSI that will have only one possible name. If Chris Harris has a half decent Cardiff this year I bet he'll be a shoe-in for a 2014 invite from Bellamy et al..

Yes, when someone suggested, in the winter, he may do as well as 12th I said that this would be beyond his wildest dreams. And it would have been, then. To be in the position he is now is wonderfully, incredibily, stupendeously more brilliant than that. He really deserves every plaudit he is getting. But even his staunchiest supporters have to agree that they didn't have these expectations, either. So gloating about their greater insight is a little OTT. All the credit should go to Tai; not them. Just one thing though ... is that the ugliest tatoo you have ever seen on his neck, or what?

You didn't. That was not my point. You could re-read my posts in full to understand the point I was making. Or not. But I give up.

Have you suffered some form of head trauma? Parken 2012 did NOT coincide with Denmark's final Euro 2012 fixture. June 9 was announced as the date for the GP in October 2011 and the draw for Euro 2012 was made two months LATER that gave the Danes their FIRST Euro match that same night. I do not know what the alternatives to June 9 were available, but Phil Rising seems quite certain that there were none for Speedway. I do know that the scheduling to create the clash of dates of which you speak DID NOT HAPPEN.

What is the Internet equivalent of asking 'Are you deaf?'

It would have been 'a bit daft' to have done such a thing. But it didn't actually happen. The SGP fixtures for 2012 were finalised and published by the FIM in October 2011. The draw for the Finals of Euro 2012 was made two months later in December 2011. It was Denmarks opening match that was played on June 9, the night of the GP in Parken. Not the decisive third match at all. I am all for beating up on BSI at every opportunity. But we need to get the facts right.

They could dream of such a thing

Thank god that's all sorted, then. I understand there is a certain lack of communication going on between Syria and Israel at the moment. Let's hope for a happy resolution of the misunderstanding in time for next week's Speedway Star.

It is also interesting to see how this has all come about and the manner in which has been handled. Philip Rising had told us here that the BSPA had been informed of the change back in October 2012 and today's article quotes Paul Bellamy to confirm that. No one else involved, outside the BSI umbrella, says whether they agree with that timing or not. Both the BSPA and BSI confirm a letter from the BSPA requesting a continuation of the 2007-2012 arrangement; but neither say when this was finally formally declined. It is a matter of public record, however, that SCB chief Graham Reeve published the supplementary regulations for the British Semi Finals on April 15, 2013. These contained the paragraph that stated that the SGP wildcard place at Cardiff would be given to the highest placed rider, other than Tai, at the British Final. This is what 31 of the 32 riders believed at the Semis. The decision to give the wild card to Chris Harris was announced on Television last week; after the running of the Semi Finals. All riders, except Chris Harris, heard it for the first time here. Mr Reeve has subsequently issued amended details of the Supplementary regs for the British final. It's a funny old way to run a Sport at National level. It's just as odd to run an international Sport this way, too.

I agree entirely that the wildcard could have been there to maximise the gate. But it was BSI who chose to have a different idea. No one else. When Harris was a permanent starter I just wonder why BSI didn't choose the wildcard to maximise the gate then. Instead we had Kennett, Woffinden and Nicholls depending on random outcome of the British Final. I don't think any of them added much to the attendance at the time. Surely Darcy Ward would have been better 'Box Office' last year than bothering with with the British Final giving them Nicholls. Of course, when Jason Crump got the go ahead BSI didn't have anything to do with things back then did they?

No one would add on thousands that's certain. It's impossible to know how many Harris would add ... A dozen or so? How big is his immediate family? If BSI are now choosing the GB Wildcard solely on the 'gate' they bring I just wonder why this year and not the last few when they left it to the 'chance' of the British Final? As it is just about 'bums on seats' ... Who do we think would bring the most extra people? I don't suppose they even need to be Briitish if they bring in more cash to BSI, do they?

I thought it was just that Sky have plenty of Live action in the bag for Saturday nights, so an out of contract SGP had little bargaining power with them. Whilst Summer Mondays need a bit of Live stuff to be bought in and that EL contract still had a year to run. If they still need something to fill those spots in 2014, I presume they would still consider a new contract ... At the right price.

Yes, I just thought there may have been some cost-benefit in equipment hire and staff for having them used for two consecutive nights. I'm sure Flagrag will tell us.

The minor points being made in favour of this change to picking the WC could have been made any year. But I don't remember that being the case. I think there was just about unanimity in welcoming BSIs use of the British Final for the wildcard place. So why is 2013 deemed different? A small part of me does think it a little unfair for us to all pick on Chris Harris for eagerly accepting the place. After all he could not possibly have the ability to say 'Thank you very much BSI. but I would prefer to earn the WC place at the British Final by racing against and beating my fellow countryman on an equal footing'. That would be ridiculous Why don't we have similar sympathy for, say, Danny King. If he had won the BF last year he would have been in the GP. This year he didn't even go to Edinburgh for the semi with that being a possibility. But no one told him. Or anyone else.

Well, he's scored six points in 2012, six points in 2011 and six points in 2010. So, I'm not sure if that tallys with your memory, or not. But hey, ho ... let's all look forward to another six points for the GB star.

Let's hope that come June 1st Chris can be relied upon to come up with just the right type of performance that will maximise any possible discomfort to BSI. Now, which would that be? a] Win the meeting or do well enough to scream in their face 'see, you should have seeded me again', or, b] Do so badly that he embarasses both himself and those people that picked him, or, c] Declare that he can live the lie no longer and own up to being Paul Bellamy's love child answers on a postcard to Speedway Star.

No apology needed, but I do think that most contrubutors here understood the qualification method. Just to clarify. If the old method of giving the wildcard place to the highest placed non GP rider was in place this year then any of the following riders could earn it Danny King, Craig Cook, Edward Kennett, Richie Worrall, Stuart Robson, James Wright, Josh Auty, Olly Allen, Richard Hall, Ashley Birks, Chris Schramm, Scott Nicholls, Simon Stead, Ben Barker AND CHRIS HARRIS Under this years system one rider is getting the place without earning it CHRIS HARRIS Not really an improved system is it?