Grand Central

You are absolutely right in what you say in the last couple of posts you have made. I am always very suspicious of people who can instantly give you a list of the things that could be changed that would 'Oh, so easily' change Speedway's fortunes. Or the people who just shout 'promoters should promote'. There are no easy explanations at all and certainly no easy fixes. You have highlighted two very important paradoxes. You enjoyed the Stock Cars ... but haven't gone back. The regulars moaned but they return just as often. Your Sister hated the bad toilets ... but if every track had a conveniences on a par with The Savoy Hotel, I bet she still would not become a superfan. No matter how convinced some of us seem to be about their 'solution' I don't think anything will change much. Some of us love it. Other people will remain oblivious to Speedway's charms.

No, surely it is the other way around. They are not starting the Speedway UNTIL the Tennis is over. Eurosport are headline-sponsors of the Pairs, after all

You are not alone. It just makes me think how futile it may be to think that the devotees of these other disciplines may catch sight of Speedway and get hooked. I've sat through this crap for 40 minutes and I feel suicidal.

Throughout my entire 40 plus year span of following the sport I have always found that 'outsiders' have needed an awful lot of educating on what Speedway is. Half that time I spent in the north and the last half in and around London.And it has always been so. New Schools, University, each new Job, each new group of friends. Very few have had the first idea of Speedway. In the past a few people would register the level of their knowledge by throwing the name 'Ivan Mawger' at you. That was back when Speedway was on mainstream TV. But Ivan's name was still the only name that such people could quote way into the nineties, long after he had retired to the Gold Coast. Sky's involvement has not moved knowledge of Speedway to the wider audience at all, just to some people who had the channels. And that is not a large proportion of the population. Then bang up to date. On Saturday lunchtime we were sat in Browns in the centre of Cardiff with the 'Speedway Buzz' in full cry. In the same bar were a group of 7 Welsh men aged from fifty to seventy enjoying a pint. My partner thought they really were Speedway fans, so demographically correct they looked. A latecomer friend arrived to join them and asked the general question 'what's going on with all these people in town?' Just two members of the entire group could reply 'Speedway' and one of those thought that it was cars not bikes. The 13th annual GP in the town and these outsiders remain totally unaware.

I note that it was you that admonished another poster for jumping to conclusions from a small sample size of responses. I really don't think that your 'general consensus' has been achieved here, at all.

Yes back in the winter a whole group of us were having discussions on how Tai would fare in 2013. Not one single contributor expressed the opinion that he would be in second place in the Championship at this stage. Almost all of us, who didn't think he would have scored well at all, have eagerly taken the opportunity of congratulating Tai on the tremendous perfomances he has given. I just chuckle at those people who, despite making over 11,000 posts on the forum, were so disinterested in the whole subject that they failed to even notice the discussion taking place. But now, when Tai has done so brilliantly, have decided to join in. Nice One! .

Oh I'm realistic. I don't expect better. It's still a shame that we are worn down to expect such treatment. And pay through the nose. And just go away quietly.

I feel I must reiterate how much I liked my Cardiff experience .... Before going on to agree with each bit of criticism. I've sat just about everywhere around the Stadium now and the sound quality has always been pretty terrible. Friends are going to see Bon Jovi there next week so I just hope they do a fair bit better on that score for them. One other nark - again the Stadium, not BSI - was the £4 for a small luke-warm bottle of Fosters. And nothing 'For The Ladies' without queuing at the one bar that sold a iffy white wine. Again this did not spoil things ... But you would think it could be better organised after all this time.

I'm sure you're quite right. No doubt Torben's Bible will have a page bookmarked 'What to do when when the track is a soft as blancmange'. After all Post #1 of this thread proclaims 'BSI/IMG meticulously ensure that nothing is left to chance'.

That was pretty much exactly my experience. Just a couple of words on the Presentation last Saturday. I thought the pre meeting parade worked OK. It was different and created a bit of theatre. It just went a little flat when the riders just had to scuttle off back to the pits when it was over. It meant that the crowd never got their usual opportunity to blast out their voices and horns in that parade cacophony as the whole field of riders toured the track. Mind you the 'first race is always ready to start at 12 minutes past the hour' had been well broken by that stage. I was just a bit surprised as I had seen about 20 of those Trike Chopper machines arrive in the morning but only three got used for the lap of honour at the end; so plans must have changed. I thought the music was lacking this year through the night and instead we had two brain-dead 'presenters' who may be all the rage on cBeebies, for all I know, but they left me ice-cold. I really don't understand why at the showpiece event, which has just about every person in UK Speedway on site, yet we have I have interviews WITH people that know nothing about Speedway BY people who know even less. The only Speedway person interviewed was The Official Most Boring Person, Tony Briggs! We ended up missing the Semi Final Draw and then having two abortive and pitiful attempts at Mexican waves immediately before the Semi and Final. When BSI have their endless series of meetings 'when nothing is left to chance' perhaps they should be a little more self-critical than usual. The truth is some of us really enjoyed our weekend DESPITE them not BECAUSE of them. .

Factually correct. But the tenner-on-Friday offer just didn't work, did it? £17 on Friday or £27 for Monday & Friday .... The fare on offer last night was never going to persuade many to take that 'special deal'.

I think we must all steal ourselves for just such a disappointment. Thankfully I had a really good weekend in Cardiff. When I booked my hotel room I really did get 'air conditioning' not just a rusty window that could be prised open if it got too hot; and thankfully the swimming pool really was indoors and heated. Not a dirty puddle in the car park. When I booked a meal for after the Speedway on Saturday I ordered Steak and Chips and thankfully that is what I got. Not a dog turd on a plate. But when I paid £45 for my ticket to the Speedway I should have been able to expect that the promoters had taken the same care and attention with the fare they were preparing. To offer 'climate controlled facility' as the term to describe 'pile of shale under Tarps outside' is not really good enough. Thank god BSI were only in control of that small part of my weekend away. Albeit the principal reason we were there. .

That must be including all the extra water.

It really is brilliant to get fo get given the FACTS particularly in the absence of any irony. But honestly, Mr Rising when you had previously earnestly stated that the material was kept in 'a climate controlled facility', even you didn't think that meant 'outside under a Tarp', dd you? Surely you thought it was a bit more than that. No one could use such a misleading euphemism knowingly, with a straight face.

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.