I was at Cardiff for my first ever GP and my first Speedway meeting in 30 years. Atmosphere and presentation were superb but for me the small track was a disappointment. Being an old West Ham fan I grew up watching speedway on a big track. I attended all the Wembley World Finals in the 60's and up to and including '81 and for me Wembley provided a better racing experience. (rose-coloured glasses perhaps). Watching the GP's on tv I would say the Polish tracks provide better racing, in my opinion of course. Being an old "Hammer" I would love to see the GP at Olympic Park. Yes there is no roof but that is true of nearly all the GP venues. The ideal venue though, if the stadium could be adapted and a track laid would be Old Trafford. I believe the official attendance for Cardiff this year was just under 50,000, though It did not seem that full to me.
Is there any way more seats can be removed at the Millenium stadium to reduce the capacity to 50,000 and enlarge the track?.A track length of say 360 metres would in my opinion offer the prospect of better racing and the stadium would be nearly full, providing a better atmosphere. I was in the OAP seats up high on the 4th. bend and there were hundreds of empty seats behind me.
How about the idea of Wembley staging a "one-off" GP in 2016 to mark the 80th. anniversary of the first ever Wembley World Final? Or...a similar event in 2015 to mark the 20th. anniversary of the inaugral GP?.
Cardiff is a trek for most speedway regulars and Wales is far from a hotbed of support. Yes, it has the stadium but would the GP attract more support if it was held in London or Manchester? I still remember the crowd for the 1981 Final and the fantastic meeting and atmosphere. I really enjoyed my first meeting in 30 years but in all honesty the racing was over too quickly and was largely forgettable. Compare this to Torun, Bydgoscz and Gorzow.
In my opinion we need the atmosphere and presentation of Cardiff, the racing of the Polish GP's and the Wembley crowd, which I don't think is possible at the current venue.