PolskiZuzel

Emil Sayfutdinov have decided not to ride for the World Championship’s title telling us that his decision was caused by the financial problems. Krzysztof Cegielski, who should still be remembered by fans at Poole is telling fans in Poland that if he was still a rider and had a choice to ride or not to ride for the world title he would definitely choose to ride. The reason? He says there are more than a few. A rider can still count on three or even four times more money from sponsors than usual. Secondly riding in the GP’s translates to a larger contracts in the league. Thirdly, if not most important, it is the prestige that comes with being the SGP rider.. Even the lesser riders taking part in the SGP are perceived differently from others. We are hearing riders complaints that GPs doesn’t pay sufficiently but cost an earth. Cegielski agrees with that but at the same time points out that to a fact that a few years ago there were no complaints. A coin always have two sides to it. The problem is – as Cegielski sees it – that Polish League began to pay even more and that made the riders to complain about GPs rates. When it comes to expenses, Cegielski admits that they are huge, but like in everyday life there is always room to be more frugal. There is no need to book 5 star hotels for 3 days before an event, etc., No one knows the real reason for Emil’s withdrawal from the SGP, but if Cegielski had a choice he would do everything in his power not to give up and line up with other 15 riders to chase his ultimate dream.

I regret to inform the fans that I will not start in Grand Prix in 2014. My decision was taken because of huge financial problems, lack of more Russian sponsors support, also lack of contract in Russian league and lack of interest from Russian federation side. Unfortunately I am still in many debts after last season. Having in my mind not fixed financial issues here in Poland, I am not able to prepare correctly for starts in GP and compete on satisfied me level. Many bad things have been happened lately around me what influenced on my preparations for individual world championship rivalry for sure. At this moment of my career I need a break to re-build everything, so it could come back on the right ways. I want to add that I don't hold any grudge against anybody regarding my decision which I had to take. Sometimes one step has to be taken back to take two forward. I have been waiting so long with the final decission as I believed most of issues would end differently. I would like to thank BSI and FIM not to hold me responsibles. I have started in Grand Prix for 5 years. I want to thank for support so far. Thanks for all who helped me to existence in GP tournament and who support me now during this difficult for me time. The title of individual world champion is still my big dream but I am not able to compete this year. I am not saying „goodbye” but „see you”. http://emilracing.com/index.php?j=EN I regret to inform the fans that I will not start in Grand Prix in 2014. My decision was taken because of huge financial problems, lack of more Russian sponsors support, also lack of contract in Russian league and lack of interest from Russian federation side. Unfortunately I am still in many debts after last season. Having in my mind not fixed financial issues here in Poland, I am not able to prepare correctly for starts in GP and compete on satisfied me level. Many bad things have been happened lately around me what influenced on my preparations for individual world championship rivalry for sure. At this moment of my career I need a break to re-build everything, so it could come back on the right ways. I want to add that I don't hold any grudge against anybody regarding my decision which I had to take. Sometimes one step has to be taken back to take two forward. I have been waiting so long with the final decission as I believed most of issues would end differently. I would like to thank BSI and FIM not to hold me responsibles. I have started in Grand Prix for 5 years. I want to thank for support so far. Thanks for all who helped me to existence in GP tournament and who support me now during this difficult for me time. The title of individual world champion is still my big dream but I am not able to compete this year. I am not saying „goodbye” but „see you”.

Why do you believe what you're told? See for yourself http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/421596/emil-sajfutdinow-znow-na-torze-wideo Emil is well and kicking

Again, I understand your frustration and anger, but what's going on in today's speedway shows that money talks, as it always did. Whether we like it or not. EOT

I can only regret that you see things differently, but facts are facts and i'm not arguing with them. I am not as much involved emotionally with the things discussed here, as some of you. I am not saying that one thing is better than other, i'm just reporting them to you, so I would be grateful if you, and others, could refrain from personal attacks.

Of course he is being used as a pawn, but not by OneSport. Are you all ignorant of the fact that Emil and Tomasz are both Torun's rider and their owner will not stomach another posssible injury to his riders in a GP event. Chris Holder and Darcy Ward are also his riders. Can you imagine trepidation in his mind when watching GP race with the following line-up: Holder, Sayfutdinov, Ward, and Gollob (all Torun's riders)? Last year was bad enough when Gollob got injured in Sweden and because of that Torun's owner pulled out his team from the final round of the play-offs. Of course Emil will be financially compensated, so is Gollob. It also proves that for some there are more important things than SGP.

Normally I would not get into discussion with you, for obvious reasons...but if you say "A", say also "B" and provide the proof of what you have alleged.

You are right. The milk example was unfortunate, but it is still hard for me to accept that different GPs venue are paying different prices for the same product with the same riders, etc., On the other hand I accept the fact that it is up to the given venue whether the terms dictated by the BSI are OK for them or not.

The sad thing is, that in order to race in the BSI's organised SGP riders need a lot of money. They need as much ( if not more) to invest than can expect to earn. BSI failed to persuade any Russian venue to stage GP round therefore no Russian sponsor for Emil. He is also involved in bitter dispute with his last year Polish club Czestochowa which owes him a lot of money. BTW. the rumours of him not being fully recovered from last year injury are just not true. Emil with other Torun riders was practicing yesterday on the Moto|Arena and declared himself ready for the season.

Even if this is the case, I don't agree with it. Rules and law are/should be equal to everyone. Otherwise a millioner should be paying more for, lets say, a pint of milk, simply because he can afford more.

Rob, if you really want to know then I'll tell you. I'am retired man with all the time for myself. So I look here, there and everywhere to see what is of interest to me. BTW what OneSport has to do with this? What better crowds have to do with fees BSI are charging?

The BSI needs to change its approach to business. It’s time to move out into the world , and not just keep milking us Poles out of money. It is good that the ban on competing in the World and European championships has been suspended, but it's wrong that it’s only for a year. It seems to me that in the proverbial speedway sandbox, there is a place for the SGP and the SEC provided that BSI would change its approach to the business. As it is, the English company has had focused exclusively on milking us Poles . It charges us higher rates for the licences in order to be able to lower its price in Vojens or Terenzano . In addition, the BSI sells its licences close to Polish borders , as in hope that our fans will travel there and buy tickets . This is an easy business , but it cannot continue so , because soon there will be no World Championships but the European Championships .The English Company must begin to jostle its elbows in the United States, Australia and New Zealand , because there was a time when speedway there was very strong . They (BSI) needs to find new ambassadors in those countries, like we had in Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs . Mauger especially worked very actively in the Antipodes , organizing tournaments , inviting riders from Europe and the speedway was alive there . But Ivan is more than 70 years old , so let BSI find someone younger, like Jason Crump for example, and persuade him to spin speedway in Australia and New Zealand. It might do worldwide speedway a lot of good. As it is riders for a half a year are sitting on their bums and doing nothing. In my time come January we flew to the antipodes and rode in dozens of tournaments. Let's go back to that. Let’s invest money in that because such an investment will pay off . This is my appeal to the BSI, because I am afraid that the FIM will do nothing . They (FIM) get few pennies for issuing some 500 speedway licenses , so speedway is not of interest to them. Gentlemen from the FIM are well aware that speedway will never be a mass sport that it will not be of interest to large corporations of Japan, etc., so they simply don’t care . But perhaps BSI can do something about it. America is waiting. It's a great shame that the Grand Prix has been in existence for so many years , and yet there was not one tournament in the United States. I look forward, with hope, to successful tests of a new, silencer being created by Leszek Demski . This pseudo - ecological silencer , which is currently being used should be smashed against a wall , because it made speedway dangerous. In general, and this is ironic what I am saying , all the technological changes kill speedway . On the one hand thanks to them it is safer than ever on the track , but on the other hand there is less excitement for fans as riders don’t ride elbow to elbow . Speedway does not have to be fast , but it has to be spectacular. In the 70's I experienced as a rider some significant changes . From a two-valve to Java. Then came the four-valve engine . There were significant differences associated with these changes , but the excitement on the track was still there. Now every change makes a much greater difference. * The above text has been translated and copied from Zenon Plech's blog , the 1979 speedway world champion runner-up.

It looks that way... if you believe what people write on the net :-) I'm just an observer and sometimes a messenger. But from what I read in the Polish media it is clear to see that the BSI does not have a good name over there. For a number of reasons, whether they are true or not, I don't know. This picture ( true of false) has been painted for some time now, especially since the emergence of OneSport and their SEC. It alleges that the BSI have done nothing for the development of speedway, that it practises favouritism, among other things. As the latest example, the case of "Bomber" Harris is often brought up. Anyway, it is something that would need a lot of time and proverbial ink to explain.

It is widely reported in Poland that the suspension of FIM resolution issued on 7th February was pushed through at the BSI request. Krzysztof Cegielski who12 years sustained neck breaking injuries in Sweden commented on it like this. It's a bit like a thief who returns stolen goods .. and because of that we ought to applaud him. If this suspension really happened at BSI request then it gives even worse picture of the FIM than it was originally thought. We have now a situation in which BSI asks for something, and then withdraw from it. It provokes thinking that leads to a conclusion that it is not the FIM that manages those issues but the BSI itself, which is very sad.

Hopefully, we can now get on with the new speedway season...as planned. This is a motion voiced by a majority of speedway opinion in Poland. Speedway to thrive needs its own governing body, not FIM.

and Tai is riding - as a guest - for the Stars, alongside Iversen and Bjerre http://www.kingslynnstars.co/world-champion-joins-stars-select/

Nicki Pedersen's Danish home track will host the third round of the controversial SEC series August the 9th is the date for the third round of Speedway European Championships at Holstead, Denmark, where the locals will have opportunity to see in action not only their home riders, three times world champion, Nicki Pedersen, and last year winner of the SEC, Martin Vaculik, but also Emil Sayfutdinow and Tomasz Gollob - Although we have previously staged Speedway World Cup , this is clearly the biggest event ever in Moldow Speedway Arena, said club president Rudi Steen Hansen. We are especially looking forward to Eurosport's international television coverage .- The race will be broadcast live in 71 countries and more than 30 million people are expected to follow the event on Eurosport , so we do not get a better showcase for our club and our region , says the President, who is confident that the club can benefit from staging this event . more here: http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_sport/motorsport/speedway/article2221795.ece

"At the moment, our lawyers analyze the situation , to take direct legal action to block the bizarre decision and obtain appropriate redress for us and potentially disadvantaged players, in the absence of reaction and its changes from the FIM." http://www.speedwayeuro.com/news/n/206/statement-of-one-sport-llc-according-to-fim-decisions.html

Sayfutdinov isn't the only SGP rider who complains how BSI are treating it's riders. And since this matter has been raised I can reveal another case. When Tomasz Gollob after the pile-up in the Stockholm GP round found himself in the Swedish hospital none of the BSI people visited him and asked him how he feels . What's more , Tomasz himself had to settle the bill for the stay in the clinic. As far as I know there is an unwritten agreement between the BSI and their riders of a general care in case of any unfortunate event. Tomasz’s gruesome looking accident certainly was such an event. But no one from the BSI bothered to visit him in the hospital , no one asked the Swedish doctors to care for him or any other assistance. No one even came and asked " how do you feel and if you need something ? " . There was one phone call to his manager, but nothing more.

Not necessary. How FIM will explain in courts that last year it was OK for SGP riders to take part in the SEC, and this year it is not.

What options ?

In answer to this I can only say: Yes, the club may be broke, but the city is not. They refused to pay money BSI was asking for. That' all. When BSI talks with PZM, Berlin and Gdansk eventually failed, the BSI turned to Bydgoszcz and Bydgoszcz eventually agreed to a deal but at a lower cost. PZM had nothing to do with it.

Perhaps it's a spin for the English speaking fans :-) As severnsider points out a meeting beetwen PZM and BSI took place at the end of last month and Polish fans were duly informed that Mr Paul Bellamy flew to Warsaw where he met with the president of the Polish Motor Association, Mr. Andrzej Witkowski . But Mr Bellamy was not satisfied with the financial offer put forward by the Polish side. According to press releases, PZM was prepared to pay £220’000 for the right to host the event. Last September both sides also failed to agree the amount PZM would have to pay for staging one of the 2014 SGP rounds to be staged in Warsaw stadium , a venue like Cardiff Millenium. It seems then that Poles are still interested to stage GP rounds, but NOT for the money BSI is asking.

No, he has a sponsor who would like him to ride in both, and for that purpose an extra 200'000 euros is for the grabs.

And who said it does... anyway It would be telling, wouldn't it? There is more to life than sportowefakty, believe me. It only proves that the shift of people who know how happens not only on tracks with two bends.