ballinger

Marriott currently have doubles at £145 per night, but with a minimum of a 2 night stay

I've been reluctant to purchase tickets for this ahead of going, but having also just taken a look at seetickets.com it would appear that the £30 seats are in the Upper Tier, so I guess they've made a decision to open up the top level of the stadium whereas previously they weren't going to do so. Assuming it's 15,000 spectators on the lower level it'll be a fair sized crowd on Saturday, certainly more than Pocking or Landshut 10 years ago, and probably a few more than Berlin in 2001, and at least this time we have a roof ! Shame though that double the amount of people will be there the weekend after for the Stock Car event

Expect full 2008 SGP dates to be confirmed late next week after the FIM congress.

Its about a 2 hour drive from Ljubliana airport to Krsko. Better way is to fly into Zagreb in Croatia. It's then just 40 minutes or so

I blame standing on a freezing cold 2nd bend at Brandon filming the other night Anyway, having had a lay down (as I'm feeling a little under the weather) I still think my idea has legs.

Or maybe be even more dramatic, and have top 8 from previous GP start in the following GP, with the 7 remaining places being decided the night before in a full 16 rider 20 heat meeting. The final GP place going to the local wildcard as usual. The qualifying meeting may not neccessarily be staged at the same venue as the GP, eg Pardubice for the qualifier and Prague for the GP The 16 riders for this qualifier to be the bottom 7 from previous GP plus 9 riders that have bought their place. Therefore riders outside the starting 15 could purchase a place with the aid of sponsorship and if they are in form (eg Davey Watt at present) they could immediately compete with the worlds best.

Great news in that Clean Cut Sports are covering the event, working with Polish Television to produce the official DVD for UK release. Full details sometime next week.

Personally I suspect that the Tactical Ride will remain given it's favouritism with Sky. Personally I would like to see the following range of options available for a team manager - 2x T/R allowed when a team is 11 or more points behind but a second T/R only allowed if the first does not result in a 7-2 or 8-1. A second would be allowed if a 6-3 was scored with the first but the team would have to be 11 points behind once again to use a second T/R - 1x Golden Double when a team is 9 or more points behind, not allowed in Heat 14 - 1x Old fashioned T/S when a team is 8 or more points behind, but with the T/S facility not allowed in Heats 8 or 14 With these options a maximum 5-1 from a T/S would close the gap to 4, a maximum 8-1 from a G/D would close the gap to 2, and a max 8-1 from a T/R would again close the gap to 4

If anyone is requiring a hotel in Ostrow Wlkp for the Sunday night then please drop me a PM. Due to a change of itinerary we can now offer up some rooms.

Great to read that Rico's Bydgoszcz bus is nearly full. Wanted to post a reminder that should any folks be basing themselves in Poznan whilst going to the Bydgoszcz GP, yet wish to also travel down to Ostrow the next day we too have a coach organised to take us from Poznan on the Sunday to the World U21 Final. Anyone thats considering going to Bydgoszcz for the GP yet still needs hotel accomodation we can arrange both that and transport from Bydgoszcz to Poznan Similarly if anyone is thinking of flying out to Poland just for the World U21 they are more than join us in Poznan at lunchtime Sunday and join our coach. Drop me a PM if interested Regards Pete

Further to Rico and Mateusz's postings, as I've recently posted in the International Speedway thread, if anybody is staying in Bydgoszcz on the Saturday night, and wants to catch the train down to Poznan on Sunday morning I have a bus organised to depart Poznan to Ostrow Wlkp. Plans are to depart Poznan about lunchtime and people are more than welcome to join us on that. At the moment our intention is to stay in Ostrow on the Sunday night although we could amend the schedule for a Sunday night back in Poznan. It's all a bit flexible at the moment as a lot's gonna depend what time the World U21 starts. Alternatively, anybody that's going to the GP but struggling for a hotel in Byd drop me a PM as I can help with accomodation in Poznan. Cheers Pete

If anyone is in Bydgoszcz for the GP, and wants to transfer to Ostrow Wlkp for the World U21, please feel free to send me a PM. We are hiring a coach to transfer us around Poland, and would be happy for people to join us. Like TP tours, we will be staying in Poznan after the GP, and I have a hotel in Ostrow organised for the Sunday night with rooms available. Fly back out of Poznan on the Monday.

brokenchain, if it is of any help, because of the same problem, and as its the World U21 at Ostrow Wlkp the day after Byd, I am looking at hiring a coach to take me and my group of friends from Bydgoszcz down to Poznan after the GP and stay in Poznan on the Saturday night. Still undecided about whether Sunday evening would again be in Poznan or in Ostrow Wlkp itself. It'd be good to explore somewhere new. If anyone is facing the same issue and has an interest in a seat on a coach, plus the next days World U21, then drop me a PM. It's my intention to fly back from Poznan to Luton on the Monday morning, but anyone not interested in the World U21 could easily fly back to the UK on the Sunday.

We are looking as using Poznan as our base and then hiring a coach to get to Byd for the GP and then to Ostrow for the World U21 If folks are interested in joining us on a coach for either then send me a PM. Thanks to Hackett, I'm currently negotiating details with a couple of Polish coach companies

But I believe its the World U21 Final at Ostrow Wlkp the day after Bydgoszcz.

My wife is also aggrieved to learn that there's Championship Speedway on in Sydney the week we are there. Having promised her a completely Speedway free holiday Down Under, the chance to see Crump, Adams, Scotty, Roo Boy and Steady, etc in action will be too appealing too miss. So thats the Ashes, the Bridge Climb, and Speedway on consecutive days. Seriously though, to amend the schedule at 6 weeks notice is really not on, I've other friends who'd booked to fly from Sydney to Mildura via Melbourne, for the Mildura round, and now ofcourse those plans have gone to pot.

We caught the train this year, 1300 from Riga Central Station, rolled into Daugavpils at 1645, walked to the hotel, jumped in a cab to the track, and had time for something to eat before start time. It was easy peasy, the train tickets were under a fiver return

If that's you Roger, I've just send you a PM

Thanks Steve for again organising this competition, it's kept my 11 year old step son entertained throughout the summer. Every fortnight it's been a case of "Have you put my bets on ?" Personally, I must try to do better next year and not be eliminated by the third GP of the year

Hopefully with his dancing contest in Denmark on Friday, Ole's arrival in Bydgoszcz will be delayed enough for the track to be prepared on Saturday as it should be

And confirmed again as a 7pm local time start by the Daugavpils club via email to me this afternoon. Maybe Sky advertised the wrong time then ?

Likewise Addy, not sure we'll attempt such a schedule again, especially with the kids in tow. If we could have travelled with just hand luggage we wouldn't have had to hang around at the airport waiting for bags. Doing so cost us 40 minutes, and getting to the GP right on start time meant we missed all the 'build up'

Not sure about the dodgy bloke in the blue hat (picture # 59) looking for his seat !

For anyone going to Gniezno, a lovely town square that comes alive on a Sunday evening awaits. However don't stay at Hotel Lech in Gniezno, without a doubt the worst hotel I've ever had the misfortune to stay in! With any luck it's been condemned by now ! My wife and I were both off work for a week after staying there and contracting a sickness. Truly awful hotel.

Me + 5