manchesterpaul

Many thanks for excellent coverage. It is appreciated.

This disc sounds the bargain of the year. The 'Channel 4' weekly version was always an excellently put together package. I used to never fail to watch it despite having seen the SGP on Sky the week before. The fact that the running time is doubled can only mean more value for money. Only gripe?, i bet there is no fit female presenter available which was always a bonus with the Channel 4 aired version Without a doubt the lack of terrestrial coverage is one of the most damaging things to the sport. I know that from the initial Saturday morning transmissions (and possibly repeated the same week?) it was hidden out of sight. However, if Benfield had pushed/promoted for it to be broadcast it could only have boosted the sport. The number of times you would see the headline on the SGP website of a major terrestrial deal having been done. Only, when you went to the story it would depressingly be for Denmark, Poland or several countries where speedway isn't even established. The production had gotten down to a fine art. The age group of a lot of the audience on a Saturday (mid) morning was perfect for capturing future supporters, who are fed on the sameness of ball sports (football, rugby, cricket, tennis etc.).

Since i purchased the box set i've mentioned several times before about the superb quality and production of the collection. The price was the reason i went ahead and bought it. But, let's not wax too lyrical about that or it might give them ideas for a considerable hike in the price for this season's package.

I'd be really surprised if the explanation for the above is not either cheap discs or DVD player. Not that i'm saying there is anything remotely cheap about the priceless Gemini

Well wrong. One of the first reports on the web in the link i provided in my earlier post was from Australia. One example of the Australians ones is HERE

One of the benefits of clicking on the above link, apart from the ever increasing articles every hour, is to see the sources of some of them. Check this glowing report from, of all places, ISRAEL ! Again there is an opportunity to promote the sport with the following request for readers 'Do you think speedway is a procession - or does it turn you on? Leave your comments below or write an article for Sportingo if you prefer.'

It won't be Sky. It's usually the syndicated version that channel four used to broadcast. Certainly the (superb) annual box set contained all the same logos and graphics.

Good succinct comments as well. What's this reference to Margaret Vardy about?. Is it some sort of in-joke?

Anyone wishing to view continuously updated stories from all aspects of the media can just CLICK ON THIS more and more articles are added by the hour and minutes.

You can see it Online HERE

No surprises there. I remember when Peter Collins won the world title in Poland. The local Granada news programme had made absolutely no comment whatsoever during the following evenings broadcast. This despite the fact that he had been pictured on the front page of the national newspaper - the Daily Mirror - in acclamation of his triumph. However, the switchboard had been swamped with viewers complaining bitterly from the start of the transmission at the lack of a mention. As a result, as the credits began rolling one of the presenters hurriedly blurted out 'congratulations to Peter Collins the Belle Vue speedway DRIVER' !!! Hopefully, if fans quickly contact Midland televison asking where is the coverage of such a newsworthy event they will slot a piece in on Monday's programme. If it is too late to do so as a topical news item, they always have the option to do a little documentary filler on any given evening. For those of us outside of the region let us know if anything transpires.

Agreed it is an excellent write-up. Although, sticking out like a sore thumb is the empty space at the end of the report and the following unanswered request; 'No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts? ' I think it would be in the best interests of the sport and in gaining future coverage if members on here submit as many comments as possible. The same goes for any and every newspaper or media site that gives readers such an option. Many media organizations do give weight to such statistics. Before anyone points out the obvious and asks why i am not practicing what i preach. Unfortunately, in this instance, it's not possible. I just can't bring myself to have anything to do with such a harmful comic of a newspaper and the damage it quitely inflicts on society.

Believe it. Sky Sports News gave 97 seconds coverage at the tail end of the programme. You wouldn't believe the stories that were placed ahead of it, Canoeing, Diving etc. The vast majority of the British public tomorrow will be oblivious to the event having even taken place.

It's from the same people who do the brilliant annual box set covering the whole series. There should be adverts all over, Speedway Star, SGP official website etc. If i remember correctly its speedwaydvd Update; This link works, i've just tested it.

£4.99p available from 16th. July. (plus £3 p&p).

According to BBC London the attendance will be 75,000 !!!!! Taken from this page, This Article Saturday 30th June Speedway Grand Prix Listen Live online from 6pm to all the action live from the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff The British Grand Prix is considered by many to be the most prestigious event on the 2007 FIM World Speedway Championship 11-round calendar. Listen live: Speedway Grand Prix > Audio and Video links on this page require Realplayer It is being held in Cardiff, on Saturday June 30th in front of a crowd of 75,000 at Millennium Stadium. The top 16 riders in the world will compete in a night of fast and furious racing., with Jason Crump of Poole trying to capture a fourth British Grand Prix title after winning in 1996, 1998 and again in 2006. One of the riders who will be out to stop him is the Lakeside Hammers number one Andreas Jonsson, and you can hear how Essex's favourite Swede gets on by listening to full commentary of the whole of the meeting which begins at 18.00, on our website.

This just about qualifies as a media clip. A BBC Wales preview of the SGP. VIDEO CLIP The link i've given is for the Real Player version. Other formats are available. I found it by typing in 'cardiff speedway' in the BBC search box. I meant to place this in the media section. When i went to do so i found i hadn't logged in. After doing so i inadvertently sent it to here.

UPDATE in the MEDIA section

I can't remember the reasons but, i think it has been explained that the official FIM figures are always considerably lower than the actual people in attendance. It isn't because of the likes of me sneaking into the stadium, however, there is a bona fide explanation.

The riders are paid according to the position they finish. There isn't a big gap in money awarded per place. The difference between 9th and 16th is a mere £225. Zilch incentive there. The difference between 4th and 16th is £1,300.

I take it you also mean for all points scored to count towards riders total in the series as a whole. Whilst tradition isn't always a bad thing to hold on to the old system doesn't appeal on several accounts. A problem with the standard individual format is there can be up to the last three races having no great importance. Certainly, on the night as each race goes by more and more riders are out of the reckoning for the top places. Whilst, all points would ultimately count towards the end of season total, it would remove a considerable amount of full effort being put in to all races in the latter stages of a meeting. With the new system, riders who have only scored six points after four rides, will still be putting their all into the last race. They know that there are further points to be gained by squeezing into the top eight. That means that a rider will not, on the whole, be coming up against an opponent who has no interest in racing hard.

So now we just have to use our brain power to come up with a better version of levelling out the playing field/racing track in league matches. On another forum of course There must be a more satisfactory solution than the recent and current tactical/replacement/handicap/joker schemes.

The extra incentive is already enough without double points. A possibility to earn three more points that twelve other riders can't. Similar just reward in the semi-finals. Riders are encouraged in their normal five heats as well now. No taking the night off in the early stages. Imagine in years to come when the title is won by only a handful of points. The losing riders will be thinking back regretfully if, at any stage in any meeting, they eased their foot off the gas. It gives a truer picture of a champion when everything they do goes towards, or against, them in the final reckoning. It's not such a sin. The aim of the series is to establish a champion over an extended time scale, similar to a 'league' season in most sports. It is not a one-off event like the previous World Finals or 'cup finals' in sports generally. Both of the latter produce out of the blue over performances and under performances that mean the true champion is not recognized. This is more significant a factor in a sport such as speedway with falls and mechanical failures. Under my revised version, as in the new, you will get the occasional glitch where the winner of the final 'leg' of the meeting does not gain the most from the 'tie'. That is hardly unique and happens on a massive and frequent scale in every sport in the world. How so?, any sport that has a 'tie' over two 'legs' will have, as an example, a team losing the first match away 2-0 but then winning the 'final' leg at home 1-0. Who gets the overall victory?, rightly so, the one who has performed the best over the whole 'series'. Whilst Nicki Pedersen has been worth his victories, would it be right that after a single GP (the first), the gap between himself and the fourth rider was 12 points. Under my 3-2-1-0 it would have stood at 4. Over 11 meetings that sort of gap is going to be far, far better in retaining people's interest in a series. Also, it's not being unduly mean by restricting the gap, as it really makes a rider have to be on top form all year. At the present 6 points a win, over the season it will allow riders to have a couple of really poor meetings. If you feel you've just got to give something extra to the guy who wins the final, then bump up the prize money to a far larger percentage of the total prize purse available at present. So, there you go, as they say in these parts up here, all aspects sorrr...tid,.

I think there's going to be a few ructions in the nation's bookmaker offices when now and again the inevitable happens, that being a rider winning the GP without gaining the most points. Entering the semi-final or final an outsider to the sport will see that his rider is several points clear and presume their money is as good as in the bank. Whilst most speedway supporters are aware of the situation and the reasoning behind it, betters outside the sport are going to be in for a nasty surprise when they go to claim their expected winnings.

If only the one major fault had not been included, that of double points for the final. Pedersen would have 6 points less and only be 7 in front. As the series progress further down the line and you compare it to previous seasons, i think it will be seen that more riders have a genuine reason to carry on racing hard. Be that battling for a rostrum place or a top eight finish. The only offending digit being that sore thumb that sticks out unbalancing the top end of the field whenever a rider should win a couple of GP's.