Img - Future Grand Prix Locations

[Kevin Meynell]

Adding to that, a GP in Doha would be do-able.  But I think Dubai would be a better bet.

 

Maybe a Middle East would be worth a punt if a suitable mug, errr... I mean promoter could be found to take the gamble. However, I suspect such a GP would be little more than a shoe-in as a televised round as the local population is notoriously disinterested in watching sport live, probably because it's too damn hot. Furthermore, I doubt the extreme heat would be conducive to the sport unless an indoor stadium could be found. The dust is bad enough on Good Fridays at Oxford, so goodness knows what it would be like in Dubai!

 

Lots of ex-pats with plenty of disposable income who love a good event.  Things like the Dubai Desert Classic Golf and Dubai Rugby Sevens are big hits, SGP could be too.

 

But why would expats be interested in speedway anymore than they are when they're living in London or wherever? Rugby and golf are supported because they have wider interest back home.

 

I think I'd try expanding in the Asia-Pacific region first.

[Kevin Meynell]

It's expanded and evolved

 

I'm not just saying this because I'm disinterested in the SGP, but I genuinely think expanding beyond 6-8 rounds devalues the product. Having supposedly the top 16 riders in the world meeting a handful of times at major venues, would create more interest than having 4 or 5 poorly-attended events tacked-on for the sake of it.

[spiegal]

A lot of you are missing the whole point regarding the GP series.

 

It has nothing to do with racing,points,performances...it is all down to TV which= advertising which is far far more what the GP is all about.

 

again the whole point about China/Russia/far East is the tobacco revenues.

 

these places have little or no restrction on such promotion, and as you may be aware the Tobacco companies are teeming cash and with nothing tp spend it on.

 

Look at what IMG will bring, huge corporate advertising to outlets which simply need sports to promote their goods.

 

Buxton/Swindon/Kings Lynn etc they ain't worried about

[spanner47]

Top rider do not make a great meeting, just ask anyone who witnessed the Plymouth v USA Dream Team meeting lst week.  Passing in every race, plenty of incident and a very enjoyable evening except for the injury to Adam.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I witnessed the plymouth v usa meeting on friday, plenty of incident, yes, but most of that was down to poor riders on a tiddly track. On sunday i witnessed gniezno v gdansk, now thats what you call passing in most races, plenty of incident, and a very enjoyable afternoon. On top of that, witnessed by a massive crowd, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Now thats real speedway!!

[fatface]

Maybe a Middle East would be worth a punt if a suitable mug, errr... I mean promoter could be found to take the gamble. However, I suspect such a GP would be little more than a shoe-in as a televised round as the local population is notoriously disinterested in watching sport live, probably because it's too damn hot. Furthermore, I doubt the extreme heat would be conducive to the sport unless an indoor stadium could be found. The dust is bad enough on Good Fridays at Oxford, so goodness knows what it would be like in Dubai!

But why would expats be interested in speedway anymore than they are when they're living in London or wherever? Rugby and golf are supported because they have wider interest back home.

 

I think I'd try expanding in the Asia-Pacific region first.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Without wishing to get bogged down in a debate about whether a Middle East GP would work or not, I'll take the bait and pitch in. I've just returned from working for six months in the region and I'll say two things about the possibility.

 

Financial loss or not. Doesn't matter a jot to them. Snooker, Tennis, Golf, Superbikes, Rugby. They'll take the lot. All they want is a little recognition and profile for their part of the world. Money is no object.

 

Crowds. Bizarre though it is that they host big events, the natives don't respond that well. It's a cultural thing. It is ex-pats that go to these events. I found myself attending big golf, tennis, superbikes and a rave when I was there. Would I have gone to these in the UK? No. Why then over there? Because these type of events are relatively few and far between. They are where ex-pats go for something a little more familiar to home. Western (for want of a better word) events are big social occasions. Some mates of mine even went to a Bryan Adams concert, something they would never do at home (apologies to fans of the Canadian crooner )

 

But I'd say Dubai is a better bet than Doha or Bahrain, just because there's more ex-pats there. As for the weather, apparently July/August are unbearable, but the rest of the year is do-able.

Edited April 18, 2007 by falcace

[Fingersfin]

The O2 arena is to open, shortly, is this a possible option for a Grand Prix?

 

I have never been so have no real idea of the domes size?

 

I am guesssing its no smaller than that upturned ships hull thing that they used in Norway.

 

With a capacity of 23000 it could easily be a sell out?

 

Any thoughts?

[Guest Schumi]

Without wishing to get bogged down in a debate about whether a Middle East GP would work or not, I'll take the bait and pitch in.  I've just returned from working for six months in the region and I'll say two things about the possibility.

 

Financial loss or not. Doesn't matter a jot to them.  Snooker, Tennis, Golf, Superbikes, Rugby.  They'll take the lot.  All they want is a little recognition and profile for their part of the world.  Money is no object.

 

Crowds.  Bizarre though it is that they host big events, the natives don't respond that well.  It's a cultural thing. It is ex-pats that go to these events.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was waiting for this thread to die down a bit before responding to this as it's not strictly on topic, so I hope nobody objects.

 

You mentioned snooker in there and saying the natives don't respond well, but the China Open last year was watched by 600,000 people, half of which were Chinese (yes, I was shocked too), mainly helped by the fact that Chinese sensation Ding Junhui was in the final. The arena was packed and it was a great event to watch.

 

Also, I see in the news that the Renault F1 team are showcasing in Poland this summer to raise the sport's profile. Maybe a thought for speedway?

[fatface]

I'm sure China will be one of the first venues IMG look to.

 

Erm, in my defence though I was talking Middle East though..not Far East..

[Kevin Meynell]

You mentioned snooker in there and saying the natives don't respond well

 

I think he meant the Middle East where there isn't a culture of watching live sport. The Far East though is a different story.

 

If speedway was going to stage 'expansion' GPs outside its traditional markets, I think the Asia-Pacific region is where I'd start.

[Guest Schumi]

I'm sure China will be one of the first venues IMG look to. 

 

Erm, in my defence though I was talking Middle East though..not Far East.. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point, but you get the gist. Promotion shouldn't just be small scale - why not look at the bigger picture?

[Rob B]

The O2 arena is to open, shortly, is this a possible option for a Grand Prix?

 

I have never been so have no real idea of the domes size?

 

I am guesssing its no smaller than that upturned ships hull thing that they used in Norway.

 

With a capacity of 23000 it could easily be a sell out?

 

Any thoughts?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No chance, it only takes up part of the dome, the arena floorspace is only ice hockey sized, same as MEN arena etc. So any track wouldn't be much bigger then Brighton!

[fatface]

I've long thought Moscow would also be an interesting option. It seems that crowds are very healthy over there and it would be a great place to visit. However, a mate of mine does live there and says that tourism is not something that the Kremlin particularly encourage. I believe you still need a Visa to get there.

 

It's also noticeable that Russia, unlike the other Eastern block nations has not embraced being part of the EasyJet or RyanAir networks. Still, like I say, if crowds are healthy, maybe there would be no need to attract that many from elsewhere?

 

I would imagine BSI have looked into the possibilities, but would also think that IMG would have a better chance of succeeding...

Edited April 23, 2007 by falcace

[Mr S Bear]

People have been asking for crowd figures for the SGP. Based on official FIM figures the average per GP in 1997 was 12,916 raising to 20,100 in 2002 and then falling to 15,639 in 2006. For the official FIM attendance figure for all but 2 GP’s since the series started in 2005 see the article on the GP at www.speedwayfan.co.uk

Many of the “official” figures are suspiciously rounded and when the BSPA receive their share of the ticket sales from the Cardiff GP it is not based on the official figure as BSI inform them that this figure includes many people who have not paid for their tickets.

Many people are claiming that the SGP is a great success and that is why IMG have bought out BSI. If it is such a success then why haven’t the riders shared in its success by having their prize money increased? The prize money in 2007 is the same as in 2006 and as it is paid in US dollars with the present exchange rate the riders are looking at a 12-15% wage cut in real terms plus normal inflation. It should also be remembered that the prize money is all the riders receive- no start money, no travelling expenses etc.

For information the prize money for the 16 riders according to the FIM web site is as follows.

$11,000, $8,200, $6,900, $6,000, $5,250, $5,100, $4,650, $4,500, $3,850, $3,700, $3,650, $3,600, $3,550, $3,500, $3,450, $3,400.

These figures meant that in 2006 Jason Crump earned $8,140 per GP, Scott Nicholls $4,844 and Lee Richardson $3,620, A full break down of GP earning is available at www.speedwayfan.co.uk.

So unless IMG are intending to vastly increase the prize money available can people really see riders jetting off to new venues in the Near/Far East, Australia, Africa or North America especially their can no longer subsidize their GP losses from their British/Polish/Swedish league earnings?

[manchesterpaul]

Trying to return to the topic of 'Future Grand Prix Locations', would a good venue not be Belfast (or Dublin)?.

 

I appreciate it's still in Europe and the expansion plans are intended to create a wider global reach. However, a couple of the present rounds could be jettisoned without too much trauma.

[BigFatDave]

Don't care where they race as long as its not on a Goat track like Wroclaw. Be good to see 'em Downunder again - missed the last one - I think I was in East Timor at the time saving the World again!

[RPNY]

Which just shows you prefer style over substance - the Hackney track was superior to the Cardiff track, the Vojens track is better than the Parken track and it's likely that the Pocking track will be superior to the Gelsenkirchen track.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Sorry for the latness of the reply but I've only just read this... The Hackney track was superior to the Cardif track? Are you sure you ever went to hackney when it re opened? It was a poor mans Arena Essex! Awful comment I'm afraid..

[f-s-p]

Back to the topic possibly...

 

I received a good old fashioned letter from a fellow who was touring Russia with some Finnish ice racing riders this spring. He told me that the Lada factory in Togliatti is putting in big money to modernize the current speedway stadium at the city to get (big money already spent??) a SGP round for 2008 or was it 2009... Not that it matters...

[Trees]

Makes sense, it is a long term speedway country after all.

[Hazzman]

Back to the topic possibly...

 

I received a good old fashioned letter from a fellow who was touring Russia with some Finnish ice racing riders this spring. He told me that the Lada factory in Togliatti is putting in big money to modernize the current speedway stadium at the city to get (big money already spent??) a SGP round for 2008 or was it 2009...   Not that  it matters...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I read that a GP was more or less confirmed there for 2008 and in case of disaster concerning the stadium and track, Miskolc or Gorican would take the round.

[iris123]

Back to the topic possibly...

 

I received a good old fashioned letter from a fellow who was touring Russia with some Finnish ice racing riders this spring. He told me that the Lada factory in Togliatti is putting in big money to modernize the current speedway stadium at the city to get (big money already spent??) a SGP round for 2008 or was it 2009...   Not that  it matters...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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