rickmiller Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 (edited) The track for the stock cars is completely different - check out the Veltins webcam. Track was disappointing - no dirt on the outside, one line only, uneven gates. The riders I spoke to before the meeting said practice was fantastic - so what went wrong on the night? Overall though, it was still worth the effort of going. Edited October 15, 2007 by rickmiller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Mc Cracken Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Why the Hell was the 100th Grand Prix being ran on a man-made track in a country that doesnt care ! ! Why was it not ran in either Sweden , Poland or even back here in Cardiff ! To me the FIM got there just deserve's are they taking the "Michael" even suggesting that next year they will be back there for $200k or did I hear it wrong!! F*** sake FIM open your eyes and listen to the fans who pay good money to attend these meetings, should be a spectacle and not a FARCE!!! As for lotting gate posistions for the ride off between holta,nicholls and harris summed the night up for me as "clueless" they didn't even tell the ref it was being run! Ole must off released the tapes and gone away to make a brew ! top marks for Holta but Nicholls! Surely Fan or not he should of been OUT ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Arrived home last night tired but reasonibly happy. A good weekend away but as everyone has said - not the best of racing. Nt sure what was seen on TV but I did enjoy watching the Champions parade before the meeting. I know TV viewers wouldnt have seen it live as Shazzybird was texting me in a complete frenzy. Something about Rugby league being on and she was demanding speedway!!!!! But it was great to see them all and very interesting that the first standing ovation came for Mark Loram . At least that was the way it appeared from where we sat. Numbers were much higher than we were led to believe. Yes there were gaps and of course 1 complete area not used, but overall better than at first thought. Right Said Fred - oh so wrong. Not only due to the lack of knowledge in their music but for the 48 hours of singing - Stand Up for the Champions!!!!! I cant get it out of my head!! And then there was the meeting itself. I thought they tried to get a Cardiff atmosphere going which in my opinion didnt quite work. Strange how the whole stadium lights remained on all the time. I had expected the lights to be dimmed and the track to be bright. And the racing - hmmm - think its all been said And finally..... trip home via Brugge - Yummy!! and Eastenders Booze store at Calais , Im now stocked up but funny the people you meet in a place like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 I don't see what the problem is with drawing for gate positions before the run-off. They all finished level. Perfectly sensible way of doing it, as was having a run-off for the final qualification place. Speedway gets things wrong sometimes and deserves criticism, but if people are just going to complain about everything, then when there are legitimate things to complain about how can you expect people to take any notice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric i Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 will it be a regular on the gp tour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailays Hat Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Hopefully the stadium will have learn't from their first speedway meeting. They applied football security to speedway fans and they weren't expecting 95% of them to be there at five when the gates opened. Unlike Cardiff there are no bars anywhere near the stadium so of course everyone wanted to go in and find a beer. It took us an hour and a half to get in. I was chuffed to see that there was nobody in line for beer, until I was redirected to a tiny kiosk surrounded by a mob of euro waving poles, all trying to get cards. The stadium was fantastic, the track was crap, but we did have a blinding couple of nights in dusseldorf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 They are all accomplished professional speedway riders and, therefore, they don't need to practice (and thereby ruin the track) the day before. No one practices - all start equal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Hopefully the stadium will have learn't from their first speedway meeting. They applied football security to speedway fans and they weren't expecting 95% of them to be there at five when the gates opened. Unlike Cardiff there are no bars anywhere near the stadium so of course everyone wanted to go in and find a beer. It took us an hour and a half to get in. I was chuffed to see that there was nobody in line for beer, until I was redirected to a tiny kiosk surrounded by a mob of euro waving poles, all trying to get cards. The stadium was fantastic, the track was crap, but we did have a blinding couple of nights in dusseldorf. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am sure they will have learnt some lessons.As for the security well it seems that the GPs attract the beer swilling rowdy element to an extent.I saw a bit of a scuffle afterwards and stopped at a petrol station round the corner where the police were in attendance.Got talking to them as i wanted directions There was a group of lads drinking beer there so i asked the policeman if there was a problem.His answer was "There was a motorbike event at the Arena.A few bloody noses,that's all".So maybe not on the level of a Schalke v Dortmund derby,but also not the response you would normally expect from a speedway meeting. As for the tokens,they are the system at a number of venues.Not that i like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 I am sure they will have learnt some lessons.As for the security well it seems that the GPs attract the beer swilling rowdy element to an extent.I saw a bit of a scuffle afterwards and stopped at a petrol station round the corner where the police were in attendance.Got talking to them as i wanted directions There was a group of lads drinking beer there so i asked the policeman if there was a problem.His answer was "There was a motorbike event at the Arena.A few bloody noses,that's all".So maybe not on the level of a Schalke v Dortmund derby,but also not the response you would normally expect from a speedway meeting. As for the tokens,they are the system at a number of venues.Not that i like it <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I hope they have learnt some lessons as the stadium was great but getting in and the beer thing was terrible. Our entrance was actually closed and we were directed to the next entrance. It was heaving and very slow to get in. Then when you scan your ticket the turnstile moves so quickly it smacks you on the a*se and throws you in. You then have work out, albeit to late for some, that you have to go to the ladies or gents security section to get body checked!! As for getting the tokens - I couldnt be bothered with two queues so in the end they ended up with none of my euro's. But nice stadium and the transport system was spot on. They even had extra trams lined up to ope with the demand. And it was FREE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 As for getting the tokens - I couldnt be bothered with two queues so in the end they ended up with none of my euro's. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well i didn't have to queue to get in,so have no experience of that But i know the tokens from the Ice speedway in Assen.Luckily i got in early enough and got mine before the queues.But like you,if i saw a big queue for the tokens then i just wouldn't bother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanner47 Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Also not happy at having been told that "Stehplatz" tickets at 30 Euros each were for first bend standing, which having 2 kids wasn't going to suit, so had to go for the only remaining Home Straight seats at 113 Euros each, only to get inside to find Stehplatz infact meant seats in which you are allowed to stand up in. My wife & I are now agreed that £200 for flights, £100 for a hotel, £100 car rental, and a shocking £300 for tickets, just wasn't acceptable value for money and that £700 of entertainment spend can be better enjoyed elsewhere. Weekend only salvaged by a great few hours spent with the kids at Movie Park Germany this afternoon. They had a great time, and our 2 year old went for free, not for 113 Euros !! Sorry BSI but the truth is that that was expensive dross of the highest order. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Agree the racing was crap, but the whole weekend cost £90 each, which included the best seat i've ever at a stadium. Right on top of pits, A.J. and Nicki to our right and Leigh and Hans to our left, it certainly made up for the poor fare on the track. Wont go again but can only feel sorry for the folks that paid £40-£60 on the home straight, the £30 ones on the back straight were the best if you booked very early like we did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jamie Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Then when you scan your ticket the turnstile moves so quickly it smacks you on the a*se and throws you in. ...it didn't smack my erse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Meynell Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 it was slightly better than the German rubbish, to think people pay good money to travel there and watch it, mugs comes to mind. People seem to lap it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoMinuteWarning Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Quotes by Ole Olsen last week about the Veltins Arena: "When it's finished, this will be a perfect speedway track." "We want to make sure we provide the riders with a surface that they can ride to their limits and provide a night of spectacular racing." " ...by the end of Sunday, you wouldn't even know that we had been here…apart from the memory of a fantastic night of racing." What a failure, Olsen! Perhaps you'd like to apologise to us all? The track was rubbish, the stadium organisation was rubbish, and the ref wasn't too good either! Speedway apart, it was still a great trip - but I certainly won't be going back to Gelsenkirchen next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 (edited) What was the attendance? Any official/unofficial numbers? Edited October 15, 2007 by tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Lady Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 (edited) Nt sure what was seen on TV but I did enjoy watching the Champions parade <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It wasn't but by god it was the best bit of the night. It meant the English language wasn't mangled by Sam Ermolenko Edited October 15, 2007 by Star Lady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Had a great weekend, except for the meeting itself. The German people were all very friendly, the places we stayed in and visited were all very nice and very clean. Our hotel was nice too. Had a chat with Rosco, and he's still moaning about Robbie Perks! But he reckons Swindon will take the other 2 trophies off us. No running for trams next year though, i'm getting far too old for that. many thanks to Sandie for holding the doors for us AJ.. wins £50k and then takes all his pit crew out for a meal.. in McDonalds!! What's all that about you tight g1t? Nice to see Pammie and KJ and thanks to Pammie's dad for the shortbread.. very nice, and Nikki.. could I have my horn back please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansfan Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Well we arrived back today, thought the racing was quite crap!! The highlight of the night was having Hans right underneath us!!! (so to speak) After all the build up to the event I would have expected a much better race track, when you get the likes of Gollob, Pedersen etc... not being able to get anywhere on the outside you know its going to be very processional, we were very disappointed. We were also very angry the way the entrance was organised they could learn a few lessons from Cardiff, it was quite scary at times it was becoming quite a crush situation you only needed someone to panic and I dread to think what could have happened, some people were getting quite agitated, my Hubby used to be a front row prop in a Rugby team so he protected me (thank God!!) As for the Tim Henman (sorry Scott Nicholls incident) he should have been excluded, I can't stand the stupid pratt, he couldn't resist gobbing off at some fans who DARED to say something to him, I can just imagine if Hans had been involved, we would never have heard the last of it!!!! I dont think we shall be going next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 my Hubby used to be a front row prop in a Rugby team so he protected me (thank God!!) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Family Guy protected us apparently! (Sorry Charles) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jamie Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 No running for trams next year though, i'm getting far too old for that. i was surprised you made it Nice to see KJ another singsong next year Sir? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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