Raising the profile..................Who deserves a GP?

[21st century heathen]

The U.S. would be fantastic if BSI could get some good promotion over there. Sporting events in the U.S. are more like stage shows. That's what's needed to bring new fans to speedway. Us hardcore speedway (thought I'd better put speedway in there before stevehone see this ) fans may have to put up with dodgy trakcs for a while until the newbies are so hooked we can get them to go to our age old league tracks for international matches.

 

 

don't know what you mean 21CH....

 

Sorry mate but you do have a reputation for jumping on any oppurtunity we're daft enough to give you.

 

 

When we were in Cardiff we were amazed how many locals (old & young) asked US what was going on in THEIR City, when we replied with "The British Speedway Grand Prix" they asked what it was From that makes you wonder how much advertising actually goes on for our beloved sport

 

Me too. Although it was a little old lady waiting for a bus who stopped me, and asked what was going on. She said they were well used to having their town invaded but had no idea what was going on that day. When I told her speedway she said "that's bikes isn't it?". Someone else then said " yeah, they were here last year." So it's not that they don't know what speedway is, but the advertising must have been poor.

 

[Jools]

The "top" DJ (well he hosts the breakfast show) on the local radio station (which I never listen to) also does the announcing at Newport.

Apparently, he was doing a lot of promotion in the week before the GP, giving away tickets etc to listeners.

 

Also, a few of the local businesses were giving tickets to their employees. I think this was to do with those who had corporate boxes for the rugby. BTW, how bad is that - I hate rugby but live in Cardiff - ARGH!!!)

[sandman]

I think here in Bermuda, the crowd would be REAL laid back. Besides, I have a Westsail 32' that needs some work after the last hurricane, maybe free help????? 8) After all we are all one big happy family, mon. :roll:

[Jenn]

Next they have GOT to add a GP in Calafornia!

 

Whats Auburn like for size??? Or do they have a BIG stadium???

[21st century heathen]

Well it's America so at a guess I'd say the stadium is huge, and the track is half the size of Monmore. :roll: :clown

[-Andrew-]

Aren't a majority of the proper speedway tracks in Cali (Auburn, Victorville etc) really small, just over 200m?

It depends if the AMA would get up of their arse and help BSI with a GP seeing as they didn't give a toss about the SWC. I can't understand why a GP has never been held State-side because there is the potential to make a fortune.

 

Australia - yes. I'm not much of a boff on Aussie speedway so could someone tell me what most of the tracks are like down under? Although the crowd wasn't poor and the track was one of the better man-made ones the Sydney 2002 GP wasn't a big success and the guy who put his money into running a round of the GP there (David Lander or something?) lost a lot of money didn't he so thats probably why we aint got one this year.

 

NZ - no. NZ has very few speedway riders and I can only think of one. People will say that the Aussies will attend it but I don't think you'd get as big of an amount from Oz as what you'd think. I don't know how well the locals would support it and I don't even know how big speedway really is in NZ. Most of the stadiums in NZ are strictly for rugby anyway and probably wouldn't be suitable. :|

 

South Africa is sort of in the same boat as NZ but marginally better off. I think South Africa has more going for it as there are probably more speedway riders in South Africa. They have lots of very nice stadiums which could hold speedway, unfortunately I think speedway should stay away from Bokland for the forseable future because of the current political situation out there. :|

 

Spain is a possibility I like, get the locals interested and I'm sure they'd be some results. They drive their cars like idiots so I'm sure the Spaniards would warm to several speedway riders lol (no names mentioned). Spain attracts thousands of Brits during the summer - I'm sure lots of us forum members have been this year - so they would be guaranteed a decent attendance as lots of people from the other speedway countries holiday in Spain too. Needs promoting, although I head speedway is starting in the North of Spain?

 

Italy is another option I like. Italy is a speedway country and I think that you could get the Italians interested in going the Gp's too. Lonigo is probably the main track in the speedway interest area in Italy isn't it? Needs promoting.

 

If there is another German GP then it needs to be organised better...Berlin one was scandalous. Germany, like Italy, is a speedway country also so there is potential there and having riders like Steffen Katt riding in GB is only gonna raise the profile of speedway to the Germans. Promoting needs done too. :-o

 

What about an Austrian GP...Austria seems to have a few riders coming through. Its a nice enough country too so you may get a few tourists going to watch the meeting. Didn't there used to be an Austrian GP?? Work needs to be done promoting speedway there also. :-o

 

France is another county SGP could be in. France is a country that does a lot of Longtrack and quite a few of the French Longtrack riders do speedway too. France has had a few riders riding in GB in the past, Berge, Barraud, Cayre and now the Tressarieu brothers. A few Brits might go seeing as us Brits are speedway mad lol, just a ferry trip away - make the weekend on it.

 

An Asian one will either be a roaring success or a terrible failure...no in-between. You won't get any support coming from Europe (either none or very, very little) and you'll be relying on a non-speedway following country to fill the stadium. But, with a helluva lot of promotional work it WILL be a success. These are a few of Asia's top sports....Baseball, Moto GP, Soccer. And guess what, they were all taken into Japan, promoted, and are now big successes so if BSI could promote speedway in the same way....Speedway could be a big success in Asia and make BSI the most money of any of the rounds because when the Asian public find something they like they tend to go overboard and spend spend spend on it.

 

Russia, possibly....not for a few years yet though. Need to get the profile raised in that country. They do have a competent SWC team, but only really Povazhny has rode in GB for a decent amount of time because Darkin was only here for a few months. Perhaps a Russian GP would work now, but may be a gamble. :|

 

JJ - I'm sure the Amsterdam arenA would be a fine venue.

 

- ASAP!

- Possibly in a year or two. Could be a success.

:| - Work needs done, 5 years maybe.

:-o - Possibly, but not yet. Wait until we have GP's in places like America.

 

I think SGP should be developed in mainland Europe & America before venturing towards Russia and Asia.

The big problem is with countries like Spain and Italy they aint got a top rider to support. Britain does, Denmark does, Poland does, Sweden does, Aussie does, America does and that is why speedway is so popular and established in these countries....cos we're good at it! speedway should be developed out of the speedway homelands I think and get some kids coming through the ranks then we'll see how far SGP can go.

 

My little opinion anyway.

[Leg Trailer]

I think they should have two GP's in the major countries like England, Denmark and Poland. Places like Slovenia and Czech are a little short on proper experience to run a prestigious meeting such as this. We saw how Sweden managed to get it wrong track wise but what about when countries have inadequate medical facilities. Reading what Lucas Dryml's father had to say about the way his sons accident was handled during the Slovenian GP made me wince.

[fozzie040388]

afganistan

[Sean]

Iraq?? plenty of Brits out there currently!!!

[stevehone]

I think they should have two GP's in the major countries like England, Denmark and Poland. Places like Slovenia and Czech are a little short on proper experience to run a prestigious meeting such as this. We saw how Sweden managed to get it wrong track wise but what about when countries have inadequate medical facilities. Reading what Lucas Dryml's father had to say about the way his sons accident was handled during the Slovenian GP made me wince.

 

you want to see the difference between the World Cup in Denmark and the track in Czecho tonight...

 

 

Going back to the USA....

LA Colisseum like '82 if they are thinking big, with the opportunity to take in a meeting at Costa Mesa (now that is small).

what has happened to Long Beach? held an unbelievable World Team Cup final in '85 with another in '88. is there a track there still??

[norbold]

I think they should have two GP's in the major countries like England, Denmark and Poland. Places like Slovenia and Czech are a little short on proper experience to run a prestigious meeting such as this.

 

The Czech Republic might lack the experience of say Sweden but I think the experience of the last two weeks says it all as far as track laying is concerned.

 

What about South America? Brazil, Argentina? Must be scope there. Maybe thay can produce the Pele of speedway (or the Maradonna).

[KevH]

I'd love to see the SGP staging rounds in the following places (but all outside of our domestic season).

 

USA - Ideally Indianapolis

Aussie - Sydney was fine

Russia - Moscow Dynamite's stadium.

Japan - Not sure where to be honest.

 

and in Europe

 

Paris - as above post

Monaco - as above post

Dublin

[Leg Trailer]

Well last nights track was ace so I'm gonna show you all that I'm a man and admit I was wrong regarding the Czech's.

 

Great track and if only the Danes could learn and not produce slick billiard table surfaces we'd all be better off.

[Triple.H.]

When i was in Slovenia for this years GP i heard they were looking to run in Singapore next year,also if my memory serves me well Kenny Roberts built a flattrack at a circuit in Spain to try and get a few Spanish people to have a go,i think it was at Jerez.If this is still there and in reasonable condition think of the crowd you would get on a saturday night when a Motogp or World superbikes was on the sunday.As for the Usa they would need to have 2 GP,s one west coast and one east coast one week apart to make it financially viable,and hopefully as the first 2 of the year before march the 15th.

[21st century heathen]

Don't see how having a GP on each coast of America would help make it financially viable. :? The US is pretty big, and with the travel involved they might as well come back home.

 

It would be interesting to try to get the Japs interested though. When they support someone/something they really do go all out.

 

[philfromcov]

hey lets get real here.

Prague being an example, if it wasnt for the brits/poles & swedes there would have been little more than 200 in the stadium.

The Gp's relly on travelling fans, there was no advetisment in prague.

 

Plus a seat at Prague was the equivalent to a months wages over there, your not going to get any new supporters

[21st century heathen]

So when we all die of old age, speedway dies with us :?: :? :roll: ;-)

[philfromcov]

it seems that way,

GP isnt a great advert for the sport. its a great event and i will go back to prague next year, the GP is run for Tv nothing more, very few armchair potatoes will make the effort to go.

Even in the Uk the attendance at Cardiff was down on the previous year, a triumph of style over content!

 

less gp's not more

british

polish

swedish

norway (as it can be run outside the season)

Prague (even if the stadium is a dump)

[tomhaines]

Prague (even if the stadium is a dump)

 

I'd love to come and see the dumps whereever your from???!! Marketa a dump!?

 

It's the best place to run a GP, it has the big city like you'd find at Copenhagen etc.. But also a proper speedway surface like Bydgoszcz.

 

It's everything you want from a GP all rolled into one in my opinion.

 

PS - Going back next year for my 3rd Czech GP.

[Tigerblade]

 

On a purely selfish note i'd love to see a Gp on California, I did go to LA '82 but i was obviously a small child at the time ;-)

 

Precisely why I would like to see one in Las Vegas

 

It's a shame that New Zealand is now in such speedway doldrums and there wouldn't be the interest there, the sport wouldn't be what it is now if not for the contributions of Kiwi's.