Gp's Or Back To The Old World Championships

[mickthemuppet]

Coming back from the Swedish Grand Prix, can this system survive. We have had now 3 SPG's and the attendances to put is mildly have been disappointing. We started at the Prague Grand Prix at the Marketa Stadium. Last year I thought there were 7500 to 8000 although there seemed many more walking round the city. This year I think more like 3,500 there. Then moving on to Lezno. Last year 25,000 this year looked about half that amount. Then we move on to Ullevi in Sweden. The Swedish Federation say they need 18,000 to break even. Last year 17,000 this year 12,000 to 13,000 . There is a groundswell of opinion that the world championship should go back to a one off final like it used to be. This is backed up by quite a few ex riders and surely it would be a sell out at Cardiff with perhaps 80,000 there. I am sure that the days of the GP are numbered. I am sorry to say this but Cardiff will be lucky to get 30,000 people there this year, as the general trend is the GP's are too much the same and they are getting too dear.

Once you get rid of the GP's British Speedway can get back to racing on Friday and Saturday nights with greatly increased attendences which will mean more money coming back into the sport which will entice the top riders back

[spook]

the GP's are too much the same

 

well it depends how you mean this but I would be saying it in that the gp's are processional on the permanent tracks and the temporary tracks are a game of who can actually look like a speedway rider........ this is still what is killing the competition.......... the issue is at a basic level of track prep..... I dont see how this has much to do with the format of the world championships..... and the last thing IMG/BSL care about is the EL

 

Ole would still be there at the scandinavian/commonwealth/overseas/intercontinental final making sure that the tracks are set up in a certain way................ in fact I hate to say it but even worse the guy has often been spotted around fishy smells and what better than to set up the commonwealth final track as ultra grippy only for the qualifying 'racers' to be hit with a slick surface later on when they meet the scandinavians?

 

I dont see why speedway should avoid 'the credit crunch' when everything else isnt and i'm sure that the crowd issues are down to this.............. I heard that the low Prague crowd could have been partially due to the owners having some interesting timing in hiking UP the prices.......... and that it is only the temporary track GP's that IMG/BSL have complete responsibility over the finances.... the rest they are paid upfront and it is then over to the owners ........... I am certain that they will earn enough this season..... as most likely will the permanent track owners

 

but if they keep serving up dire track surfaces all season then it could have a larger knock on effect for next year than there was already going to be

 

and finally as a wise old sage has said on this forum recently no amount of rose coloured spectacles can make us think that the racing at one off world finals was good on the whole......... and im certain if it ever did revert back people would be requesting a return of the GP's

 

 

[AndyM]

I would much prefer a return to the old fashioned world finals, albeit with a much changed qualification process. You could combine the two so a series of rounds was used as qualification for the big final event, not unlike the Grand Prix series of individual events in the UK in the late 70s (can anyone remind me when this was? I know Mort won it one year.) Without a big event to focus on the process seems meaningless to me, and it totally destroyed Saturday night UK league speedway (OK, so the Eagles and the Rockets ride on a Saturday, but time was it was the biggest night of the week.)

[Guest Steve Dixon]

I would much prefer a return to the old fashioned world finals, albeit with a much changed qualification process. You could combine the two so a series of rounds was used as qualification for the big final event, not unlike the Grand Prix series of individual events in the UK in the late 70s (can anyone remind me when this was? I know Mort won it one year.)

 

From the 1981 Speedway Yearbook.

 

1976 - Peter Collins - Gordon Kennett - Ole Olsen

1977 - Ole Olsen - John Louis - Malcolm Simmons

1978 - Chris Morton - John Louis & Malcolm Simmons

1979 - Scott Autrey - Bruce Penhall - John Davis

1980 - Dennis Sigalos - Dave Jessup - Mike Lee

 

Ran for 5 seasons.

 

 

[Deano]

Not this old chestnut again... perhaps we should go back to the pre GP attendances too, I don't mean the last Wembley 90,000 neither. Cardiff comes around every year, it'll be once every eight to ten years if we go back to the on off. Poland would be first preferance

Edited June 1, 2009 by Deano

[mickthemuppet]

Not this old chestnut again... perhaps we should go back to the pre GP attendances too, I don't mean the last Wembley 90,000 neither. Cardiff comes around every year, it'll be once every eight to ten years if we go back to the on off. Poland would be first preferance

 

I bought the subject up , as you will probably hear quite a bit more about it in the near future. This is seriously being considered. , by certain FIM officials.

If the promoters around Europe cannot make a profit out of GP 's they are not going to keep carry on running them are they?

[AndyM]

Not this old chestnut again... perhaps we should go back to the pre GP attendances too, I don't mean the last Wembley 90,000 neither. Cardiff comes around every year, it'll be once every eight to ten years if we go back to the on off. Poland would be first preferance

In the scenario I described, you could still have a UK round in some format, with the final worth double points or whatever being the final round.

[Deano]

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[speedibee]

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...c=48021&hl=

 

The topic above has 10,000 views.

 

 

This thread has 89 views.

 

This tells you where the interest is.

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[The Know]

I bought the subject up , as you will probably hear quite a bit more about it in the near future. This is seriously being considered. , by certain FIM officials.

If the promoters around Europe cannot make a profit out of GP 's they are not going to keep carry on running them are they?

which one was that then. i know all the FIM officials and its not what i heard.

[The Know]

Coming back from the Swedish Grand Prix, can this system survive. We have had now 3 SPG's and the attendances to put is mildly have been disappointing. We started at the Prague Grand Prix at the Marketa Stadium. Last year I thought there were 7500 to 8000 although there seemed many more walking round the city. This year I think more like 3,500 there. Then moving on to Lezno. Last year 25,000 this year looked about half that amount. Then we move on to Ullevi in Sweden. The Swedish Federation say they need 18,000 to break even. Last year 17,000 this year 12,000 to 13,000 . There is a groundswell of opinion that the world championship should go back to a one off final like it used to be. This is backed up by quite a few ex riders and surely it would be a sell out at Cardiff with perhaps 80,000 there. I am sure that the days of the GP are numbered. I am sorry to say this but Cardiff will be lucky to get 30,000 people there this year, as the general trend is the GP's are too much the same and they are getting too dear.

Once you get rid of the GP's British Speedway can get back to racing on Friday and Saturday nights with greatly increased attendences which will mean more money coming back into the sport which will entice the top riders back

one off final, get real.

[Cornishman]

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...c=48021&hl=

 

The topic above has 10,000 views.

 

 

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This tells you where the interest is.

 

 

 

But it has been around for 3 weeks longer

[geeze]

The gps are the way to go as the a one off final can produce a freak result if it was a one off final

 

last year in gothenburg holte would be world champ and that just cannot be right .

 

 

 

 

 

[Ghostwalker]

The gps are the way to go as the a one off final can produce a freak result if it was a one off final

 

last year in gothenburg holte would be world champ and that just cannot be right .

 

i agree with that and another big disadvantage with the one off final is much less exposure in media

less publicity usually means less interest.

 

 

[Humphrey Appleby]

The SGP has always been a bit of a Potemkin Village, and apart from a brief period, has not really done as well as popularly imagined. The reality is that it has never greatly improved on pre-SGP attendances except for a couple of 'prestige' rounds, and whilst one shouldn't knock that, one needs to get its supposed 'success' into perspective.

 

I'm not sure that going back to the old World Final format is really the answer, but I do think the whole competition needs to be scaled back to 6-8 rounds, with rounds mostly held in the four major speedway countries. The whole qualification process needs revamping as well, to increase variety and interest in the series.

[Trees]

I'm not sure that going back to the old World Final format is really the answer, but I do think the whole competition needs to be scaled back to 6-8 rounds, with rounds mostly held in the four major speedway countries. The whole qualification process needs revamping as well, to increase variety and interest in the series.

Just think if the four major speedway nations had got their heads together against BSI when the speedway world championship was for sale, this is exactly what could be happening and surely all fans and all federations would be happy with that? Plonkers!

 

 

[ballinger]

The SGP has always been a bit of a Potemkin Village, and apart from a brief period, has not really done as well as popularly imagined. The reality is that it has never greatly improved on pre-SGP attendances except for a couple of 'prestige' rounds, and whilst one shouldn't knock that, one needs to get its supposed 'success' into perspective.

 

I'm not sure that going back to the old World Final format is really the answer, but I do think the whole competition needs to be scaled back to 6-8 rounds, with rounds mostly held in the four major speedway countries. The whole qualification process needs revamping as well, to increase variety and interest in the series.

 

8 SGP rounds, but 4 would be nominated "Super Prix", ie they include a Thursday night qualification meeting involving riders classified 10th to 15th in the SGP standings at the time, plus 9 entrants who would pay an entry fee, plus a local wildcard. Top 6 qualify for weekends SGP, joining the top 9 in the SGP standings plus wildcard.

 

If not a Super Prix then Top 15 (plus local wildcard) compete in next SGP.

 

Qualification meetings to replace current Quarters & Semis system, but GP Challenge to be held at seasons end contested by riders classified 9th to 24th in the SGP standings.

 

Top 6 qualify for next seasons SGP, joining current year top 8 plus 1 BSI nomination.

 

[Deano]

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