Future of the GP's...?

[Sprog1]

Is it just me or are the GP's becoming mind bogglingly dull this season? Anyone agree ?

Last night the first 11 races were won from the inside gate and probably over half of all the races won from the inside.

There was very little serious overtaking plus the usual problem of races being spoilt by ruts.

I think Matej Zagar's comments were telling when he said that the track was not like it usually is-so someone has obviously messed aroung with the track and on last nights showing they didn't do a very good job.

Its difficult to point the finger of blame without knowing all the facts but it does seem that Ole Olsen has a lot to answer for. He has overall responsibilty. In the studio last night they were saying that they were unable to get to question him, which is pretty much par with his aloof and self-centred attitude as a rider.

Its bad enough for regular fans who understand speedway but how on earth will anything like lasts nights fiasco maintain the interest of the casual viewer ? It could never be described as a good advert for speedway and yet Olsen &Co seem to do very little about it.

What does everyone think ? Are the GP's good television, or if not what should be done ?

[racers and royals]

Is it just me or are the GP's becoming mind bogglingly dull this season? Anyone agree ?

Last night the first 11 races were won from the inside gate and probably over half of all the races won from the inside.

There was very little serious overtaking plus the usual problem of races being spoilt by ruts.

I think Matej Zagar's comments were telling when he said that the track was not like it usually is-so someone has obviously messed aroung with the track and on last nights showing they didn't do a very good job.

Its difficult to point the finger of blame without knowing all the facts but it does seem that Ole Olsen has a lot to answer for. He has overall responsibilty. In the studio last night they were saying that they were unable to get to question him, which is pretty much par with his aloof and self-centred attitude as a rider.

Its bad enough for regular fans who understand speedway but how on earth will anything like lasts nights fiasco maintain the interest of the casual viewer ? It could never be described as a good advert for speedway and yet Olsen &Co seem to do very little about it.

What does everyone think ? Are the GP's good television, or if not what should be done ?

Maybe Phil Rising could comment on certain aspects of the GP`s.

 

1 Are BSI/IMG happy with the standard of entertainment ie racing this season being served up to the people attending and those watching on tv ?

 

2 Does the FIM jury member report back to the FIM on the racing,fairness of gates etc ?

[Trees]

Perhaps the FIM should take the rights to the speedway world championship away from BSI for making a mockery of it!!

[Bulldog]

It was dull, boring and processional. It was so bad I fell asleep. Who won?

 

Let's have some bloody dirt on the tracks and have some entertainment! Ole Olson seems hell bent on hard slick tracks and has been doing it for years to the detriment of the sport. We should be seeing the elite battle it out in a real spectacle, instead what we get more often than not is the first off of the 2nd turn winning the race.

 

Complete and utter balls up!

[T.N.T.]

Who won?

11 of the first 12 races were won from gate one .... the only rider than managed to win off another gate before the interval was Emil Sayfutdinov who went unbeaten all night to score 24 points.

 

Had Emil been missing from this meeting it would have been really bad, but I think Sam Ermolenko hit upon one of the problems in the Sky Studio. He was saying how Olsen does a great job with the GP's but maybe the track preperation should be left to the usual track men who know how to prepare a race track.

 

[Bobbin' Along]

.....I think Sam Ermolenko hit upon one of the problems in the Sky Studio. He was saying how Olsen does a great job with the GP's but maybe the track preperation should be left to the usual track men who know how to prepare a race track.

 

Which is what we've all been saying for the past three or four years. With any luck, with Olsen retiring (huzzah!) at the end of this season, Tony Olsson - or whoever his replacement will be - might even start to utilise the knowledge of the local track curators who, let's face it, know all about their track, vagaries in local weather/humidity etc.

[spin king]

11 of the first 12 races were won from gate one .... the only rider than managed to win off another gate before the interval was Emil Sayfutdinov who went unbeaten all night to score 24 points.

 

Had Emil been missing from this meeting it would have been really bad, but I think Sam Ermolenko hit upon one of the problems in the Sky Studio. He was saying how Olsen does a great job with the GP's but maybe the track preperation should be left to the usual track men who know how to prepare a race track.

 

To be honest I thought it was Gary Havelock who said that,but not to worry who said it they got it completely right, Ole Olsen is killing the sport,totally one dimensional and void of ideas on track preparation.

[orion]

Is it just me or are the GP's becoming mind bogglingly dull this season? Anyone agree ?

Last night the first 11 races were won from the inside gate and probably over half of all the races won from the inside.

There was very little serious overtaking plus the usual problem of races being spoilt by ruts.

I think Matej Zagar's comments were telling when he said that the track was not like it usually is-so someone has obviously messed aroung with the track and on last nights showing they didn't do a very good job.

Its difficult to point the finger of blame without knowing all the facts but it does seem that Ole Olsen has a lot to answer for. He has overall responsibilty. In the studio last night they were saying that they were unable to get to question him, which is pretty much par with his aloof and self-centred attitude as a rider.

Its bad enough for regular fans who understand speedway but how on earth will anything like lasts nights fiasco maintain the interest of the casual viewer ? It could never be described as a good advert for speedway and yet Olsen &Co seem to do very little about it.

What does everyone think ? Are the GP's good television, or if not what should be done ?

 

More moaning ....if you don't like it turn the tv off ......

 

 

No i am with you on this one the gp's were one of the best things to happen to speedway they were a real shot in the arm but now they just got stale ..... The main reason is are just to many six would be plenty at the best venues and of Cause without Olsen in charge of them .

 

Also i like the old format with two losing rides and your out rather than more fairer thou boring points system .

[topaz325]

Is it just me or are the GP's becoming mind bogglingly dull this season? Anyone agree ?

Last night the first 11 races were won from the inside gate and probably over half of all the races won from the inside.

There was very little serious overtaking plus the usual problem of races being spoilt by ruts.

I think Matej Zagar's comments were telling when he said that the track was not like it usually is-so someone has obviously messed aroung with the track and on last nights showing they didn't do a very good job.

Its difficult to point the finger of blame without knowing all the facts but it does seem that Ole Olsen has a lot to answer for. He has overall responsibilty. In the studio last night they were saying that they were unable to get to question him, which is pretty much par with his aloof and self-centred attitude as a rider.

Its bad enough for regular fans who understand speedway but how on earth will anything like lasts nights fiasco maintain the interest of the casual viewer ? It could never be described as a good advert for speedway and yet Olsen &Co seem to do very little about it.

What does everyone think ? Are the GP's good television, or if not what should be done ?

 

It's just you and one or two others.

 

[keepturningleft]

Many riders from the past have said in interviews in magazines such as Backtrack, that they wished the GP system had been around in their day.

 

The GP system is popular with riders and it's here to stay.

The whole thing just needs an overhaul.

[Miserable Old Git]

The fact that Sky have 4 sports channels to broadcast on and still decided not to show the GP live after an hour without using the red button speaks volumes, especially as they are the main Elite League sponsors. A bad sign indeed !!

[tigerblues]

Personally I love the GPs but dear me someone needs to get this sorted out, last night was dire and it's not the first GP you could use that word for.. Havvy nailed it when he said the track prep should be left to the people who do the job week in week out and know what they're doing..!

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Is it just me or are the GP's becoming mind bogglingly dull this season?

 

They've ALWAYS been dull... A 'lowest common denominator' system to decide a World Champion will always lack the drama, sudden death excitement of a traditional final.

The GP system is rather like FIFA looking back over the results of international fixtures over the past four years and declaring Spain (or Brazil or whoever...) as Football World Cup winners rather than bothering having a Finals competition...

 

There is only one overhaul...: that's to consign the GPs to history and restore a proper open-to-all world championship..

And before anyone says you can't make changes like this, turn your mind back to the mid-'90s, huge changes were made then and they CAN be again...

 

Throwing out the World Final was a bit like giving away the family silver... A trip to the pawn shop to get it back is in order...: right now!!

[RobMcCaffery]

This GP series shows just how dull it can be. Great riders and often impressive stadia, all very flashy and hyped to the limit, albeit very professionally. Underneath it all, once you look past the shiny bits there's very little. The series is far too drawn out and the champion known far too long before the end. The racing is occasionally wonderful but far, far too infrequently so.

 

It's a bore.

 

What we have is a long series of build-up events building to...just what exactly?

 

Perhaps a streamlining is needed with say a half-dozen meetings with a wider field of riders with places in each meeting determined by on-track results, not reputations decided in meeting rooms building up to a final where the championship is decided, thus bringing it to a suitable thrilling climax?

 

Oh sorry, we had that but threw it away. Oh well, the sport must move on. If we keep telling people the current system's wonderful we'll still catch new mugs to replace the ones that see through it all and give it up as a bad job. Won't we?

 

Well, with luck Sky will start up another half dozen sports channels so maybe the GPs can find a place somewhere occasionally.

 

</irony>

 

Rob McCaffery.

Edited September 13, 2009 by rmc

[tomcat]

This GP series shows just how dull it can be. Great riders and often impressive stadia, all very flashy and hyped to the limit, albeit very professionally. Underneath it all, once you look past the shiny bits there's very little. The series is far too drawn out and the champion known far too long before the end. The racing is occasionally wonderful but far, far too infrequently so.

 

It's a bore.

 

What we have is a long series of build-up events building to...just what exactly?

 

Perhaps a streamlining is needed with say a half-dozen meetings with a wider field of riders with places in each meeting determined by on-track results, not reputations decided in meeting rooms building up to a final where the championship is decided, thus bringing it to a suitable thrilling climax?

 

Oh sorry, we had that but threw it away. Oh well, the sport must move on. If we keep telling people the current system's wonderful we'll still catch new mugs to replace the ones that see through it all and give it up as a bad job. Won't we?

 

Well, with luck Sky will start up another half dozen sports channels so maybe the GPs can find a place somewhere occasionally.

 

</irony>

 

Rob McCaffery.

 

 

100% agree Rob. Your post sums the whole thing up in a nutshell.

Just said my piece on the Slovenian GP thread on the GP section.

Boring, dull and so contrived its embarrassing for any true speedway fan to be

associated with it as it is now.

 

[salty]

I thought the old style of World finals left a lot to be desired to be honest. The qualifying rounds had long lost their lustre by 1994 and whilst there is a lot to be said for the drama of the one-off finals I can't see a return to those days I'm afraid.

 

Prefer the 24 rider knock out system to the 16 rider 20 Heat formula we have at the moment though.

[TonyMac]

RACERS AND ROYAL…

 

I AM sure BSI/IMG would like the quality of racing (entertainment) at

SGP events to improve but the remedy is not quite as easy as many on

this forum seem to think.

 

I think it is important to understand that what British fans might

perceive to be boring and dull racing is not necessarily seen that way

by viewers and spectators elsewhere.

 

Attendances at SGP rounds this year have been more than acceptable –

Latvia had their best to date, 20,000 were at Vojens, Krsko was an

improvement on last year – but nobody is resting on their laurels.

 

Yes, the FIM Jury – which is entirely divorced from BSI/IMG - do

report on all aspects of the meeting that are within their

jurisdiction … racing, fairness of gates, etc. What happens to those

reports is anyone’s guess, however.

 

Another contributor here suggests that the FIM should take the rights

away from BSI for making a mockery of it. He or she obviously has no

conception of what BSI do or do not control. All aspects of the actual

racing – track, appointment of officials, including referees, the

pits, rider facilities, machinery, etc, come under the FIM umbrella.

 

First BSI and now BSI/IMG have made huge improvements to all aspects

of the actual staging and running of a SGP event.

 

If you read Speedway Star this week you will learn what making a

mockery of speedway is really all about.

 

Ole Olsen is a favourite target here but, believe it or not, his

actual influence on the preparation of some tracks is nowhere near as

much as you think.

 

And it isn’t only SGP events that suffer from poor racing surfaces.

How many British tracks are properly prepared? No that many. Sadly

there is no cast iron formula for making “the perfect track” but very

little effort or investment is made to try and solve the riddle.

 

And let’s not lose sight of the fact that Emil Sayfutdinov had no

complaints about the track in Krsko. As Barry Briggs – in my humble

opinion among the greatest motorcycle riders ever – said: “Emil can

see racing lines others cannot, he used the ruts to get grip, he is a

fantastic talent and the only one who actually rode properly all night.”

 

Perhaps that is why he, the youngest and most inexperienced rider in

the field, won and Matej Zagar didn’t rather than because the track

wasn’t to his liking.

 

There is also the issue of tyres, which the FIM ignore and is again

pinpointed in Speedway Star (yes, another plug) this week.

Efforts to produce better SGP tracks, maybe even with an artificial

surface, are on going.

 

Racing in the old one-off World Finals was, in my eyes from 1962 to

1994, never that great and the occasion was dramatic because the World

Champion was crowned that night rather than the entertainment served

up through 20 often processional and action-less heats.

 

We (and that includes Olsen and BSI/IMG) love to witness speedway on

the perfect track. It is the Holy Grail of the sport and hopefully

standards will improve.

 

PHILIP RISING

[orion]

And it isn't only SGP events that suffer from poor racing surfaces.

How many British tracks are properly prepared? No that many. Sadly

there is no cast iron formula for making "the perfect track" but very

little effort or investment is made to try and solve the riddle.

 

 

 

PHILIP RISING

 

 

British speedway tracks may well suffer from poor racing surfaces but it's never for the same reason as it is for g p's ,what is a lack of dirt on them time and time again .

 

I watched countless league meetings at Bydgoszcz where the track has product fantanstic racing only to find Come gp time to it be nothing like the surface it is for a league match ....it's not unlucky it's not by chance it's by design .

 

The reason the fans want to know is why ? scared of getting it wrong ? scared of the tv coverage running late ?who knows but there is a reason .

[ballinger]

First BSI and now BSI/IMG have made huge improvements to all aspects

of the actual staging and running of a SGP event.

 

They should have done - they've only had 10 years to get it 'right'

 

We (and that includes Olsen and BSI/IMG) love to witness speedway on

the perfect track. It is the Holy Grail of the sport and hopefully

standards will improve.

 

However I and many others (witness comments on here) have got fed up of waiting.

[Humphrey Appleby]

Attendances at SGP rounds this year have been more than acceptable –

Latvia had their best to date, 20,000 were at Vojens, Krsko was an improvement on last year

 

Could we request the Daugavpils and Krsko crowd figures for 2008 and 2009 please, so we can compare with previous published figures?

 

All aspects of the actual racing – track, appointment of officials, including referees, the pits, rider facilities, machinery, etc, come under the FIM umbrella.

 

The key question is which camp (FIM or BSI/IMG) the Race Director falls into. According to the FIM Regulations for the SGP (see http://www.fim-live.com/fileadmin/alfresco...AY_SGP_Eng.pdf), the Race Director has executive responsibility for a number of aspects of a GP, the pertinent issues being listed below

 

077.2.3 "The Race Director is responsible for the conduct and efficient running of the FIM Speedway World Championship Grand Prix (SGP)."

 

077.4.2 "Track Inspection - At each Grand Prix meeting, prior to any practice or racing taking place, the Race Director, accompanied by the Referee and the Clerk of the Course, must carry out a track inspection and if necessary, order any measure(s) to comply with every security provision for riders, officials and spectators."

 

077.4.4 "Stadium facilities inspection - The Race Director and the Speedway Grand Prix Promoter will carry out a stadium facilities inspection prior to the FIM Conference Meetings for final approval."

 

Reg. 077.6 "The Race Director will decide on watering, grading etc. of the track according to the conditions."

 

And it isn’t only SGP events that suffer from poor racing surfaces. How many British tracks are properly prepared? No that many.

 

On this you have a valid point, but the SGP is supposed to be the pinnacle of the sport, and presumably has a relatively bigger budget for track preparation. To be honest, I suspect it's quite hard to prepare a good temporary track surface, but the general consensus on here seems to be that even normally quite good permanent racing circuits suffer from the GP treatment.

 

Racing in the old one-off World Finals was, in my eyes from 1962 to 1994, never that great and the occasion was dramatic because the World Champion was crowned that night rather than the entertainment served up through 20 often processional and action-less heats.

 

Hmm... I suspect I shall have to pay a visit to the loft to dig out some out Speedway Stars...

Edited September 13, 2009 by Humphrey Appleby