manchesterpaul Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Not been on this forum for a couple of months and been too busy to keep up with speedway news in the off season. Can't believe one thing hasn't changed yet and i've looked all over the official site, namely, what are the titles of two of the three polish staged GP's? The first at Leszno is nominated 'European' which leaves two more at Torun and Bydgoszcz. One will be the Polish so can anybody enlighten me as to the third? Maybe it's to be the 'Not another polish gp' GP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcat Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Bet you're not far off with the title for the 3rd GP in Poland.... Odds on its "Not YET Another Polish GP"... Don't know why IMG don't just run the entire thing in Poland and Denmark, then the UK could do its own thing. Like the World Cup, other sports hold their World Cups in one country, why does speedway have to run it all over the shop each year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 The German GP?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballinger Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Not been on this forum for a couple of months and been too busy to keep up with speedway news in the off season. Can't believe one thing hasn't changed yet and i've looked all over the official site, namely, what are the titles of two of the three polish staged GP's? The first at Leszno is nominated 'European' which leaves two more at Torun and Bydgoszcz. One will be the Polish so can anybody enlighten me as to the third? Maybe it's to be the 'Not another polish gp' GP As in 2008, Bydgoszcz to be "The Final GP" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bavarian Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 East European Grand Prix, Continental GP, Baltic GP, Pommeranian GP or simply Torun GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Copernicus GP. Rico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateusz Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Apator Wibrator GP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Davis Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 The German GP?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcat Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Copernicus GP. Rico What has Copper Nickers got to do with it... Sorry, I'll get me coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorum Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Like the World Cup, other sports hold their World Cups in one country, why does speedway have to run it all over the shop each year? Pretty obvious really. The football/rugby/cricket world cups are important sporting events that wherever they are held will attract an overall crowd in hundreds of thousands and a TV audience nowadays in 100s of millions if not billions. The speedway equivalent attracts a TV audience of maybe a few hundred thousand across europe and the world and a crowd of maybe (if you are really lucky with weather etc) 25,000 for the whole thing. Sponsorship with the football etc world cups measured in millions sponsorship in speedway WC measured in thousands (if you are lucky). Interest in the other world cups measured in terms of continents of people speedway maybe a few hundred thousand worldwide with small enclaves dotted around the globe here and there. Newspaper coverage of the other WC measured in acres of front and back page interest whilst speedway WC lucky to be measured in feet overall and consigned to that page nobody ever looks at next to the used car adverts.. Countries fight over the world cups in sports like that whilst the experiment speedway had with holding a WC in one country was an utter and abject failure with less interest to most events that an pre season challenge match. I like the WC and enjoy it a lot but is never going to hold the interest that even pub games like world cup snooker or darts will hold so holding it in places that at least have a reasonable interest and can muster a decent crowd for the TV audience is sensible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manchesterpaul Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 (edited) Like the World Cup, other sports hold their World Cups in one country, why does speedway have to run it all over the shop each year? Why do speedway supporters always presume that other sports have things right and we should slavishly follow suit? There are some aspects of speedway that are excellent. Can anyone really say that football's world cup being staged only once every four years is anything other than ludicrous. Teams rise and fall within such a long period. Speedway, in keeping with the vast majority of sports, gets a true current world champion annually, both individual and team. Whilst it may not be on the scale of football's world cup for revenue, sponsorship, tv viewing or attendances (well hell! absolutely nothing else is either), it attracts it's media coverage and brings in money annually, which can only be a good thing. One bad game in the qualification for a football world cup, if you hadn't qualified for the previous one, means EIGHT years without participation! Plus, football, the global game ingrained upon people with mass saturation coverage from every form of media, plays to deserted stadiums when teams play in neutral stadiums. Even tournaments like the African Nations Cup have deserted stadiums when a host nation isn't playing. Speedway also offers something nearly unique in that it is, on the whole, a team sport, which brings with it all the fun and fervour of being able to follow your (often local) team and also be able to hold a competition to determine the top individual of the sport. How great would it be if football, and other ball sports, were able to hold a contest to find out who is the best footballer in the world. The football world champion, now that would be good to know. Unfortunately, unlike speedway, there is no way to prove the best footballer in the world. Even if you had gimmicks like 'target' practice and passing challenges, it has no base in the actual flowing game of the sport. WHilst speedway riders get on a bike and race four laps for their team, and do exactly the same in the individual championship. Edited February 1, 2010 by manchesterpaul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben91 Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Why do speedway supporters always presume that other sports have things right and we should slavishly follow suit? There are some aspects of speedway that are excellent. Can anyone really say that football's world cup being staged only once every four years is anything other than ludicrous. Yes they can... Football's World Cup is a HUGE spectacle, Speedway's unfortunately is not in comparison, moving from country to country meeting to meeting is not coherent and a pointless excercise, the meetings are pretty hypocritical, racing for your country but not taking to the track with another countryman in the whole tournament as the races are all individual affairs, maybe run a world cup every other year, with the off year being used for qualifiers, then make the world cup a week/fortnight long (as long as it is at the moment) spectacle in one nation comprising of test matches. qualification would also be staged as test matches and nations such as Romania, Austria, New Zealand could get a look in for once... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manchesterpaul Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Yes they can... Football's World Cup is a HUGE spectacle, Speedway's unfortunately is not in comparison, moving from country to country meeting to meeting is not coherent and a pointless excercise, the meetings are pretty hypocritical, racing for your country but not taking to the track with another countryman in the whole tournament as the races are all individual affairs....... I agree totally with you in that the race format should include a pair from each team. Unfortunately, i think the test match idea is a no go with some teams not able to provide the 7 or 8 riders needed. However, there are formulas available for othen than pairs meetings to provide the necessary solution. I disagree with the moving from country to country not being coherent. The fact that speedway is not as huge as football gives weight to the need for rounds being staged only where there is a host nation involved. As mentioned earlier, even football often has sparse crowds when no local interest is involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben91 Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 I agree totally with you in that the race format should include a pair from each team. Unfortunately, i think the test match idea is a no go with some teams not able to provide the 7 or 8 riders needed. However, there are formulas available for othen than pairs meetings to provide the necessary solution. I disagree with the moving from country to country not being coherent. The fact that speedway is not as huge as football gives weight to the need for rounds being staged only where there is a host nation involved. As mentioned earlier, even football often has sparse crowds when no local interest is involved. That is generally due to fans not wanting to travel across Europe or even half way across the World for a one off meeting which their team may not be in and who wants to watch a meeting with teams that they don't support, especially at higher prices than a usual league meeting. If this was to be a big tournament then fans would have a guarentee of group matches etc that they could travel and watch plus more if their team is succesful, most if not all speedway nations have at least 7/8 riders, whether they are household names in Britain is irrelevant, if they aren't up to World standard then they won't qualify Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manchesterpaul Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 (edited) As in 2008, Bydgoszcz to be "The Final GP" Nope! Current status of the three polish gp's are; 24.04.10 Leszno~~~~EUROPEAN 19.06.10 Torun~~~~~???????? 09.10.10 Bydgoszcz~~POLISH Latest betting has out in front now a clear favourite of 'Too Naff To Be Named GP'. Others in the betting 'Middle Polish GP' and the lengthy but accurate 'Second Of Three Polish GP's This Year Which Will Next Year Be The Third Of Four Polish GP's' Got to admit, i am tempted now to email them and ask lol. Edited February 2, 2010 by manchesterpaul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbin' Along Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Nope! Current status of the three polish gp's are; 24.04.10 Leszno~~~~EUROPEAN 19.06.10 Torun~~~~~???????? 09.10.10 Bydgoszcz~~POLISH Latest betting has out in front now a clear favourite of 'Too Naff To Be Named GP'. Others in the betting 'Middle Polish GP' and the lengthy but accurate 'Second Of Three Polish GP's This Year Which Will Next Year Be The Third Of Four Polish GP's' Got to admit, i am tempted now to email them and ask lol. Or just call it "Gollob's Retirement Fund" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateusz Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Jealous and cynical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz01 Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Poland always have well attended GP's and so do we. Why cant we have an extra one or is the Cardiff GP on it's own such a money maker? For Poland to have 3 does take the mickey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveEvans Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 The fact that 3 countries host 7 GP's between them shows that the series has not had the huge growth expected or succeeded outside of Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Why cant we have an extra one or is the Cardiff GP on it's own such a money maker? Because the Cardiff GP is the showcase event, that's probably used by BSI/IMG to sell the SGP as a whole. If you added another British GP, it may dilute the effect of Cardiff in terms of crowd and prestige. Of course, the other explanation may well be that no-one else is prepared to come forward and pay BSI the necessary fees to stage a second British GP, whereas in Poland (and Sweden) they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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