Sunday Times Piece On British Gp

[DEEG]

Nice to see a good write up in the Sunday Times today about last night's superb British GP...it has raised a question though...it described the crowd as a disappointing 32,000 yet the BSPA website says it was a record crowd of 44,150.

 

I must admit watching last night I didn't think the numbers was as high as I've seen before,but difficult to tell when you're watching on TV. So purely out of personal interest, not to make an issue out of it, I wondered if anyone who was lucky enough to go could shed any light on how many people were actually there...however many it was they had a great night and the atmosphere sounded fantastic!!

[SCB]

Same as most years, cira-45,000

[Jacques]

Same as most years, cira-45,000

 

Ah, but you were seeing double...

[fliss44]

I have been going to Cardiff for 4 years now and I would have thought thet yesterday's attendance was the least I have seen -- but then again I never counted!

[iris123]

Don't they claim a record attendance every year?

Anyway,someone has obviously done some research.So here are the figures

GP attendances

 

and an article on the dubiousness of announced figures

GP attendances???

Edited July 11, 2010 by iris123

[SCB]

Ah, but you were seeing double...

and then a few more for good measure

[BOSS]

I was there and also thought it wasn't as many as last year. The friend I go with agreed. There were alot more dick heads tho. The fighting between bends 1 and 2 (in the stands, not on the track) was a disgrace. The safety of the paying crowd was woefully put at risk. Atmosphere, until the riot started, was as good as it always is.

 

Not alot of talk about Davey Watt. Had a good chance last night, pity.

[andyevans]

Nice to see a good write up in the Sunday Times today about last night's superb British GP...it has raised a question though...it described the crowd as a disappointing 32,000 yet the BSPA website says it was a record crowd of 44,150.

 

I must admit watching last night I didn't think the numbers was as high as I've seen before,but difficult to tell when you're watching on TV. So purely out of personal interest, not to make an issue out of it, I wondered if anyone who was lucky enough to go could shed any light on how many people were actually there...however many it was they had a great night and the atmosphere sounded fantastic!!

 

I must admit I thought the crowd was up on recent years, the main stand was packed all 3 tiers as was the stand behind the first bend. The differance for me I thought there were far more fans in the upper tier down the back straight

[Rob B]

Crowd was down on other years no way a record, if you looked carefully, they were lots of blocks in the bottom tier on the bends that were completely empty which had not been sold, also top tier on home straight was empty. We were on top tier on third bend row 16 and the first 14 rows in front of us were completely empty like the tickets had been reserved till some people realised and moved into them at the start. On sky they just focus on middle tier on back straight where they give the free flags out which is full.

[SpeedwayTShirts]

I was there and also thought it wasn't as many as last year. The friend I go with agreed. There were alot more dick heads tho. The fighting between bends 1 and 2 (in the stands, not on the track) was a disgrace. The safety of the paying crowd was woefully put at risk. Atmosphere, until the riot started, was as good as it always is.

 

Not alot of talk about Davey Watt. Had a good chance last night, pity.

 

We were bang in the middle of the trouble zone, my brother got punched in the face by a Polish fan. It all seemed to start from the Poles ignoring the stewards requests to move out of the aisles and remain in their seats.

[bruno]

down on previous years even the town seemed quieter to me

[Brummie Kev]

Personally I find it hard to believe the attendance was 32,000 that seems a very low figure. So weve lost 10,000 fans in a year, like with most Newspapers I reckon its a load of bull. I was in the lower tier of the home straight and all three tiers on backstraight were quite full. Obviously there were pockets of empty seats around but I really do find it hard to believe that we are 10,000 fans down thats far too many to believe.

 

Lets face it, how are meant to believe a newspaper that doesnt normally give a damm about speedway, they are just trying to do us down as usual.

Edited July 11, 2010 by Brummie Kev

[DSC67]

Don't they claim a record attendance every year?

Anyway,someone has obviously done some research.So here are the figures

GP attendances

 

and an article on the dubiousness of announced figures

GP attendances???

Most football clubs announce the attendance as the amount of tickets sold not the amount of people actually there , to me the attendance looked much the same as pervious years

[Rob B]

Personally I find it hard to believe the attendance was 32,000 that seems a very low figure. So weve lost 10,000 fans in a year, like with most Newspapers I reckon its a load of bull. I was in the lower tier of the home straight and all three tiers on backstraight were quite full. Obviously there were pockets of empty seats around but I really do find it hard to believe that we are 10,000 fans down thats far too many to believe.

 

Lets face it, how are meant to believe a newspaper that doesnt normally give a damm about speedway, they are just trying to do us down as usual.

 

You couldn't see the top tier on home straight though that was empty, watch it on sky, also at the start of the heats when the lineup comes up look at all the empty blocks.

 

I don't think it was 10,000 down, I'd say about 38000-40,000.

[manchesterpaul]

Nice to see a good write up in the Sunday Times today about last night's superb British GP...it has raised a question though...it described the crowd as a disappointing 32,000 yet the BSPA website says it was a record crowd of 44,150.

 

Before and after the event i always create a 'Google News' Favourite on my Desk Top. Whilst more reports will gradually filter through over the coming days, there is a remarkable downturn in the number of results returned.

 

Anyway, of those there now, the Telegraph reports a 'record' crowd of 41,150 and an Australian site quotes 41,000.

 

Best so far is the Herald Sun in Australia which quotes an attendance of MORE than 44,000!

[Steve Shovlar]

Although not there in person I always take an interest in the attendance. The main straight top tier is always empty. There were about three rows with peple in and that's the norm.

 

But the upper tier was much busier than in previous years. Right around from the second bend along the back straight and into the third forth bend there were people. I have a photo of a couple of years ago and on the third/forth bend there was hardly anyone. Last night it was busy.

 

Seems to me that people are more spread out leaving spaces elsewhere, like behind the starting gate bottom tier. On TV last night the crowd looked up on previous years due to people right up to the rafters on the back straight and bends.

 

And also, and this should be taken into account, it does no favours for BSI to publish bigger crowds than they are getting. The VAT and tax man will want money compariable to the size of the crowd. BSI would have a lot of difficult explaining to do when they publish official figures of 44,150.

[T.N.T.]

the upper tier looked more full than in previous years to me and I would have said it was at least 45,000

 

 

Good that some newspapers got involved

[Steve Shovlar]

Excellent report in the Telegraph who report 44,150 attendees. They also said this:

 

The Cardiff 2010 experience

 

What we liked

 

1: Record crowd and sizzling atmosphere. You just don't get dull British Grands Prix.

 

2: Jason Crump's swift congratulations to winner Chris Holder only minutes after their very public on-track contretemps. That's class.

 

3: Slick presentation. All over in 2hr 40min as organisers tightened up on a show that has gone well over three hours in recent years.

 

4: Tai Woffinden's brilliantly executed cutbacks against the Danes. There have been some rumblings over whether he's ready for the highest level. You have the answer.

 

And what we didn't

 

1: Nicki Pedersen escaping exclusion for a brutal move on Davey Watt - then taking exception when Hans Andersen dished out some rough treatment in the rerun.

 

2: British debutant Tai Woffinden being almost completely ignored when the rider presentations got out of sequence on parade.

 

3: Despite all the flag-waving, no Brits in the last eight. Again.

 

4: Lots of nice pictures but rather thin reading for an £8 match programme.

[SCB]

You couldn't see the top tier on home straight though that was empty, watch it on sky, also at the start of the heats when the lineup comes up look at all the empty blocks.

 

I don't think it was 10,000 down, I'd say about 38000-40,000.

The home straight, top tier is always empty and every year people claim, "the attendance was down, you only had to look at the top tier of the home straight"

[T.N.T.]

And what we didn't

 

1: Nicki Pedersen escaping exclusion for a brutal move on Davey Watt - then taking exception when Hans Andersen dished out some rough treatment in the rerun.

 

As there was no contact and Nicki leading I would have called it the same way which is hard on Davey who was just racing.

 

Nicki didn't take exception on Hans .... it was the other way as Nicki clearly went back to riding the rider instead of the race.