British Speedway Gp V British F1 Gp

[iris123]

There's no flaw in the thread. With both GPs now having taken place for thrills and action the Speedway GP won by the proverbial mile. The British F1 GP today was dire entertainment. And that's from someone who watches F1.

Ok if you just say the speedway was better than the GP.But then you talk about the coverage and sponsorship the sports get.Over 300,000 attended over the 3 days.That means about 200,000 attended when they knew the meeting wasn't being run.The fascination with the sport is there regardless of how exciting the race actually is.And that attracts media coverage and sponsors.How many people attend practice for a speedway GP?And from reading the various threads over the years a fair number of fans attend as much for the atmosphere and beer as for the speedway.It would probably be the same in F1(only much much more people).Regardless of the excitement lots of people will still go away satisfied at Cardiff and whereever the F1 was

[Steve Shovlar]

Ok if you just say the speedway was better than the GP.But then you talk about the coverage and sponsorship the sports get.Over 300,000 attended over the 3 days.That means about 200,000 attended when they knew the meeting wasn't being run.The fascination with the sport is there regardless of how exciting the race actually is.And that attracts media coverage and sponsors.How many people attend practice for a speedway GP?And from reading the various threads over the years a fair number of fans attend as much for the atmosphere and beer as for the speedway.It would probably be the same in F1(only much much more people).Regardless of the excitement lots of people will still go away satisfied at Cardiff and whereever the F1 was

 

There is racing on the two days previous to the F1 event. There are other formulas which are not covered on TV which race the same weekend as F1.

 

I was never comparing F1 crowds with Speedway. We could never compete in a million years. But for sheer excitement for the two events, the speedway last night won hands down.

 

Or do you think this afternoons F1 GP was better?

[iris123]

There is racing on the two days previous to the F1 event. There are other formulas which are not covered on TV which race the same weekend as F1.

 

I was never comparing F1 crowds with Speedway. We could never compete in a million years. But for sheer excitement for the two events, the speedway last night won hands down.

 

Or do you think this afternoons F1 GP was better?

I don't have any interest in F1.I have no interest in other motorbike GPs.Just speedway.But i also can see that people just are not interested in speedway.It is regarded by the media as mickey mouse and by the general public as boring.Why so many people are interested in F1 i haven't the faintest idea.But millions do.And seemingly more people attend two days of F1 practice and other car racing than attend the whole speedway GP season put together

[WembleyLion]

There is no accounting for taste when it comes to sport and I am sure there will even be some people watching a football match from South Africa right now!

[Steve Shovlar]

There is no accounting for taste when it comes to sport and I am sure there will even be some people watching a football match from South Africa right now!

 

I am and it's dire.

[stressed]

There is racing on the two days previous to the F1 event. There are other formulas which are not covered on TV which race the same weekend as F1.

 

I was never comparing F1 crowds with Speedway. We could never compete in a million years. But for sheer excitement for the two events, the speedway last night won hands down.

 

Or do you think this afternoons F1 GP was better?

 

Very true Speedway will 'never' compete with F1 because F1 knows how to make the media work for F1 and has been doing it for years, but neither will compete with that sport of kicking a bag of air about

 

Speedway will win hands down for a lover of Speedway, F1 would win hands down for a lover of F1 yet the papers will not be full of either, 90% will be filled by that crap game that the media thinks everyone in the country loves 'football'!

 

If you don't like or follow football in this country you are up the creak without a paddle, no bloody choice with total disruption and more sad waffle on paper only fit to wrap fish and chips, if only!

 

At least with Speedway and F1 they are on for 3 or 4 hours and the commentators have a real passion for their sport

Edited July 11, 2010 by stressed

[Ben91]

In my opinion, the only worthwile part of an F1 GP is the first lap and the last lap. Most of the passing inbetween is generally through pit stops, retirements and the occasional driver error. Maybe that's where speedway is going wrong, there's not too much excitement with F1 so when it does happen, the fans enjoy it more. I propose speedway races are lengthened to 50 laps each, riders can give their all for the first lap and the final lap, however the other 48 they have to to processionally trail round, of course pit stops for re-fuelling and tyre changes will take place and be the main cause of over taking.

[Stoaty]

Seriously, the shopping Channel would have been more interesting. Webber stuck to the inside at the start and Vettel went on the grass because he couldn't pass. From then on Webber was never troubled. Hamilton stayed in second and that was that. There was a few over takes at the back and in midfield where faster cars went past slower ones. Hard;ly set the pulses racing, did it. Utterly dull from the start to the finish, unless seeing a guy in a very fast car who spend millions a year passing a car run on a small budget rocks your boat.

 

F1 does have some good GPs. But todays was dire. And no match to last nights speedway GP.

 

It wasn't the most interesting GP ever, but then neither was Silverstone. To say there was no overtaking in the F1 GP was a lie, so if you want to say you enjoyed the speedway more than the F1 then say so, don't lie to try and justify your opinion.

[SteveEvans]

Cardiff was a tremendous speedway meeting, though the Speedway GP series has had many dull processions over the years.

 

I have been to the F1 GP on 6 occasions, often staying the whole weekend. I have seen some great races and some boring ones. An F1 race, however, is the ultimate in soaking up the atmosphere and occasion, something that Cardiff, as special as it is, will never reach. Part of the f1 appeal is that its a one time a year deal (versus speedway that you can see, albeit at a lesser level, 7 nights a week from March to October). They are genuine superstars and celebrities.

 

Steve, if you went to Cardiff but only saw Silverstone on the telly, you can't compare. You would have to be at bot to form an accurate opinion.

[Steve Shovlar]

Cardiff was a tremendous speedway meeting, though the Speedway GP series has had many dull processions over the years.

 

I have been to the F1 GP on 6 occasions, often staying the whole weekend. I have seen some great races and some boring ones. An F1 race, however, is the ultimate in soaking up the atmosphere and occasion, something that Cardiff, as special as it is, will never reach. Part of the f1 appeal is that its a one time a year deal (versus speedway that you can see, albeit at a lesser level, 7 nights a week from March to October). They are genuine superstars and celebrities.

 

Steve, if you went to Cardiff but only saw Silverstone on the telly, you can't compare. You would have to be at bot to form an accurate opinion.

 

I watched both on TV. Thought last nights GP was the best so far this year, and that was before the final. Had no idea what the result was as I was out until 10 pm and recorded it on Sky+. Gutted I wasn't there this year.

 

This afternoon I settled down to watch the F1 GP and was bored about 10 minutes after the race started. I waited for something to happen. And waited and waited. Dire race IMO. I have never said speedway could compete with F1. It can't and never will. If speedway had 1% of the money generated by F1 the future woould be very rosey indeed.

 

But for sheer excitement, tension and thrills, speedway won easily out of the two events this weekend. Of course next year it could be completely different and it could be follow the leader at cardiff while the British F1 GP is a thriller.

[orion]

Speedway get a lot of stick about first out the gate always wins and thats why people say it's rubbish ....In F1 you get 80 laps of that with also the best drivers having not only the best cars but also a head start .

 

i like all sport but it's a mystery to me why it's so popular .

[lucifer sam]

Whilst there's an obvious attraction to F1, ( people drive cars and like to think of themselves as some superstar hamilton) in truth many F1 races are extremely dull. Todays was a prime example. Nothing happened in th whole meeting to get the pulses going. ( unless a pit stop does it for you or a shreded tyre)

 

Steve, maybe you should have watched today's race before commenting on it. If so, you'd have seen a thrilling opening lap (in which Button alone passed 5/6 drivers), plus Vettel passng 7/8 dirvers after the safety car went back in, as well as some fun'n'games involving Alonso and some other drivers.

 

F1 does produce the odd very dull race, but today wasn't one of them.

 

Yep, if you pressed me, I would say the Speedway GP was the better of the two, but as a speedway fan first and foremost I would say that. But F! is pretty thrilling in its own way. Now then, if you'd compared either with the dull Football World Cup Final...

 

All the best

Rob

[Speedy swindon pete]

because, at the end of the day, its blokes on a bike going round and round in circles, as soon as the media and most of the general public realise this, instant switch off.

 

occasionally a few will see past this, like the chap from the mirror(?) lately who went to his first meeting and loved it, writing a decent report.

 

i'd think its the main reason why there is no interest in NASCAR and stock cars in the UK. (not that it appeals to me)

[stressed]

We should be filling the Millennium Stadium by now by now but we're not - that's more of an issue than column inches in the media.

 

Rabbit, you have hit the nail on the head 'column inches in the media' and the lack of for Speedway compared to sports such as F1 and Football that's why these two sports get big crowds and Speedway tracks across the country get by with a few hundred if they are lucky.

 

It's all about how it's put about in the media, getting interest in the first place is one thing but maintaining it is another.

[gary moore]

One might be run with hundreds of millions, the other on two packets of crisps and a Bacon roll, but comparing both sporting events that took place this weekend, there is only one winner. The Speedway GP was a far superior sporting event. Loads of action right to the final bend.

 

The F1 GP was boring all the way with absolutely nothing happening of any interest whatsoever. If this had been a boxing match the ref would have called a halt after round one.

 

Yet tomorrows press will have page after page of reports on the F1 GP, with speedway coverage being probably a square inch in one of the columns up the side of the page. Speedway has no press and very little chance of gettng much further. The BBC will not even mention it and will cover a golf tournament in Abu Dabai rather than mention over 40,000 fans were pcked into Cardiff for the second biggest sporting event in the UK this weekend.

 

Why 110,000 paid upwards of £200 a ticket to watch some cars whizz past at 200mpg and then have to go home or look on the internet to see who has won beggars belief. But media coverage generates interest and the F1 GP has lot of it. Giving freebies to reporters will always help.

 

Envious of the F1 coverage? I sure am. But the Britsh Speedway GP is slowly getting there. The crowd was the biggest yet, the Fanzone very good addition. Not sure the media could completely ignore it if it got to the stage whee it sold out weeks in advance. Long way to go for that to happen and we would need a British challanger. And there isn't one even on the horizon.

 

Still, we all know that the Speedway GP was the far superior product this weekend and doubt there is a single F1 fan who would disagree.

 

 

thay dont do 200MPG its MPH lol!!

[gary moore]

I watched it all the way through. Absolutely nothing happened of any interest whatsoever. Nothing. Follow the leader from the start to the finish.

 

But whatever floats you boat I guess.

 

 

True mate, but F1 isnt a micky mouse sport, Speedway is???

Edited July 12, 2010 by gary moore

[Brummie Kev]

I too would much rather watch the Speedway rather than F1 even on telly, but then again I would much rather watch Rye House v Birmingham than Chelsea v Aston Villa too.

 

 

Me too TNT especially as we lost 7-1 on our last visit to Stamford Bridge.