Leszno Gp 30th April 2011

[Starman2006]

OK meeting. Good to see the true King is back with a GP win, more than deserved. Laguta shaping up to be 2011's answer to Woffinden and not looking impressive.

 

Nice to see lots of new kevlars and designs.

 

I would like to know how Poland can have 4 riders in that GP? They also like to spend there time sitting on the track and stopping a certain race when he could have cleared the track. Nothing to do with tactics i suppose??

[ImpartialOne]

What has become of J Crump, could it be a case of not winning enough becomes a habit,maybe a spell back in the EL is whats needed.

Three below par races, one in which he was very unlucky to be squeezed out of 2nd and lost all his momentum, and inevitably, people can't wait to write him off.

 

He won't be happy with 5 points but Gollob had only 6 this time last year on the same track so last night means very little at this point. He admitted he made some bad decisions that's all.

[Ghostwalker]

I would like to know how Poland can have 4 riders in that GP? They also like to spend there time sitting on the track and stopping a certain race when he could have cleared the track. Nothing to do with tactics i suppose??

 

actually they had 5 riders, Gollob, Hampel, Koldziej, Holta & Balinski.

[ImpartialOne]

I would like to know how Poland can have 4 riders in that GP? They also like to spend there time sitting on the track and stopping a certain race when he could have cleared the track. Nothing to do with tactics i suppose??

Three of them qualified and the other was the Polish wild card. Where's the confusion? (Holta will always be Norwegian as far as I'm concerned)

Edited May 1, 2011 by ImpartialOne

[manchesterpaul]

Thankfully for current speedway supporters the racing improved. However, what a shocking disgraceful waste of an opportunity to gain new fans to the sport.

 

Doubtlessly thousands upon thousands of viewers across Europe would have been viewing the sport for the first time on tv. Sadly about 98% of them would have turned away vowing never to watch a speedway race again way before the racing improved.

 

I was getting ready to start a new thread titled 'Who IS to blame for the DAMAGING bore of Leszno'. With a subtitle of 'Let's be precise who EXACTLY was to BLAME'. I feared the worst from the get go when at the start of the tv broadcast we once again had reports of dirt from a superb polish track having been removed for a Grand Prix. Was Ole Olsen trying to keep one ahead of Freddie Krueger and Jason Vorhees in the dreaded resurrection stakes?

 

However, my initial thoughts concurred with 'Swindon Speedy Pete' in laying suspicion on Gollob and his gang. Did he threaten not to ride if dirt was on the track because he still fears the new silencers? Is what Sky said remotely true in that he actually turned up with an old silencer for the meeting or practice??? If so OMG! whilst he is a worthy, greatly skilled and brave world speedway champion he is not God. Was he seriously still expecting at the 11th hour 59th minute for everyone to switch to the old silencers in line with his campaign for their use?

 

I am one of the biggest supporters of the SGP and it is hard for me to find things to criticize, however, on to unhappiness number 2. What was with the fairly considerable empty seats? We were due to have the opening meeting of what is likely (still is) to be a fantastic series this year. It was being staged at a track that can provide superb speedway racing. Are the SGP organizers still grossly overpricing the event from the local populus (or hosting nation!)?

 

Ok on to good things. We did get some excellent racing in the end which is good and amazingly i won a small fortune on betting Nicki Pedersen to win the meeting, well chuffed lol.

 

Also, Sky seem to have upped their game in the awareness stakes and eliminating massive blunders regarding the state of the standings and qualifying scenarios. I swear i don't say this in a bragging way but they were pretty much up to the speed of my own interactive spreadsheet that i have used for the last few years. They did make a couple of mistakes and omissions. I'm not going to be picky by pointing them out, as they clearly seem to be much more aware and quicker than in the past of appreciating what is at stake for each rider in the last couple of rounds of heats.

 

Such a pity we lost so many potential followers to the sport because of the start of the meeting. I wonder if we will get to know the reasons? For me personally i can't wait for the next GP and all the others too. It's an amazing spectacle and superb sporting event.

 

Anybody know for sure as to why the first part of the meeting was so awful? Why for certain was so MUCH dirt taken off (even allowing for them having too much recently and being fined)? Was it pressure from Gollob and his gang?

 

Very interested to hear theories or the explanation for so many empty seats, was it because of the pricing? Even if the tickets were costly we've seen bigger gates haven't we when there was not a Polish world champion making his first defence of his crown, and with far less exciting GP fields and potential for a great series ahead?.

 

Whilst any tv newcomers to the sport would have fled before the action hotted up it does like we are going to have a hugely entertaining series. Thanks in advance to the riders, the SGP and Sky. Much praise and appreciation to all.

[ladyluck]

Polish fans aren't keen on the new silencer. It's not just the riders. And they're getting full-fat racing every week in the Polish leagues, not the semi-skimmed version with the new silencer.

[Ghostwalker]

Three of them qualified and the other was the Polish wild card. Where's the confusion? (Holta will always be Norwegian as far as I'm concerned)

 

nope Koldziej did not qualify. he is in on a permanent WC for 2011 SGP.

[iris123]

A rather worrying thing about yesterdays Grand Prix were the empty spaces in the crowd. It looked no more than three quarters full. Are the tickets too dear or is it costing to much to travel to them.. Does not look too good for the next GP at Ullevi where the attendances have dropped every year since they were re-introduced there. If so there could be less than 10,000 in a stadium that can hold 40,000. If you cannot get a full house in Poland will the GP'S survive.

Was speaking to one of my journalist friends who comes from Bydgoszcz and he said the fans have more balls than the riders.Staying away because of the silencer problem,while the riders back down like wimps.He has written in his report that they should keep their helmets on at all times now,as they have lost their face

[ladyluck]

Was speaking to one of my journalist friends who comes from Bydgoszcz and he said the fans have more balls than the riders.Staying away because of the silencer problem,while the riders back down like wimps.He has written in his report that they should keep their helmets on at all times now,as they have lost their face

 

Hard to disagree with his report.

[Liontamer]

Track was way too slick, please don't slip back into the bad old Olsen days. Nicky P won though so I'm very very happy.

[salty]

I would like to know how Poland can have 4 riders in that GP? They also like to spend there time sitting on the track and stopping a certain race when he could have cleared the track. Nothing to do with tactics i suppose??

Three of their four finished in the top 4 last year and the other, Kolodziej, did enough as a wild card, in the WTC and the GP qualifying to be a pretty unanimous choice as a nominated rider for 2011. Who else would you consider to be worthy of inclusion?

[DukesGreg]

Well, once things settled down and the riders got to grips with it, there ended up being some great racing.

 

We can bemoan track preperation all we want, but Lindgren's sortir from last to first was a joy to behold.. seems like the track had enough for him... and others... to overtake should the opportunity arise.

 

Once it bedded in it provided good action, I for one thought it was okay, I watched it on V plus and ran a couple back to watch again.

 

Crump was, to be honest.. a little off the pace last year, we hear of his injuries etc. but I think that, in general, Jason will be found out over a full season in GP speedway. I think Nicky Pedersen had things go for him, but don't expect him to carry his victory through into a World Title. I wouldn't call him a worthy winner neither, Hancock was the best rider on the night, and, as many top scorers on the night do, got mugged off by the GP system.

 

Should be the old 20 heat format as it used to be, with the highest place man getting x points, second getting y, third getting z and so on. If you win on the night... you should win. End of. Surely not too much to ask for.

 

 

Well rode Greg Hancock. Shame he's not leading the GP today, as for Chris Harris, no doubt he'll get better as the season progresses.

 

 

I just don't see anything in Crump to make me think he's got another title in him. The Eastern Europeans are coming, new AND old school.

[PHILIPRISING]

Anybody know for sure as to why the first part of the meeting was so awful? Why for certain was so MUCH dirt taken off (even allowing for them having too much recently and being fined)? Was it pressure from Gollob and his gang?

 

Very interested to hear theories or the explanation for so many empty seats, was it because of the pricing? Even if the tickets were costly we've seen bigger gates haven't we when there was not a Polish world champion making his first defence of his crown, and with far less exciting GP fields and potential for a great series ahead?.

 

Whilst any tv newcomers to the sport would have fled before the action hotted up it does like we are going to have a hugely entertaining series. Thanks in advance to the riders, the SGP and Sky. Much praise and appreciation to all.

 

WHAT evidence do you have to support your theory that thousands of TV newcomers fled from the sport? The Leszno stadium is a big one with a much larger capacity than either Torun or Gorzow and most of the empty seats were in areas that are not the most popular. The host organisers, who set the prices, seemed very happy with the attendance.

 

There were problems with the track, sun and wind, all weekend and Tony Olsson made his feelings very well known after practice. But it is not unusual for tracks to start on the slick side and then improve as dirt is generated by actual racing. Must say that all the riders I spoke to (the majority) were happy with it and felt that it was about right given that it was the first time the new silencers had really been put through their paces. No dirt was taken off and from what I was told both Hampel and Kolodziej have been unhappy with the surface this season.

 

The rumoured threat to withdraw by Polish riders proved to be just that. Don't forget that ANY rider who competes in more than one country requires an FIM international licence to do so and could have that withdrawn at any time, resulting in a blanket ban and preventing him from racing anywhere.

 

All the major tuners were in attendance and stated quite clearly that they have now solved the problems that were evident last season. Rune Holta, for example, said he bolted on a new silencer and actually went faster. Don't be surprised in the old silencers are scrapped in the Polish leagues before the month is out. Any argument that they are dangerous went up in smoke on Saturday.

[ladyluck]

Yet Chris Holder said on live television this evening that the old silencer is better. I don't see the PZM backing down on the old silencer anytime soon.

[DukesGreg]

Whatever the weather, this silencer is here to stay, and even looking back over speedway from other eras, there was previous issues and arguments over silencers... can't remember the exact year, but I'm sure that in the late 70's the same thing was raging then.

 

It's the same for all, and they've had time to prepare, each and every one of them.

[ladyluck]

Maybe so, but the problem in Poland, as iris123 has alluded to, is that a large number of fans are just adamantly opposed to the new silencer and - as we kept being told all winter - the sport can ill afford to lose fans.

[DukesGreg]

Maybe so, but the problem in Poland, as iris123 has alluded to, is that a large number of fans are just adamantly opposed to the new silencer and - as we kept being told all winter - the sport can ill afford to lose fans.

 

 

Fully appreciated and noted, but if you love your speedway, you simply follow speedway.

 

I'm adamantly opposed to many issues that speedway has with it's regulations and red tapes, but I don't expect to have any power or say in affecting anything.

 

You tell me there's a rule.. I lump it. And go watch. As I love the sport.

 

 

 

To jack following speedway because you're opposed to the silencer is a bit of a ridiculous concept, although I do appreciate, a possible one over there.

 

 

But to be honest, the FIM wear the trousers, not the Polish fans. I'm still struggling with this one, motorcyclings governing body has implemented something, as it does with all it's other (abiding) affiliates, but in speedway it becomes a head scratching protested issue.

 

You blanket every rider, and tell them they have to have one. Sounds like a level playing field to me. Though I am sure I'm missing the point on this one. I'm not referring to this thread when I say that, I've just seen it trundle on and I am still confused. Riders are moaning about them in the pits at clubs, blaming them for this and that. Yet I've seen great racing, the riders who I expect to ride well do, and the ones who I don't expect to ride so well.. don't. If I didn't know about the issue... I wouldn't even have picked up on it.

 

 

As it seems a cut and dried, level, equal thing, in general.

[manchesterpaul]

WHAT evidence do you have to support your theory that thousands of TV newcomers fled from the sport? The Leszno stadium is a big one with a much larger capacity than either Torun or Gorzow and most of the empty seats were in areas that are not the most popular. The host organisers, who set the prices, seemed very happy with the attendance.

 

Evidence! goodness me! these and forums all over the world would be empty of posts if one had to provide evidence of every opinion. Although i do think it would be a good idea for the libellous entries to require such lol.

 

Evidence regarding my conclusion that many newcomers to the sport would have turned off before we got to the speedway 'racing' is simply common sense and knowledge of how people are. Someone who isn't a fan of the sport, and especially new to it, would not know things were likely to improve and humans being human (as in they have a brain that prefers to be stimulated) would fairly quickly be flicking through the channels to find entertainment.

 

It's clear from several sources - apparently those other than the host organisers - that most people were surprised at the number of empty seats. Don't get me wrong in this day and age all major sports struggle to attract spectators like they used to. Even though speedway attendances are slumping in many places of the world, so are other mass media covered sports in those countries too. Even national football teams struggle and get lower crowds nowadays.

 

I always say it's best to have a full stadium at lower prices that produces the same income as a smaller attendance at higher prices. It certainly not only makes people at home sit up and take interest at a well attended spectacle but, more importantly, sponsors and tv companies. It's human nature to drift towards a large excited crowd to see what all the fun and attraction is about than go over to have a look at what is going on in a sparsely filled arena.

 

There were problems with the track, sun and wind, all weekend and Tony Olsson made his feelings very well known after practice. But it is not unusual for tracks to start on the slick side and then improve as dirt is generated by actual racing. Must say that all the riders I spoke to (the majority) were happy with it and felt that it was about right given that it was the first time the new silencers had really been put through their paces. No dirt was taken off and from what I was told both Hampel and Kolodziej have been unhappy with the surface this season.

 

Genuinely thank you Philip for the information regarding reasons, that is all i asked for.

 

I should point out though that several riders on tv did bemoan that there wasn't as much dirt as normal on the track. But as you say the majority were happy. Unlike yourself with access to the riders i was going on the tv interviews. So....majority ok with the track but dirt was taken off (not according to me, but to some riders).

 

Incidentally, i'm usually one of the first to pounce upon people when after a few heats of a meeting on tv they start posting about they are switching off because it is boring etc. I remember not long ago at all, i asked how long a poster had been watching speedway (knowing it was quite a while) for them to not realise that the vast majority of meetings that have taken place over decades won't have passing in the first couple of races. My concern with Leszno was how long it took to get some racing.

 

The rumoured threat to withdraw by Polish riders proved to be just that. Don't forget that ANY rider who competes in more than one country requires an FIM international licence to do so and could have that withdrawn at any time, resulting in a blanket ban and preventing him from racing anywhere.

 

All the major tuners were in attendance and stated quite clearly that they have now solved the problems that were evident last season. Rune Holta, for example, said he bolted on a new silencer and actually went faster. Don't be surprised in the old silencers are scrapped in the Polish leagues before the month is out. Any argument that they are dangerous went up in smoke on Saturday.

 

That is great news thanks for that snippet of info too.

Edited May 1, 2011 by manchesterpaul

[pawel115]

There was an interview with Pepe Protasiewicz a week ago on Polish tv in which after some testing he seemed to like new silencers better than the old ones on slick track but the opposite on grippy ones.

[PHILIPRISING]

Yet Chris Holder said on live television this evening that the old silencer is better. I don't see the PZM backing down on the old silencer anytime soon.

 

YOU obviously have a very good and impressive grasp of Polish speedway and insight into what goes on there. But, at the end of the day, the PZM are answerable to the FIM who are not happy that they have continued to buck the trend. Many people still don't like the new silencers but even some who were most vehemently opposed had to admit in Leszno that they are not dangerous and do not necessarily result in poor racing. That hasn't been the case in the UK so far this year and nor was it on Saturday. Did Gollob really look any different? He didn't lose to Pedersen because of the silencer he had on his bike.

 

I don't like the muted sound but, like it or not, they are here to stay and the FIM will (and might have already) flex their muscles and ensure that the PZM come into line. Some in Poland like to think that they are a law unto themselves but they are not.

 

The smart tuners are already finding different engine set-ups and no doubt GM will start to make some manufacturing adjustments themselves. It was never the intention of the FIM to slow down speedway bikes and there were some racing in Leszno who admitted after the meeting that they were actually getting a better ride. I don't think it is any coincidence that Pedersen, who had the very smart John Jorgensen back in his camp and has been riding in the UK, came out on top.

 

But those who hadn't ridden the new silencers competitively before Saturday will have learned some valuable lessons. And most I talked to said the worst scenario was having to switch from one to another and if that meant using the new ones in Poland then so be it. As long as the actual racing and entertainment doesn't suffer then the fans, whether in Poland or elsewhere, will quickly accept the inevitable.