hawkeyenz Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) Interesting piece in todays Sunday paper. Auckland negotiating to host a round of the Speedway GP in March 2012 http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/4841666/World-comes-back-to-Springs Edited April 3, 2011 by hawkeyenz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehammer Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Interesting piece in todays Sunday paper. Auckland negotiating to host a round of the Speedway GP in March 2012 http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/4841666/World-comes-back-to-Springs Be good if it does happen, means I'll be making a trip up to North Island Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Templeton Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Let's hope it happens. New Zealand has produced so many huge names within the sport. The solo scene needs a big lift, and this may be the springboard. Auckland has the biggest population area within NZ, and although Western Springs lacks cover and a few others things, I think this could be the start of a revival, with proper commitment from all sides that wish it to happen. I hope it happens. We need to rekindle interest back into these, once the greatest of speedway nations. This, linked to an Aussie GP, where not one person took the success or failure of the whole event on his shoulders, as happened last time, but make this a huge part for a joint effort of these great historical speedway countries. One GP "down under" is a big ask for the travelling public, but two, presented properly as a package, together with other features for the holiday of a lifetime, I'm sure, could be a huge success. Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Sure it's not just Ole Olson having a Southern Hemisphere Holiday, same as last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Sure it's not just Ole Olson having a Southern Hemisphere Holiday, same as last year? Seems to be the same story every couple of years or so. Believe it when it eventually happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Seems to be the same story every couple of years or so. Believe it when it eventually happens... The main stumbling block is Govennment Backing. It will cost upwards of $1 Million(Aus) to put this on and a similar event in Oz needs to be arranged to justify shipping 18 of the world's best riders and the accompanying circus out here, not to mention all the FIM Freeloaders who'll put their hands up for a Jolly. No single promoter/promotion out here has that sort of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 No single promoter/promotion out here has that sort of money. Wouldn't mind seeing a NZ and/or Oz GP, but it would obviously take substantial external money to be put in which would be unlikely to see a return for a number of years, if at all. There seems to be more latent interest in speedway in NZ than Oz these days (i.e. you see it in the media and advertised), but would even a GP held in Auckland be able to pay? I'm not sure what these speculative media releases are really in aid of though. We've had a similar thing for Wellington and then Tauranga, and I'd have thought it better not to say anything until a deal was close to completion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 We've heard it before and... there came nothing. I'm afraid it is more GP directors trying to move speedway outside Europe than Auckland being really interested in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Reliable info says that Auckland City Council and the EnZed Government are fully behind this, only problem being that after CHCH there's not much spare cash floating around down there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehammer Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 BFD, that is definately one of the big problems in NZ at the moment. The Earthquake here in CHCH has had a huge impact on the economy and will continue to do so for many years. Lets just hope the Rugby World Cup is a success and then it may go some way towards helping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Reliable info says that Auckland City Council and the EnZed Government are fully behind this, only problem being that after CHCH there's not much spare cash floating around down there. There's never much spare cash floating around down there. NZ normally seems to spend it's money wisely though, which make me wonder how realistic a proposition this this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 We've heard it before and... there came nothing. I'm afraid it is more GP directors trying to move speedway outside Europe than Auckland being really interested in it. HOW wrong you are ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Know Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 HOW wrong you are ... nice place to go, doudt any money to be made for the promotor though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 nice place to go, doudt any money to be made for the promotor though. PERHAPS he isn't worried about making money ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) PERHAPS he isn't worried about making money ... Having done a bit of due diligence on the subject I'd say money was the least of the Promoter's problems. PS Don't write Oz out of the equation just yet; things are going on behind the scenes even as I speak, although with the bulk of our season done & dusted there's a lot of cleaning up & maintenance of Fishing gear going on. Edited April 6, 2011 by BigFatDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Know Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 PERHAPS he isn't worried about making money ... PHERHAPS its to FAR away. SGP in not F1. Always been a fan of series but i wouldnt go that far to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 PHERHAPS its to FAR away. SGP in not F1. Always been a fan of series but i wouldnt go that far to watch. I VERY much doubt that they expect much of an influx of fans from outside NZ and Oz. That would just be a bonus. Auckland is a well-populated city and from my recent visit to both the north and south islands, there would be a tremendous surge of interest from Kiwis to a SGP event there. And places like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are only three hours by plane. That will be their fan base not Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 Auckland is a well-populated city and from my recent visit to both the north and south islands, there would be a tremendous surge of interest from Kiwis to a SGP event there. London is a huge city, but it doesn't support a speedway team... I would agree there seems to be a reasonable amount of interest in speedway in New Zealand as a whole (at least in the Kiwi sense of 'speedway'), but Western Springs only has something like a 30,000 capacity and even filling that would be a big ask for a relative minority sport in a small country. I'm assuming the track and stadium would need to be brought up to FIM standards, there would be the cost of shipping in the riders, support teams, officials and dignitaries (can't see anyone paying for a trip to NZ out of the usual prize money), and presumably IMG/BSI would want their franchising fee on top of that. Would think there would need to be significant local sponsorship or government authority support, but the Kiwis don't tend to throw their money around at the best of times, let alone at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 London is a huge city, but it doesn't support a speedway team... I would agree there seems to be a reasonable amount of interest in speedway in New Zealand as a whole (at least in the Kiwi sense of 'speedway'), but Western Springs only has something like a 30,000 capacity and even filling that would be a big ask for a relative minority sport in a small country. I'm assuming the track and stadium would need to be brought up to FIM standards, there would be the cost of shipping in the riders, support teams, officials and dignitaries (can't see anyone paying for a trip to NZ out of the usual prize money), and presumably IMG/BSI would want their franchising fee on top of that. Would think there would need to be significant local sponsorship or government authority support, but the Kiwis don't tend to throw their money around at the best of times, let alone at the moment. AUCKLAND doesn't have to support a speedway team just a one-off Grand Prix. There is no doubt that people from the south island, and especially Christchurch, will happily make the journey north. And who says they need 30,000? Your grasp of what IMG/BSI require is quite often wide of the mark as it is on this occasion. It will be a partnership between IMG/BSI and the local promoter Bill Buckley but the key will be a long term, at least three probably five years, commitment. The cost of materials for the track and various other items can be amortised and plans to transport riders, their mechanics and equipment were already in place had Tauranga gone ahead in March. Motor sport in general, including bikes, is very popular in New Zealand and the current tour there by Briggo has illustrated the level of interest in speedway that has laid dormant but is now coming back to life. The support of the city of Auckland is important but the key remains Buckley, a remarkable man and a speedway fan and his imagination has been captured by the prospect of staging such a prestigious event at his beloved Western Springs. Try being optimistic for a change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 Your grasp of what IMG/BSI require is quite often wide of the mark as it is on this occasion. It will be a partnership between IMG/BSI and the local promoter Bill Buckley but the key will be a long term, at least three probably five years, commitment. It's not what IMG/BSI require because they usually don't take the financial risk on GPs. It's the local promoters who have make sure they're not going to take a bath, unless the NZ GP is indeed going to be a jointly promoted event with shared risks. Try being optimistic for a change. I wish NZ the best of luck, although speedway and optimism are strange bed fellows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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