Swedish Grand Prix

[HenryW]

I think Laguta's first ride gave an indication of just how close they were riding to the wind on the safety issue

That was indeed a scary moment. Very strange that he chose to carry on in the race having headed across the center. Surely he knew he would be excluded and was putting himself at risk for no reason...Unless he was so blinded that he didn't even realise he had left the track

 

Even worse that the meeting was not delayed then.

But Chris had to get over to Spain to join the boys on holiday tomorrow. He wouldn't have been happy with a restaging on Sunday

 

Fact: people paid for twenty-three heats. Fact: it started raining mid afternoon. Fact: there was next to no racing during sixteen heats. Fact: as soon as heat sixteen is passed it is called off. Fact: the first GP not to go the distance - at least Ole Olsen always got a GP to the finish when he started one.

Are you really praising Ole?

The same Ole who was in charge of the Gelsenkirchen fiasco? I am pretty sure I would have been happier being in Gothenburg for this GP and seeing 16 rain affected heats than being in Gelsenkirchen and getting nothing.

[ImpartialOne]

Ladyluck has some very "out there" opinions, and i would have to say i probably disagree with 90% of his posts, including his take on Bjerre's falls 1 and 2 and Lindgren's tonight, but surely anyone who thinks this forum would be a better place without the likes of him, the Impartial one and dear old Shovvy, is beyond any number of anal bypasses.

I fully agree!

 

Actually, I would say I only disagree with about 50% of Ladyluck's posts. When he gets on it there's no stopping him but he is very precise with his posts, never misses a trick and I enjoy most of his posts whether I agree with them or not. On this occasion I agree with him.

 

Shovvy, however, just wants to cause a reaction but then when he does he can't take the flack.

 

Me, well I'm just brilliant.

[ladyluck]

Are you really praising Ole?

The same Ole who was in charge of the Gelsenkirchen fiasco? I am pretty sure I would have been happier being in Gothenburg for this GP and seeing 16 rain affected heats than being in Gelsenkirchen and getting nothing.

 

Getting nothing? I don't call a refund and complimentary ticket for a GP the following season nothing.

Anyway, Rising witters on about conditions getting worse and yet Ht 15 was the best race of the night. Go figure.

Edited May 15, 2011 by ladyluck

[Pollyanna]

Congratulations to Chris Holder.

 

Conditions were atrocious, but he rode well and deserved his position at the end.

[HenryW]

Getting nothing? I don't call a refund and complimentary ticket for a GP the following season nothing.

Sorry, maybe should have been more clear. I meant that those who travelled to Gelsenkirchen got no speedway at all from their trip. I know a good few people who wasted a lot of money on that weekend, including at least one who wasn't able to take advantage of the "complimentary ticket" offer due to it being restricted to certain rounds the next season.

 

Regardless, I am still incredulous that you are praising a man who oversaw a "rain off" at an indoor arena

[norbold]

When West Ham Utd FC take on the Olympic Stadium they will be desperate to hold events there, and they'll have the room for a nice track. Ad in the Hackney Hawks heitage at the site and the great transport links to the site, it's a no-brainer. Much better than Wembley.

 

What Hackney heritage at the site? The Olympic Stadium is not where Hackney used to ride.

[Mateusz]

Getting nothing? I don't call a refund and complimentary ticket for a GP the following season nothing.

Anyway, Rising witters on about conditions getting worse and yet Ht 15 was the best race of the night. Go figure.

None gave me a refund for my flight, hotel and train tickets in Germany, though. And obviously that cost MUCH MORE than a GP ticket then. Everyone who went to Gelsenkirchen in 2008 was seriously f..ked over by BSI then.

 

PS. As for last night's decision - seemed right to me at the point the meeting had gone to. Commentators from the Polish Canal+ (including the glorious Daria ) were saying it had just started raining heavier about that time (heat 16). We can only discuss if the were was any point in racing last night at all or postponing it for Sunday (which would not make everyone happy either because I'm sure there were people who had their flights back home before the noon on Sunday).

Edited May 15, 2011 by Mateusz

[lucifer sam]

Why do IMG bother having a second Grand Prix in Sweden? From the TV coverage, the stadium looked about a third full last night.

 

Surely it would be better to scrap Ullevi and have a second GP in Britain at Coventry. I'm sure Coventry would atttract a crowd of around 10,000, whilst the track is already there. And our weather, while unpredictable, is definitely better than that in Sweden in April / May time.

 

And, in due course, it may be that this round shifts from Coventry to the new Belle Vue stadium, once that is completed.

 

All the best

Rob

[lucifer sam]

Think you will find it was abandoned after Ht 2 and re-staged a week later, so the GP was concluded. It's just like the SWC in Vojens last season. It was abandoned and re-staged the following day, thus it was completed.

 

I'm sorry, but that wasn't included in your original statement. Just admit it: you made a mistake.

 

You've also made a further error, the 2003 GP in Ullevi went three races before being abandoned, not two.

 

 

On the whole, Tony Olsson has exerted a positive influence on the GP thus far. Whether last night's decision to plough on as far as possible was the right one (which once the meeting has started, would ulimately be up to the FIM Jury, not Tony Olsson), depends on what the weather forecast was for last night and today. Does anyone have this information?

 

All the best

Rob

Edited May 15, 2011 by lucifer sam

[rusky]

Why do IMG bother having a second Grand Prix in Sweden? From the TV coverage, the stadium looked about a third full last night.

 

Surely it would be better to scrap Ullevi and have a second GP in Britain at Coventry. I'm sure Coventry would atttract a crowd of around 10,000, whilst the track is already there. And our weather, while unpredictable, is definitely better than that in Sweden in April / May time.

 

And, in due course, it may be that this round shifts from Coventry to the new Belle Vue stadium, once that is completed.

 

All the best

Rob

 

Rob, you have to remember the size of Ullevi. If it was a third full, it would of had about 14000 people there. They had sold in excess of 10000 tickets for the GP last night, and yes the weather was rubbish in Gothenburg last night. I have been to SGP's at Gothenburg in the past when the weather has been absolutely glorious with temperatures in the high 20's. Granted they were both at the end of May, rather than the middle of the Month.

 

I'm not sure that our weather is any more predictable than anywhere else in the world to be honest, its a gamble where ever you have it at this time of year in Western Europe.

[lucifer sam]

Rob, you have to remember the size of Ullevi. If it was a third full, it would of had about 14000 people there. They had sold in excess of 10000 tickets for the GP last night, and yes the weather was rubbish in Gothenburg last night. I have been to SGP's at Gothenburg in the past when the weather has been absolutely glorious with temperatures in the high 20's. Granted they were both at the end of May, rather than the middle of the Month.

 

I'm not sure that our weather is any more predictable than anywhere else in the world to be honest, its a gamble where ever you have it at this time of year in Western Europe.

 

But the same old excuse trotted out for why Britain doesn't have a second GP is that we can't fill Cardiff. So we get 40,000 into Cardiff and don't get a second GP, the Swedes get just 14,000 into Gothenburg and yet do. Where's the logic in that?

 

It really looked awful on the TV last night - a near empty stadium. Surely a few less in a smaller stadium - i.e. that almost bursting at the seems with people would look better?

 

All the best

Rob

[Reviresco]

you should read all posts before posting a comment like that.

 

so read the two posts that are linked below and you will realize that it wouldn't matter to stage it in July/August because the weather is not

necessarily better at that time then it is in May, especially not on the west coast which is well known for its rainy weather.

 

http://www.speedway-...dpost&p=1934360

http://www.speedway-...dpost&p=1934375

 

Ooooooooooooooh I am SO sorry. Telling off accepted. I was just speaking from experience having lived in Sweden for 3yrs but please do accept my humble apologies. Pr!k.

[mickthemuppet]

The weather showed no signs of relenting from the start. Probably from late afternoon. Of course it was the correct decision to finally call a halt, but it should never have been allowed to start in the first place. Now, Jason Crump is in hospital.

[/quote

I think you will find that it rained non stop last year on the Saturday at Ullevi yet the meeting went ahead. Then half way through the meeting the rain stopped and it turned out to be quite a good GP.

[mothorsen]

Rob, you have to remember the size of Ullevi. If it was a third full, it would of had about 14000 people there. They had sold in excess of 10000 tickets for the GP last night, and yes the weather was rubbish in Gothenburg last night.

 

But 14000 at a stadium wich rooms 43200 is a bit bleak. Even with sunny weather, wich could have drawn an additional crowd, the outcome would not have been any different. I said it last year, and I stand by it still: Arrange the meetings according to the crowds. Had it been at a speedway stadium, or any smaller venue, the place wold have been packed. I'd love to see the sport fill Nya Ullevi to the brim with fans, but I think I'll be lain in a wooden box six feet under before that'll happen.

[Ghostwalker]

Macca, if you've lived 3 years in Sweden you should know that there are no such things as sun-safe weeks. Especially not in Gbg where July & August

on an average gets more rain compared to May. As i said before Gothenburg is situated in one of the rainiest regions in Sweden.

 

Just take a look for yourself:

http://sv.wikipedia....#Nederb.C3.B6rd

http://en.wikipedia....theborg#Climate

 

and you will see that your experience is not as accurate as you seems to believe.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Ghostwalker

[shalefan]

I have not posted in a very long time and I have not read up on others who have posted about yesterdays GP. I do look in and have a read up on things from time to time and I still watch my speedway on TV but due to work and finances and Reading being no more that's my fix now TV. Speedway does itself no favours in allowing a top event like a Speedway GP to go ahead in conditions like yesterday in Sweden. I ended up turning off well before they called a halt to the meeting absoultely crazy to run an event in weather like that. Any other meeting and we all know it would have been cancelled.

[spook]

That was indeed a scary moment. Very strange that he chose to carry on in the race having headed across the center. Surely he knew he would be excluded and was putting himself at risk for no reason...Unless he was so blinded that he didn't even realise he had left the track

 

I was thinking the same.... considering he had just made a motocross jump you would have thought he would have realised what had happened and wouldnt be up for more unecessarily

 

Are you really praising Ole?

The same Ole who was in charge of the Gelsenkirchen fiasco? I am pretty sure I would have been happier being in Gothenburg for this GP and seeing 16 rain affected heats than being in Gelsenkirchen and getting nothing.

 

the same Ole who for sure used to excel in wet conditions..... but that was only because he always served up a track in case rain happened..... stuff the fact that it killed the racing on the 90% dry nights!

 

 

 

Why do IMG bother having a second Grand Prix in Sweden? From the TV coverage, the stadium looked about a third full last night.

 

But 14000 at a stadium wich rooms 43200 is a bit bleak. Even with sunny weather, wich could have drawn an additional crowd, the outcome would not have been any different. I said it last year, and I stand by it still: Arrange the meetings according to the crowds. Had it been at a speedway stadium, or any smaller venue, the place wold have been packed. I'd love to see the sport fill Nya Ullevi to the brim with fans, but I think I'll be lain in a wooden box six feet under before that'll happen.

 

It is understandable that Gothenburg should be considered but I agree ...... if a track is just not getting the fans and it looks less than good on TV then if there are other options they should be explored................ attendances like last night and Elite League Pairs do no good for speedway when televised

Edited May 15, 2011 by spook

[TrueBee]

Thankfully I was out last night so I could whiz through this on Sky+

 

Seemed liked they just wanted to get the 16 heats done really, not very good tbh. Luckily no one had a serious injury, hope Crump recovers quickly.B

[jimmy jimmy]

It rains and you call it off. You don't continue to the point you can get a result and then call it off, having had people paying good money to watch rubbish and then add insult to their injury by robbing them of seven races. I don't know how you can defend such a decision. I know you belong body and soul to BSI, but what about the punters who buy your magazine? Don't they count?

By and large his circulation is to British punters, so why are you worried? You want to see the end of british speedway and therefore his magazine. So we were robbed of 7 rubbish races? Or are you just a little miffed because there is no extraliga to watch today so your trigger finger is a bit jumpy?

[Lejon]

Didn´t go this year also. Went there between 2001-2003. 26000+ crowds -poor track and the same problem as always at Ullevi - 4th bend by the line. After that all steam went out of the Gothenburg meeting and as I see it people focused on Copenhagen or Mållila instead.

After the fiasco 2003 it ssems that they lost half the crowds. I suspect it was "the" occation, the distance to the "hotbeds" of speedway and TR.

I believe Ullevi needs a break as a venue since Målilla attracts the same crowd and last year they had their all time high crowd.

The racing can be breathtaking at Ullevi but at the times i vitnessed it many had problems with flat tyres and chain breaks IMO made up by the extreme length and status of racetrack.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Lejon