Prague Gp

[PHILIPRISING]

There shouldn't be Philip! If I could drop the clutch and get out of the start faster than most of the guys in speedway, I'd want it even slicker!! :wink:

 

IF only it was that easy! Actually he wasn't the only one to offer no complaints.. Gollob and Hampel were others. Even Sayfutdinov. Not to the liking of Harris but I think his current problems go far deeper than track surfaces.

 

I am not defending track conditions on Saturday or praising them but as mentioned previously the changes being proposed by the Marketa people should make a significant difference.

[ImpartialOne]

dont agree track preperation is hit and miss.yes it can be affected by the weather but a good race track can be made with the right materials and the will to do it.i spent a long ride a few years back with ole from poznan to bydgosh and he believes slick tracks make good racing so make ya own mind up on that one

 

why cant a team team up early. only reason i see is money. this is a gp so why not invest in this and the future. also why is tony not there say from the tuesday if this is a problem?

 

racing has always been poor here but that was bad and anyone saying it wasnt needs glasses i believe.

 

dont think greg would of complained if it was tarmac as he won

Why he believes that I will never know. But the Danes are renowned for liking slick tracks.. Just ask Gary Havelock!

 

On the flip side of that, I know riders who say that if the track is deep it makes the racing worse as only a few will be able to ride it and the gaps in the racing get bigger. but of course, we are meant to be talking about the best 15 riders in the world and realistically, they should all be able to ride a grippy track.

 

I do concur with a lot that Philip Rising says, however and I think that this year thus far, Prague was as expected (still not good enough though), Gothenburg fell victim to the weather and Leszno, a proven GP track, was prepared in caution to the silencers, probably at the request of the Polish riders. We will see a major improvement I'm sure.

[DukesGreg]

IF only it was that easy! Actually he wasn't the only one to offer no complaints.. Gollob and Hampel were others. Even Sayfutdinov. Not to the liking of Harris but I think his current problems go far deeper than track surfaces.

 

I am not defending track conditions on Saturday or praising them but as mentioned previously the changes being proposed by the Marketa people should make a significant difference.

 

Understood and appreciated Philip.

 

Most riders get on with it, a slick trick offers not much racing but is probably quite safe. At the end of the day, it wasn't a quagmire, like the previous affair, so was at least rideable.

 

We're just being selfish, as fans, I suppose, and want the best racing we can see, especially after a Gothenburg washout.

 

It's just fascinating that Cardiff has a track for one meeting a year, and yet it will, even at it's potential worst, match yesterday's meeting racing wise. At its best, it can provide great racing.

 

Chris Harris not liking the track? As much as I admire Chris, he would probably best best served not gating last in every single race he starts. That might help his cause. It's one thing being last out of the traps in weekly league meetings, but in a field of this GP calibre over the season, passing other riders for fun... it just ain't happening.

 

 

Anyway, not all is lost. I have so much time for Greg Hancock, and to see him on the rostrum grinning as a winner was a great sight.

 

 

 

Greg.

Edited May 30, 2011 by DukesGreg

[PHILIPRISING]

Understood and appreciated Philip.

 

Most riders get on with it, a slick trick offers not much racing but is probably quite safe. At the end of the day, it wasn't a quagmire, like the previous affair, so was at least rideable.

 

We're just being selfish, as fans, I suppose, and want the best racing we can see, especially after a Gothenburg washout.

 

It's just fascinating that Cardiff has a track for one meeting a year, and yet it will, even at it's potential worst, match yesterday's meeting racing wise. At its best, it can provide great racing.

 

Chris Harris not liking the track? As much as I admire Chris, he would probably best best served not gating last in every single race he starts. That might help his cause. It's one thing being last out of the traps in weekly league meetings, but in a field of this GP calibre over the season, passing other riders for fun... it just ain't happening.

 

 

Anyway, not all is lost. I have so much time for Greg Hancock, and to see him on the rostrum grinning as a winner was a great sight.

 

 

 

Greg.

 

GREG (the Hancock version and most probably yourself) is an absolute delight to work with and especially at Press Conferences and there was some great banter on Saturday evening after Tomasz Gollob called him the "old man." Ivan Mauger was a mere 40 when he won his sixth and final World title but who would bet against Greg doing so at 41. There wouldn't be a more popular winner I can assure you.

[Mark]

 

As one who stands alongside Tony at GPs I can testify to how hard he is working to improve things but quite often the local track guys turn a deaf ear and carry on regardless. Hopefully the worst is behind us now.

 

Surely BSI should make sure they do get the surface they require to provide good quality racing, or they move to a new venue. It's a simple solution.

 

In another mail you say that many at the track felt it was a great GP, or the best they have seen, which is fine. But those at the track for a minute fraction of the overall viewing figure. Anyone watching on TV, without the atmosphere of the live show, would have been bored rigid. We have to sell the sport not get people turning away.

 

The Marketa track will have to change next year because of the introduction of new FIM regulations and we are led to believe that they will take this opportunity to provide a new surface which will much more conducive to good racing and will provide more than one line for the riders to adopt ... and that is the key.

 

That is good to hear. What are the new regs ?

 

Copenhagen and Cardiff have been very good in recent years, we know what Torun, Gorican, Gorzow and Malilla can provide which just leaves Vojens and Terenzano to get their acts together. But at the end of the day all these venues can be adversely affected by the weather and that remains the great unknown.

 

If the two tracks dont get there acts together is there anything stopping BSI moving on ?

[oscar]

THERE are various reasons for that, many to do with mother nature. Weather and climatic conditions on a Friday afternoon at 3pm are invariably very different to 7pm on a Saturday evening. High winds, sun, rain, etc can be critical factors. And, frankly, track preparation is more often than not a bit hit and miss.

 

The problem with temporary tracks some years ago was that a perfect surface was prepared for practice only to be torn up on a Friday afternoon. Experience and a new combination of materials has helped Ole Olsen to eradicate that particular problem but he is able to start with a blank canvas on a Sunday morning.

 

It would be nice if a specialised team under the control of the Race Director could arrive a few days before each SGP event and produce the perfect racing surface on a Saturday evening. But unfortunately that is neither practical nor financially viable.

 

It is as frustrating for the likes as Tony Olsson as for those watching, especially on TV, but there were those actually at the Marketa on Saturday who thought in one of the best meetings staged there for a long time.

 

And there were no complaints from Greg Hancock.

Since my criticism of track prep in the SGP you seem to be trotting out alot of excuses.Surely the high winds,sun,rain etc were exactly the same wind,sun and rain we had last year when we had good track prep and good racing.In Italy last year we had 12 hours of heavy rain only stopping at lunchtime but still had a good track.To big up the racing in Prague as the best some fans have seen there in years and using the winners name as an endorsement is ridiculous,remember Chris Holder wanted to carry on racing in Gothenberg after heat 16 when he was top of the leaderboard,the considered opinion was the meeting should not have started.This is not a personal attack on you Phil,I understand your position,but sometimes you cant defend the indefensible

[PHILIPRISING]

TRACK preparation is the responsibility of the local organisers working under the auspices of the FIM and isn't strictly speaking anything to do with BSI. Obviously BSI want the best stage possible on which to present their product but it is the Race Director who has to deal with these things. BSI can of course move to different venues but there are very few cast iron guarantees of a perfect racing surface.

 

If there was a recipe to produce the perfect circuit under any conditions then speedway racing would go through the stratosphere ... we all know how good it can be. If it was as simple as some suggest there wouldn't be any bad tracks, let alone in the SGP. Speedway is unique in many respects, not least the actual bikes themselves, and includes the surface required on which to race. Just think how easy it is for road-racing or even moto-cross.

 

We are very close to having arrived at a situation where the so called man made tracks (Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Cardiff) are better than the permanent tracks and that is because they start from scratch. But they also have a huge budget which can only be justified at stadiums like Ullevi, Parken and the Millennium and use material that is now mixed and tested before being laid. Lessons from Gelsenkirchen have been learned.

 

I am not arguing that the TV product served up on Saturday was poor and did speedway no favours. I was simply pointing out that some people there had a different perspective.

 

No, there is nothing to stop BSI from scrapping Terenzano and Vojens in favour of venues they deem more suitable and likely to present a better product but, while there is a number of promoters eager to join the series, not all fit all the criteria of which the actual track is only a part, albeit a vital one.

 

There is quite a high kerb around the inside of both bends at the Marketa and from 2012 the FIM have deemed it must go. Many riders I have spoken to (not just this year) say the kerb hinders their ability to take a tighter and alternative line up the inside. The indications are that given the need to make changes, perhaps taking a metre or so off the inside, they can create some banking and churn up the surface and relay it with fresh and a coarser material which should provide more grip and more than one line.

 

Vojens has the potential to provide excellent racing but Terenzano is another that requires some surgery to its actual shape as well as improved materials on the surface.

[Mark]

Since my criticism of track prep in the SGP you seem to be trotting out alot of excuses.Surely the high winds,sun,rain etc were exactly the same wind,sun and rain we had last year when we had good track prep and good racing.In Italy last year we had 12 hours of heavy rain only stopping at lunchtime but still had a good track.To big up the racing in Prague as the best some fans have seen there in years and using the winners name as an endorsement is ridiculous,remember Chris Holder wanted to carry on racing in Gothenberg after heat 16 when he was top of the leaderboard,the considered opinion was the meeting should not have started.This is not a personal attack on you Phil,I understand your position,but sometimes you cant defend the indefensible

 

I agree with all you say.

 

Mr Rising says It would be nice if a specialised team under the control of the Race Director could arrive a few days before each SGP event and produce the perfect racing surface on a Saturday evening. But unfortunately that is neither practical nor financially viable.

 

If the racing is continually poor then there will be no one viewing. So the financal situation will be even worse. If it were my business I'd get the tracks prepared properly come what may.

[Trees]

It's almost as if either the FIM or IMG don't care about what surface is best for racing ............. as long as the tv companies keep paying for the rights, the sponsors keep on sponsoring and the fans keep turning up .........

[Mark]

 

 

Vojens has the potential to provide excellent racing but Terenzano is another that requires some surgery to its actual shape as well as improved materials on the surface.

 

thank you for the reply.

 

why did FIM or BSI go to Italy as the stadium only holds about 4000 people and, you say, it needs some surgery to make it a decent race track. Those two points make no sense business wise. 4000 paying customers cant raise much cash for track prep

[DukesGreg]

GREG (the Hancock version and most probably yourself) is an absolute delight to work with and especially at Press Conferences and there was some great banter on Saturday evening after Tomasz Gollob called him the "old man." Ivan Mauger was a mere 40 when he won his sixth and final World title but who would bet against Greg doing so at 41. There wouldn't be a more popular winner I can assure you.

 

Agreed, Gollob winning it as such an age, and Ivan in Poland at 40 (which then REALLY WAS deemed old.. hence the nickname The Galloping Grandad) makes it an absolute possibility for someone like Greg to scoop the title this year.

 

Holta and Hampel have been hit and miss, Pedersen has won a GP but won't, for me, keep that kind of pace up, Sayfutdinov great at times, but liable to having a turkey now and again, Gollob still constistent but not running away with it, another Hancock win or placement in the next GP will make it hard to rake up and catch points as the season goes on.

 

To be honest, nothing would please me more than Hancock winning the title. For the sport, Greg himself, and people in their early 40's like myself!!!!

[PHILIPRISING]

Since my criticism of track prep in the SGP you seem to be trotting out alot of excuses.Surely the high winds,sun,rain etc were exactly the same wind,sun and rain we had last year when we had good track prep and good racing.In Italy last year we had 12 hours of heavy rain only stopping at lunchtime but still had a good track.To big up the racing in Prague as the best some fans have seen there in years and using the winners name as an endorsement is ridiculous,remember Chris Holder wanted to carry on racing in Gothenberg after heat 16 when he was top of the leaderboard,the considered opinion was the meeting should not have started.This is not a personal attack on you Phil,I understand your position,but sometimes you cant defend the indefensible

 

I DON'T recall last year's track at Terenzano being very good but the 12 hours of rain certainly improved it. "No one waters a track better than god" they say because you get an even spread and at Terenzano it had plenty of time to sink in.

 

I am not defending the tracks in Leszno and Prague, simply saying that Tony Olsson found himself banging his head against a brick wall and the fault lay with the local organisers rather than either the Race Director or BSI.

 

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

[PHILIPRISING]

thank you for the reply.

 

why did FIM or BSI go to Italy as the stadium only holds about 4000 people and, you say, it needs some surgery to make it a decent race track. Those two points make no sense business wise. 4000 paying customers cant raise much cash for track prep

 

I cannot answer that but presumably they have their reasons and there is no doubt that the local civic authorities are keen to have an international event there.

[oscar]

I DON'T recall last year's track at Terenzano being very good but the 12 hours of rain certainly improved it. "No one waters a track better than god" they say because you get an even spread and at Terenzano it had plenty of time to sink in.

 

I am not defending the tracks in Leszno and Prague, simply saying that Tony Olsson found himself banging his head against a brick wall and the fault lay with the local organisers rather than either the Race Director or BSI.

 

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

I dont go as far back as you but my memory keeps going back to last year,a terrific series,must see tv every other Saturday.Im not getting that at the moment and I want it back.Im a huge fan of the SGP series and attend 2 overseas every year.As for Terenzano last year watch the dvd of chris harris in action.

[Mark]

I cannot answer that but presumably they have their reasons and there is no doubt that the local civic authorities are keen to have an international event there.

 

 

Are FIM, or BSI, really FIFA in disguise ?

[PHILIPRISING]

Are FIM, or BSI, really FIFA in disguise ?

 

HOPE not ... I also had 16 years as editor of World Soccer dealing with FIFA many years ago but I doubt whether much as changed except for the worse.

[Humphrey Appleby]

why did FIM or BSI go to Italy as the stadium only holds about 4000 people and, you say, it needs some surgery to make it a decent race track. Those two points make no sense business wise. 4000 paying customers cant raise much cash for track prep

 

Doesn't matter to IMG/BSI, provided they cough up the rights fees. Not sure what the exact arrangement is in Italy, but GPs at the smaller venues are usually subsidised by the clubs, local authorities and/or tourist boards.

 

That said, doesn't Terenzano stage fairly regular speedway, so it's not like they're having to build a track for just one event.

[Humphrey Appleby]

HOPE not ... I also had 16 years as editor of World Soccer dealing with FIFA many years ago but I doubt whether much as changed except for the worse.

 

Hmmm.. small envelopes thrust into big hands was how I think Brian Glanville described the stealing of the FIFA Presidency in 1974, which set the scene for the current crooks in charge.

 

Not sure that BSI or even the FIM are anything close to that league, although they possibly wish they were...

[ImpartialOne]

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

This is something I've said for years. People look on the old days with rose tinted glasses and see clips from yesteryear on you tube and wish it was the same standard today. But these are just the highlights and if you watch 99% of meetings from any era from start to finish there are just as many processional races as there are now.

 

1981 is over rated. I think the two Bradford World Finals were better quality.

[spook]

From where I was sitting Tony Olsson did a good job last season and we were rewarded with some great racing....... if he accomplished that by sitting back and letting the trackmen get on with their jobs then full marks to him because we know that wasnt happening with Ole and it was killing the racing in the competition..................... the test with Tony was always going to be how he handled possible wet weather and Gothenburg showed (rightly or wrongly) that he could deal with it...........

 

I feel that if there is any flak for Tony.... then it is not learning from previous years and not making sure there was more grip at Leszno ... but even then maybe the smart move in that politically volatile situation was to keep it slick........... responsibility should be left at IMG's door for the choices of Prague and Gothenburg ...but even then they can point to last year as better examples

 

The trouble is that the effects of a bad prep at Prague and a bit of bad luck at Gothenburg have made the start to the season as flat as a pancake .....and its obvious to fans and non fans........... in years past the man made tracks werent as good as they have been the last few.... which is just as well as if there are issues it could end up with half a season gone ... and a less than inspiring World Championship