British Grand Prix 2012

[westhamboy66]

Drab meeting overpriced with more and more empty seats each year. When will bsi learn that when supply far out strips demand they are charging far too much. Speedway is not formula one or moto GP. Ten quid programme. Not a value for money day out. The only racing at cardiff is when a rider hits a hole or rut and they go out of control. Speedway is about racing not just a crowd and a load of air horns. Had that GP been anywhere else it would have been labelled rubbish. Crowds on the decline for years now irrespective of what the official attendance says. Fair play to Scott gave his all and apart from crump hitting the rut he would have made the simi so pat on the back for Scott. My love affair with Cardiff ended years ago and six hours to get there from Essex (210 miles all motorway) didnt help

[oldswindonsupporter]

Cardiff is the annual spectacle in my opinion, last night a smooth track unlike many years ago shows that they are imprving the creation of artifical tracks year and year.

 

Some excellent racing and fromt he start we didn't have all four hugging the white line - thought the track favoured the brave and the racers and some of the action on the third and fourth bend was outstanding, Freddie last going in and first out for intsnace.

 

Date was fixed due to the Olympics and the preparation needed beforehand, did the clash with the cricket affect things? Well we will not know that nor will we know whether the football match at Swanse did either. Perhaps to my mind, the Bank Holiday staging was always going to be a potential problem with this being the last chance of the summer (yes, what summer) to have a break coupled of course the price.

 

The cost of tickets apart form the lowest priced tickets seems to only go one way, the discount offered for early birds just brings the price back to last year's price, ok, better than paying the increased price for sure. However, the East stand at the upper level is nigh on empty again, why not grab the bull by the horns BSI / IMG and promote cheap tickets - why not sell early? Offer seats in the upper tier for £20 and see the result?

 

The accommodation is out of their hands, cost will always be dictated by supply and demand, witness how wrong hoteliers got it by pricing themselves too high and left with empty rooms by the score, why not bulk book rooms themselves at the big hotels at a fixed rate? The accommodation issue has been attempted to be addressed by the earlier start time - bring it forward to say 16.00, would that work?

 

All that said, I'm going to be getting my ticket for next year as soon as!

[keef]

Yeah just under 38000 like 25000.

The place holds 72,500 and was no way near half full.

I only watch on TV true but I have eyes.

Any crowd figures related to speedway in this country should always be viewed with suspicion.

Even in the days of the '40000+ crowd I doubt many really believed that.

In the decade it's held the SGP I doubt there has been more than 40 on more than 1 or 2 occasions.

 

I was there and counted 37,821. The football season and hols must have affected the attendance. There were 2 cricket fans in front of us, who have never been to speedway, but as their team was knocked out decided to give it a go. Good to see a few thousand Rico shirts, but they could have had a one-minute silence. Until we have a decent Brit the crowds will be lower IMO.

The streets were definitely quieter around the stadium. A lot of traffic on the M4 going down.

Much prefer watching a Swindon league meeting, but nothing compares to the Cardiff atmosphere, presentation, and comfort.

Paid tenner to park in Park and Ride, and there were no bloody lights in car park. Finished after 9 so train wasn't option this year.

 

He did raise his voice at times and spent one race getting Nicki and Emil muddled up, but Jan kept correcting him!

Overall a very enjoyable listen. Perhaps it was on 5live Extra?

 

 

Good point.

Hans Andersen looked a different rider from the one I saw struggle at Swindon on Thursday.

 

Thats because he had a bloody swollen sore elbow at The Abbey, and said he shouldn't have ridden. Hope he will be ok for tomorrow against Lakeside. Was brilliant in first 2 races last night. Creditable 10 points

Edited August 26, 2012 by new cross robin

[Great Central]

Drab meeting overpriced with more and more empty seats each year. When will bsi learn that when supply far out strips demand they are charging far too much. Speedway is not formula one or moto GP. Ten quid programme. Not a value for money day out. The only racing at cardiff is when a rider hits a hole or rut and they go out of control. Speedway is about racing not just a crowd and a load of air horns. Had that GP been anywhere else it would have been labelled rubbish. Crowds on the decline for years now irrespective of what the official attendance says. Fair play to Scott gave his all and apart from crump hitting the rut he would have made the simi so pat on the back for Scott. My love affair with Cardiff ended years ago and six hours to get there from Essex (210 miles all motorway) didnt help

I thought that I had been at a different meeting to eveyone else until I read this posting. Atmosphere was great as always, and I thought the presentation was good, it was the lowest crowd ever in my opinion. With huge swathes of empty seats they couldn't even keep the 4 lap Mexican Wave going. I thought the racing was poor apart from maybe 4 or 5 races but the 2nd semi was probably one of the best races seen at Cardiff. Very poor track preparation for good racing to be seen. It may have come across better on television and hopefully I shall be watching it later to see if it did.

Holder deserved the win. Best rider on the night but feel for Scottie who was leading his heat until Crumpie fell and missed the start in the re-run.

[bruno]

strange but last year i went and didnt think much of it but enjoyed it on tv more the next day.didnt go this year cuz of cost and watched it on sky and really enjoyed it!!must be better on tv than live?

[Mixy230]

On TV the track to start looked great, fast, overtaking etc! the commentators even noted unusual to have a raceable track so early on! Then they worked it? pressed it and made it hard!

 

Holder, top draw, can gate, can pass.

Hancock, unlucky

Crump, unlucky, hope all ok

Pederson, got blocked and thats racing, what a tryer!

Harris, Great racer! (You can not win enough races at this level FROM THE BACK!!) Buy some gating gloves, lessons or whatever it takes.

Nicholls, Great racer, Good speed, inconsistant gating, proved best of the brits!

Fast Fred, Got it right near the end (Well done)

Lindback (Hot n cold) when he is hot he is hot! oh and cool!

Gollob, still not there for some reason

Emil, Great race with Holder, pretty much on a par with Holder

 

Pretty decent meeting, some great races, some British dissapointment (As expected)

 

M

[robinsgirl]

BTW I think Chris H was fast because he's had a shave!

[keef]

strange but last year i went and didnt think much of it but enjoyed it on tv more the next day.didnt go this year cuz of cost and watched it on sky and really enjoyed it!!must be better on tv than live?

 

Said to the missus last night may not go next year, it's not a cheap day out, park and ride and prog cost is a rip-off. Lowest-priced tickets still 29 quid though. Didn't see any punch-ups this year, not as many Polish fans, atmosphere and racing was better last couple of years. Definitely lowest crowd since I've been going, since 2005. perhaps I'm getting too used to it?

Always prefer being there compared to watching on tele for any sport. No methanol fumes last night though!

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

thought the racing was good on a smooth track, pre meeting entertainment was on par with the usual garbage ,when will people learn that xfactor and bgt dont provide any entertainment for anybody over 14 with a brain, ticket prices were good for the event that it is ,programmes were a bit steep at £10 but the ear piece you got free with them was a good idea and enjoyed listening to the jan and darren fletcher,crowd looked the same as every other year to me but didnt seem as many poles ,speeedway was a good winner and proved why its the most exciting sport on the planet but how long before it shoots itself in the foot again

Edited August 26, 2012 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[oldswindonsupporter]

Just how can Cardiff be considered overpriced at £29 when you look at the price bieng charged for the "Elite" League Riders Cahmopinship at Swinidon in October?

 

The ELRC is being advertised at £25 - hmmm, presentation will not be anywhere near that at Cardiff, nowhere near as good a view, all seater stadium, clean, loads of facilities to keep the ladies happy, the firworks, the spectacle of the event, the big screens, the racing, yes the racing this year was good imo and the track good.

 

So who then has got the pricing wrong? Cardiff is a one off, the highlight of the British calendar, far better to be there than watch on the TV in my view, I'm lucky to be close enough that is no more than an hours drive away.

 

I for one will not be going to Swindon at that price to see a depleted field as riders pull out for whatever reason, the poor facilites in comparison, the disruption of the weather etc etc.

[ciderman]

Just how can Cardiff be considered overpriced at £29 when you look at the price bieng charged for the "Elite" League Riders Cahmopinship at Swinidon in October?

 

The ELRC is being advertised at £25 - hmmm, presentation will not be anywhere near that at Cardiff, nowhere near as good a view, all seater stadium, clean, loads of facilities to keep the ladies happy, the firworks, the spectacle of the event, the big screens, the racing, yes the racing this year was good imo and the track good.

 

So who then has got the pricing wrong? Cardiff is a one off, the highlight of the British calendar, far better to be there than watch on the TV in my view, I'm lucky to be close enough that is no more than an hours drive away.

 

I for one will not be going to Swindon at that price to see a depleted field as riders pull out for whatever reason, the poor facilites in comparison, the disruption of the weather etc etc.

Its the Hotels that kill it, the pricing for the meeting is spot on.

[keef]

Its the Hotels that kill it, the pricing for the meeting is spot on.

 

Would have thought most of the 38000 peeps travel there and back in the day, judging by the traffic on the M4. Spoke to one bloke who was driving back to Edinburgh! 29 quid is excellent value, certainly in comparison with some football, rugby, cricket, rock gigs that I've attended.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Its the Hotels that kill it, the pricing for the meeting is spot on.

my other half stayed in a hostel with her friends about 1 mile from stadium , it was basic but clean and slept 4 people and it was free parking and was £20 a room per night ,thats cheap in anybodys book, i left my van there too for free and we got a taxi in to center

[Starman2006]

As i said last night, people just can't afford it nowadays, with hotel prices ticket prices fuel and food prices, which business will do because they have to live, and they want to make a killing.unless you are willing to use credit cards up to the hilt, then watch the bill plump through the letter box a month later, which to hazzard a guess, many are prepared to do, and many won't do.

Unless the powers that be do something to arrest this, eventhough this is supposed to be our flag bering meeting of the season attendances will continue to dwindle year on year. But don't take my word for it, it was there to see with your own eyes last night...

Edited August 26, 2012 by Starman2006

[Fromafar]

Why do the have to mess up the track every 4 races.Surely a bit lighter grade to bring a little of the dirt back in would do.Getting fed up watching them mess the track every GP.

[Starman2006]

Its the Hotels that kill it, the pricing for the meeting is spot on.

 

Nothing to do with the hotels mate. You don't have to stay in them. Simples.

[HasseHolmqvist]

Nothing to do with the hotels mate. You don't have to stay in them. Simples.

 

I think anyone who lives more than 200 miles away may say different, its more a case of you don't "have" to go

[Starman2006]

I think anyone who lives more than 200 miles away may say different, its more a case of you don't "have" to go

 

Or stay outside Cardiff, in the Somerset area. Plenty of places in the burnham OTA Area, and a quarter of the prices Cardiff will charge. Just have to get yourselves out of bed early in the morning. But then everybody to their own.

Edited August 26, 2012 by Starman2006

[keef]

Dont know if anyone parked at the 10 quid park and ride at County Hall.Sure it was free 2005/6? The tight buggers turned off all the lights on returning, and some old dear tripped up, not badly hurt. 'Er indoors was fuming and is firing-off an e-mail to the authority today.

Will probably go by Swindon supporters coach next year if we attend. The fans will only put up with so many rip-offs in these tough economic times.

 

[hagonshocker]

really loved watching this one. Good to see Hans A getting into it. If people didn't like the racing then they're going to be sorely disappointed with speedway anywhere else!

It was good to hear that Greg H offered Chris advice of gates after Greg was out of the running.

Disappointing that the usual negative moaners on this forum try bring in downers on Poole , Middlo, Premier Leauge blah blah. when it's a GP thread.

Congrats to Chris H, handled the track and his interviews extremely well.

Everyones entitled to there opinion about the racing....my opinion is ive seen much better elsewhere whereas you obviously differ...btw every track has 'moaners' including Poole!