2014 European Speedway Championships

[DutchGrasstrack]

It's now official: Speedway GP riders are not allowed to race in the SEC next year: http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/395289/sec-starty-zawodnikow-z-gp-zablokowane-co-dalej-z-cyklem


EDIT:

Also confirmed by Janek Konikiewicz on Twitter: Official: SGP riders are forbidden to start in SEC. How fair is that?

Edited September 23, 2014 by DutchGrasstrack

[LagutaRacingFan]

Wonder what the stooge has to say, I wonder if he will ask Master Bellamy before giving a comment.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Hougaard Racing Fans

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

Will interesting to see if any rider chooses the SEC over the GP.

 

If the money is so much better as some have hinted then its bound to tempt some.

[MattK]

Funnily, I was thinking the other week if the SEC could effectively become a GP2 type event, with 16 riders outside of the GPs.

 

One of the most interesting parts of the series has been that it contains riders you don't see every day. Personally, I think SEC could put together an excellent line-up of non-GP riders, such as the Laguta brothers, Kolodziej, Medzinski, Dudek, some of the young Latvians and even a couple of Brits (though not Harris and Nicholls).

[iris123]

In fairness the old boy has said he thinks this would be an illegal ruling.We have heard that Onesport have contingency plans.Going to court etc.Let's see if they have the balls to take this the distance.As it is i think Phil is somewhat out of the BSI loop.He hasn't seemed to have been in on some of the GP decisions.Just yesterday he had to make a quick U-turn on the Latvian venue!!!!

Edited November 3, 2013 by iris123

[Ghostwalker]

I am also pretty sure that this will end up in the European court.

[pandorum]

Speedway is such a silly sport.

[PHILIPRISING]

SAID before that I would imagine this would be difficult to enforce but it is very much to do with internal conflicts at the FIM and FIM Europe.

 

As for the GP calendar (iris123) the original draft included both Lonigo and Daugavpils. The somewhat unexpected return of Copenhagen, at the express wish of the Danish Motor Union, resulted in Lonigo being jettisoned and while there are lots of rumours about Riga taking the place of Daugavpils in 2014 rather than 2015 that has still to be confirmed.

[5 FURROW]

SAID before that I would imagine this would be difficult to enforce but it is very much to do with internal conflicts at the FIM and FIM Europe.

 

As for the GP calendar (iris123) the original draft included both Lonigo and Daugavpils. The somewhat unexpected return of Copenhagen, at the express wish of the Danish Motor Union, resulted in Lonigo being jettisoned and while there are lots of rumours about Riga taking the place of Daugavpils in 2014 rather than 2015 that has still to be confirmed.

Well everything that has been reported so far on Sportofaktey including the wild cards 10 days ahead of the speedway gp website have been spot on and thats where everyone is getting there info from why all the dates cant be released so people can get there chosen gps booked up is beyond me

[DutchGrasstrack]

SEC just posted this on their facebook page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzW4Tel8Px4 ....

Some new info has been posted on the German speedway forum: it seems that the FIM is allowing one SGP rider per SEC event and also the top three of the SEC is automaticly qualified for the SGP challenge.

Edited November 3, 2013 by DutchGrasstrack

[PHILIPRISING]

Well everything that has been reported so far on Sportofaktey including the wild cards 10 days ahead of the speedway gp website have been spot on and thats where everyone is getting there info from why all the dates cant be released so people can get there chosen gps booked up is beyond me

 

BSI won't release anything official to their own website until contracts have been signed and sealed and ratified by the FIM.

 

It is not hard to piece together the 2014 calendar given the various tickets that are already on sale but, for example, the round scheduled for April 26 has yet to be agreed. If it is Bydgoszcz then the calendar will remain as it currently is but, if not, one or two rounds might be re-shuffled.

[Humphrey Appleby]

Well everything that has been reported so far on Sportofaktey including the wild cards 10 days ahead of the speedway gp website have been spot on and thats where everyone is getting there info from why all the dates cant be released so people can get there chosen gps booked up is beyond me

If we waited for official confirmation, then we'd be waiting a long time for a lot of things. I can understand why the SGP website won't announce things until they're official, but I don't see why journals-of-record can't make the same educated guesses that the rest of us do.

[PHILIPRISING]

If we waited for official confirmation, then we'd be waiting a long time for a lot of things. I can understand why the SGP website won't announce things until they're official, but I don't see why journals-of-record can't make the same educated guesses that the rest of us do.

 

YET another dig at Speedway Star ... if you actually read it, and considering it is a weekly publication not a website, you would realise that most of the stuff has already appeared, at least as conjecture.

[PHILIPRISING]

WHAT I am hearing is that the FIM have decided the SEC should become a feeder series for the SGP and that a rider in the SEC will not be "invited" to compete in the SGP.

[iris123]

Surely if what you have heard is right it makes the GPs look a bit silly.There has been a lot of slating over the past years about lack of qualification for the world title.What the FIM are now seemingly saying is the world title series is an "invitational" event!!!!It seems they are saying that if Tai decides to enter the SEC then his "invite" will be torn up and thrown in the bin!!!!!!! I have backed the GP series over the years,but this decision makes a mockery of it

[PHILIPRISING]

ALL riders qualifying for the SGP are theoretically then "invited" to compete by the FIM, which effectively means that once they accept they agree to abide by the various regulations governing the competition.

 

It could be the FIM's way of getting round the possible restraint of trade repercussions. One of the conditions of "accepting the invitation" would presumably be an agreement not to ride in the SEC.

 

Many at the FIM (though presumably not FIM Europe) think the SEC should provide a route into the SGP via the Challenge. At least it would be a form of qualification on the track.

 

Still nothing official from the FIM as far as I know (but am in the US so not exactly on top of things) but this one obviously still has some way to run.

[iris123]

Whatever way it is written out it sounds like restriction of trade.Sort of reminds me of the Briggo affair when he was told if he didn't ride for Wimbledon he wouldn't be able to enter the world championships,even though he was world champ.But at least that was back in the 50s or so.We should have moved on a bit since those days

 

It does seem from some of the comments i have seen that BSI(no real doubt who is getting a lot of the blame here,rightly or wrongly)are losing a lot of support over this.Seen comments that fans should boycott BSI events in Poland.And also Bellamy's statement that he hopes lots of Russian fans attend the nearby Finnish GP has also upset people in Russia who have been saying they should be able to attend their won GP,not one in another country.And lay the blame on the unreasonable demands of BSI with regards Togliatti as a GP venue.Like you say this could run through the next few months and the fall out could last longer

Edited November 4, 2013 by iris123

[PHILIPRISING]

NO doubt there will be some anti-BSI/SGP feeling whipped up in Poland by those with a vested interest in the SEC but judging by the number of Polish tracks vying for a GP there it cannot be that bad.

 

It was actually the Finnish promoters who made the original comment about attracting fans from Russia and cannot see how anyone can take offence at that.

 

As for going to Togliatti, as stated before tracks staging SEC rounds pay only 1,500 Euros as against the 20,000 required from SGP venues and OneSport do not pay the FIM over a million dollars a year.

 

If stories about the cost of admission in Togliatti (about £3) are to be believed it is hardily surprising that a SGP round there isn't considered viable, especially with a number of alternatives on hand.

 

The FIM stance on the SEC is borne out by the fact that other disciplines keep World and European Championships apart and riders (and/or teams) do not compete in both and many in Geneva believe that should also apply to speedway.

[iris123]

You and i know speedway is entirely different to all other motorsports.Could say it is totally different in the way it is run to any other sport.If this is the first step in bringing speedway in line with most other top sports,i.e riders ride for one team,not multiple,then i am all for it.If it is just a step to keep any opposition out of the sport then what you have is BSI looking after themselves whilst biting the hand that feeds them.The fans and riders.........

[PHILIPRISING]

WHILE in an ideal world BSI would probably be happy with no SGP riders also in the SEC I know for a fact that they did not instigate this and would much prefer the SGP and the SEC to operate on a level playing field as far as fees are concerned.

 

They, like you and me, see speedway as being very different to other forms of motorcycle racing where riders are self-employed individuals rather than representatives of factory teams. But, to repeat myself, this is more about the FIM as a whole trying to bring FIM Europe into line and to stop them, as those in Geneva see it, over-stepping their lines of authority.