2014 European Speedway Championships

[manchesterpaul]

I haven't been following this thread due to presuming it would be mainly regarding the racing aspect of the '2014 European Championship' as historically other threads carrying the name of a competition have always done so. However, i see there have been some posts regarding the conflict between BSI-SGP-SEC-One Sport-FIM-FIM Europe.

 

In view of that i'm copying a post i've just made in the thread that was created at the start of the uproar, as i feel it's important breaking information concerning the matter:

 

An excerpt from a news story in Sportowefakty tonight and is now just starting to filter into the media elsewhere too.

The content of the letter sent to the FIM Europe:

We, as riders who have already received an invitation to take part in Speedway European Championships in 2014, we declare that we will insist that we were allowed to take part in the competition, despite the fact that we are also regular participants FIM Speedway Grand Prix.

We consider a ban on anyone to participate in the continental championships, as a very bad decision, which reduces the popularity of our sport and wasted opportunity that was created to promote it, mainly because of television, reaching 71 countries. We believe that this decision is a limitation of our freedom.

According to EU law, freedom of contract is one of the fundamental rights and not accept a situation where we are limited in such an artificial and unfair manner.

As experienced speedway riders who put a lot of work to build the image of a world speedway, we expect more respect and comity on the part of managers of global and European speedway.

We look forward to a fair solution to this situation and the immediate response from the board of the FIM-Europe.

Signed:

Tomasz Gollob

Andreas Jonsson

Nicki Pedersen

Emil Sajfutdinow

Incidentally the original thread on all of this (Sgp/Bsi And Sec/One Sport It Is War Now) is at

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=74441

Up to yourselves where you post the comments but is a little annoying to start to have to search numerous threads in different sections now on such a specific subject. No criticism intended as i often struggle as to which section to put threads at times due to crossover. Also, what's going to happen when the '2014 European Speedway Championships' actually start racing, i guess we continue to post in this thread on the actual racing, hopefully that is indeed the case.

Also there were some very good points made by NIcki Pedersen in a large article in this weeks Speedway Star. Like most fans and riders he wants riders to be able to race in both competitions.

Edited November 8, 2013 by manchesterpaul

[Paragon]

I do kind of feel that the Polish promoters have a point about riders getting hurt at GP's. The standard of put down tracks this year has gone downhill & contributed to some bad crashes in this seasons GP's. I'm not sure that the new silencers help either especially when you have the ruts that you get with the put downs. With the old silencers you had an instant response from the engine which allowed the bike to kind of glide over the ruts where as now the slight delay in the throttle response time causes the back wheel to drop into grooves and then pick up too much grip causing at best a rider to go off line, or at worst a collision.

 

This is just my opinion as a Speedway fan who went for 4 seasons without missing a GP in person , I now would not bother other than Cardiff & I only go to that one because its 20 mins by bus away.

[SCB]

Lets be honest, this is solely about Polish speedway getting more power. Yet perversely a lot of Brits on here seem to want to give it to them as they have some sort of issue with BSI/the GPs. What do you think OneSpeed will do given the chance? Run 8-10 SEC meetings a season doing as the GPs do now. Do you honestly think this is about a shake up? Because frankly, what I saw in the 4 SEC meetings was the same old same old on some pretty boring tracks, shake up my arse!

[Humphrey Appleby]

I do kind of feel that the Polish promoters have a point about riders getting hurt at GP's.

It's not just the Polish League this effects. The SGP is basically getting its riders at a highly subsidised rate, and makes no contribution to those effectively doing the subsisidising.

 

However, I don't see that the injury issue is any different as to before. The Poles simply now see there's some money to be made.

Lets be honest, this is solely about Polish speedway getting more power.

Of course it is, and speedway as a whole will likely end up the loser.

 

Yet perversely a lot of Brits on here seem to want to give it to them as they have some sort of issue with BSI/the GPs. What do you think OneSpeed will do given the chance?

I think it's a case of tweedle dum or tweedle dee, but it might start raising questions about how actually should run the sport and who should benefit.

[Daniel Smith]

I don't think the BSI / SGP have anything to fear over the SEC series.

A pretty poor standard of riders for what should be Europe's best. They paid huge wages to the top 5-6 riders they then had to throw in some cheap bottom end riders to make it affordable.

[racers and royals]

I don't think the BSI / SGP have anything to fear over the SEC series.

A pretty poor standard of riders for what should be Europe's best. They paid huge wages to the top 5-6 riders they then had to throw in some cheap bottom end riders to make it affordable.

They didn`t throw in any riders other than the 6 seeds-all the others qualified by right.If allowed to maybe more of the top riders outside the seeded riders(last season`s top 3 +3 picks)will try to qualify for the finals.

[f-s-p]

They paid huge wages to the top 5-6 riders they then had to throw in some cheap bottom end riders to make it affordable.

1st: Define huge?

2nd: And your source for this is?

[manchesterpaul]

I don't think the BSI / SGP have anything to fear over the SEC series.

A pretty poor standard of riders for what should be Europe's best. They paid huge wages to the top 5-6 riders they then had to throw in some cheap bottom end riders to make it affordable.

 

Late night news Tuesday from Sportowefakty has Emil Sayfutdinov considering withdrawing from the SGP series. Sabre rattling for more pay or is he serious?

 

"Returning to health after a serious injury Emil Sayfutdinov considering to resign from competing in Grand Prix. - Riding in the elite does not come cheap, and there is no profit - explained the representative of Russia......On top of this came the policy still prohibits competing in GP and IME. I do not understand this. After all, these events can function side by side."

[jimmy jimmy]

So Emil seems to be pointing out quite rightly that competing in the GP series doesn't make them any money, for which the FIM should be ashamed.

[pandorum]

The riders will be right to boycott the SGP as it will treach them a valuable lesson.

 

When in a hole a JCB is not necessarily the best option for getting out of it.

 

Will be funny listening to poor old Nige having to explain all this away with a GP containing PL 2nd strings.

[Mark]

any dates or venues penciled in yet ?

[Boobs]

Will be funny listening to poor old Nige having to explain all this away with a GP containing PL 2nd strings.

But at the end of the day, if that happened (it won't) the winner of the SGP series would go down as World Champion.

 

Just like Allan Wells winning gold in Moscow, or the players who won at Winmbledon the year all the top players boycotted it -- when people look at the trophy in the year 2525 (see what I did there?) it will have their name on the base. Not who won a European title.......

Edited November 13, 2013 by Boobs

[severnsider]

They didn`t throw in any riders other than the 6 seeds-all the others qualified by right.If allowed to maybe more of the top riders outside the seeded riders(last season`s top 3 +3 picks)will try to qualify for the finals.

Not sure this was entirely correct as there was a restriction of the amount of qualifiers from any one country and I think Miskowiak qualified in one round but couldn't progress as there were already 3 Polish riders through.

 

Anyway One Sport meant to be making an announcement today so should be interesting

[DutchGrasstrack]

Statement here: http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/397501/oswiadczenie-organizatorow-sec-prawnicy-sa-gotowi-do-podjecia-natychmiastowych-d

And in English: http://speedwayeuro.com/news/n/171/official-statement.html

[TwoMinuteWarning]

What was FIM v. FIM-Europe

now seems to be One Sport v. FIM & FIM-Europe!

[Hunty]

The Sayfudinov coments are a tricky, he says that there is no profit in GP racing and that medals or GP's hes won have not attracted sponsers from Russia...What is he really after then, the money or the glory! Can he have both?

Look at Tai now...he well and truley has the Money with the Monster backing he nis now getting and then look at the glory he has got!

 

The one thing that anoys everybody in speedway is the Money aspect, thats what everyone wants and not everyone gets it! There is not enough to go around.

 

The thing about this bickering between the SEC and the SGP is that the riders only seem to be after one thing. Where as I can see where the SGP are coming from with the riders riding in another series they run the risk of injury. As of last year those injuries, all be it they didnt come from SEC racing cause a very intresting Title challenge to become an easier passage for Tai even with all the drama that came with him winning it.

 

Maybe Sec should look at doing a Winter series that takes place in Indoor arenas and then they dont have to worry about them crossing over and causing championships to be defucnt.

[iris123]

The one thing that anoys everybody in speedway is the Money aspect, thats what everyone wants and not everyone gets it! There is not enough to go around.

 

The thing about this bickering between the SEC and the SGP is that the riders only seem to be after one thing. Where as I can see where the SGP are coming from with the riders riding in another series they run the risk of injury. As of last year those injuries, all be it they didnt come from SEC racing cause a very intresting Title challenge to become an easier passage for Tai even with all the drama that came with him winning it.

 

Maybe Sec should look at doing a Winter series that takes place in Indoor arenas and then they dont have to worry about them crossing over and causing championships to be defucnt.

Speedway has got itself into a real state.You can't say the SEC is a problem for the SGP with riders getting injured.They have 4, maybe a few more would be planned,meetings.How many do they have in the Swedish or Polish or Danish etc leagues?This is the big problem.Riders ride all over the place.They can sign up to as many leagues as they can fit in.Now the FIM are saying they can't sign up for a speedway competition.Doesn't matter what it is called it just obviously isn't right to do that.If this does go to court,i'd imagine the FIM will be hard put to win and then it could mean big problems.

 

On the other hand i can see where Tsunami is coming from.People say the SGP is boring with the same riders.Well give this a few years and you will just have the same riders pretty much in both series and there won't be a lot of difference.I'd quite like a decent series with riders just below SGP level,but i doubt if the sponsors,tracks and tv would be that interested.More importantly would enough fans?

 

It is time speedway had a big shake up.This might just be the first step in getting the whole thing into shape.Although i somehow doubt it will go to the European Court or any other court......

[New Science]

The Sayfudinov coments are a tricky, he says that there is no profit in GP racing and that medals or GP's hes won have not attracted sponsers from Russia...What is he really after then, the money or the glory! Can he have both?

 

Look at Tai now...he well and truley has the Money with the Monster backing he nis now getting and then look at the glory he has got!

 

The one thing that anoys everybody in speedway is the Money aspect, thats what everyone wants and not everyone gets it! There is not enough to go around.

 

The thing about this bickering between the SEC and the SGP is that the riders only seem to be after one thing. Where as I can see where the SGP are coming from with the riders riding in another series they run the risk of injury. As of last year those injuries, all be it they didnt come from SEC racing cause a very intresting Title challenge to become an easier passage for Tai even with all the drama that came with him winning it.

 

Maybe Sec should look at doing a Winter series that takes place in Indoor arenas and then they dont have to worry about them crossing over and causing championships to be defucnt.

Tai has only recently acquired Monster sponsorship,Emil has had Red Bull sponsorship for many years which would dwarf that of Woffinden.The argument of riders getting injured in a rival series is a flawed one as all GP riders ride in several leagues across Europe all summer.Maybe the Elite league,Polish and Swedish league should sue the F.I.M for compensation if their contracted riders get injured in F.I.M events.Just a thought Edited November 14, 2013 by New Science

[PHILIPRISING]

VERY much doubt that Red Bull sponsorship of Sayfutdinov dwarfs that of Woffinden and Monster.

 

The FIM have got themselves into a right pickle over this. However, presumably they didn't just charge straight in and consulted their own lawyers first to establish whether or not they were on sound ground. As usual it will only be the legal guys making money out of this sorry saga.

 

Sooner or later there will have to be a compromise ... let's hope it is the former.

[iris123]

VERY much doubt that Red Bull sponsorship of Sayfutdinov dwarfs that of Woffinden and Monster.

The way i understood the statement Phil was that over the period of Red Bull sponsorship, Emil has earnt a lot more than Tai has out of Monster.Not that the current yearly deal is much better.Might be wrong though.....