Speedway Star Toothless Pussycat

[The White Knight]

PERHAPS they would have fallen even more but for the Cardiff meeting each year?

 

Perhaps you are right.

 

But worryingly - perhaps you are wrong. It is something we will never know.

 

I know you support BSI involvement Philip, or appear to from your Posts. But how can it be right that everything made out of the GP Series goes to BSI without anything feeding back to help the Sport that spawned the GP Series in the first place. I see BSI as hawks who have got there claws in to a good little earner for themselves.

 

I will ask you a direct question. Are BSI putting anything back in to Speedway to encourage it's growth and welfare, or are they just sitting back and raking in the Cash?

[waiheke1]

Nt everything from the gp series goes to bsi though. There is the monry they pay to fim - surely what happens to that money is the more pertinent question

[PHILIPRISING]

 

Perhaps you are right.

 

But worryingly - perhaps you are wrong. It is something we will never know.

 

I know you support BSI involvement Philip, or appear to from your Posts. But how can it be right that everything made out of the GP Series goes to BSI without anything feeding back to help the Sport that spawned the GP Series in the first place. I see BSI as hawks who have got there claws in to a good little earner for themselves.

 

I will ask you a direct question. Are BSI putting anything back in to Speedway to encourage it's growth and welfare, or are they just sitting back and raking in the Cash?

YOU keep forgetting the million plus a year that goes to the FIM... that may not be enough in your view but I think it only fair that you don't just disregard what is paid to the organisation that actually owns the World Championship.

 

Yes I do support BSI's involvement. I think they have raised the bar considerably, shown how speedway events can and should be promoted and do actually put quite a lot back by showcasing speedway at the highest level.

[waiheke1]

Phil - what do fim do with the money bsi psy them?

[Daniel Smith]

Just from statistics of my mates the Cardiff GP does nothing for British Speedway. I have 4 mates that I use to go to speedway with when at school, they now only do Cardiff. They see it as a one off spectacle just like MotoGP and F1. I now go to Cardiff with my Mrs, Mum, Dad, Sister, Brother In Law and 4 Nephews. Only 1 of my nephews, my Dad and me attend King's Lynn week in week out.

 

So personally, the stats don't add up that the Cardiff GP supports British Speedway.

[PHILIPRISING]

Phil - what do fim do with the money bsi psy them?

DON'T think you will ever get a definitive answer to that. Revenue for the FIM from all disciplines goes into their coffers and is then used and distributed by the various commissions, etc. Their administrative costs must be huge, of course, but they would also argue that they fund, in part of wholly, various competitions including a number of junior ones that, they will argue, benefits the sport as a whole. And they supply officials for all FIM events - the Jury President, Race Director, GP Secretary at GPs for example - which must cost a pretty penny at the end of the day.

 

TWK: we have had this debate several times and I respect your opinion. We are never going to agree and neither of us is likely to change our respective minds.

[The White Knight]

DON'T think you will ever get a definitive answer to that. Revenue for the FIM from all disciplines goes into their coffers and is then used and distributed by the various commissions, etc. Their administrative costs must be huge, of course, but they would also argue that they fund, in part of wholly, various competitions including a number of junior ones that, they will argue, benefits the sport as a whole. And they supply officials for all FIM events - the Jury President, Race Director, GP Secretary at GPs for example - which must cost a pretty penny at the end of the day.

 

TWK: we have had this debate several times and I respect your opinion. We are never going to agree and neither of us is likely to change our respective minds.

 

Fair enough Philip - it is good that we can differ in our views in a friendly manner.

[The Pedaler]

And are you seriously suggesting that Speedway Star appeases to a higher power?

 

You certainly seem to be appeasing those who feed you your press releases. Without them, where would you be now? Certainly lost the art of unearthing "news" of your own, or digging beneath the surface, or looking in dark corners to see what else you might find.

[PHILIPRISING]

 

You certainly seem to be appeasing those who feed you your press releases. Without them, where would you be now? Certainly lost the art of unearthing "news" of your own, or digging beneath the surface, or looking in dark corners to see what else you might find.

YOU obviously have your own agenda here but we don't actually use press releases. Naturally, stories that appear in the local press are likely to be included in SS, or indeed the other way round. I wonder how often you actually read SS? Go through last week's edition and tell me how much you could have read in that form anywhere else?

[Hunty]

I don't buy SS I think its a complete waste of money I can find all things Speedway online so do not need a publication that by the time its delivered is out of date.

 

But its personal preference I guess

 

I once stated this on another thread that i started about the Inside Speedway Magazine.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Ommer UM Speedway Blog

[The White Knight]

 

I once stated this on another thread that i started about the Inside Speedway Magazine.

 

I got a very angry responce from Philip Rising defending his magazine so where is he now to explain the reson again!

 

He shouldn't have to explain himself TWICE.

 

It's good that he comes on here to try to keep us informed as best he can - without going over things more than once.

Edited February 3, 2014 by The White Knight

[bellevueace]

Whilst Cardiff is the biggest day out within speedway circles how many people outside of the speedway bubble knows the event is taking place? I notice every year in january in the express theres always a double page sports calender pull out, under the motorsport section the Cardiff GP is never mentioned, people i know and who i work with are oblivious to it, so how effective is it as a marketing tool for the sport in general? Also the crowds at the actual event itself seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral, whilst the GP,s have taken the sport into big stadia in capital cities the league structure in the UK has certainly suffered with the loss of the majority of top riders.

Edited February 3, 2014 by bellevueace

[PHILIPRISING]

SO you are saying that those riders who boycott the UK do so because of the GPs? Nothing to do with the money on offer in Poland and, to a lesser extent, Sweden and elsewhere. Not that many riders simply do not wish to commute to the UK to race when there is plenty of alternative employment.

 

Riders like Bjerre, Iversen, Ward, Woffinden, and Zagar prove that if the mind is willing the GPs do not stand in the way of the top riders racing here.

 

Don't accept that the annual crowd at Cardiff is on a downward spiral and, frankly, the attendance is quite impressive given that it is probably about the same figure, if not higher, than the number of people who attend speedway in the UK on a regular basis.

[Trees]

The only good Cardiff is to British speedway is "maybe" to encourage some of the attendees who don't attend British speedway anymore (and there's quite a few - day out, atmosphere etc) to keep watching it on tv! Great innit, what a wonderful thing BSI do for our sport :-P

The only good Cardiff is to British speedway is "maybe" to encourage some of the attendees who don't attend British speedway anymore (and there's quite a few - day out, atmosphere etc) to keep watching it on tv! Great innit, what a wonderful thing BSI do for our sport :-P

 

I think the GP series is one of the reasons that some of the top riders don't race here, it has as many meetings as a league itself!

Edited February 3, 2014 by Trees

[BWitcher]

The only good Cardiff is to British speedway is "maybe" to encourage some of the attendees who don't attend British speedway anymore (and there's quite a few - day out, atmosphere etc) to keep watching it on tv! Great innit, what a wonderful thing BSI do for our sport :-P

The only good Cardiff is to British speedway is "maybe" to encourage some of the attendees who don't attend British speedway anymore (and there's quite a few - day out, atmosphere etc) to keep watching it on tv! Great innit, what a wonderful thing BSI do for our sport :-P

Yes it is, they show you what CAN be done with the sport.

 

Still, in typical speedway fans style knock something that is done well.. but continue to bleat when served up crap every other week through the season.

Edited February 3, 2014 by BWitcher

[Trees]

Oh come off it, the World Championship always has been and always will be a different ball game to league racing as far as attracting crowds goes. As a meeting though they do nothing different to league promoters!

[PHILIPRISING]

Oh come off it, the World Championship always has been and always will be a different ball game to league racing as far as attracting crowds goes. As a meeting though they do nothing different to league promoters!

YOU'VE obviously never been to a GP at the Millennium

[Humphrey Appleby]

HOW did you arrive at that figure? And, who in your opinion, is the recipient of the three million quid?

 

From BSI's own published figures. In 2012, they recorded a profit of 1.6 million of turnover on 10 million, after apparently paying the FIM around 1.5 million for the commercial rights.

 

So there's a surplus on operational costs of just over 3 million, split between the FIM and BSI. Bear in mind that other IMG companies also make various charges that will be deducted before profits are calculated, so it's clear who the main beneficiaries are.

And they supply officials for all FIM events - the Jury President, Race Director, GP Secretary at GPs for example - which must cost a pretty penny at the end of the day.

 

I'd imagine those costs are covered by the inscription fees.

 

Of course, this is why it would be useful to get a breakdown on where all the money goes. I dug out the above information in a matter of minutes, so I can't believe it's so difficult to investigate.

I am getting the impression you suspect something, if so why not just say?

 

I don't suspect anything. In fact, the SGP finances appear to be fairly open and transparent if people care to look, but that doesn't entirely answer the question of what the FIM is doing with the 1.5 million quid it's making every year. Yes, maybe half goes on prize money, but what about the rest? That's the sort of thing that should be asked.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Humphrey Appleby

[Daniel Smith]

From BSI's own published figures. In 2012, they recorded a profit of 1.6 million of turnover on 10 million, after apparently paying the FIM around 1.5 million for the commercial rights.

 

So there's a surplus on operational costs of just over 3 million, split between the FIM and BSI. Bear in mind that other IMG companies also make various charges that will be deducted before profits are calculated, so it's clear who the main beneficiaries are.

 

 

I'd imagine those costs are covered by the inscription fees.

 

Of course, this is why it would be useful to get a breakdown on where all the money goes. I dug out the above information in a matter of minutes, so I can't believe it's so difficult to investigate.

 

 

I don't suspect anything. In fact, the SGP finances appear to be fairly open and transparent if people care to look, but that doesn't entirely answer the question of what the FIM is doing with the 1.5 million quid it's making every year. Yes, maybe half goes on prize money, but what about the rest? That's the sort of thing that should be asked.

If the SGP's are only netting BSI £1.5m a year profit that is poor. Their business director should be fired but to the general public that seems to be a reasonable amount

[ColinMills]

peanuts