April 26: European Fim Speedway Grand Prix (bydgoszcz, Poland)

[SCB]

So if you're only interested in his on-track exploits, why continue to post opinions as to his off-track demeanour - its clearly not relevant to your argument!!

Because it proved my point - it was part of the discussion.

[theknow 2]

OF course you can ... not talking about achievement but how thrilling they are to watch. Saw Rickardsson in his first World Final and Gollob in his first GP ... as entertaining then as they were years and years later. You've either got it or you haven't.

Dont think anyone will ever have the style and corner speed of Gollob. Adams was nearly there but not quite.

[waiheke1]

Rikkardson and gollob were riders you get one or two of per generation.

Emil and darcy are just as, or more, excting imho.

Holder and tai could well emulate hancocks success and hopefully longevity, both I terview well and imho are more exciting racers.

Its too early to say which of the following generation will emulate the excitement levels surely, given tbe riders I have just mentioned are only early 20s.

I find your posts on this a little odd tbh phil, a bit like sidney and other s bemoaning the lack of young talent a couple of years ago.

[markw40]

I speak of the Darcy I came across in October in Torun but yeah if he's maturing then good for him. Think we all agree he is one of the most talented riders we watch today and that's what we pay good money for

[Ghostwalker]

Rikkardson and gollob were riders you get one or two of per generation.

Emil and darcy are just as, or more, excting imho.

Holder and tai could well emulate hancocks success and hopefully longevity, both I terview well and imho are more exciting racers.

Its too early to say which of the following generation will emulate the excitement levels surely, given tbe riders I have just mentioned are only early 20s.

I find your posts on this a little odd tbh phil, a bit like sidney and other s bemoaning the lack of young talent a couple of years ago.

 

I agree and I think this is the problem today that too many are too attached with the "old days" and the riders of that era.

 

Forget those and focus on the next generation of stars; Ward, Woffinden, Sajfutdiov, Holder, Pawlicki,..

[PHILIPRISING]

Rikkardson and gollob were riders you get one or two of per generation.

Emil and darcy are just as, or more, excting imho.

Holder and tai could well emulate hancocks success and hopefully longevity, both I terview well and imho are more exciting racers.

Its too early to say which of the following generation will emulate the excitement levels surely, given tbe riders I have just mentioned are only early 20s.

I find your posts on this a little odd tbh phil, a bit like sidney and other s bemoaning the lack of young talent a couple of years ago.

I THINK you actually strengthen my point in that none of the riders you mention are Polish or Swedish.

[waiheke1]

But u only get a couple of riders like that in s generation - if we are using critetia of spectacular to watch and good enough to win a title. No guarantee for sny country that they will produce a rider like thst every ten orceven twenty years.

Gollob was maybe yhe first pole ever to fill that criteria.

Before rikkarddon you hsd jonsson but beforr that woukd be knutsson? Aussie didnt have anyone on my lifetime til ward (perhaps j crump).

Portugal went for 40 years from Eusebio to Ronaldo. That doesnt mean that the sport wss weak for that period.

Anyway all opinions - even seen Rickardsson on here labelled as rubbish from the back!

[PolskiZuzel]

But u only get a couple of riders like that in s generation - if we are using critetia of spectacular to watch and good enough to win a title.

(...)

Gollob was maybe yhe first Pole ever to fill that criteria.

 

 

I don't know how old you are, but it seems that you've never seen Zenon Plech in action at the Wick, or elsewhere.

[manchesterpaul]

It's looking likely that the main reason for the poor attendance at the GP in Bydgoszcz- lowest in the 20 year history for the SGP in Poland - was high ticket prices. If you then factor in that the meeting was shown live on TV (something i personally feel was a factor in the Eskilstuna staged Best Pairs) it makes it all the more probable that was the main culprit for non-attendance.

A poll for Sportowefakty also with a high take-up of voters reflects this as well "Polish fan can count and calculate. Ticket prices for the Grand Prix of Europe ranged from 95 PLN per sector C, by 165 to sector B after 195 zł per sector A. For watch the competition from the grandstand you had to pay 600 zł."

Reason for not attending;

Expensive tickets 52%

No Tomasz Gollob 37%

Too many SGP tournaments in Poland 11%

Incidentally another poll shows Polish fans preferences for their favourite type of meeting

What speedway events are the most popular?;

75% : League Racing

10% : SBPC and SEC

8% : Friendly matches of the Polish national team

6% : SGP and DPS

1% : Other events calendar

It's claimed that BSI held talks with Danzig, Berlin and Bydgoszcz with the latter getting the decision based on being a proven partner.

The high ranking official Andrzej Witkowski who is/was president of the Polish Motor Association and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Extraleague Speedway initially point blank refused to answer questions on the meagre attendance. However he has now responded a little albeit adding " I do not want to comment on this, because the organizer of the European Grand Prix in Bydgoszcz was not Polish or Polish Motor Union."

In view of the above he's not going to be quoted being critical of the ticketing pricing policy or anything to do with the organizing or promotion of the actual meeting itself. Therefore he's left to cite that in his opinion the absence of Gollob was a major factor but also the number of SGP/SWC meetings staged in Poland "The official position of the Polish Motor Association in terms of the amount of the Grand Prix tournament in our country is clear. SGP two tournaments in one season and the World Team Cup mountain every two - three years. That's enough" ".......and besides three tournaments SGP plus World Team Cup in Poland in a season is way too much."

UPDATE:

Have we got a new mod on board who is interfering with absolutely anything and everything? What a potentially open-ended route to mayhem micromanaging to such a degree could be.

I posted this in the SGP CALENDAR thread because whilst quoting the recent event of the Bydgoszcz GP it concerns the SGP CALENDAR as a whole - as in too many meetings in one country etc.

Maybe it's just the mod who is spending all his time following me around (whilst others in the forum are breaking rules and laws of th eland left, right and centre lol with impunity).

Anyways whatever, no particular harm done in this instance but seems strange when i can look at hundreds upon hundreds of threads right now that are CLEARLY in the wrong section or thread. So guess i'll take it as coincidence that my post has been micromanaged and moved.

Edited May 31, 2014 by manchesterpaul

[waiheke1]

 

I don't know how old you are, but it seems that you've never seen Zenon Plech in action at the Wick, or elsewhere.

Tbf, plech was one of the msin reasons I put "maybe."

I only saw him live twice, when he was well past his best, once at the 83 world finsl and the other a league match at htde rd in the early 80s and he was poor on both occasions.

I know he was genuine wotld class in tge 70s but havent seen enough footage ti know whether he was a racer in the gollob mould or a gater like hampel

[PHILIPRISING]

SHOULD always remember that in the early days of his career Zenon had to ride some pretty poor equipment.

[Terry]

SHOULD always remember that in the early days of his career Zenon had to ride some pretty poor equipment.

His equipment was certainly good when he re-signed for Hackney in 79.

 

He lowered the track record a few times and I remember him taking Ole Olsen from behind (an almost impossible task) twice one night, and of course he was runner up in the world final that year.

 

The clear second best Pole behind Tomasz in my opinion.

[iris123]

Jancarz was the clear second best imo.Think the record speaks for itself also.......Eddie's averages in GB were better than Zenons

 

01 JANCARZ Edward Wimbledon 1977 28 9.61

02 JANCARZ Edward Wimbledon 1979 18 9.26

03 JANCARZ Edward Wimbledon 1978 25 8.60

04 PLECH Zenon Hackney 1980 23 8.34

05 JANCARZ Edward Wimbledon 1980 20 8.10

06 JANCARZ Edward Wimbledon 1981 17 8.00

07 PLECH Zenon Hackney 1976 36 7.92

08 PLECH Zenon Hackney 1979 20 7.70

09 CIESLAK Marek White City 1977 34 7.15

10 PLECH Zenon Hackney 1975 4 7.11

[Terry]

I agree that Eddie scored more points than Zenon in the British League but Zenon was so much more exciting to watch.

 

He was more of a Gollob type of rider whereas Eddie was more Hampel, although I'm probably a bit bias!

[waiheke1]

Surely hampel ranks behind gollob as second best pole of all time?

[iris123]

Probably for most.Not for me.I am a Wimbledon fan,so biased i admit.I am also not a fan of Hampel.For me Eddies record in the Bl speaks for itself.Unlike Hampel or Plech he didn't get to ride regularly against the worlds best at an early stage,.He was almost 30 when he came over to Wimbledon.Who knows what he could have achieved if he was allowed the freedom of Hampel?Which leads to an even bigger question really that has nothing to do with this thread i guess......but what could Plechanov have achieved if he rode regularly in the BL?

 

Think you also have to take into account that over the past few years a large percentage of the GP series is run in Poland.Plech or Jancarz etc didn't have such a luxury.I'd say if this system was running in their day they both would have fared better whereas if Hampel was riding under the old system he might not have had so much success.Just opinion though

Edited June 2, 2014 by iris123