PolskiZuzel Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 The soap opera called „Speedway Grand Prix in Russia” is likely to have a new episode. Speedway venue in Togliati has been ready to organize the GP tournament, for years, but the BSI was not. It looks as though they have finally arrived at their senses. Talks about the SGP event in Russia have been going on for years. Russian promotors want to organize speedway with the best riders in the world. Russian fans want to see them in action on their home soil. How great is the demand for this type of event, was in evidence during last year SEC event in Togliati. Head of speedway in Togliatti, a longtime vice president of the local speedway club Mega-Lada, Alexei Stepanov is a man who over the years was engaged in talks with BSI. They (the BSI) were very categorical. They agreed to see us because we asked them to do so. Unfortunately, they did not accept our proposals. The situation mentioned by Stepanov took place in July 2011, during the SWC final in Gorzow .The talks lasted for some time afterwards and finally were broken. They said that if we wanted the Grand Prix in Russia, we had to put at their disposal two planes, pay unimaginable amounts of money and things like that- said the Russian promoter. After last year SEC event organized by us in Togliatti the attitude towards us from the BSI people has noticeably changed - he added. After the European Championship tournament they have probably realized that no planes are needed, that after all we can be reached by road.The most famous speedway riders came to compete on our track and I did not hear any complaints- said the Russian. The broken talks are to be resumed in late May, at the Grand Prix in Prague. We have received an invitation from the BSI to continue our talks about the organization of one of their tournaments.On the 31st of May we're flying to Prague. How it will end? I'm not really able to predict - said Alexei Stepanov. source: sportowefakty.pl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 The soap opera called Speedway Grand Prix in Russia is likely to have a new episode. Speedway venue in Togliati has been ready to organize the GP tournament, for years, but the BSI was not. It looks as though they have finally arrived at their senses. Talks about the SGP event in Russia have been going on for years. Russian promotors want to organize speedway with the best riders in the world. Russian fans want to see them in action on their home soil. How great is the demand for this type of event, was in evidence during last year SEC event in Togliati. Head of speedway in Togliatti, a longtime vice president of the local speedway club Mega-Lada, Alexei Stepanov is a man who over the years was engaged in talks with BSI. They (the BSI) were very categorical. They agreed to see us because we asked them to do so. Unfortunately, they did not accept our proposals. The situation mentioned by Stepanov took place in July 2011, during the SWC final in Gorzow .The talks lasted for some time afterwards and finally were broken. They said that if we wanted the Grand Prix in Russia, we had to put at their disposal two planes, pay unimaginable amounts of money and things like that- said the Russian promoter. After last year SEC event organized by us in Togliatti the attitude towards us from the BSI people has noticeably changed - he added. After the European Championship tournament they have probably realized that no planes are needed, that after all we can be reached by road.The most famous speedway riders came to compete on our track and I did not hear any complaints- said the Russian. The broken talks are to be resumed in late May, at the Grand Prix in Prague. We have received an invitation from the BSI to continue our talks about the organization of one of their tournaments.On the 31st of May we're flying to Prague. How it will end? I'm not really able to predict - said Alexei Stepanov. source: sportowefakty.pl More one sport propaganda. Yawn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryW Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 More one sport propaganda. Yawn.Do you really think this is OneSport propaganda? IMG have long been interested in hosting a GP in Russia so it isn't a surprise that they would invite the Togliatti representatives back for further talks, especially now that the Poles are starting to question the value that they are getting from their 3 rounds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theknow 2 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 The soap opera called „Speedway Grand Prix in Russia” is likely to have a new episode. Speedway venue in Togliati has been ready to organize the GP tournament, for years, but the BSI was not. It looks as though they have finally arrived at their senses. Talks about the SGP event in Russia have been going on for years. Russian promotors want to organize speedway with the best riders in the world. Russian fans want to see them in action on their home soil. How great is the demand for this type of event, was in evidence during last year SEC event in Togliati. Head of speedway in Togliatti, a longtime vice president of the local speedway club Mega-Lada, Alexei Stepanov is a man who over the years was engaged in talks with BSI. They (the BSI) were very categorical. They agreed to see us because we asked them to do so. Unfortunately, they did not accept our proposals. The situation mentioned by Stepanov took place in July 2011, during the SWC final in Gorzow .The talks lasted for some time afterwards and finally were broken. They said that if we wanted the Grand Prix in Russia, we had to put at their disposal two planes, pay unimaginable amounts of money and things like that- said the Russian promoter. After last year SEC event organized by us in Togliatti the attitude towards us from the BSI people has noticeably changed - he added. After the European Championship tournament they have probably realized that no planes are needed, that after all we can be reached by road.The most famous speedway riders came to compete on our track and I did not hear any complaints- said the Russian. The broken talks are to be resumed in late May, at the Grand Prix in Prague. We have received an invitation from the BSI to continue our talks about the organization of one of their tournaments.On the 31st of May we're flying to Prague. How it will end? I'm not really able to predict - said Alexei Stepanov. source: sportowefakty.pl From what i remember watching this the crowd was very poor and the track not that good. Maybe BSI would be better off staying clear of this place even more so with what is happening over there at the moment. Let SEC have the dregs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiegal Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Togliatti is 800 hundred miles away from the Ukraine...same as comparing say Rome & London......My contacts out there..(we are taking a Tour to SEC this year)...assure me that a GP would be a 100% sell out in days....I have not been there but have visited Russia many times..a fascinating place...Moscow is totally divorced in style & content than any other part of this massive Country...Once described by Churchill as a mystery within an enigma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theknow 2 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Why was the SEC not a sell out then ? Good line up. I would not wish to or spend money in any country which carrys out the type of thing they are doing to the UKRAINE !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 From what i remember watching this the crowd was very poor and the track not that good. Whilst the event wasn't quite a sell out, judging by this image http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/X714NmgeXMc/maxresdefault.jpg, it wasn't far off, and given the crowds we've seen in the GP so far, certainly not what I'd describe as very poor! Agree about your previous comments regarding the track though, I seem to remember the flat track leading to processional racing. A shame that they invested heavily in the stadium and then designed a track that isn't conducive to exciting racing. A nice stadium with a crap track. Sound familiar?! JT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Whilst the event wasn't quite a sell out, judging by this image http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/X714NmgeXMc/maxresdefault.jpg, it wasn't far off, and given the crowds we've seen in the GP so far, certainly not what I'd describe as very poor! Agree about your previous comments regarding the track though, I seem to remember the flat track leading to processional racing. A shame that they invested heavily in the stadium and then designed a track that isn't conducive to exciting racing. A nice stadium with a crap track. Sound familiar?! JT. ONE report suggested admission prices were about £3 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) ONE report suggested admission prices were about £3 ... Sounds cheap, Phil, but a quick Google search shows you the the average monthly salary in Togliatti is around £275 per month (that's just £3,300 per annum) (source; http://www.leaderproject.com/togliatti-russia.html). As an estimate, let's say a worker does 160 hours per month, that equates to an average hourly wage of £1.72, making a ticket around one and three quarter hours salary. Given the above report says the city is comparable to Toronto in living costs, I'd suggest a £3 outlay for speedway would be quite a big decision for your average working class Russian. Maybe such commercial considerations are why the Speedway GP hasn't gone to Russia yet? The ticket margins are just far too small/non existent. JT. Edited May 19, 2014 by JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 CHATTING to some Polish mechanics over the weekend. They told me that a decent monthly wage in Poland for an average worker (shop assistant, something like that) would be around 600/900 zlotys. That's less than £300. A mechanic for a GP rider would expect a minimum of 4,000 zlotys. Maybe not a fortune but easy to see why there are so many Polish mechanics in the SGP pit lane. One added that a GP rider would probably spend around £6,000 per month on his team which, of course, would also cover costs in Polish and Swedish leagues and maybe Denmark and GB, too. Of course, the top boys will probably cover that in one meeting. Some stories floating around that Gollob's signing-on fee for Torun was in range of the one million euro mark! NO wonder he is still riding... When you consider that riders are paying over £800 for a carburettor, wages seem quite cheap by comparison. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 CHATTING to some Polish mechanics over the weekend. They told me that a decent monthly wage in Poland for an average worker (shop assistant, something like that) would be around 600/900 zlotys. That's less than £300. A mechanic for a GP rider would expect a minimum of 4,000 zlotys. Maybe not a fortune but easy to see why there are so many Polish mechanics in the SGP pit lane. One added that a GP rider would probably spend around £6,000 per month on his team which, of course, would also cover costs in Polish and Swedish leagues and maybe Denmark and GB, too. Of course, the top boys will probably cover that in one meeting. Some stories floating around that Gollob's signing-on fee for Torun was in range of the one million euro mark! NO wonder he is still riding... When you consider that riders are paying over £800 for a carburettor, wages seem quite cheap by comparison. Cheers, Phil, very Interesting reading. Surely such costs are unsustainable already, let alone in the long run? If a decent monthly wage in Poland is £300, or less than £2 an hour, is it any surprise the crowd was so poor at Bydgoszcz, when the cheapest ticket was over £12? Then again the GP's at Torun and Gorzow tend to attract big crowds, so maybe it's just that area of Poland struggling. Off topic here, but personally I would prefer to say packed stadiums. Then again it's not my money at stake and I understand BSI are a commercial entity. Maybe the organisers see more of a benefit in die hard's attending at a higher profit margin per ticket, than speculating on getting a full stadium with cheaper tickets? It's also difficult to calculate whether lowering ticket prices would have any effect whatsoever. JT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theknow 2 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 ONE report suggested admission prices were about £3 ... If i ever went then i could pay for and have the whole front stand to myself Sounds cheap, Phil, but a quick Google search shows you the the average monthly salary in Togliatti is around £275 per month (that's just £3,300 per annum) (source; http://www.leaderproject.com/togliatti-russia.html). As an estimate, let's say a worker does 160 hours per month, that equates to an average hourly wage of £1.72, making a ticket around one and three quarter hours salary. Given the above report says the city is comparable to Toronto in living costs, I'd suggest a £3 outlay for speedway would be quite a big decision for your average working class Russian. Maybe such commercial considerations are why the Speedway GP hasn't gone to Russia yet? The ticket margins are just far too small/non existent. JT. Dont think i would want a job there then As you say a full house will bring in a very small margin. CHATTING to some Polish mechanics over the weekend. They told me that a decent monthly wage in Poland for an average worker (shop assistant, something like that) would be around 600/900 zlotys. That's less than £300. A mechanic for a GP rider would expect a minimum of 4,000 zlotys. Maybe not a fortune but easy to see why there are so many Polish mechanics in the SGP pit lane. One added that a GP rider would probably spend around £6,000 per month on his team which, of course, would also cover costs in Polish and Swedish leagues and maybe Denmark and GB, too. Of course, the top boys will probably cover that in one meeting. Some stories floating around that Gollob's signing-on fee for Torun was in range of the one million euro mark! NO wonder he is still riding... When you consider that riders are paying over £800 for a carburettor, wages seem quite cheap by comparison. Is there any Polish shop assistants or such still there ? thought they were all in the UK ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 If i ever went then i could pay for and have the whole front stand to myself Dont think i would want a job there then As you say a full house will bring in a very small margin. Is there any Polish shop assistants or such still there ? thought they were all in the UK ? CAREFUL Andy, you can get slung in jail for comments like that these days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theknow 2 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 CAREFUL Andy, you can get slung in jail for comments like that these days! You sure Phil ? Thought i was always very politically correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You sure Phil ? Thought i was always very politically correct JUST seen a couple of pigs flying past my window... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 IMG have long been interested in hosting a GP in Russia so it isn't a surprise that they would invite the Togliatti representatives back for further talks, especially now that the Poles are starting to question the value that they are getting from their 3 rounds.... The price demanded by BSI has obviously been the sticking point until now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 The price demanded by BSI has obviously been the sticking point until now. ANOTHER consideration was getting a multi-million pound TV truck to and from Togliatti without it being hijacked and stripped bare! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple.H. Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 ANOTHER consideration was getting a multi-million pound TV truck to and from Togliatti without it being hijacked and stripped bare! Surely our Russian friends could sort all the TV equipment etc at their end. IMO full stadiums would give BSI/IMG a greater chance of bringing in more sponsorship. Along of course with a decent track to provide decent racing. BSI/IMG bosses should be asking serious questions about the track in Finland and why such errors were made regarding the width of the bends and dont give me the restrictions of stadium size and use the promotors must have been virtually given carte blanche to build what they wanted otherwise why let them lay the track in november 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A ORLOV Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Surely our Russian friends could sort all the TV equipment etc at their end. IMO full stadiums would give BSI/IMG a greater chance of bringing in more sponsorship. Along of course with a decent track to provide decent racing. BSI/IMG bosses should be asking serious questions about the track in Finland and why such errors were made regarding the width of the bends and dont give me the restrictions of stadium size and use the promotors must have been virtually given carte blanche to build what they wanted otherwise why let them lay the track in november 2013. Re the track size and shape they should have been asking those questions before the event and not after. Who from any of these organisations is responsible for tracks they take on, or is it just who will pay the most money to hold it. Edited May 19, 2014 by A ORLOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryW Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 CHATTING to some Polish mechanics over the weekend. They told me that a decent monthly wage in Poland for an average worker (shop assistant, something like that) would be around 600/900 zlotys. That's less than £300.Currently the minimum monthly wage for a full time employee in Poland is 1,600PLN, so his information is either out of date, he is talking about part time workers or the employer is breaking the law 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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