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Warsaw Gp Saturday 18th April


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The Racing is the reason people attend - nothing else.

 

It's quite clear what he meant. He underlined it and put it in italics.

 

He is wrong.

 

The 'racing' is on offer at every single speedway meeting there is.. so clearly that isn't the reason why more people attend one event over another.

 

He used the argument in an attempt to justify moving away from temporary tracks.. ignoring the fact that the attendances for meetings held at temporary tracks quite clearly show that the 'track' isn't the primary concern of the paying public.

 

It's really not even a debate.

 

Next we'll get that old myth that 'great racing' is what brings the crowds in... followed by how 'great' the racing in the PL is... oblivious to the fact that there isn't something quite right there....

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The ship that reportedly transported the shale from King's Lynn to Gdansk does not appear to have docked at either port in the 2 or 3 weeks preceding the GP. One therefore wonders whether it was delivered earlier and sat somewhere, which of course would then not explain why there appears to be have been a delay in starting work on the track. Maybe something went wrong with the storage, and some local shale had to be found in a hurry?Even if the shale was shipped just before the GP, I can't see that transporting it a damp maritime environment is ideal.

I find the shale story very difficult to believe. Admittedly there is a big difference between ELracing and GPs but EL clubs struggle with even the cost of transport so are we to belive that they can barely afford to hire the stadium for a week to get a decent track laid but can afford all these shipping costs every GP in addition to a complete track load of shale (as opposed to the EL simply toping up, and then they chuck the whole lot away afterwards? I find that very difficult to believe.

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Admittedly there is a big difference between ELracing and GPs but EL clubs struggle with even the cost of transport so are we to belive that they can barely afford to hire the stadium for a week to get a decent track laid but can afford all these shipping costs every GP in addition to a complete track load of shale (as opposed to the EL simply toping up, and then they chuck the whole lot away afterwards? I find that very difficult to believe.

Isn't the official story that the same shale does several temporary circuits during the season? I suppose being the first GP of the season, it could have been brought straight from Britain, but you do have to question how cost effective that can be. Surely Poland must have suitable sources of shale as well?

 

However, even if the shale is re-used, bits of the story as reported don't add up, and not for the first time either.

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Important detail you'll never get to know!! I'm sure Phil knows the answer though!

NOT quite sure what detail you are referring to. The material used at Warsaw was indeed sourced in the UK, the same as is used at Cardiff, Copenhagen and Stockholm, and transported from Kings Lynn to Gdansk. The cost is around £250,000. the material is stored for future use.

 

Humphrey has made reference to the ship used to transport the material to Poland as the ghost ship because there is no reference of it docking in Gdansk. I'm not sure that the name of the ship was ever officially revealed but I will enquire as to when whatever ship was used arrived in Gdansk.

 

The material last used in Copenhagen has been in storage and will be used in Horsens.

 

The material used in Cardiff last year was new and has been in storage in a facility nearby where it is being regularly monitored for its moisture content. Some moisture is, of course, vital. If the material was bone dry (which would be relatively easy to achieve) it would not bind. When you walk on temporary tracks they have a very tacky feel and are a little springy, like a trampoline which provides the grip that speedway bikes require.

Edited by PHILIPRISING
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NO it doesn't... what many of us are trying to point out that because of the venue and the whole package the British GP draws a far bigger crowd (more than double the last World Final held in the UK) than it would at any regular speedway track you care to mention.

That's being slightly disingenuous because other than Wembley, Bradford was probably the largest capacity stadium that could stage speedway at the time. It could only hold less 25,000 though, but it must have been near to capacity for the 1990 World Final.

 

I think few would disagree that 'big' city venues are more attractive for the casual spectator (even if Bradford is actually a much bigger city than Cardiff), but there's still only so many times you can let people down, as with Gothenburg which died a slow death after the 2003 fiasco. In fact, screwing-up at these venues does far more damage than if it happened out in a field in front of a few thousand diehards.

Edited by Humphrey Appleby
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Isn't the official story that the same shale does several temporary circuits during the season? I suppose being the first GP of the season, it could have been brought straight from Britain, but you do have to question how cost effective that can be. Surely Poland must have suitable sources of shale as well?

 

However, even if the shale is re-used, bits of the story as reported don't add up, and not for the first time either.

NO, each venue has its own supply. The material is a blend which Olsen has specified after a lot of work with some labs in Denmark. At one stage, before the first GP in New Zealand, BSI were even contemplating shipping the material from the UK to Auckland. But after several trips to NZ and trials with various local mixes he came across a blend that worked.

 

Which bits of the story don't add up?

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Humphrey has made reference to the ship used to transport the material to Poland as the ghost ship because there is no reference of it docking in Gdansk. I'm not sure that the name of the ship was ever officially revealed but I will enquire as to when whatever ship was used arrived in Gdansk.

Well the Polish media apparently named it as the 'Celtic Warrior', which was reported earlier in this thread.

At one stage, before the first GP in New Zealand, BSI were even contemplating shipping the material from the UK to Auckland. But after several trips to NZ and trials with various local mixes he came across a blend that worked.

I suspect an alternative version of the story is that Bill Buckley balked at being asked to cough up £250K (presumably excluding the costs to ship it halfway around the world), when there were perfectly good sources of shale in New Zealand.

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Just watched the gp again and while the track wasn't great it was by no means anywhere near as bad as Cardiff most years. A few ruts here and there but not as bad as I thought it was watching it on the night. I repeat what others have said this wouldn't have been called off if the hadn't have been a problem with the starting gate. Also the ref was worse than I remember as well

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Warsaw was a billiard table compared to the track one sport have served up at Esbjerg. I hope heads roll over this fiasco

Was saying the same during the meeting to my dad. Tonight track has put a rider in hospital too.Yet Puk and Nicki told us it was fine!

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It was a Swede in hospital - why would NKI and Pedersen be concerned??

Point is though, that track was much more rutted than Warsaw, as are lots of other tracks, yet there was no hint that it should be aborted, even in the teeming rain, until virtually the end. Why then could a challenge match on a horrendous track get through yet a GP on a much better track couldnt

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Point is though, that track was much more rutted than Warsaw, as are lots of other tracks, yet there was no hint that it should be aborted, even in the teeming rain, until virtually the end. Why then could a challenge match on a horrendous track get through yet a GP on a much better track couldn't

 

You do what the Mafioso One Sport tell you to do and we'll promise you great riches once we get control of the World Championship!

 

The reality I suspect will be very different.

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You do what the Mafioso One Sport tell you to do and we'll promise you great riches once we get control of the World Championship!

 

The reality I suspect will be very different.

Do you have proof of that BW?

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CANNOT defend the indefensible ln his occasion but need to calm down before making any further comment other than heads must surely roll now given that lessons we were promised would be learned quite plainly have not.

Its been a while since this statement was made but in the passing 3 weeks the indefensible has been tried to be defended by all parties involved and it looks very much like if we can get to Tampere then no heads will roll and it will be business as usual
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Its been a while since this statement was made but in the passing 3 weeks the indefensible has been tried to be defended by all parties involved and it looks very much like if we can get to Tampere then no heads will roll and it will be business as usual

Fair point.

 

Nothing will change - as per usual.

 

All anyone is interested in is covering their backs.

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