Cardiff 2022

[WembleyLion]

11 minutes ago, eric i said:

They have a supercross event on October 8th.

They could have staged that last night! :)

[speedwaysliders]

Just a few question from me from anyone who went to this event,is

1- watching on TV we get zero info who is grading the track after every 4 heats,is their a track team mentioned in the program who they are?

2- Again zero info on tv who gets the gig at the tapes?How is he chosen ? Is he considered to be the best start marchall around?

3- I think the ref was mentioned,but any clue in the program of who he is,and whats he done in speedway?.

4-Track machinery and shale,is it the best around?

Maybe all these questions people arnt really interested apart from me.but surely Kelvin and the team can find the info rather then tell us 100 times what info is stored in their brains.

[fullbore]

4 hours ago, R87 said:

Manchester is a modern, vibrant city with a superb race track. 

Have they finished rebuilding the city centre? Last time we were thereit was a demolition site and Arndale was run down and decrepid with only about 50% occupancy.

Cardiff is a much nicer city centre.

Then the stadium itself. Asides from a good track it has nothing to reccommend it for large international events: the catering and hosptiality are not sufficient to handle anything more that a league match crowd and it's miles out in the middle of suburbia with virtually no hospitalitynearby  so one needs to get back to the city centre and there is only an evening bus service that is incapable of handling a full capacity crowd.

Edited August 14, 2022 by fullbore
Typo

[P T Preece]

45 minutes 4 races.

[P T Preece]

Who does kemp think he is, dump your bike and walk off, tithead.

[Charlieboy]

27 minutes ago, P T Preece said:

45 minutes 4 races.

The tractors have done more laps than the bikes. Track grade every 2 races

[Elmo]

36 minutes ago, speedwaysliders said:

Just a few question from me from anyone who went to this event,is

1- watching on TV we get zero info who is grading the track after every 4 heats,is their a track team mentioned in the program who they are?

2- Again zero info on tv who gets the gig at the tapes?How is he chosen ? Is he considered to be the best start marchall around?

3- I think the ref was mentioned,but any clue in the program of who he is,and whats he done in speedway?.

4-Track machinery and shale,is it the best around?

Maybe all these questions people arnt really interested apart from me.but surely Kelvin and the team can find the info rather then tell us 100 times what info is stored in their brains.

Start Marshal is James from Leicester and they have around 12 in total working this weekend.

[RebelDan]

A truly dreadful meeting of follow the leader on a crap track. I took two newbies to their first meeting and was royally embarrassed. The Bewley win saved the show - well done Dan.

I don’t buy all the razzmatazz of “yeah but it’s Cardiff”, first and foremost the racing has to be right,  and time and time again we’ve seen if you give these boys a decent track they will put on a spectacular show. The organisers really need to sort this out as it’s been happening far too long - sort the bloody GP tracks out. The crowd looked at least 10,000 down on the  usual Cardiff crowd which was a shame. 

[IpswichDave]

36 minutes ago, speedwaysliders said:

Just a few question from me from anyone who went to this event,is

1- watching on TV we get zero info who is grading the track after every 4 heats,is their a track team mentioned in the program who they are?

2- Again zero info on tv who gets the gig at the tapes?How is he chosen ? Is he considered to be the best start marchall around?

3- I think the ref was mentioned,but any clue in the program of who he is,and whats he done in speedway?.

4-Track machinery and shale,is it the best around?

Maybe all these questions people arnt really interested apart from me.but surely Kelvin and the team can find the info rather then tell us 100 times what info is stored in their brains.

Ref in programme Jesper Steentoft (Den) 

[fullbore]

15 hours ago, Turnip said:

the fiasco of the British Final that I attended.

Now where was that again?

[racers and royals]

45 minutes ago, speedwaysliders said:

Just a few question from me from anyone who went to this event,is

1- watching on TV we get zero info who is grading the track after every 4 heats,is their a track team mentioned in the program who they are?

2- Again zero info on tv who gets the gig at the tapes?How is he chosen ? Is he considered to be the best start marchall around?

3- I think the ref was mentioned,but any clue in the program of who he is,and whats he done in speedway?.

4-Track machinery and shale,is it the best around?

Maybe all these questions people arnt really interested apart from me.but surely Kelvin and the team can find the info rather then tell us 100 times what info is stored in their brains.

The answer to question 1 is Ole Olsen and his Speedsport company crew- they have had the contract for building and maintaining the temporary tracks for many years 

3 is Jesper Steentoft a Dane who has been a FIM referee for quite a few years now.

Edited August 14, 2022 by racers and royals

[IainB]

10 minutes ago, Elmo said:

Start Marshal is James from Leicester and they have around 12 in total working this weekend.

Why wasn't he wearing his Lions top 

[Charlieboy]

2 hours ago, HGould said:

Roof shut to stop track drying out and to get air con to woek

Well we could feel no air con on first bend everyone was sat in their own sweat for nearly 4 hours

[speedwaysliders]

19 minutes ago, racers and royals said:

The answer to question 1 is Ole Olsen and his Speedsport company crew- they have had the contract for building and maintaining the temporary tracks for many years 

3 is Jesper Steentoft a Dane who has been a FIM referee for quite a few years now.

many thanks

[Mdh1664]

We were sat bend 2, top.

In a very humid stadium with temp of 30+ outside, was shocked at the complete failure at the bar/refreshment areas.

Only two bars open, with massive queues, most people missing 4 races, to get a drink.

Questions must be asked ?

 

[Moonfish]

We've always sat somewhere in the banking on turns 1 & 2 (i.e the upper tier where its two tiers only) but I must say it felt incredibly cramped in there last night, not sure if it was the lack of leg space, the heat, the duration of the meeting or envy of the rest of the stadium where the crowd appeared far more sparse.

Can anyone whose sat there and other places in the stadium let me know whether there is more room elsewhere? I'm tempted to move for next year to one of the other three stands as I'm assuming as they aren't so steep they may have more leg room?

[Gaz]

10 minutes ago, Moonfish said:

We've always sat somewhere in the banking on turns 1 & 2 (i.e the upper tier where its two tiers only) but I must say it felt incredibly cramped in there last night, not sure if it was the lack of leg space, the heat, the duration of the meeting or envy of the rest of the stadium where the crowd appeared far more sparse.

Can anyone whose sat there and other places in the stadium let me know whether there is more room elsewhere? I'm tempted to move for next year to one of the other three stands as I'm assuming as they aren't so steep they may have more leg room?

We bought tickets in between 3rd and 4th tier. Tickets only £20 and can just sit wherever really nearer back as always tons of space.

[Dodger Blue]

27 minutes ago, Charlieboy said:

Well we could feel no air con on first bend everyone was sat in their own sweat for nearly 4 hours

Second bend .... Sweat box !!!

Definitely the most uncomfortable I have ever been in a sports stadium.

Also had the joy in paddling in spilt drinks !!

[Elmo]

59 minutes ago, iainb said:

Why wasn't he wearing his Lions top 

He won’t sweat enough in it lol

[bigcatdiary]

24 minutes ago, Dodger Blue said:

Second bend .... Sweat box !!!

Definitely the most uncomfortable I have ever been in a sports stadium.

Also had the joy in paddling in spilt drinks !!

Well that’s 19 out of 20 Cardiff GP,s I have attended and yesterdays was easily the worst one so far, the track was dreadful, Ole Olsen was an excellent rider and World Champion but if that’s the best he can do track wise then they need to find someone else.

This is the bloke who owns and runs Vojens, another crap track that produces little if any racing other than the gate and go variety.

The heat inside as Dodger says was uncomfortably throughout and got worse as the second half of the meeting was dragged out after countless tractor grading amid repairs to the bends, it got a bit tedious if I am honest.

What saved it from being a complete disaster was a Dan Bewley win, which was warmly appreciated and applauded.

The attendance was markedly less that I have seen before and I would say about a third less than recent events in 2018 and 2019, after this borefest I am seriously considering if the expense of Cardiff is really worth it., and judging by the crowd I am clearly not the only one.

I spoke to Paul Bellamy early Saturday morning and stated I hoped we had a good GP, unfortunately it wasn’t although I accept the weather wasn’t something the organisers could do much about.