Cardiff 2022

[Humphrey Appleby]

23 hours ago, cinderfella said:

If London cannot support a league team as things stand (I know neither does Cardiff) surely the significant difference in accommodation costs etc would put doubt in holding a GP there?

Since when has Cardiff supported a league team?

I suspect a London GP would get the crowds, possibly more than Cardiff (although wouldn't be difficult if only 19,000 turned up this year), but the staging costs and lack of subsidy from the Welsh authorities (although Visit Wales no longer seems to be listed as a sponsor) probably wouldn't justify it. The Olympic Stadium is probably the only realistic option and that doesn't have a roof, so you're running the gauntlet of high staging costs with the possibility of cancellation. 

If you're having to spend a fortune to adapt a venue and build a track, then you need the certainty that the event is actually going to happen. 

[iris123]

7 hours ago, iainb said:

Where though? The options are Tottenham, Wembley, Olympic Stadium or the O2... Tottenham and Wembley are hardly in accessible areas, 

Oh come on. I mean nearly 80,000 women managed to find Wembley for the recent football game, and if they can get there with their famous bad sense of navigation then anyone can !!!!

I’ll get me coat, again 

Edited August 18, 2022 by iris123

[OveFundinFan]

2 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

The obvious issue is that F1 and MotoGP are held on tarmac circuits that don't require much preparation, don't change much from race-to-race and are also largely driveable/rideable when it rains. 

With the best will in the world, a speedway track takes much more preparation and can only take so much pounding before it needs significant reconstitution work. I daresay different events could be held on different days, or even with enough time in-between, but it all adds to the costs and is it really going to pull significantly more fans to justify this? 

I did not mention holding SGP and SGP2 on the same day, and my eyes are still clear enough to realise MoroGP and F1 are raced on tarmac. However, there was a series of meetings night after night at Vojens and the track held up, so surely two meetings over two days, on well prepared tracks can cope. That’s proven. Also proven is you cannot do that on a poorly prepared track.

[SPEEDY69]

52 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Oh come on. I mean nearly 80,000 women managed to find Wembley for the recent football game, and if they can get their with their famous bad sense of navigation then anyone can !!!!

I’ll get me coat, again 

To get 80k there must have been some serious promotion - but again Wembley is not in the best of areas, a bit like the NSS.  Now Tottenham stadium I was impressed with when I went there to see GnR. 

[longmeadow]

Having reflected on the whole cardiff 2022 experience im amazed at some of the comments on this forum. No we are not going to tottenham or the o2 as they are premier league clubs who do not want there ground digging up for a one off motorcycle event. I attended wembley three times and yes 1981 was iconic but the track in 75 and 78 was awful. Built around the football pitch where riders didnt know whether to turn left or right and was an absolute dust bowl. Yes there maybe of only been 19000 on saturday but please explain how that amount of fans get into the nss. There is no infrastructer at belle vue. Its miles from the city centre and very little to do before the meeting to make a day of the premier event in british speedway. Lots of things played a part in this years low attendance, fuel costs, train strikes etc but as a british speedway fan im proud to say i was there for my seventeenth gp to watch dan bewley produce a bit of magic. Also i dont remember bomber moaning about the track rutting up in 2007. Costs buy a cheap ticket mine was 22.50 and had a perfect view. Hotels forget it student accomadation en suite 30 pound a night. Food and drink there are seven spoons in cardiff . Doom bar 2.49. I work in a four star hotel. We charge 4.90. Shop around . Cardiff is here to stay and thank god because it is the best weekend of sport if people would only stop knocking it. One down side . Why could we only find one british reserve on sunday. Poor effort.

 

[Ovalman]

There was a great pass near the end when the water tractor overtook the grading tractor. In the Star today" expecting riders to perform to the best of their abilities on that track was like asking the Bake Off finalists to produce a cake without any flour or sugar."A large number of big stones were found on the surface.

[customhouseregular]

5 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Since when has Cardiff supported a league team?

I suspect a London GP would get the crowds, possibly more than Cardiff (although wouldn't be difficult if only 19,000 turned up this year), but the staging costs and lack of subsidy from the Welsh authorities (although Visit Wales no longer seems to be listed as a sponsor) probably wouldn't justify it. The Olympic Stadium is probably the only realistic option and that doesn't have a roof, so you're running the gauntlet of high staging costs with the possibility of cancellation. 

If you're having to spend a fortune to adapt a venue and build a track, then you need the certainty that the event is actually going to happen. 

How many GP venues used since 1995 have a roof?. How many WF venues had a roof?. How many World Championship events over the decades were staged in stadia with a roof? Too much emphasis is placed on having a stadium with a roof. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Humphrey Appleby]

2 minutes ago, customhouseregular said:

How many GP venues used since 1995 have a roof?. How many WF venues had a roof?. How many World Championship events over the decades were staged in stadia with a roof? Too much emphasis is placed on having a stadium with a roof. Just my opinion of course.

 

If they have permanent tracks then their overheads will be substantial lower so it'll be easier to take the financial hit on any postponement/cancellation. Whether it's staged by a third party promoter will also have a bearing as they'll take the hit. 

[Humphrey Appleby]

2 hours ago, SPEEDY69 said:

To get 80k there must have been some serious promotion - but again Wembley is not in the best of areas, a bit like the NSS.

Neither is the London Olympic Stadium in the best of areas, but there's not a chance it'll be held at Wembley. Quite aside from the cost of renting a stadium (reputedly 500-750k per day + 10% of gate receipts + costs) that would never be filled, it would be a squeeze to get a track in without substantial and expensive modifications. 

It's also why there's never been an athletics event held there. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Humphrey Appleby

[Humphrey Appleby]

3 hours ago, OveFundinFan said:

However, there was a series of meetings night after night at Vojens and the track held up

Yes, but Vojens is a permanent track so has a better chance. I don't think any of it is insurmountable with sufficient effort, but it undoubtedly comes down to cost at the end of the day. 

[iris123]

11 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Neither is the London Olympic Stadium in the best of areas, but there's not a chance it'll be held at Wembley. Quite aside from the cost of renting a stadium (reputedly 500-750k per day + 10% of gate receipts + costs) that would never be filled, it would be a squeeze to get a track in without substantial and expensive modifications. 

It's also why there's never been an athletics event held there. 

 

[R87]

58 minutes ago, longmeadow said:

Having reflected on the whole cardiff 2022 experience im amazed at some of the comments on this forum. No we are not going to tottenham or the o2 as they are premier league clubs who do not want there ground digging up for a one off motorcycle event. I attended wembley three times and yes 1981 was iconic but the track in 75 and 78 was awful. Built around the football pitch where riders didnt know whether to turn left or right and was an absolute dust bowl. Yes there maybe of only been 19000 on saturday but please explain how that amount of fans get into the nss. There is no infrastructer at belle vue. Its miles from the city centre and very little to do before the meeting to make a day of the premier event in british speedway. Lots of things played a part in this years low attendance, fuel costs, train strikes etc but as a british speedway fan im proud to say i was there for my seventeenth gp to watch dan bewley produce a bit of magic. Also i dont remember bomber moaning about the track rutting up in 2007. Costs buy a cheap ticket mine was 22.50 and had a perfect view. Hotels forget it student accomadation en suite 30 pound a night. Food and drink there are seven spoons in cardiff . Doom bar 2.49. I work in a four star hotel. We charge 4.90. Shop around . Cardiff is here to stay and thank god because it is the best weekend of sport if people would only stop knocking it. One down side . Why could we only find one british reserve on sunday. Poor effort.

 

Increasingly baffled as to why so many on here are so desperate to defend their precious Cardiff that they'll rubbish everything about Belle Vue  - 1 of the best things to happen to British Speedway in the last twenty years

[longmeadow]

At what point point did i rubbish belle vue. It doesnt have the capacity to hold 20000 fact.

 

 

[R87]

4 minutes ago, longmeadow said:

At what point point did i rubbish belle vue. It doesnt have the capacity to hold 20000 fact.

 

 

There is no infrastructer at belle vue. Its miles from the city centre and very little to do before the meeting to make a day of the premier event in british speedway.

I'd call that rubbishing it.  None of the above is relevant.  Speedway is about RACING.  Belle Vue provides it by the bucketful.  Cardiff hasn't produced a single decent moment in 20 stagings.  End of story.

[chris4gillian]

Update on Tai, taken from Speedway UK page on FB...

UPDATE ON TAI WOFFINDEN

'Tai Woffinden has undergone comprehensive cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary exercise tests.They were carried out at the University Teaching Hospital and the Military Teaching Hospital in Wrocław. All the conducted studies didn't reveal any abberations from the norm. Therefore, there are no contraindications for the rider to participate in training sessions and the Sunday league match' – Mirosław Gibek, the club doctor of Sparta Wrocław.

[SPEEDY69]

1 hour ago, R87 said:

There is no infrastructer at belle vue. Its miles from the city centre and very little to do before the meeting to make a day of the premier event in british speedway.

I'd call that rubbishing it.  None of the above is relevant.  Speedway is about RACING.  Belle Vue provides it by the bucketful.  Cardiff hasn't produced a single decent moment in 20 stagings.  End of story.

Sorry but I agree with OP,  it is wholly relevant. It is the experience.  Tension and exciting speedway is not all about the fastest guy missing the start. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by SPEEDY69

[chunky]

4 hours ago, R87 said:

Cardiff hasn't produced a single decent moment in 20 stagings.

What a sad person you are...

Dan Bewley winning wasn't a "decent moment"? Chris Harris' win in the final wasn't a "decent moment"? Rickardsson's incredible ride in 2005 wasn't a "decent moment"?

If speedway really was "all about the racing", then you have absolutely no reason to follow the sport, although it's obvious you don't know a decent moment when you see one...

Edited August 19, 2022 by chunky

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

8 hours ago, SPEEDY69 said:

To get 80k there must have been some serious promotion - but again Wembley is not in the best of areas, a bit like the NSS.  Now Tottenham stadium I was impressed with when I went there to see GnR. 

I was impressed by that stadium too but the area surrounding the stadium was very dodgy, still amazed we had a car to come back too and we were able to walk back to it without being mugged 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

5 hours ago, R87 said:

Increasingly baffled as to why so many on here are so desperate to defend their precious Cardiff that they'll rubbish everything about Belle Vue  - 1 of the best things to happen to British Speedway in the last twenty years

I’ve said it before but track apart I find belle vue NSS very underwhelming but it is one of the best things to happen to British speedway in the last 20 years, I’ve only been there as a fan twice since it opened as it doesn’t make me want to go there, I’ve been there about 6 times working and on 2 of those occasions I finished the job and went home instead of staying for the meeting, I just find the place has no soul, the racing is great there but for me it must have that something and I don’t think it does, would I go to a GP there ? No I don’t think so, I didn’t go to the SON meetings there and I usually go to that sort of meeting, I preferred the dog track next door tbh but maybe that is because I used to enjoy the belle vue v wolves meetings there and later on I loved riding it but that’s rose tinted glasses I suppose, this is the first year I didn’t go to cardiff and although I kind of missed the day meeting friends I’m so glad I didn’t pay to watch that, it was awful and watching on tv I was bored, great win for Dan bewley but I don’t think even he realises that his win has probably saved Cardiff’s life as a speedway venue because up to that moment the end was nigh, Phil morris was in Birmingham yesterday , was he checking out a new venue ? 

Edited August 19, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Moonfish]

I've seen a few comments along the lines of Bewley's win having saved Cardiff. I agree it saved the occasion this year, but I wonder if it will work for or against the event next year?

Yes, some will return to see if he (or another Brit) can win it again, but I expect for others they no longer have the fear of missing out on a British win having seen it this year so perhaps psychologically easier to take a break from it next year?

Edited August 19, 2022 by Moonfish