Grand Prix Ticket Sales

[Neila]

Take on board the bus times, good information for other people to use,  but in the 1st SON 2016 ?  I ended up walking back to the city centre as the buses were full and going past the stop, or that many people were waiting to board a nearly full bus it was taking ages. The similar will happen this time imo

[AFCB Wildcat]

4 hours ago, ouch said:

 If you do fancy the 15-20 minute walk as has been the norm then there is loads of bars to choose from. 

One other advantage of Manchester is the nightlife following the event as this is at a different level to Cardiff. A short trip on public transport would have you in the heart of the city where, if you want you can party on until morning.

Just for clarity, are you referring to temporary bars at the fan zone when you say 15-20 minute walk? 

If you quoting 15-20minures for 0.7 miles to the fan zone in Cardiff, then it's over an hour to walk into Manchester for the city's bars and restaurants.

I think the point being missed here is that it's not just that people want to get beered up.

In Cardiff, the Speedway had a presence throughout the city on GP day. All the bars & restaurants full of fans from all over, street vendors selling merchandise on street corners etc. Speedway took over the City for the day and people enjoyed that celebration of Speedway with fellow fans.

With the limited capacity and distance to the stadium, I can't see that being recreated in Manchester city centre.

I've only been to one other GP venue other than Cardiff. We went to Prague, and yes, there were bars and restaurants galore, in a beautiful city, which we loved, but apart from one advertising poster & seeing Kelvin Tatum in an Irish bar, I would have had no idea that that Speedway was happening. At least the metro system made it easier to get to the stadium though. It lacked the atmosphere created in Cardiff and both myself & my wife (who isn't a fan, but always wanted to come to Cardiff) felt that it fell a bit flat compared to the Cardiff experience. 

 

 

[Pinny]

22 hours ago, PotteringAround said:

You don't make any sense.

The grandstand sold out in less than a day.   They can't bring any more people in beyond a full house.   If anything, the speed of the sales says the prices were too low.

It really doesn't mean the prices are too low.

You seem to think that just because things sell out quick at extortionate prices, they are priced right and not a rip off which doesn't make any sense to me.

There is a huge range of rip of prices for things in this world. There are huge waiting lists for watches that cost over 100,000 quid and nigh on impossible to get, do you really think any watch in the world is worth that much? What about the price of Oasis tickets, I am going twice and paid top whack but still feel ripped off.

Just because people pay the prices it doesn't mean they are not being ripped off.

[Pinny]

59 minutes ago, AFCB Wildcat said:

Just for clarity, are you referring to temporary bars at the fan zone when you say 15-20 minute walk? 

If you quoting 15-20minures for 0.7 miles to the fan zone in Cardiff, then it's over an hour to walk into Manchester for the city's bars and restaurants.

I think the point being missed here is that it's not just that people want to get beered up.

In Cardiff, the Speedway had a presence throughout the city on GP day. All the bars & restaurants full of fans from all over, street vendors selling merchandise on street corners etc. Speedway took over the City for the day and people enjoyed that celebration of Speedway with fellow fans.

With the limited capacity and distance to the stadium, I can't see that being recreated in Manchester city centre.

I've only been to one other GP venue other than Cardiff. We went to Prague, and yes, there were bars and restaurants galore, in a beautiful city, which we loved, but apart from one advertising poster & seeing Kelvin Tatum in an Irish bar, I would have had no idea that that Speedway was happening. At least the metro system made it easier to get to the stadium though. It lacked the atmosphere created in Cardiff and both myself & my wife (who isn't a fan, but always wanted to come to Cardiff) felt that it fell a bit flat compared to the Cardiff experience. 

 

 

Cardiff had to go because the crowds had dropped off so much. Speaking to my old man who went most years after Newport shut down, he reckons year on year the crowd got less and atmosphere in the City on the day wasn't what it was. I saw last years on TV and you could tell it was time to move on.

BV is still a decent place for it, the stadiums as good as you'll get for purpose built in the UK atm. If the impossible happens and crowds start picking up everywhere again then it would make sense to move it back to Cardiff I guess but I would say its done now.

Cardiff was perfect because you could literally walk out of the pub and straight into the stadium, and then the train station was a 5 minute walk from the stadium.

The only issue I have with the whole thing is the ticket prices and how a handful of fans are defending it. If Phil the ace had to pay those prices at Poole for a GP, what would he think then?

[proud panther]

I suspect that a lot of speedway fans are approaching the age where they start to consider their bucket list. I am personally, & this event is on mine. To be worrying about bus times to the stadium is a bit of a mystery to me. We will order a taxi to the stadium, & get one after the meeting to the city centre. 

[ouch]

5 hours ago, AFCB Wildcat said:

Just for clarity, are you referring to temporary bars at the fan zone when you say 15-20 minute walk? 

If you quoting 15-20minures for 0.7 miles to the fan zone in Cardiff, then it's over an hour to walk into Manchester for the city's bars and restaurants.

I think the point being missed here is that it's not just that people want to get beered up.

In Cardiff, the Speedway had a presence throughout the city on GP day. All the bars & restaurants full of fans from all over, street vendors selling merchandise on street corners etc. Speedway took over the City for the day and people enjoyed that celebration of Speedway with fellow fans.

With the limited capacity and distance to the stadium, I can't see that being recreated in Manchester city centre.

I've only been to one other GP venue other than Cardiff. We went to Prague, and yes, there were bars and restaurants galore, in a beautiful city, which we loved, but apart from one advertising poster & seeing Kelvin Tatum in an Irish bar, I would have had no idea that that Speedway was happening. At least the metro system made it easier to get to the stadium though. It lacked the atmosphere created in Cardiff and both myself & my wife (who isn't a fan, but always wanted to come to Cardiff) felt that it fell a bit flat compared to the Cardiff experience. 

 

 

Must admit that plenty of pubs have shut in the area around Gorton when checking. There is around 6-8 pubs but most are on the high end of 15-20mins away. If it took that long to walk then I’d be more likely to go into town and pub crawl there. 

There is plenty of open space nearby and a lot is owned by MCC who will want to see this a success. I can see this being used to house marquee pop up drinking areas along with the fanzone etc. 

The GP, even with Cardiff crowds of 25-35 thousand wouldn’t make a dent on the Manchester day/nightlife. There is just too much going on and it would need coordination on social media to ensure we met in the same location to create any kind of speedway vibe.

[IainB]

34 minutes ago, ouch said:

Must admit that plenty of pubs have shut in the area around Gorton when checking. There is around 6-8 pubs but most are on the high end of 15-20mins away. If it took that long to walk then I’d be more likely to go into town and pub crawl there. 

There is plenty of open space nearby and a lot is owned by MCC who will want to see this a success. I can see this being used to house marquee pop up drinking areas along with the fanzone etc. 

The GP, even with Cardiff crowds of 25-35 thousand wouldn’t make a dent on the Manchester day/nightlife. There is just too much going on and it would need coordination on social media to ensure we met in the same location to create any kind of speedway vibe.

MCC want to see it a success so much it's not even got a mention on their "What's on" section on their website

https://www.visitmanchester.com/whats-on/sporting-events/

If you want to get hammered and "socialise" then it's probably best to go to the local offy and then on to Crowcroft Park where you can while away the hours litter picking. 😂

[stevehone]

Going into the city after Belle Vue is totally different to Cardiff. Before and after the GP at Cardiff everywhere was surrounded by speedway supporters, you knew where a lot of friends and groups would be, with Manchester there won't be any 'set places' like Walkabout where it would get taken over on the Friday and Saturday nights, a lot of people won't even bother going into the city after BV, and those that do will be so spread out it will be totally diluted and not feel like there's a big event on.

Cardiff was the closest we had to a Polish GP around the city, but BV has the track.

Wroclaw and Warsaw you KNOW there's something going on with speedway, in Manchester you won't

[Fullmax]

17 hours ago, AFCB Wildcat said:

Just for clarity, are you referring to temporary bars at the fan zone when you say 15-20 minute walk? 

If you quoting 15-20minures for 0.7 miles to the fan zone in Cardiff, then it's over an hour to walk into Manchester for the city's bars and restaurants.

I think the point being missed here is that it's not just that people want to get beered up.

In Cardiff, the Speedway had a presence throughout the city on GP day. All the bars & restaurants full of fans from all over, street vendors selling merchandise on street corners etc. Speedway took over the City for the day and people enjoyed that celebration of Speedway with fellow fans.

With the limited capacity and distance to the stadium, I can't see that being recreated in Manchester city centre.

I've only been to one other GP venue other than Cardiff. We went to Prague, and yes, there were bars and restaurants galore, in a beautiful city, which we loved, but apart from one advertising poster & seeing Kelvin Tatum in an Irish bar, I would have had no idea that that Speedway was happening. At least the metro system made it easier to get to the stadium though. It lacked the atmosphere created in Cardiff and both myself & my wife (who isn't a fan, but always wanted to come to Cardiff) felt that it fell a bit flat compared to the Cardiff experience. 

 

 

We've paid £600 in total , including flights, 3 nights accommodation in central Prague and  GP tickets for this year's  Czech GP. The exact  same price as  quoted for 2 nights accommodation at a local Premier inn for 2 nights in Manchester. 

I'll take a flat Speedway atmosphere in a great City like Prague any day of the week.  

 

 

[psycho3a]

On 3/22/2025 at 12:51 PM, SUPERACE said:

Your not taking into account sponsorship and TV money, I expect 1 night to go up but it will still be cheaper than this year. £90 is not excessive for GP Speedway. 

How do you work out £90 for a GP is not excessive... Its an event that lasts 23 minutes at best, rest is stood around bored watching tractors and if your lucky you get to pee in a portacabin...

I cant think of any other major event you get less value for money

[ouch]

14 hours ago, IainB said:

MCC want to see it a success so much it's not even got a mention on their "What's on" section on their website

https://www.visitmanchester.com/whats-on/sporting-events/

If you want to get hammered and "socialise" then it's probably best to go to the local offy and then on to Crowcroft Park where you can while away the hours litter picking. 😂

They need to get it on there pronto to help with ticket sales. 🤣

We’ll have to agree to disagree on what’s “probably best”.

[ouch]

2 hours ago, psycho3a said:

How do you work out £90 for a GP is not excessive... Its an event that lasts 23 minutes at best, rest is stood around bored watching tractors and if your lucky you get to pee in a portacabin...

I cant think of any other major event you get less value for money

 

Never understood this 15/23 mins thing. 

I enjoy the rider interviews parade, warm up/warm down laps, fireworks, Chase the Ace and other fan engagement during the meeting plus the post match press conference when you get to meet and chat with the riders. Guess I’m lucky with that frame of mind as I get more bang for my buck. 

 

[arnieg]

20 hours ago, Neila said:

Take on board the bus times, good information for other people to use,  but in the 1st SON 2016 ?  I ended up walking back to the city centre as the buses were full and going past the stop, or that many people were waiting to board a nearly full bus it was taking ages. The similar will happen this time imo

It's only a couple of minutes to the previous stop, walk there to beat the queues.

[SUPERACE]

3 hours ago, psycho3a said:

How do you work out £90 for a GP is not excessive... Its an event that lasts 23 minutes at best, rest is stood around bored watching tractors and if your lucky you get to pee in a portacabin...

I cant think of any other major event you get less value for money

Based on your post then you simply don't like speedway. 

[AFCB Wildcat]

3 hours ago, Fullmax said:

We've paid £600 in total , including flights, 3 nights accommodation in central Prague and  GP tickets for this year's  Czech GP. The exact  same price as  quoted for 2 nights accommodation at a local Premier inn for 2 nights in Manchester. 

I'll take a flat Speedway atmosphere in a great City like Prague any day of the week.  

 

 

Absolutely... I wasn't disappointed and would definitely do the Prague GP again.

Same as you, I got very cheap flights from my local airport and a good value hotel.

I can't remember what year we went, but the flight had lots of speedway fans on it. I think Ryanair must have noticed the interest in that weekend and cottoned on that there was something going on, because the following year the flights for that weekend were silly money, so I didn't bother.

Unfortunately, there are no flights from Bournemouth to Prague anymore.😕

At the end of the day, a holiday abroad including a GP, for the same price as 2 nights in a Premier Inn is a no brainer!

[MikeyS]

Why are most people always complaining  on here !   all so negative , its our sport we love so lets support it...

might be a bit expensive... lets go and have a good time !!!

i found a airbnb only a few miles away for £304 for 2 rooms for 2 nights , and parking at school near stadium for £15..

 

[stevehone]

i go to Warsaw for 5 nights, airbnb and a whole apartment to myself, and i got in relatively early for flights so much better price than they're at now, and it'll still probably be cheaper than the weekend in Manchester when you factor in all the other things like fuel, parking, socialising.

I do a lot of socialising in Warsaw but still much cheaper, and ok i get a lift to Heathrow so no airport parking etc, but this country has a habit of just overcharging on everything

[topaz325]

I never used to mind going abroad but all the hassle and travelling to airports when flying puts me off irrespective of the costs .

[therefused]

1 hour ago, MikeyS said:

Why are most people always complaining  on here !   all so negative , its our sport we love so lets support it...

might be a bit expensive... lets go and have a good time !!!

i found a airbnb only a few miles away for £304 for 2 rooms for 2 nights , and parking at school near stadium for £15..

 

where abouts is the parking?

[soupy]

Just booked the train on Friday from Hexham to Manchester and return on the Monday £45.00 for 2 people.Save Our Future in Space lol