Jon Cook and the GP Circus

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Thankfully it seems that Andreas Jonsson will be riding on Tuesday in Sweden, and again on Friday for the Hammers.

Jon Cook has some forthright views on the GP's and the track at Gothenburg, and he'll be sharing them with us over the next week............I can see another fine coming on, but how nice is it that a promoter tells it how it really is............

Watch this space.

[schumi]

And here it is, from Jon's programme notes, taken from www.elite-eagles.co.uk and reproduced with kind permission from Dave A.

Welcome one and all back to the Raceway for our top of the table clash with the Poole Pirates as we revert to the original fixture list after Belle Vue's refusal to agree to fixture changes caused by Sky schedules. Our thanks to Matt Ford for agreeing to this change at short notice to prevent us from having another blank week of friday racing.
This column was to be full of praise for the winter changes here in the UK that saw the most extra ordinary run of results last week to blow the Championship race wide open and to bask in the glow of that most tremendous of comebacks here a fortnight ago.
However, events of saturday night have put all of that in the shade and whether you agree or not its time to have my two peneth worth on the subject of this sports version of the "Emperors new clothes" the GP series.
Yes I am extremely angry that we are facing the likely situation of going into tonights crucial meeting without AJ but there is more to this than a crash that could have happened on any track in any country once another rider decides to overstep the mark of hard riding to down right dirty, dangerous and disgusting.
The GP series will kill British Speedway! there it is I have said it, what many promoters know but decide to ignore, some because they like a few free tickets and the chance to be recognised as they walk the streets of Cardiff. The sport at our level has been dying a slow death ever since the series grew from 6 to 10 meetings, witness the two beautiful fridays here this month when our doors have been closed, but more than that, witness Hans Andersen half a lap ahead of the opposition at Peterbgh in a League match as he tests for the GP, witness the lottery of injuries every other saturday that sends Promoters scampering around chasing the same few guests who will undertake meetings in this country and witness the greatest collection of dangerous, inconsistent tracks you will ever view, some that bear no resemblance to the regular League conditions the rides race on at the same venues.
Saturday night was not an advert for this sport it was an example of the crass disregard that Ole Olsen and BSI IMG have for the rest of the speedway world but who complains?. A crap track and riders expected to go out and genuinely risk their lives unneccassryily. Ole Olsen the man that is alleged to have said we should shut down for two years to sort ourselves out!.
Well I have a better idea, its time the Speedway world took back its sport and by that I mean Britiain, Sweden and Poland because Mr Olsen forgets one important factor, more people watch League racing in these three Countries than watch his blessed GP series and when AJ hits the fence, Iversen and Andersen hit the deck all through no fault of their own or their Clubs there are three League programmes affected, three Clubs business' damaged and three Promoters wondering what is the point of employing riders that are treated so shaberly by a series that is bailed out financially by all three Leagues, as it is we that pay for the motor homes, we that pay for the top end equipment and we that pay for the team of mechanics and for what in return? thats easy to explain, this club gets the same revenue from the British Grand Prix for which we sell tickets, run coaches and include a programme advert as we get from one, thats ONE, air fence banner!.
The solution, thats easy too, ten or eleven rounds to find out what we all suspect anyway, That Nicki is still the worlds best and a competiton where qualification comes easier with a lottery ticket than a season of on track toil no. What we need is for us, Poland and Sweden to stand together and say no more, we will take our sport back, no more being dictated to, no more hearts in mouth saturday nights waiting to see if we still have a team for Sunday, Tuesday or whenever, No more GP riders in our Leagues and instead our own three Rounds World Championship series in July, August and September on a rota so we all get the last round once in every three years (wembley anyone!), and a proper round of qualifications in the months before hand to ensure the dream of being World Champion can be realised by any rider, and a proper income for the Clubs of the three major countries that will help us all to grow and protect our sports in our Countries.
Will it happen, who knows, but I detect the tide is starting to turn and the little boy is just starting to point at King Ole and shout "look hes got no clothes on!".
Enjoy tonight action and get behind the boys whether with or without AJ, and remember we are back here in a weeks time for the visit of Wolves.

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The man is 100% correct . I applaud Jon Cook's statement for having the guts to come out and say what the rest of us all know .
League speedway is what we were all brought up on , and league speedway must not be allowed to be seriously compromised by the GP monster .

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May 28, 2008 17:45:27 GMT @paulco said:

The man is 100% correct . I applaud Jon Cook's statement for having the guts to come out and say what the rest of us all know .
League speedway is what we were all brought up on , and league speedway must not be allowed to be seriously compromised by the GP monster .

That sums it up perfectly really.............no doubt Jon will get his knuckles severely rapped for his comments, but he's had the balls to say it............will the other promoters have the balls to back him in his latest revolution?

[Genghis]

Well said Jon Cook.

Let's hope the other promoters give him a bit more backing than they did over his plans to hold big meetings at Oxford.

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Have to say I totally I agree with what he has said, however...... , TBH they didn't HAVE to sign a GP rider



But I still do agree, even though it is said by JC

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Why would he get his knuckles wrapped he's only speaking the truth??? It makes interesting reading, I bet there'll be a few more coming out of the woodwork now...

I enjoy the GP's, but not at the expense of watching my Team.

Nice one Jon Cook

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May 28, 2008 19:22:34 GMT @jacques said:

Why would he get his knuckles wrapped he's only speaking the truth???

Quite simply because the speedway authorities often hate the truth.............hold your hand out Cookie..............thwack!!!!

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Can't agree with Cook one iota. The current state of British Speedway is not caused by the GP's. Poland and Sweden do not appear to bemoaning the system and they have substantially more riders from the series than we do.

Just another example of a Promoter looking to blame everyone else apart from themselves for the current critical state of the sport in this country.

The majority of top line riders have no interest in British Speedway, yet Cook suggests we remove the few that do and weaken the product even further!...that'll be the final nail in my opinion.

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May 28, 2008 18:19:36 GMT @badge said:

Have to say I totally I agree with what he has said, however...... , TBH they didn't HAVE to sign a GP rider



But I still do agree, even though it is said by JC

Yes, we had the choice, and chose to sign AJ..........and on 8.35 we'd have been mad not to...............but we also signed Lubos Tomicek and Jonas Davidsson who are not GP riders but got sucked into the circus on Saturday...........the GP's are milking the assets of club sides throughout Europe and, as the Cook Meister says, enough should be enough.

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May 28, 2008 22:27:28 GMT @frigbo said:

Can't agree with Cook one iota. The current state of British Speedway is not caused by the GP's. Poland and Sweden do not appear to bemoaning the system and they have substantially more riders from the series than we do.

Just another example of a Promoter looking to blame everyone else apart from themselves for the current critical state of the sport in this country.

The majority of top line riders have no interest in British Speedway, yet Cook suggests we remove the few that do and weaken the product even further!...that'll be the final nail in my opinion.

Where is he suggesting that we remove the GP riders from Britain Ooogers?.................Looks more like he's suggesting we remove the GP's from the riders to me.............and offering them a viable alternative to boot.

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This bit Kev

"No more GP riders in our Leagues"

Also, what makes him think Poland and Sweden will go along with him?

They accomodate many more GP riders than we do with little issue.

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May 28, 2008 22:31:53 GMT @kevh said:

May 28, 2008 18:19:36 GMT @badge said:

Have to say I totally I agree with what he has said, however...... , TBH they didn't HAVE to sign a GP rider



But I still do agree, even though it is said by JC

Yes, we had the choice, and chose to sign AJ..........and on 8.35 we'd have been mad not to...............but we also signed Lubos Tomicek and Jonas Davidsson who are not GP riders but got sucked into the circus on Saturday...........the GP's are milking the assets of club sides throughout Europe and, as the Cook Meister says, enough should be enough.

TBF Kev then in the next breath the Swedes will say I don't want the Swedish riders to ride 3,4 times a week in the BEL, and the same with the Poles and the BEL will flounder to a full stop. Might just as well take Lakeside back down to the PL then

You can't sign GP riders, and then moan when 1) they are not available to ride on GP weekends, and 2) bemoan the fact that they get injured, they could get injured over here couldn't they , admittedly the track was bad on Saturday, but TBF it was bad for all the riders and not just NK,Hans and AJ.

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May 28, 2008 22:37:05 GMT @frigbo said:

This bit Kev

"No more GP riders in our Leagues"

Also, what makes him think Poland and Sweden will go along with him?

They accomodate many more GP riders than we do with little issue.

You've taken that out of context though mate.............have a look at the full sentence.............No more GP riders in our Leagues and instead our own three Rounds World Championship series in July, August and September on a rota so we all get the last round once in every three years .............what he is talking about is an alternative to the current situation............a situation where we're all working together............Sweden, Poland and the UK Leagues benefiting from a World Championship, instead of some TV company that doesn't give a flyer about Lakeside, Leszno, Hammerby or SWINDON.

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To me, speedway is SGP and EL. I love watching the top riders in both and so I would rather see things carry on as they are rather than lose one or the other, so I'm afraid I'm another not supporting Jon Cook although I applaud his outspokenness.