London Grand Prix - Page 6

sizzle · 7 Aug 2012, 05:15 (Ref:3116933)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

You must have seen Phelps, win those Golds; awesome.

alert.

How come he never gets called a drug cheat?

JohnD · 7 Aug 2012, 08:59 (Ref:3116991)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I didn't mean the aquatics centre, I was referring to the orange/brown paved section between it and the stadium.
I agree I don't think it can be turned into a track either, certainly not an F1 track.
You must have seen Phelps, win those Golds; awesome.

Watched him? I was standing next to him, as he waited for his special award from FINA!
Phelps never has been accused of doping. It was only the US coach who slurred Ye Shiwen; very sour grapes indeed and bad sportmanship - he should know better. Many commentators and other team leaders have pointed out the extraordinary advances in pace that young swimmers can achieve. Ian Thorpe himself said that he cut five seconds off his times in his sixteenth year.

What isn't apparent from the aerial pics is that that area is much higher than the River Lea between the Aquatics and the stadium. It would require a solid barrier to keep spinners out of the drink, a la Valencia. We don't want another Ascari or Hawkins.

John

formerf1champ · 7 Aug 2012, 12:04 (Ref:3117072)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sizzle

How come he never gets called a drug cheat?

Will be interested in bjohnsonsmith's response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

Watched him? I was standing next to him, as he waited for his special award from FINA!

Pfft! Never mind Phelps. Did you get to stand next to Ranomi Kromowidjojo, or Kathleen Hersey?

davyboy · 7 Aug 2012, 13:24 (Ref:3117109)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

Watched him? I was standing next to him, as he waited for his special award from FINA!
Phelps never has been accused of doping. It was only the US coach who slurred Ye Shiwen; very sour grapes indeed and bad sportmanship - he should know better. Many commentators and other team leaders have pointed out the extraordinary advances in pace that young swimmers can achieve. Ian Thorpe himself said that he cut five seconds off his times in his sixteenth year.

What isn't apparent from the aerial pics is that that area is much higher than the River Lea between the Aquatics and the stadium. It would require a solid barrier to keep spinners out of the drink, a la Valencia. We don't want another Ascari or Hawkins.

John

You were very privileged indeed. I was there for just one day - Wednesday - and it was one of the greatest sporting experiences I've ever had. A truly amazing week at an amazing venue. It puts Bernie's anal wafflings into the kind of perspective they deserve.

JohnD · 7 Aug 2012, 22:10 (Ref:3117307)

I have indeed seen both, but not been that close!

My best/worst moment was seeing Rebecca Adlington nearly break her heart and ours in not keeping her 800m title. In floods of tears she congratulated both the other medallists; a true sportswoman. A very emotional moment, but there have been many.

My colleagaues and I have been very priviledged - few Gamesmakers will have seen an Olympic event, unless they bought a ticket. We have seen much of the swiiming, diving and now Synchronised swimming (if you like that sort of thing!)
John

davyboy · 8 Aug 2012, 08:22 (Ref:3117469)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

My best/worst moment was seeing Rebecca Adlington nearly break her heart and ours in not keeping her 800m title. In floods of tears she congratulated both the other medallists; a true sportswoman. A very emotional moment, but there have been many.

That was very tough alright, I really felt for her. Swimming is such a brutal sport, particularly the tortuous training regime. As a family, we're heavily involved in that as well as motor racing and the level of effort and commitment involved just to compete at county level is truly eye watering. It makes you really appreciate what Becky was going through last week - one of the best British sportswomen of recent years. Sadly, I think that may be it for her now, certainly at Olympic level. The kids that have arrived are only 15/16/17 and have wrested the mantle from her.

formerf1champ · 9 Aug 2012, 06:22 (Ref:3117816)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

I have indeed seen both,

Lucky you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

but not been that close!

Not so lucky you.

Was it because the aura of Ryan Lochte's smugness a debilitating force, that it stopped you getting closer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

My best/worst moment was seeing Rebecca Adlington nearly break her heart and ours in not keeping her 800m title. In floods of tears she congratulated both the other medallists; a true sportswoman. A very emotional moment, but there have been many.

I'm presuming this is a "worst" moment? I can tell you, I'm as angry as a cut snake at the management of the swimming team, specifically James Magnussen. He should've won gold by half a body length. He's been messed around with too much.

Regarding the topic. Seriously, is this a good idea? It's of little benefit to anybody and definitely not British motorsport, particularly once the novelty wears off. Now that London has had the Olympics (a recent one), it will live off this status for decades, the city doesn't need a GP. If it was such a good idea, why hasn't it been proposed before? Has it been proposed before, even many decades ago? Street circuits aren't a big deal.

I thought Tony Cochrane was a try-hard Bernie. But, as it turns out, Bernie is a try-hard Cochrane!

JohnD · 9 Aug 2012, 08:09 (Ref:3117846)

Best/worst?
Although for Adlington that must have been the worst, she is still the third best swiimer at that distance, in the world.
For me and thousands of others it was a supreme sporting moment.

ff1c, I hear similar accusations about the management of the UK swimming programme, and that Team UK are to have an "inquest" into why we did so poorly overall in the pool. No doubt the same for any team, good results or bad.

The other inquest will be into the enormous sums spent on the Park as a facilty and other resources for the Games. "London Businesses" are already crying foul, as they say they have not made the profits they expected. When hotel prices wsere tripled, I say more fool them, but where I've been around London, shops, restaurants and cafes have been rammed. It would be a mistake for anything to be spent that might reduce the benefit of the Park, for what would be literally a weekend wonder, when after two weeks of festivities some complain of not getting
enough back.
John

davyboy · 9 Aug 2012, 11:20 (Ref:3117899)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD

The other inquest will be into the enormous sums spent on the Park as a facilty and other resources for the Games. "London Businesses" are already crying foul, as they say they have not made the profits they expected. When hotel prices wsere tripled, I say more fool them, but where I've been around London, shops, restaurants and cafes have been rammed. It would be a mistake for anything to be spent that might reduce the benefit of the Park, for what would be literally a weekend wonder, when after two weeks of festivities some complain of not getting
enough back.
John

I was chatting with a friend of mine on Monday who told me that the Travelodge on Beehive Lane in Gantts Hill was charging £400/night during the games ! ... and they were far from the only ones. From what I understand, London hotels cranked their prices up far in advance and this had the effect of ensuring that 'normal tourists' would arrange their London holiday outside of these two weeks. None of this should be any surprise to businesses crying foul.

**bjohnsonsmith** · 9 Aug 2012, 18:28 (Ref:3118030)

Quote:

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Will be interested in bjohnsonsmith's response.

I'd be very disappointed if it were discovered Phelps was a drugs cheat, however I don't think that's the case, not that I prove it one way or the other

Quote:

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Regarding the topic. Seriously, is this a good idea? It's of little benefit to anybody and definitely not British motorsport, particularly once the novelty wears off. Now that London has had the Olympics (a recent one), it will live off this status for decades, the city doesn't need a GP. If it was such a good idea, why hasn't it been proposed before? Has it been proposed before, even many decades ago? Street circuits aren't a big deal.

I remember in the mid 80s a rumour going around about a possible GP in London. I'm sure a lot of it came about because of the various street GPs being held in the US at the time. However, the only thing to materialise was the Birmingham Superprix, which ran from 1986-1990.

wolfhound · 13 Aug 2012, 18:22 (Ref:3119447)

A London GP I don't whether it will happen but what about NASCAR on that quater mile oval they had in the Olympic stadium last night.

The negative camber instead of banking might leave the cars a bit loose!

wolfhound · 6 Dec 2012, 10:17 (Ref:3175695)

I see one option for a London GP has come to an end.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...-bid-rejected/

**bjohnsonsmith** · 6 Dec 2012, 15:58 (Ref:3175816)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhound

I see one option for a London GP has come to an end.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...-bid-rejected/

I don't see how a GP could have been run there in the first place.

Beetle · 6 Dec 2012, 22:14 (Ref:3175944)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I don't see how a GP could have been run there in the first place.

I completely agree lol.

JeremySmith · 7 Dec 2012, 00:41 (Ref:3175995)

Is it over then...

fourWheelDrift · 7 Dec 2012, 05:25 (Ref:3176053)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beetle

I completely agree lol.

I can't see a GP ever happening in London, the only city less likely to have one is Venice.

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