British Speedway GP and Wheelchair Access

Racing sensation Aaron Morgan recently attended the British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Here he reports back on an amazing atmosphere, the thrill of watching motorbikes with no brakes and, of course, disabled access.

Switching Lanes

As a big motor racing fan I have been to numerous events including the Moto GP and the British Motocross Grand Prix as well as many club level races. My new found interest in speedway led me to buy tickets for the British Grand Prix at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Booking tickets was easy and I did this via a contact I found on the official SGP website. There was a wide selection of options available including a choice of ground, middle, or upper tiers. The tickets arrived in plenty of time and I really couldn’t wait to attend my first speedway event. I did some research prior to making the journey to Cardiff with my father and found out that travelling across the toll bridge is free for blue badge holders (you need to present your card at the toll booth). There was some traffic shortly after crossing the bridge but other than that the the journey to south Wales was trouble free.

Access for Everyone

While exploring the venue online, I found a location that would be suitable for me to park and allow easy access to the stadium. We had a short journey along the banks of the river Taff and before long the stadium was soon dominating the Cardiff skyline. Westgate street was closed to traffic due to the event which meant I was able to wheel down the normally busy road with ease. Official SGP programmes were on sale outside and after buying one, we passed through baggage checks to the entrance gate. One of the on duty staff members on the gate scanned our tickets and very helpfully showed us both to our seats.

The huge crowd sounded air horns as the excitement continued to build and I could literally feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end – the atmosphere was amazing.

Unfortunately the lift on our side of the stadium was out of order which meant that I had to push to the other side, to then come back round for my seat. However, there were no accessibility issues as I didn’t have to negotiate any stairs on the outside of the venue. Our allocated spot was accessed via a small ramp and had space for around eight wheelchairs, with seats behind for carers to sit. Luckily the row in front was empty so the steward offered one of these seats to my dad. Prior to the main event there was a freestyle motocross display by Jamie Squibb and Andre Villa which was very enjoyable. Up next was DJ Huw Stephens who played a set and this filled the remaining time before the opening ceremony. I used this opportunity to check out the facilities which were conveniently located to the left of the entrance to our area and had a secure opening system.

Bright Lights Big Stadium

We were treated to a light show prior to the curtain falling on the opposite side of the stadium from where we were sitting. All eighteen of the competing riders were revealed to the excitement of the thousands of on lookers. They were then introduced one by one while walking towards a podium in the centre of the pitch.

The huge crowd sounded air horns as the excitement continued to build and I could literally feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end – the atmosphere was amazing. Once all the names had been called, the riders made their way back to the pits and the action was about to begin. There were a couple of crashes on the opening bends of heat one but thankfully nobody was hurt. The racing was fantastic and got better as the night progressed with my personal highlight being when Danny King (the recently crowned British champion and event wildcard) managed to win heat nineteen. The British fans in attendance went crazy and it was great to witness the support for a homegrown rider.

As the dust began to settle on a fantastic night of entertainment I made my way down the ramp to the exit. I briefly queued for the toilet before making my way to the lift, the stadium was now quiet at this point. This probably worked out better than leaving straight away as I was able to avoid having to navigate my way through the people making their way to the exits. Yet again the staff members were very helpful guiding me towards the lift. I made my way out of the stadium and down the boardwalk back to where my car was parked.

I thoroughly enjoyed the SGP and felt the show was very well executed. My experience was made even better by the fantastic view I had of the action and I would definitely recommend the Principality Stadium to other wheelchair users.