Cardiff, Millennium Stadium

No chance of a rain off here !  With a sliding roof the action is assured.

I think we've seen one GP with the roof fully open. Most times its closed but with a gap left open - presumably to let the fumes out !!

If you have never been its worth going just to savor the atmosphere but be warned it can be VERY loud !!  The bikes themselves sound louder in an enclosed stadium but with a good proportion of the crowd using air-horns the volume can be  painful.

Most areas have a good view of the track, certainly from the second tier upwards - I have heard it said that the very bottom tier is too low to get a really good view and the first 10-12 rows are not available anyway.

Of course the major problem here for the purists is the track - being of the temporary variety.  Over the years though the track surface has definitely improved and so has the racing. Purists take note that Wembley was basically a temporary track in its twilight years and the racing there apart from two races involving Bruce Penhall in 1981 was not that good.

If we are going to be in anyway negative it has to be said that you have expect a long day, unless of course you are staying in a hotel in the City. Rumour has it that prices for the weekend are usually at a premium and you’ll be unlikely to be able to book just one night. If arriving by car you need to be early to find a parking space and that means you are hanging around Cardiff all day for a meeting that starts at 7.00pm. Getting out after the meeting can also be a problem and don’t think you’re on your way when you hit the M4 - everybody else is going that way too. Maybe the stadium should have been built in Birmingham.