skyjack

Yes one of the main mantras of the Sports Psychologists is that the factors effecting an individual's performance are 90% mental and 10% physical but in motor sports you then have to fator in the machinary. Alex Zanardi currently driving in the WTCC after losing both his legs from below the knee in a crash is a fine example of mind over matter. I remember watching an interview with him when he returned to racing in an adapted BMW touring car and he said his first memory after the crash was looking down in the tub of the car and seeing his legs and thinking "Oh!? That's going to be tough to fix!" The man's a Diamond Geezer.

I was delayed at work so I missed it live. My Mrs' first reaction was that NIcki took a dive but I said the head on view says Crump took his back leg away when you watch at normal speed. The Mrs wasn't having it so in the interest of domestic bliss I reached for the remote control. When you enter the nerdy world of 'slow-mo' it's another story! Are you sitting comfortably then I'll begin.... In the head on shot Nicki is already into the turn and Crump is not yet in shot. Nicki has the bike hooked up, left leg tucked in, he is settled and well in control. Crump enters the shot and has the bike turning, he's settled and has the bike hooked up to dive under Pedersen who has left room on the inside. Pedersen then looks to his left. The riders hold their lines with the bikes hooked up in the turn. The next thing that happens is Nicki's left leg moves at the knee as he sticks his leg out. The rest of Nicki's body stays in the same position holding the bike in the turn. The bike doesn't lift or throw Nicki off balance, Nicki's left leg moves at the knee only and Crump's back tyre makes contact with it and Nicki goes down. In the post race interview with Steve Brandon Nicki says 'it was a tough semi-final but that's racing' and gives a little involuntary/knowing wink. He does the same thing when he says he's very happy with his third place. Nicki is 100% commited to winning, which as he says is what he's there to do and what he gets paid for. The mans a complete pro and very entertaining. And for that the fans love him or love to hate him. When Nicki's coming up on your back wheel in the SGP's, your mechanics are screaming 'He's behind you!' Pure panto and that's why we love it!? "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" Terry Jones Monty Python's Life of Brian Warner Bros/Orion Pictures 1979 Edited for typos.

This meeting Produced by Real to Reel TV, with the permission of Sky Sports, is on Motors TV on Sunday 07/10/07. 9pm, Motors TV, Garry Stead Benefit Speedway Grand Prix (rpt 3am) Sky Channel 413. Enjoy. A DVD of the meeting with a match programme and an additional DVD of Garry's highlights in front of the Real to Reel camera's from 2003 -2007 is also available with all profits going to Garry's Benenfit fund. Send a cheque for £20 made payable to: Garry Stead benefit fund c/o Real to Reel PO Box 120 Marple Stockport SK6 7WQ

Very Savy and professional IV from Scott Nicholls to promote the sport!!

I reckon Sheffield are getting their knuckles rapped after complaining about the referee's decision not to allow reserves to replace James Birkenshaw after he wthdrew form the home leg of the KOC against Edinburgh after his first ride. Edinburgh objected to the use of reserves as cover for James because they felt his injury was from a previous meeting. Whatever happened the ruling applied by the REF under pressure from Edinburgh meant that Sheffield had 2 races, heats 9 and 14 with only one rider and it was later discovered that Sheffiled should have been allowed reserve cover. I'm guessing Sheffiled aren't happy because the way Paul Cooper was riding heat 9 could have been a 5-1 instead of a 3-3 and heat 14 could have been a 5-1 instead of a 3-4. So the 57-36 score line would have been 60-31. Given that the return at Armadale was 60-33 Edinburgh went through to the next round. The no further comment line always sounds a bit fishy

It's the usual scenario with these kind of incidents, that there is a flash point that sets the whole thing off. Hans was excluded in heat 18 for being the cause of the stoppage when Chris Harris took a tumble. The Sky team showed Hans a replay but they showed a high wide shot, which didn't show the contact. The referee made his decision off a low reverse angle, which cearly showed Hans' back wheel rubbing against Chris' clutch lever before he fell. It's a shame the Sky team didn't show the low reverse angle replay, as Hans' and Nicki probably wouldn't have kicked off and the British fans wouldn't have been annoyed at the Danes running to fellow Dane Ole Oleson, to complain furiously, which obviously raised a few heckles. It's debatable but the Danes furious protests may have influenced the referee's decision to exclude Travis McGowan in a first bend bunching incident in heat 21, where the replay showed that there was clear contact from the mud gaurd of the rider inside him (Lindback but not anybody's fault). Watching the replay, it felt as though the referee might have been subconcsiously evening up the luck of the draw without realising it. If the Danes felt that theyhad been unfairly treated and then began gesticulating to a predominantly British crowd after an incident involving a British rider then it's not really surprising that a minority of fans will react in kind. Hans set the tone by kicking the pit wall in frustration and hitting the camera after the camerman filmed the Danish teams complaints to Ole. Gesticulating to the crowd in a FIFA football international competition will probably get you pulled in before a diceplinary panel. Finally the selling of bottles in the stadium at £10 for 4 was perhaps a poor management decision, as most licensed premises at venues and stadiums do not allow customers to drink out of bottles, or take glasses outside.

Looking at those line ups this is going to be one seriously competetive meeting.

Make sure you complain and seek compensation!!!

No need to defend Mick he did a pretty good job in the circumstances. I just thought it was an ironic shot!!

Great shot of the Ref Mick Bates up in the box after heat 7 when Scotty lifted, couldn't turn and pushed Bjarne Pedersen into the fence. Mick was wearing Totaly Black Stevie Wonder sunglasses!! Have to say the whole politics surrounding the Final looked pretty suspect to me. Ole Olssen insists on a slick track despite Matt Ford wanting to put more water on it. The riders say it's a lot slicker than it was on Thursday night (no Danes) and Tony Rickardsson says the track is nothing like it was when he used to ride for Poole. To give Mick Bates his due I think he did his best to keep it fair but having Ole as race director for the World Cup is perhaps leading to a few question marks over track preparation. Thursday's track produced a great meeting there was no real need to make the track more slick for Saturday night!? Kenneth Bjerre fell off when he straightend up in the heavy dirt after Lee Richardson forced him out wide at the first start of heat 10. Kenneth said the BV track was the best it had been all season for the Arena Sky meeting when the track was very slick by BV standards. Great entertainment but I would suggest there were a couple of extra bends involved in last nights meeting. Interestingly in the repeat shown this morning Sky editted out the heat 23 incident aftermath and debate, when the race was stopped after the Poles engine failure, and also the interview with Hans andersen after heat 25. Having watched heat 25 again on video Hans clearly roles off the throttle after looking straight at PK - as he rounds the 3rd & 4th bends of the 1st lap Hans is also clearly looking at Scott making a run around the outside and seems to be trying to set himself up to stay ahead of him. I don't think Hans had any intention of letting Scott past - as for PK he looked to be displaying all the classic signs of someone on the pork pies when Sophie interviewed him but only he will ever know for sure. On the whole I think Sweden deserved to be fair but only just!? Maybe next year - where will it be held Sweden!?