Dave the Mic

No Walter. Not at all. I know what I meant. Read my original post. You're boring me now.

So let me understand this correctly. Because someone won’t see your POV, they are wrong and you are right? Listen to yourself

If you can’t answer sensibly, don’t bother. The two qualifying meetings were named race offs.

Change the record. You don’t like him, that much is obvious.

So what happened at Belle Vue? That was Race off 2

Really? Yawn. Another Tai hater. Without him, we wouldn’t have even got past the race off.

Spot on.

Sorry, but that’s bullsh1t

Interesting to read all the comments but for those who think Tai Wiffindrn was making it all about him, I think you’re doing him a huge disservice. He decided not race for the team as it was being run poorly, with no direction and seemingly no future. He made his feelings clear in what was needed to make the team successful and when it wasn’t forthcoming he stood by his beliefs and stepped down. To his credit, however, he stayed with it and worked to get put in place what he felt was required and eventually this was achieved so he returned to the fold. Look at the difference, it’s plain to see. Investment in the future, training, conditioning, diet, togetherness and other things too. The first step was that silver medal tonight. Never mind what has been done behind the scenes, he has also contributed massively on track. Team GB wouldn’t have got through the race off without Woffenden, much less topped the scores and managed a silver medal. What he has done for the national team is immense this week, an inspiration. And he was as gutted as anyone with silver and not gold. His attempts at team riding with Robert were laudable and heartening to see - the only real example of the art all week. In that final, they were up against a very, very strong pair who both scored well all night. Team riding is very difficult to master, add in a wide fast track with different racing lines and the opponent being a big hearted, ballsy, brave, savvy racer like Emil and I’m not sure “slowing him down” would have been that easy. Easy to criticise on a keyboard, a little different on track. Give the guy some credit, he performed miracles for his country tonight and all week, but some of you can’t bring yourselves to praise him without a dig. I don’t agree with the fact that he doesn’t race in the UK, nor was I impressed when he stood down from Team GB, however, what he has done on and off track suggests to me he wants the best for the team and if he felt there was a way to have won that final, my guess is he would have tried it. Some of you know different, of course.

So he did badly then? Words fail me.

Yawn

Just finished watching the second part of the final & I must say, the tournament has been brilliant. Always loved the old World pairs & having watched these meetings have reminded me why. Still like the "old" WTC though! Congratulations to Russia, they timed their run well & Emil came good on the second day. You can argue about the format all you like, but the rules were known at the start & were the same for everyone. You can't really argue that the winner of the final should trump second & third as it supposed to be a team riding event. It's disappointing we lost out in the end, but that's the way it is & the whole unit should hold their heads high. I suspect more & better is to come. I felt a little for Cook & Lambert can be very proud - he's not a million miles away & clearly has a big future. Hat's off to Rossiter too, tough to deal with Cook, but good on him, no room for sentiment. Finally, on the subject of Tai Woffinden. Anyone who says "He's an Aussie" are looking like to idiots they are now, seldom have I seen, in thee modern speedway era, someone give so much to the cause of their country as he has this week. 12 wins from 13 races & another 5 from 6 at Belle Vue demonstrate that he is the best rider around at the moment, the way he took the mightily impressive Laguta from the back twice was the sign of a man on the very top of his game. Team riding as well, rarely seen these days, was a joy to see & it is clear that he wants Team GB to be a success, let's hope it happens. And to those of you STILL criticising him, just have a word with yourselves. He should have done this, he should have done that. FFS he scored 38 points from 39 over the two days & if you honestly think he could have done better or more than he did, you really are deluded. I know the Tai haters will come back with all the usual comments, but saying a rider should have done this & should have done that is very easy when you are typing on a keyboard, rather than out there on the track, so save your breath.

I posted this on FB on learning this very sad news. As an Exeter fan of 40 years, one of my three favourite Falcons ever. Deeply saddened by this news. "Absolutely gutted to hear of the passing of this outstanding speedway racer. I began my speedway education at Exeter in 1975 & when this guy arrived in 1977 it was a like a whirlwind had blown into Devon. One of the most magnificent racers ever to grace the CG, he was totally fearless but fair on track & was possibly the most spectacular racer ever to wear the green & white & one of my top three Falcons of all time. No one wanted to miss a race when this guy was on track - he... was dynamite. Off track, he was the complete antithesis of his on track self, kind, gentle, humorous, always happy to speak to & spend time with fans & just the most amazing commitment to the cause - trekking across from Czecho every week, when the iron curtain was still up, in his Skoda. Speedway has truly lost a great man & a gentleman. A sad, sad day for our great sport. RIP Vac & thanks for the most amazing memories you left us all with." And I posted this on the Dream Team section of the Speedway Plus website in 2006. "During those formative years of my speedway days at Exeter, an unknown Czech arrived in 1977 & became possibly the most spectacular racer in the history of the Falcons. Paid 11 on his debut & incredibly a near 11 point average at home in that first season. But it wasn't his points scoring that endeared him to me or the other Exeter faithful, but his all out, full throttle style. I swear once his reputation got around visiting riders would miss the gate to make sure he was ahead of them! The County Ground was a fearsome place with its banking & steel fence, but many a rider would ride wide only for Vac to find a "gap" to go outside him & roar to another win! It was only when you rushed down to the fence to see the tyre marks half way up the steel fence you realised that there was actually no gap to go through...."

My memories only go back as far as the mid 70's & two Norsemen stand out in my memory for different reasons. Dag Lovaas always so stylish on & off the track & was of course very successful too. I remember being very disappointed when he retired prior to the 1977 season without turning a wheel - even more so as White City's use of rider replacement for him all season robbed by beloved Exeter falcons of a probable league title. The following year, the Falcons took a calculated gamble by signing Reidar Eide who had endured a poor season at Leicester after struggling on his return to the Lions side following a broken leg in '77. He came in on a steal of an average at 3.24 & started the season at reserve. Before long he had returned to his normal self & was averaging well over 8 points a match. Sadly the other side of his nature also returned & he went on strike mid season, reputedly asking for better terms, before returning to the fold & his high scoring. Unsurprisingly, given his difficult persona his stay was a cameo as he moved onto Reading for 1979.

I grew up watching speedway at Exeter's famed county ground. We didn't have a great history of Swedes at Exeter - the Falcons being better known for the Czech's who made Devon their British speedway home, but two stick out for me. Although his Devon stay was outside the back track era, Tony Olsson's Falcons flame flickered only too briefly for us in 1992 & he was a genuine number one for us in his truncated spell in the green & white. Falcons fans starved of success since the halcyon days of the BL title in 1974 & the heady days of Ivan Mauger & Scott Autrey, must have thought the good times were back (I know I did) when the blond Swede led our line. Sadly he disappeared only too quickly when it became apparent that the Falcons side assembled was too expensive to run. The other was the tragic Leif Wahlmann who joined us during the ill fated 1984 season back in the BL. He was one of few bright spots in a disastrous season. He seemed full of potential & a place in the WU21 Final at King's Lynn appeared to confirm what we thought down in Devon, which was that whilst not our season saviour, he had enough about him to suggest he could have a big future & his spectacular on track endeavours endeared him to the Devon fans. The pall that engulfed the club after the news of his tragic death at Lynn that day was palpable & hung over the track like a cloud for the rest of what was a terrible year. Across the wider sport, the 70's was a brilliant time for speedway & the Swedes were a huge part of that in the UK. The aura of Mich was obvious & when I saw Tommy Jansson cruise to a serene 12 pt max in March 1976, even at the tender age of 10 I knew I was watching a star. Sadly fate intervened in his rise to real stardom. I also remember both Soren & Christer Sjosten with fondness, even though they rode for two of Exeter's biggest rivals. Jan Andersson also left a huge impression for being so very pleasant & incredibly smooth on a race track