Sgp Challenge Final Sat 20th Sept

[OveFundinFan 4,137]

norbold, IMO the difference to a "surprise" rider qualifying for the big night back all them years is that it was a one big night.

Now its a 12 meeting series, and if someone is not up to the series then it becomes quiet a pain for the viewer and probably him. Do I need to mention Ales Dryml in 2013?

Take this year with Harris, I dont know the bloke and he may be the nicest guy around, and obviously he is a racer and a fighter which I love, BUT

10 meetings, 50 races, 40 points - thats not good. He is 26 points behind the 14th man (but that man is in touch with the next 4 or 5) and only a few ahead of the occasional wild carders.

If he had a few good meetings, say scoring a 10 or a 12, making an odd semi, that would hold better with me, but he has not been near it.

Now it narks me a bit that peeps on here are saying his best bikes are in the UK and thats why his average in EL is good.

Hes in the world championship gp series for goodness sake, his best bikes should be with him for every one of those meetings. If they are not, why not, he owes that to his fans, his sponsors and himself surely.

I look forward with interest at how he does in the next 2 gp's. Was last Saturday in Italy a return to long lost form? Were his bikes "a bit special" and takes them with him to Stockholm and Torun and repeats Italy? or was Italy a one off and now back to the mundane routine of the last 10 gp's. The balls are in his court - he has to prove something to us and himself. Coming third in Italy has put pressure on himself, can he come through it with flying colours - we will see.

We have not long to wait.

Edited September 22, 2014 by OveFundinFan

[SPEEDY69 1,251]

Well done to the riders who qualified from this challenge. Whatever the GP line-up is each year is always subject to controversy in one way or another and is one reason I have little interest in it. Injuries have played more of a part this year than most - for example I think Lindgren and Jonsson for example would both be out of 2015 if Darcy wasn't suspended and Iversen got injured.

 

Several riders pulled out of the Challenge meeting due to injury, which hasn't happened as much before and although Harris cannot be faulted and rode well to qualify - although he wouldn't have been in it if it wasn't for withdrawals. It would be great if everyone could get into the series without any controversy, but then the forum may be less active!

Edited September 22, 2014 by SPEEDY69

[stratton 1,491]

you will never get the top 16 in the world unless you choose them. Most people would agree on the top 10 but opinions will be divided on the others. I agree that Kildemand MJJ and some others are better riders than Harris but they had the same opportunity as he did and didn't take it. So unless we seed the top 10 and pick the rest you will always get a few riders who get through that you don't expect. It's still fairer than the one offs when you had 5 riders from the eastern block who had mainly no chance. Adorjan, Tihayni, Kocso just a few I remember

Fair point "Gavan, you are right about devided opinions, but just think if Emil,Laguta,Ward(when he serves his time and his head is right) Kildemand were in it you would have Tai,Ward,Emil,all racing when approaching there prime. Mouth watering really and the ageless Greg knocking on the door.as well, lets hope it happens eh 2016 maybe?.In the boom days a Briggs,Mauger,Olsen always had someone to push them to greater heights maybe this could happen to Tai?.Those four riders Tai,Ward,Emil,Greg are outstanding a strong era and the more i see of Laguta another class act.

[BWitcher 12,453]

Well done to the riders who qualified from this challenge. Whatever the GP line-up is each year is always subject to controversy in one way or another and is one reason I have little interest in it. Injuries have played more of a part this year than most - for example I think Lindgren and Jonsson for example would both be out of 2015 if Darcy wasn't suspended and Iversen got injured.

 

Several riders pulled out of the Challenge meeting due to injury, which hasn't happened as much before and although Harris cannot be faulted and rode well to qualify - although he wouldn't have been in it if it wasn't for withdrawals. It would be great if everyone could get into the series without any controversy, but then the forum may be less active!

 

The sport is speedway. Riders get injured. They always have and they always will.

 

I doubt there was ever a World Final where someone, somewhere in one of the rounds didn't have to pull out due to injury allowing someone else who wouldn't normally qualify to do so.

[SCB 0]

Well done to the riders who qualified from this challenge. Whatever the GP line-up is each year is always subject to controversy in one way or another and is one reason I have little interest in it. Injuries have played more of a part this year than most - for example I think Lindgren and Jonsson for example would both be out of 2015 if Darcy wasn't suspended and Iversen got injured.

 

Several riders pulled out of the Challenge meeting due to injury, which hasn't happened as much before and although Harris cannot be faulted and rode well to qualify - although he wouldn't have been in it if it wasn't for withdrawals. It would be great if everyone could get into the series without any controversy, but then the forum may be less active!

He finished 8th in his qualifier, if it was not for wildcards he would have made it anyway.

 

Go back over the years and a couple of times he's just missed out on qualifying by finishing 9th in the GP series or by just missing the cut-off in the qualifier. Without wildcards Bomber would have probably qualified more times than he didn't over the years anyway.

[SPEEDY69 1,251]

 

The sport is speedway. Riders get injured. They always have and they always will.

 

I doubt there was ever a World Final where someone, somewhere in one of the rounds didn't have to pull out due to injury allowing someone else who wouldn't normally qualify to do so.

Really? Thanks for that, didn't realise My point is that I can't remember there being quite so many as this year and serial wild carder Lindgren wil get in again due to them. It's not a gripe as such just an example of sod's law!

[Dave the Mic 258]

FFS, can all you moaners knocking Harris just change the record and accept that he qualified. All you are doing is making yourselves look stupid.

Harris has come through a set go qualifiers on a level playing field with every other rider that started the process and guess what? He finished equal on points with the highest qualifier. Tell me how he doesn't deserve his place or why he should give it up?

Please, please don't make yourselves look even more foolish than you already do with your Harris bashing by telling us all how much other riders are so much more deserving of a place, because the facts clearly indicate that is not the case.

All the riders in the GP series could have competed in the rounds but many chose not to, several other high profile riders chose not to accept either a wild card place, or a place in the qualifiers and so gave up a chance to qualify before the process started. Of the rest, Harris has beaten them all except two. And, in case you have missed the point, the top three from the challenge secure a place in the GP the following year. It's not difficult is it?

Of the other riders I have heard mentioned, Dudek is banned, Ward should be banned, Sayfutdinov, Vaculik, and Grigori Laguta,didn't compete, Jensen, Jonasson, Kildemand, Kolodziej, Pawlicki, Artem Laguta and Miedzinski failed to qualify.

So, on that basis, Ward and Dudek don't deserve a place on principle, nor do those who chose to decline a place or not to attempt to qualify (why should they be handed a place if they choose not to attempt to gain a place on merit) and those who didn't qualify were beaten fair and square by those that did, Harris included.

Regardless of your opinion, the fact is, Harris qualified, whilst others, who had exactly the same opportunity, didn't, for a variety of reasons. The only riders who deserve sympathy are those injured and I feel for Bjerre in that regard. He has been in excellent form of late and may well have reached the top 8, has competed in the qualifiers and then got injured, so I feel for him.

At the same time, as has been said previously, however, injuries are part and parcel of the sport and he wouldn't be the first rider to miss out through injury either in the GP series, or in the old one off world finals.

There will always be hard luck stories where riders miss out, it has happened for years, but this kind of thing happens in many sports where there is a qualification process. The four picks are there for precisely that reason.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Dave the Mic

[Arson fire 4,785]

Fair point "Gavan, you are right about devided opinions, but just think if Emil,Laguta,Ward(when he serves his time and his head is right) Kildemand were in it you would have Tai,Ward,Emil,all racing when approaching there prime. Mouth watering really and the ageless Greg knocking on the door.as well, lets hope it happens eh 2016 maybe?.In the boom days a Briggs,Mauger,Olsen always had someone to push them to greater heights maybe this could happen to Tai?.Those four riders Tai,Ward,Emil,Greg are outstanding a strong era and the more i see of Laguta another class act.

how many times have you seen Laguta Sid??

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Not only that but there was almost always the odd rider from GB, Oz, NZ etc who were surprise finalists as well but got there on merit by getting through the qualifying rounds. Geoff Mardon made it to reserve when he was a third division rider. Jack Young made it when he was a second division rider (I can't remember how he did that night!) and, more in my time I remember the sensation when Bryan Elliott, a Leicester reserve, qualified. It was all felt to be the "romance" of the world championship in those days and the riders in question were congratulated for riding above themselves not villified for having the temerity to qualify when they shouldn't have done!...

Well said

[oldtimer 340]

The match is on Motors TV on Thursday Sept 25th at 9pm channel 240 Freeview or 447 on SKY or 545 on Virgin.

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Are you sure about the Freeview channel. I have never been able to find Motors on my tv.

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Further to my earlier post I have checked my tv and still can't get Motors. It seems my set has to be internet connected which it isn't, though it is full HD with built-in Freeview. I don't suppose there is any way I can watch via my pc?. I get Eurosport that way as I am a registered user on my Son's Sky account but he does not subscribe to Motors.

[stratton 1,491]

how many times have you seen Laguta Sid??

A few times mucker,unless i am Stevie wonder he is a talent he has been for a while wont be in the series anytime soon though.

[arnieg 3,624]

Speedway Star meeting report says Nico Covatti was just one ride away from becoming the first Italian full time GP rider. C'mon guys, I have two words for you:

 

Armando Castagna

 

..it's not as if he's vanished into thin air

[Fromafar 10,338]

Speedway Star meeting report says Nico Covatti was just one ride away from becoming the first Italian full time GP rider. C'mon guys, I have two words for you:

 

Armando Castagna

 

..it's not as if he's vanished into thin air

It's ridiculous to give local riders wild cards in this situation.they should go back through the qualifiers and pick next in line what if the other "local" had got through, also they are spoilers when really they should not be there.