foamfence 2,917 Posted October 5, 2018 46 minutes ago, iainb said: You're sounding a bit like a horrible racist What a stupid post! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eric Parsons 8 Posted October 5, 2018 2 hours ago, iainb said: I can't believe that the day before Tai proves himself to be the best British Speedway racer ever there is barely any mention of it on here. On the verge of his 3rd world title he's been head and shoulders above his rivals this year with only a very slight wobble a couple of GP's ago. Number 3 will see him join the greats of the sport and at 28 if he can stay injury free surely TRicks record must be in danger. Ah but I hear you cry... He talks with an Australian accent, he's turned his back on British Speedway, he's got tattoos! I think he's grown up a lot in the last few years and now comes across really well on TV, articulate and arrogant... Which is ok when you can back it up. Woffy! Woffy! Woffy! No unfortunately he’s cer 2 hours ago, iainb said: I can't believe that the day before Tai proves himself to be the best British Speedway racer ever there is barely any mention of it on here. On the verge of his 3rd world title he's been head and shoulders above his rivals this year with only a very slight wobble a couple of GP's ago. Number 3 will see him join the greats of the sport and at 28 if he can stay injury free surely TRicks record must be in danger. Ah but I hear you cry... He talks with an Australian accent, he's turned his back on British Speedway, he's got tattoos! I think he's grown up a lot in the last few years and now comes across really well on TV, articulate and arrogant... Which is ok when you can back it up. Woffy! Woffy! Woffy! Unfortunately not the greatest British rider, turns his back on British league does not ride in British Final should not be allowed in any GB team , past British riders had a one off world final all a matter of five rides on the day to get it right, Tai has the Luxury of many rounds and can afford a few off meetings , backed up with large mechanical team nowadays and mostly about all out speed, I certainly believe the riders of yesteryears needed a lot more skill and sure did not rely on all out speed. Tai simply can not be classed or compared To the hero’s of yesteryear. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted October 5, 2018 10 minutes ago, foamfence said: You start off by giving an opinion and then claim it to be fact. It can't be fact because you can't say with certainty that Tai (who I greatly admire) is better than Brian Crutcher or Jack Parker or others. He can't race them under the conditions that they raced and neither can they race him today. He will certainly be the most successful (I hope) but that isn't necessarily a measure of him being the best. My only opinion was that this great achievement deserves its own thread, what remains fact is he will become Britain's best ever speedway rider: finest, greatest, top, foremost, leading, pre-eminent, premier, prime, first, chief, principal, supreme, of the highest quality, superlative, unrivalled, second to none, without equal, nonpareil, unsurpassed, unsurpassable, peerless, matchless, unparalleled, unbeaten, unbeatable, unexcelled, optimum, optimal, ultimate, surpassing, incomparable, ideal, perfect 9 minutes ago, foamfence said: What a stupid post! A stupid reply to a stupid post 9 minutes ago, Eric Parsons said: No unfortunately he’s cer Unfortunately not the greatest British rider, turns his back on British league does not ride in British Final should not be allowed in any GB team , past British riders had a one off world final all a matter of five rides on the day to get it right, Tai has the Luxury of many rounds and can afford a few off meetings , backed up with large mechanical team nowadays and mostly about all out speed, I certainly believe the riders of yesteryears needed a lot more skill and sure did not rely on all out speed. Tai simply can not be classed or compared To the hero’s of yesteryear. And despite all that will prove himself to be the best Brit ever tomorrow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foamfence 2,917 Posted October 5, 2018 4 minutes ago, iainb said: My only opinion was that this great achievement deserves its own thread, what remains fact is he will become Britain's best ever speedway rider: finest, greatest, top, foremost, leading, pre-eminent, premier, prime, first, chief, principal, supreme, of the highest quality, superlative, unrivalled, second to none, without equal, nonpareil, unsurpassed, unsurpassable, peerless, matchless, unparalleled, unbeaten, unbeatable, unexcelled, optimum, optimal, ultimate, surpassing, incomparable, ideal, perfect A stupid reply to a stupid post And despite all that will prove himself to be the best Brit ever tomorrow Your supercilious attitude precludes debate. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
longlivefrankie 458 Posted October 5, 2018 Crikey can't believe there's any doubt if he wins his third world championship he will be. someone will be on here saying Toby rickardsson & Ivan mauger aren't the worlds best soon 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted October 5, 2018 (edited) 21 minutes ago, foamfence said: Your supercilious attitude precludes debate. Happy to debate... Surely the only definition of best is winning the world championship, it means you are the complete rider, these days more than ever with the GP series, yes you can have your favourites and prefer to watch them, you may think others are better passers or gaters or have done whatever. You can only beat what is in front of you. Who was better TRick or Crumpy? The record books say TRick, but Crumpy medaled for 10 consecutive years, an amazing achievement, not equalled, not the best ever but the most consistent ever. Edited October 5, 2018 by iainb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vince 9,454 Posted October 5, 2018 32 minutes ago, Eric Parsons said: Unfortunately not the greatest British rider, turns his back on British league does not ride in British Final should not be allowed in any GB team , past British riders had a one off world final all a matter of five rides on the day to get it right, Tai has the Luxury of many rounds and can afford a few off meetings , backed up with large mechanical team nowadays and mostly about all out speed, I certainly believe the riders of yesteryears needed a lot more skill and sure did not rely on all out speed. Tai simply can not be classed or compared To the hero’s of yesteryear. You could equally argue that past British Champions only had to put 5 decent rides together on one night. The weather and track could have suited their riding style perfectly and they became World Champion. Likewise a single fall or breakdown break down by a rival could take them out of contention. In the GP series this year Tai will probably have to have around 50 good rides on different size tracks with different surfaces over several months to become Champion. Personally I think that takes a lot of the luck out of winning. The skills required today might be a bit different but I firmly believe that todays riders are at least as talented as their forebears and the top riders of any generation could have been there at any time. No way to know for sure whether Peter Craven or Tommy Price could have won a World Championship now but I suspect they could and I equally believe Tai could have ridden in their style and been at the very top in their era. I keep reading that todays riders don't have so much skill but I think it's complete nonsense, todays bikes are different but if you think all they do is pin the throttle and hang on you are very wrong. I'd put Tai right up there with the best of British riders and on results he is clearly the best. Not only that as I've said elsewhere I think he is the best first turn rider I have ever seen of any nationality in the 50 years I've been following the sport. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OveFundinFan 4,137 Posted October 5, 2018 Agree with Foamfence. If Woffy gets no 3, and he probably will, then that makes him the most successful British rider in the world championship - which is really really good. Tai has matured in the last couple years, as a person and a rider. He makes speedway look so easy. He must be full of confidence at the moment, tomorrow he just has to stay clear of bikes flying at him. Be interesting when the draw is announced, at what point he meets Zmarzlik. If its in his first 2 rides and he beats Zmarzlik then I think it will be a stroll to the win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geoff100 1,420 Posted October 5, 2018 To me he is a one trick pony on the first turn u know he is going to cut back up the inside with his front wheel over the white line, in the good old days of one night 5rides against better riders he would look average, apart from a pole and an old american who has he to beat ! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee jay 234 Posted October 5, 2018 one off finals were won by the best / luckiest rider on the night ( weekend at amsterdam ), many lost because of one bad ride / bad start / snapped chain / bad referee decision etc. no way would jerzy szczakiel or egon muller be in the record books if it had been a series of 10 -12 venues then. titles now are won by the best rider over the season , injuries apart. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee jay 234 Posted October 5, 2018 3 minutes ago, geoff100 said: To me he is a one trick pony on the first turn u know he is going to cut back up the inside with his front wheel over the white line, in the good old days of one night 5rides against better riders he would look average, apart from a pole and an old american who has he to beat ! that's not a bad trick to have in your locker if you're off a dodgy gate 4 or you just miss the start . he can also drop the clutch and leave the others in his dust so that's a 2 trick pony at the very least . 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sotonian 609 Posted October 5, 2018 2 hours ago, iainb said: Happy to debate... Surely the only definition of best is winning the world championship, it means you are the complete rider, these days more than ever with the GP series, yes you can have your favourites and prefer to watch them, you may think others are better passers or gaters or have done whatever. You can only beat what is in front of you. Who was better TRick or Crumpy? The record books say TRick, but Crumpy medaled for 10 consecutive years, an amazing achievement, not equalled, not the best ever but the most consistent ever. Ove Fundin had already achieved that, Crumpy merely equalled him. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mickthemuppet 976 Posted October 5, 2018 Under the old World Championship the most successful rider was Freddie Williams with two world championships and one runner's up. But then it was open to all riders and not like today when it is only a few are allowed to enter 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted October 5, 2018 52 minutes ago, Sotonian said: Ove Fundin had already achieved that, Crumpy merely equalled him. But Crumpy did it in the GP era, where you can't get lucky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,242 Posted October 5, 2018 53 minutes ago, mickthemuppet said: Under the old World Championship the most successful rider was Freddie Williams with two world championships and one runner's up. But then it was open to all riders and not like today when it is only a few are allowed to enter The GP series is basically an 'invitation' series of meetings as was often stated by no greater rider than Ivan Mauger himself. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
