Tai Woffinden Best Ever!?

[Vince 9,454]

4 hours ago, MARK246 said:

It's not won in a night so it doesn't matter how many can win "on the night."

Three of your 6 named ride for the same team so that cuts your list down to 4.

Grachen try, speedway templates - Wikipedia, I will wait for your answer.

No not now, so because it is more difficult to win over a series of events rather than just about qualify then win one meeting there are a smaller number of realistic title contenders. However given that any one of those 15 or 16 riders can realistically win a GP that also means that if it were a one off final any one of them would have been capable of winning it. I don't remember a one off final in the years I've been following Speedway (about 50) that had that many realistically potential winners.

3 of those riders have the same sponsor but are in no way a team where the season starts with 2 helping the other you continually saying it doesn't make it any less nonsense. Towards the very final rounds it is possible that one might make it a little easier for the other if it were about winning a championship. However no more so than some of the other lads, who are part of the same National or domestic teams, or any others who are good friends. Certainly it was no secret that on one-off World Final night bungs and favours would be used to help secure an extra point or two. In fact I know of a rider who took part in a 50's final knowing he had no hope of winning telling me that he went there with the sole aim of making as much money as possible.

[iris123 20,937]

I’d also say over a GP series there is less likely to be any monkey business of paying off opponents.Think it was the aforementioned Jack Biggs,who after winning his first 4 rides didn’t think it necessary to met the monetary demands of one or two of his last heat opponents and then got shut out,finished last and last again in the title run -off!!!

The question is,how many of the other champs thought it wise to pay out?

[BWitcher 12,453]

2 minutes ago, iris123 said:

I’d also say over a GP series there is less likely to be any monkey business of paying off opponents.Think it was the aforementioned Jack Biggs,who after winning his first 4 rides didn’t think it necessary to met the monetary demands of one or two of his last heat opponents and then got shut out,finished last and last again in the title run -off!!!

The question is,how many of the other champs thought it wise to pay out?

So it seems the sport back then was far more corrupt than I thought, seems I have been very naive. 

[MARK246 243]

4 minutes ago, BWitcher said:

So it seems the sport back then was far more corrupt than I thought, seems I have been very naive. 

The "sport " started as a circus con like the old boxing booths nothing has changed much over the years 

[steve roberts 9,242]

4 minutes ago, MARK246 said:

The "sport " started as a circus con like the old boxing booths nothing has changed much over the years 

The very first World Final there was alleged collusion between the eventual winner Lionel Van Pragg and Eric Langton (whose grave I recently visited)

You only need to read articles in magazines and books to realise that speedway has been riddled with deals and favours. Nothing new really despite the 'shock and horror' observations! My uncle saw a deal being struck in the pits at Leicester many years ago involving World Class competitors and it was an episode highlighted in one of John Berry's books which I backed up in conservation with John at the time.

[Midland Red 2,383]

21 minutes ago, BWitcher said:

Many thanks for pointing out my mistype. It should of course have said, proliferation.

Sadly for you i wasn't annoyed and indeed apologised for my error. 

I could have gone down the route of.. "it's my opinion its spelt profileration how dare you tell me otherwise" blah blah.

So once again, for the umpteenth time on this thread, you've tried to score a pt but it's ended up being an own goal.

Obviously you weren't annoyed - I said 'being right isn't annoying', so I didn't envisage that you would be

A lot of threads on the BSF become tedious and boring, sometimes quite nasty - but you certainly haven't let this particular one end up that way

You really know how to entertain us all with your contributions, and your staying power is only to be admired

Just to recap, as the thread does seem to have gone rather off-topic at times - is Tai actually the best British rider of all time?

[iris123 20,937]

20 minutes ago, BWitcher said:

So it seems the sport back then was far more corrupt than I thought, seems I have been very naive. 

Seems to remember a story about the Parker brothers in one of those post-war finals.Norman had 3 straight wins and in his 4 th heat was up against his brother,who he knew desperately wanted the title.So Norman let his brother win the heat,even though he could have won 4 on the trot.In his last heat he finished last,but he was of the opinion that if it wasn’t for letting his brother through he could have won that title.Probably again by paying off the others.Think that is correct

[BWitcher 12,453]

3 minutes ago, Midland Red said:

is Tai actually the best British rider of all time?

That's a matter of opinion..

It's gone on so long because several posters who have that opinion have tried to justify it with incorrect statements..  When corrected they're not adult enough to learn and move on. 

[BWitcher 12,453]

1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Seems to remember a story about the Parker brothers in one of those post-war finals.Norman had 3 straight wins and in his 4 th heat was up against his brother,who he knew desperately wanted the title.So Norman let his brother win the heat,even though he could have won 4 on the trot.In his last heat he finished last,but he was of the opinion that if it wasn’t for letting his brother through he could have won that title.Probably again by paying off the others.Think that is correct

Yet we have a poster who tells us how brilliant it used to be consistently suggesting there is collusion in the modern sport. The hypocrisy is staggering.

[moxey63 1,785]

With all the talk of race fixing, little wonder speedway has never been taken seriously.  But was race fixing of the past better than today? BWitcher?

[chunky 6,086]

13 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

With all the talk of race fixing, little wonder speedway has never been taken seriously.  But was race fixing of the past better than today? BWitcher?

Of course speedway has never been taken seriously. Talk of match-fixing in football and cricket means that they have never been taken seriously either...

Steve (sorry, Sigh...)

[waiheke1 4,295]

3 hours ago, MARK246 said:

All the years I was a mechanic, we worked on a minimum 10pts with a win. Only ever needed 9 to win, oops!!!

But the reality was you needed 12 or 13...

I remember the PC farewell meeting and Les scored 10 But finished outside the top 6 who made the final

Edited October 19, 2018 by waiheke1
error

[waiheke1 4,295]

23 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Thanks Chunky

Your insight seems to back up that any winner on the one off final has been at least tied for 4th after 2 rides.....

Yet in 1994 after 3 rides, T Rick was in 6TH! equal and 3 points off the lead. And won it!

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,695]

2 minutes ago, waiheke1 said:

Yet in 1994 after 3 rides, T Rick was in 6TH! equal and 3 points off the lead. And won it!

The exception that proves the rule 

Quite fitting for him to be the exceptional one I suppose!

[waiheke1 4,295]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

I’d also say over a GP series there is less likely to be any monkey business of paying off opponents.Think it was the aforementioned Jack Biggs,who after winning his first 4 rides didn’t think it necessary to met the monetary demands of one or two of his last heat opponents and then got shut out,finished last and last again in the title run -off!!!

The question is,how many of the other champs thought it wise to pay out?

Don't forget Bruce Penhall allegedly paying off -hmm, Jri Stancl, to allow Bruce to beat him and claim world title number 2