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Daniel Smith

King's Lynn Stars 2020

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17 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

I think Kasper will turn out to be a half decent rider, he just couldn’t ride our mega grippy track. 

He’s too tall imo, this being a problem is accentuated on the smaller uk tracks where you’re turning tighter, and grippier tracks too, harder to deal with a higher centre of gravity

Can’t think of many tall riders that have managed to overcome this and reach higher levels - Andreas jonsson being the standout I can think of reaching no.2 in the world

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None of them are 6ft3/6ft4 though are they? And let’s face it hans Nielsen was a generational talent.

i remember a few seasons ago reading a big interview with Nicki pedersen, part of that interview was talking all about fitness and keeping in shape etc through the season, he referenced being an ideal height and weight for speedway, he said he had gone up and down a little in weight over the years and felt 72kg was the absolute optimum weight for a speedway rider, he went into detail explaining his fitness regime, explained that when he was heavier he was giving away speed but also when a bit lighter than that he wasn’t as strong and also didn’t have the weight to get as much drive, it was quite interesting I thought.

now obviously it’s a lot easier to be strong and lean at 72kg if your a Nicki, tai, zmarzlik, madsen etc. build than if you are much bigger, and at 6ft3 for example which is how tall say AJ and K. Andersen are, there’s no way you can be strong and healthy at that kind of weight at their height, so you’re always giving away some advantage.

I know this isn’t the be all and end all but a few kg either side will make a big difference especially at the top of the sport the Grand Prix where the margins are so small. I’d point out niels, zagar and doyle as some of the taller current gp riders, to me these guys always look to keep themselves exceptionally light for their build.

its interesting in all 4 wheeled motorsports the minimum weight takes into account combined weight of car and driver - whereas in speedway only the bike has to meet a minimum weight restriction. I don’t particularly follow superbike/MotoGP closely so don’t know how it works there

perhaps my original remark came across not quite how I intended, I don’t think it’s impossible to hit the top end of the sport being tall, I just think it’s a hinderance, I’d also pose the question, are many of the riders people have referenced actually that tall or do they just appear tall on a speedway bike as many riders are actually quite small? 5’7 5’8 etc. Then someone 5’10 5’11 looks tall on a bike, like say doyle for example whereas Andersen the rider I originally referenced I believe is more like 6’3 6’4 which imo makes it a lot harder being that big! That said whenever I’ve seen him race he’s given a big effort and improved every time I’ve seen him race!

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Zagar?

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41 minutes ago, Pinny said:

Zagar?

Why did you have to mention him - you will start Geoff off now :P;)

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7 hours ago, John Scrutton said:

Mike Lee wasn't a midget and look how he went until he went off the rails.

He was defo quite high a lot of the time.

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8 hours ago, 89buttons said:

He’s too tall imo, this being a problem is accentuated on the smaller uk tracks where you’re turning tighter, and grippier tracks too, harder to deal with a higher centre of gravity

Can’t think of many tall riders that have managed to overcome this and reach higher levels - Andreas jonsson being the standout I can think of reaching no.2 in the world

Andreas isn't that tall

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4 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Why did you have to mention him - you will start Geoff off now :P;)

zagar is classy & a  great rider & he loves b/vue say no more would have him back like a shot !!! :party::t:

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Doesn't need to be a world great. A nice consistent rider who enjoys riding in Britain will do. On the height thing. Dobrucki was a very tall rider and whilst no elite world beater I believe he was a rider very much respected in Poland. If we find a rider who ends up being a 3rd heat leader dependable 6/7 points home and away kind of guy it isn't a bad thing. Now considering what Kasper could do in some of his away meetings. A slicker home track may make him into a very useful rider for us. I want him to be our number 7. 

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16 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Why did you have to mention him - you will start Geoff off now :P;)

I was actually referring to his height although I would not be surprised to see Ipswich chasing him. 
 

 

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9 hours ago, Woffy said:

Simon Lambert is tall? 

Unless you are 6ft tall, when you stand next to him you will find that he is indeed tall,. It's in his genes.

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