Mauger and Grand Prix system

[fatface 2,549]

18 minutes ago, Wessex Wanderer said:

Hey hang on there. Yeatesy made it to the Overseas Final on merit. The conditions were the same for everyone on the night. He just coped with those conditions better than others.  Another thing to remember is that he did it at a time when there were still about 16 teams in the top division so there were a lot more top league riders competing than in later years. At the Overseas Final he got a decent second place in his first ride but then found things things a bit too tough. Not unlike at least some riders in every qualifying round there has ever been. 

I wouldn't begrudge him the highlight of his career and you are right in saying the conditions were the same for everyone. But can anyone honestly say he would have qualified in normal circumstances?

The track was a soggy quagmire, only suited to gating for three-quarters of the meeting. Peter Collins and Chris Morton were eliminated and three days earlier had won the World Pairs, beating some blokes called Gundersen and Nielsen (wonder what became of them?!). Phil Collins was the defending Overseas Champion and he went out. Simon Wigg scraped through after two lasts in the clag. As I say, I liked Martin Yeates as a rider, but under normal racing conditions, he wouldn't have got anywhere near 4th or 5th in Britain. The 84 British Final is (rightly) remembered as Kenny Carter's iconic career performance. But it was a freak meeting, with a freak result. Conditions dictated that the cream couldn't rise to the top and it says everything that of the six eliminated at the next round (Overseas Final), five were qualifiers from that British Final. 

[Wessex Wanderer 148]

But what does it matter what would have happened on a better track. The track was as it was and some riders adapted better than others. Martin was only the second NL rider to even reach the British Final (Wiggy was the first) which was a great achievement in itself. 
 

the conditions on the night were very bad but they were the same for every one. 

[Fromafar 10,333]

There is no doubt in my mind that Ivan would have dominated a GP series from 68- mid 70/s .