TonyE

I can't accept that. Hans certainly knew Nicholls was close but, in my opinion, didn't know exactly where he was when he 'turned right' towards the fence. It all happened so quickly and, worst case, Scott could have been seriously injured or worse. No doubt Hans thought Scott could take avoiding action which fortunately he did but there are occasions when none are possible (viz. Nicki Pedersen on Greg Hancock in the GP). As for Scott returning the favour, well it was hard but done over a longer period of time with Hans having plenty of opportunity to know what was coming and act accordingly. The sportsmanship issue is a little harder to call - no doubt Scott felt that what Hans had just pulled could have seriously injured him as well as the fact that the adrenalin must have still been pumping after a race like that. It was exciting to watch though!

To put Zagar in at the expense of an established GP performer like Hans A does nothing for the credibility of the series. If you don't qualify automatically nowadays, just how do you get in?

I don't think Mark Loram will be riding this weekend.

British promoters will have an opportunity to deal with the HA issue when putting their teams together for next season. I wouldn't hold my breath however!!

Dom Arigato Grachan San In three years of living in Japan I never did get to see a live meeting.

The only 'definite' thing about it was that the Referee gave it to him. There is no way you could separate them at normal speed.

No camera on the finish line - how on earth was the referee able to call the Loram/Sullivan result? It was impossible to tell from the angle we were shown. No point of having a jury meeting pre tournament if riders who subsequently 'shut off' escape the defined sanction. Finally, when will all race winners not shut off as soon as they cross the finish line. Second and third positions are vital and those guys are going full pelt, the last thing they want is the winner virtually stationery in front of them.

Why this constant tinkering? New rules and regulations every season. If something has been shown not to work or to be unpopular, just remove it. Dreaming up something else with the potential to backfire badly does not seem to be the answer. Yes, guests are confusing to new supporters but what is the alternative? Squads could be the answer but are reliant on riders being willing to not always be in the team. It is quite common to have two riders out injured and if one of them is not your No.1 then heaven help you - R/R and a raw junior? Hardly adequate replacements for Heat Leaders 2 and 3. We will just have to wait and see how it all works out but I foresee tears before bedtime!