SCB 0 Posted September 16, 2004 Rune Sola & Arnt Forland. AKA, who and who? Is someone somewhere taking the piss? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bandits4eva 1,003 Posted September 16, 2004 Arnt Forland rode for Valsarna last season... remember that he struggled when he came with the touring side to berwick so shawn is right with the title , why bother ?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomazpozrl 8 Posted September 17, 2004 In the absence of Rune Holta and Lars Gunestad Arnt Forland became 2004 norvegian champion and Rune Sola finished as runner-up. That's probably the reason why they were chosen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wackie 938 Posted September 17, 2004 Speedway growing in popularity in Norway too. Sure I've read the viewing figures for the GP's are up in Norway from previous years. Wild cards chosen obviously a commercial decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rabbit 1 Posted September 17, 2004 Saw Rune Sola riding for a Norwegian team that ride in one of the Swedish Leagues a couple of years ago. He looked quite decent then but maybe not quite up at the standard of the GP boys. Perhaps he's progressed quite a bit by now. In his home country he's as entitled to a wildcard as anyone else. I mean they put Lars in last year and the last I heard he was only riding semi-professionally now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomazpozrl 8 Posted September 17, 2004 I mean they put Lars in last year and the last I heard he was only riding semi-professionally now. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes that's right. I think he was offered a wild card, but he refused it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BradWeb UK 0 Posted September 17, 2004 I saw Rune Sola a couple of weeks ago riding in the Norwegian League. He raced to an 18 point maximum on the day. I take the point that nobody knows who he is but I think it's good that they are giving the kid a chance. Norway are very keen on raising the profile of Speedway and having a local rider in the GP will raise the interests more than it would having someone like Linback in as a wildcard. Sure he and Arnt Forland may struggle to compete with the GP boys but I'm all for Norway having these two as wildcards. I say this because the enthusiasm within the local riders is such that seeing these two in the GP will hopefully spur them onto to emulating their compatriots. (PS - Did you all like the picture of Rune Sola in the Star? Yep, you guessed it, it was one of mine!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted September 17, 2004 (edited) Surely these poor riders having wild cards is unfair on Phil Morris who doesn't get a wildcard just because of the name they have given the GP. Do they get scandinavians in the scandinavian GP or do they have Swedes? What about Europeans in the European GP? It was always Poles! So why can we have Welsh rider in the British GP in Wales! I still think BSI are failing to see this from a commercial point of view, give Phil the wild card (as well as someone like Mark Loram) and actually market it in Cardiff as Wales number one rider, the local rider (hey he lives about 15 miles away) versus the World. The Welsh WILL support the Welsh. Surely if they can have these poor riders in Norway, they can have the poor riders in Wales too? BTW, it's all well and good scoring maximums in the Norweigan league but who did he beat? Does anyone have any results for either? So far everything I have found suggests they've never met anyone other than Norweigans who I've never heard of, even if they are the best Noweigans, how do they compare to the rest of the World? Edited September 17, 2004 by SCB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cornishman 18 Posted September 17, 2004 cant give it to morris and loram, theres only 1 wild card place next year. FAO SCB...... do you ever shut up about phil morris and the british gp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salty 2,202 Posted September 18, 2004 Agree with you SCB. If the inclusion of the 2 Norwegians is for commercial reasons then the same thinking should apply at Cardiff. I don't believe the inclusion of Louis and Floppy this year would have greatly increased the amount of Ipswich and Eastbourne fans who were travelling but the inclusion of a Welsh rider may just increase the local interest. Including these Norwegians is just the same as using Santej in Krsko. It's more interesting imo than watching Peter Karlsson again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted September 18, 2004 Hallelujah! Thanks Salty Surely the Eastbourne fans would be there to see Nicki Pedersen too, where as the Reading fans would go along to support Phil too. For the record, I beleive the wild card should ALWAYS be the best rider available, where ever he is from (Oz, US, GB, Sweden etc etc.....) but BSI seem to think it's a commercial thing, UNTIL it comes to Cardiff and they ove rlook Phil. If they were consistent and always went for the best riders I'd say ok. I'm sure more Welsh companies as wella s fans would be intrested in comming along and supporting the event if there was a Welshman in it. Does anyone honestly believe that David Norris (I doubt anyone shouted more for the guy that me this year BTW. Ask Jill, she had the ear ache to prove it!) and Chris Louis brought in any EXTRA Brits or English(wo)men? Do you think however if they had the posters up in Cardiff advertising Phil Morris as being in the meeting and that he is Wales number 1, people would be intrested? I'm actually being serious here, not just trying to wind people up as I am on the Mark Loram/GP 2005 thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest richtea78 Posted September 18, 2004 SCB - I dont think it would have brought any more extra fans in, for much the same reason that the enclusion of Norris didnt bring that many extra EB fans in. My thinking is that I doubt many Welsh people would bother to go to a sport they probably know very little about and care about even less just because a Welshman is riding. Those who do know anything and are interested would already be going anyway and would know that Phil Morris stood even less chance that Louis did of getting anywhere! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jill 4 Posted September 18, 2004 Does anyone honestly believe that David Norris (I doubt anyone shouted more for the guy that me this year BTW. Ask Jill, she had the ear ache to prove it!)<{POST_SNAPBACK}> true its about the only thing i CAN remember from the BRITISH GP !!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted September 18, 2004 Fair enough richtea78 but then do you think Louis was a decent Wildcard and do you think there was someone better? Do you agree witht he Norweigan wildcards? What about the Slovenian one? Again, I'm just trying to find out what people think a wild cards should be, is it s local, a rider in with a chance of potentially winning(a heat at least) or some sort of compramise? It's just that BSI tend to go with locals in all but the British GP, why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jill 4 Posted September 18, 2004 because they would really like it in england except we aint got a decent stadium so they have it in wales Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
