Big Meeting At Poole

[Concrete Cowboy 0]

I apologise if this report from the Bournemouth Echo has been posted but i just came across it.

 

Some interesting comments from Nicki.

 

KING NICKI

By Phil Chard

Comment | Read Comments (2)

 

WINNER: Nicki Pedersen celebrates

REIGNING world champion Nicki Pedersen walked off with a cool £60,000 after his spectacular triumph in Poole's Diamond Jubilee meeting yesterday.

 

Then the Danish superstar took a swipe at British speedway for freezing him out of their Elite League this year.

 

Pedersen, who outgated runner-up Andreas Jonsson, third-placed Scott Nicholls and Leigh Adams to win the final, said: "I didn't think about the money.

 

"I just wanted to go out and let British speedway know who was on top of the world.

 

"I've worked tremendously hard on my fitness over the winter and it has paid off in the first meeting.

 

"I love racing my bike and I love speedway.

 

"I genuinely didn't think about the money in the final because I just wanted to show the crowd I could do it.

 

"I couldn't ask for any more, especially as I'm not riding in British speedway this year.

 

"It's a big shame they don't have the world champion here."

 

Pedersen, who won five of his six races in front of a bumper 5,500 crowd, missed out on a berth at his parent club Wolves after turning it down because he had expected to remain at Eastbourne.

 

But the Eagles didn't want him and nor did any other top-flight club, probably because they all considered his average was too high.

 

Pedersen said: "It's like they are saying if you are not good enough, you don't get a team place.

 

"Perhaps that's why I'm not in a team!

 

"Of course I've got a big smile on my face now because I've won this meeting.

 

"It feels fantastic because I think we were all a bit rusty at the start."

 

Pedersen, disqualified from his first ride for being lapped after suffering ignition problems, added: "It's incredible they can put on a great meeting like this.

 

"I didn't have a good start when I suffered an engine failure in my first ride, but I kept calm and it worked out in the end.

 

"It's all about building up points all the time. I came here today to just try to get in the final and did it.

 

"I had a good gate in the final and the bike was feeling good, except in the first race, although I would rather have stopped in the first race than the last one.

 

"But we got on the spare bike and it was fast enough.

 

"For the final, I just decided the ruts were better in gate two than they were in gate one, which Andreas had gone for and it came off."

 

Jonsson said: "Nicki was really, really good. He had an engine failure in the first out but he was really, really quick and he definitely deserved his victory."

 

7:00am Monday 10th March 2008

 

 

[Barney Rabbit 727]

I apologise if this report from the Bournemouth Echo has been posted but i just came across it.

 

Some interesting comments from Nicki.

 

KING NICKI

By Phil Chard

Comment | Read Comments (2)

 

WINNER: Nicki Pedersen celebrates

REIGNING world champion Nicki Pedersen walked off with a cool £60,000 after his spectacular triumph in Poole's Diamond Jubilee meeting yesterday.

 

Not exactly up with the times, is he!

Edited March 12, 2008 by Barney Rabbit

[BriG 0]

Imagine it the announcer says as the bikes are pushed off for the final race "Well the four riders have just made a gentleman's agreement to share the 60K evenly no matter what the outcome of this race!".

 

Would there have been the same atmosphere knowing that all were guaranteed an equal share? Would there have been a fans revolt, walkout or would eveyone happily lap it all up?

 

Steve Shovlar's comments are spot on. It happens you can't stop it but the biggest mistake is making it public. Again it sets a dangerous precedent because if one rider says no to the 'agreement' and the others effectively race against him then it no longer remains an individual race and that certainly raises the question of race fixing and speedway's suitability for:

 

i) betting

ii) being accepted by a wider audience as a truly professional competitive sport or as a theatrical show akin to wrestling

 

Another thing..what a gesture it would have been to have won it and then turned round to the other riders and offer them a share.

 

I agree that you can't really stop the winner doing what he wants with his winnings after he's got them...splitting big pots is a common thing in many sports, in match fishing in the UK there are at least two fishing contests a year where up to 24 finalists fish for a £25,000 winner take all pot. Team mates often both reach the final and agree a share but you'd never get all finalists agreeing to a share together. The sponsors continue to put the money up in that sport despite knowing that winners will most of the time be going shares with someone. However fishing has more luck influencing the outcome than a speedway race and therein lies the danger that agreeing pacts before a race is denying the paying spectators of a true race.

 

As for the tax situation I'm not all that sure that prize money is treated in the same way as normal earned income, I am aware of some pro anglers who have had various meetings with IR about competition winnings.

 

Most top flight riders are VAT registered and earnings they are paid from their employers also have to include vat - not sure about the prize money score though.

 

However what often happens when big prize money is paid out in sporting events is that the cheques are only for show for the pics the transfer is by direct from bank account to bank account some days after an event. This could be an area where those offering the prize could place an embargo on agreements to split - the clause giving them the right to decline or delay the payments in such an instance.

 

In this case I feel it would have been more palatable if the riders had agreed to whoever came first had half and the other three split the rest at least that would have created something to actually race for as opposed to 'race' for.

 

Brian Gay

 

 

[bazaar3 0]

So why bother turning up ?. £60000 up for grabs and they are not bothered ?. Come on now.

 

 

The money is an incentive but it's to the prestige.

 

Same as the GP's. No rider will tell you he is in it for the money. He wants to be the World No 1 and be in the record books.

 

If money was everything to Nicki, having won 4 races on the trot, he would have started favourite so why agree with the other riders to split??? He could have said no, but he didn't because money came second....

[Concrete Cowboy 0]

 

 

so why agree with the other riders to split??? He could have said no, but he didn't because money came second....

 

 

or

 

That's one possibile theory, another could be that he wanted to shaft british speedway because he beleives it has shafted him !.

 

There's always more than one way to look at things.

 

After reading his thoughts on british speedway in that newspaper report you have to agree he's not exactly chuffed with britain.

 

But like i said earlier it's only a theory.

[lucifer sam 3,953]

The Speedway Star website says: "World Champion Nicki Pedersen could be in hot water with the authorities". Tomorrow's issue is likely to be an interesting read.

 

All the best

Rob

[bazaar3 0]

or

 

 

 

After reading his thoughts on british speedway in that newspaper report you have to agree he's not exactly chuffed with britain.

 

But like i said earlier it's only a theory.

 

 

Rubbish.

 

Would you be saying the same theory had any of the other 3 riders won especially Nicholls.

 

[Ray Rocket 0]

I don't think you should point the finger solely at Nicki P. It's only because he was 'unfortunate' enough to win the race that the criticism is being levelled at him.

 

Remember that this was a four man decision, and any one of those riders could have crossed the line first.

 

 

Who knows BR, they may have also agreed on the finishing order as well!

[bazaar3 0]

Who knows BR, they may have also agreed on the finishing order as well!

 

 

 

Well they made that battle for second look good....did you see the final by any chance.

[190557 17]

The Speedway Star website says: "World Champion Nicki Pedersen could be in hot water with the authorities". Tomorrow's issue is likely to be an interesting read.

 

All the best

Rob

 

I hope he's not in hot water because he was the one to speak out about the deception. The other three are equally to blame and should carry their fair share of any punishment.

[Concrete Cowboy 0]

Rubbish.

 

Would you be saying the same theory had any of the other 3 riders won especially Nicholls.

 

Obviously not as Nicki is the only one frozen out of british racing

 

Please don't think that i am anti-Nicki as i assure you i am not, he is a great rider and the sport could do with more riders like him with his determination, passion and character.

 

Quite what you are trying to do by bringing Nicholls into it i don't know, i have no interest in him whatsoever.

 

As i said, it's only a theory.

[stevebrum 6,823]

I apologise if this report from the Bournemouth Echo has been posted but i just came across it.

 

Some interesting comments from Nicki.

 

KING NICKI

By Phil Chard

Comment | Read Comments (2)

 

 

 

Then the Danish superstar took a swipe at British speedway for freezing him out of their Elite League this year.

 

 

"It's a big shame they don't have the world champion here."

 

Pedersen, who won five of his six races in front of a bumper 5,500 crowd, missed out on a berth at his parent club Wolves after turning it down because he had expected to remain at Eastbourne.

 

But the Eagles didn't want him and nor did any other top-flight club, probably because they all considered his average was too high.

 

 

7:00am Monday 10th March 2008

 

 

Nice one.

So there you go - from the horses mouth so to speak.

Turned down Wolves and got turned down by Eastbourne.

So its even clearer - his pickiness cost him a place as much as the points limit.

 

Thanks for clearing that up Nicki.

[BjarneRubble 8]

Who knows BR, they may have also agreed on the finishing order as well!

.... and what colour kecks each should wear..?

[Pirate Nick 1,801]

Anyway enough of these trivial issues! We should be turning our thoughts to more weighty concerns. BEERS JUST GONE UP 4p A PINT!!

[Ray Rocket 0]

Anyway enough of these trivial issues! We should be turning our thoughts to more weighty concerns. BEERS JUST GONE UP 4p A PINT!!

 

 

Now, how many pints would £60k buy.............more than £15K!!!