British Final And Semi Finals

[jenga 2,998]

you are oh so............... correct.

the only time you wont get a point is when you and your machine cross the finish line apart, ie. not touching your machine , or you get outside assistance. ie. track staff etc touching your bike.

[stevebrum 6,832]

Have a day off. It wasn't the EL final, it was the British Final. There were 2 semi finals, the top 8 from each semi qualified for the final. Not so hard to grasp really is it?

 

I take it you weren't a fan of the old qualifying system when EVERYBODY was given an equal chance of qualifying for the World Final?

 

 

Lets be clear. There was little wrong with the recent seedings system.

 

Gone are the day when England ruled the speedway world, there was an abundance of decent British riders and we were a high profile sport.

 

You cant compare the OLD style qualifying rounds to the current ones or the importance more importantly.

 

We want a British Final that will show the best there is - not allow the likes of Richardson to not qualify because he is ill. No wonder the Poles or Swedes or Danes have no fears tuning in to watch that uneven line up.

 

I suppose you would prefer a one off world final with half a dozen inferior riders fighting it out i guess.

 

As far as SKY goes - of course there EL bias as they should.

 

Its like saying Match of the Day is pro Championship

[Bessiebee 12]

I didn't think last night was a bad meeting, of course congratulations to Bomber who I felt was a deserved winner. Scotty deserved his wildcard and I look forward to seeing him back at Cardiff.. he can just relax and enjoy it this year with no pressure.. he was gutted not to be British Champion again, but I'm sure he'll be up for Cardiff

 

Ben Barker.. the effort and passion he puts into all his racing is just superb and it really shows on track.. one thing you absolutely can not accuse him of is not trying as you always get 100%. He just wants to race and do his best, what more do people want of him!? I think he did brilliantly last night, whatever people write on here about what he might get up to off track, his attitude to speedway is fantastic and I wish one or two were a bit more like him. Well done Ben

 

Also, the PL riders. To those who felt ripped off by the line-up.. you all knew the line-up beforehand and nobody forced you to go. Some of the comments about PL riders are just disrespectful IMO. Riders like Clewsy, Frampton, Tully to name a few all qualified so whatever you think, they deserved to be there, it's that simple.

 

Good post, I agree with everything you have said

[T.N.T. 355]

yes ther were big crowds in the 70's, i was one of them, but to suggest 10-12 could win was wrong, normally lee, collins, jessup and one other1

 

at most 4 in with a chance although all competitors were in the top league and most were heat leaders.

 

Collins, Morton, Jessup, Lee, Louis, Betts, Simmons, Ray Wilson, Kennett, Lee, Boocock ..... all big hitters in the 70's early 80's not to mention Pusey, Wyer, Reg Wilson etc etc

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong? I was at the meeting and was none too impressed with the track, given I was looking from terraces and not riding it!

 

The second bend in particular seemed to be causing no end of problems but hey I am no Track Custodian it is just an observation! In fact I feel that from watching TV meetings this season with the odd exception track prep. has been poor.

 

Your wrong !

 

Monmore Green has the advantage of having numerous race lines although the two main ones used are either tight to the kerb or blast around the apex of the bend (roughly 2 yards from fence). There is always plenty of dirt on the track and even when its slick it has more grip than many other tracks. This means riders are not used to grippy tracks and set up to get out of the gates quicker.

 

When they exit a turn, they pull hard on the gas and often this causes them to lift. Some riders like Lewis Bridger and Tai Woffinden can often be seen going down the back straight on one wheel, especially when they come off bend 2 on the inside which always has loads of grip if you hit the right line .... (ie ... Karlsson's Corridoor)

 

 

As for other tracks preparation .... You MAY be correct ?

[RPNY 608]

Well living on the other side of the world I only got to see a Sky re run last night & I have to say I thought it was a good meeting. No major suprises, but plenty of incident & passing, all in all a decent British final & I'm happy Scott is the Cardiff Wild Card as in my opinion he is the most likely to make an impact on the day.

 

If I could change a few things about the british final, firstly Id like to see 8 seeded and then a semi final for the other 8. Half the field is a pretty fair split & means we dont get a situation like Tai & Lee again. Secondly I'd love to see it at a big fast track like P'boro, K Lynn, Sheff and on either a Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I appreciate that it's logistically not the easiest but I think it would add to the etertainment and attract more fans. My real 1st choice would be to have it at Coventry but that would be to unfair with the amount of Bees riders in the field at present...

 

The interviews showed me that the riders all really still care for this title. Scott was devestated. I don't think he is not bothered about Cardiff, more that he just really wanted to br British Champion.

 

All in all I thought it was a good meeting, well done bomber & Scotty, here's to Cardiff!

[cityrebel 2,960]

British Finals years ago didn't take place on a Monday night did they, might have been a few more fans in attendance had it been on Saturday night like it should be, or even Sunday afternoon!!

the british finals i went to in the 1970's were all mid week, west ham on a tuesday and coventry on wednesdays. it never stopped the crowds from turning up in big numbers.

[Silver Bee 57]

The biggest problem with the qualifying system this year was having the 2 semis at big flat out open tracks then having the final at Monmore.

 

I'm not knocking Monmore, love it as a track, but the reason some of these boys made the final was because they are big track men, to then put the surprise packages round a track that's completely different to the one they've qualified on seems ridiculous and was half the reason the meeting wasn't as good as it should have been.

[Pinny 2,580]

People need to get a grip.

 

If Tai was so good he would of qualified from the 3 heats at Sheffield, a track he knows well, and Richardson would of gone through at KL, a track he also knows well.

 

Just because people think these are two of our best riders, they dont have a god given right to be in the final.

 

They were up against lesser opposition on their respective nights and were beaten and didnt qualify. Nobodys fault but their own.

 

Woffinden extremely over rated anyway. Nothing but average for Wolves this year and is being totally humiliated in the GP's where as Zorro, the man who "should never of been in it", is just outside the top 8 with more than double Woffindens points and has already made a final.

 

Woffinden thinks he is a lot better than he is, hes another rider who has reached a stand still after showing a lot of promise earlier in his career. The likes of Ward and Holder are much better prospects.

 

So why people are moaning because we didnt have Tai or Richardson in the final, get a grip. They werent good enough in the semis, end of story.

[barrow boy 119]

The biggest problem with the qualifying system this year was having the 2 semis at big flat out open tracks then having the final at Monmore.

 

I'm not knocking Monmore, love it as a track, but the reason some of these boys made the final was because they are big track men, to then put the surprise packages round a track that's completely different to the one they've qualified on seems ridiculous and was half the reason the meeting wasn't as good as it should have been.

Exactly

[Cornishman 18]

People need to get a grip.

 

If Tai was so good he would of qualified from the 3 heats at Sheffield, a track he knows well, and Richardson would of gone through at KL, a track he also knows well.

 

Just because people think these are two of our best riders, they dont have a god given right to be in the final.

 

They were up against lesser opposition on their respective nights and were beaten and didnt qualify. Nobodys fault but their own.

 

Woffinden extremely over rated anyway. Nothing but average for Wolves this year and is being totally humiliated in the GP's where as Zorro, the man who "should never of been in it", is just outside the top 8 with more than double Woffindens points and has already made a final.

 

Woffinden thinks he is a lot better than he is, hes another rider who has reached a stand still after showing a lot of promise earlier in his career. The likes of Ward and Holder are much better prospects.

 

So why people are moaning because we didnt have Tai or Richardson in the final, get a grip. They werent good enough in the semis, end of story.

 

 

Not really fair to say Rico wasn't good enough. His bike packed up in his first ride and he fell in his 2nd ride leaving him unfit to take his other 3 rides.

[21st century heathen 220]

I personally think Tai and Lee should've been seeded in. A British Final minus two of the top British riders just isn't right to me and I can't help but think that we were cheated of more good racing between the top riders.

 

 

Sorry mate, can't agree. And I, like you, admit to being an EL snob (although I am watching all 3 leagues this season). We weren't cheated of anything. Rico and Tai failed to qualify because they weren't good enough on the day. I have no problem with that. Do you think the GP Quali Final should be seeded to make sure all the best riders are in with a chance or are you happy with the Qualifiers being run?

 

British Finals years ago didn't take place on a Monday night did they, might have been a few more fans in attendance had it been on Saturday night like it should be, or even Sunday afternoon!!

 

 

Hmmm... Perhaps in this day and age you have a point, but as I said there were fans from all over the country rather than just locally from Wolves, Heathens, Brummies and Bees.

 

Umm When?? Sky said they were going to show MORE PL this season..so far only 1!!

 

 

I would like to see more PL action too, but I don't for one minute think there will be more than 2/3 a season at the moment. In years to come? Perhaps, but I won't hold my breath. I wonder whether Sky would consider more PL speedway through the early summer when there is no league football taking up half its schedule?

 

Correct me if I am wrong? I was at the meeting and was none too impressed with the track, given I was looking from terraces and not riding it!The second bend in particular seemed to be causing no end of problems but hey I am no Track Custodian it is just an observation!

 

 

It wasn't absolutely perfect but there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it. It was grippy and riders and machines are not really used to it so it took some of them a ride or two to settle (Allen for example was better later on - though unlucky in heat 1 in my opinion when squeezed out). Monmore is more technical a lot of tracks and you have to turn the throttle both ways which some riders don't like to do. It's almost a case of slow down a bit and you'll go faster. Turn two catches out much better riders than the like of Clews, Frampton, Lanham etc. No disrespect to these guys, they're good at what they do. For example Lanham is best known for being able to pootle around the curb on a slick track. The fact that he drifted out on a grippy track was no surprise to me. Ryan Sullivan, for example, never got the hang of Monmore and even when Dryml was flying in the GP he was crap at Monmore. KK can't ride it unless it's slick and he makes the start. Zagar, likewise. He actually pulled out of his first two rides at Monmore and then was flying later when it slickened off. AJ and Rico aren't great there and openly don't like it. What I'm trying to say is that although it appeared to have a couple of patches that were a bit dodgy, no doubt caused by all the heavy rain, most of the mistakes seen were due to either riders that aren't very good at Monmore or riders riding too hard.

 

My real 1st choice would be to have it at Coventry but that would be to unfair with the amount of Bees riders in the field at present...

 

I think I counted 8 past and present Cov riders in the field. Who says British clubs don't invest in British riders?!

 

The biggest problem with the qualifying system this year was having the 2 semis at big flat out open tracks then having the final at Monmore.

 

I'm not knocking Monmore, love it as a track, but the reason some of these boys made the final was because they are big track men, to then put the surprise packages round a track that's completely different to the one they've qualified on seems ridiculous and was half the reason the meeting wasn't as good as it should have been.

 

A significant factor, but I still agree with having semi-finals. And having them at the lesser riders preferred track type makes for more open semi's, which can only be a good thing.

 

Hall was never going to beat King at Monmore but he was there on merit after doing a good job in the semi. Even the bookies knew he had no chance. King was 50-1 to win the meeting even though he had to come through that run-off. Hall was 500-1.

 

Not really fair to say Rico wasn't good enough. His bike packed up in his first ride and he fell in his 2nd ride leaving him unfit to take his other 3 rides.

 

 

So he had poor equipment and rode poorly.

 

 

[barrow boy 119]

I thought the occasion deserved a better theatre at somewhere like Coventry or Poole or any other stadium that had fans on show on all parts and not just the starting gate area. It would have looked more impressive.

[London Witch 57]

Do you think the GP Quali Final should be seeded to make sure all the best riders are in with a chance or are you happy with the Qualifiers being run?

 

 

 

Permanent Wild Cards are in place for that reason, so I'm happy with qualifying as it stands.

 

If the British Final was a stepping stone to the GPs then I'd agree with you, but apart from the winner being British Champ and wild card at Cardiff it doesn't actually mean anything, therefore all the best riders should be in it to spice things up a bit imo.

[Authorised 60]

 

I think I counted 8 past and present Cov riders in the field. Who says British clubs don't invest in British riders?!

 

 

 

I can get to 10....

 

Harris

Nicholls

Barker

Kennett

Bridger

Allen

Clews

Frampton

Robson

Stead

[liverpool chad 2]

I thought the occasion deserved a better theatre at somewhere like Coventry or Poole or any other stadium that had fans on show on all parts and not just the starting gate area. It would have looked more impressive.

 

Agreed, Monmore as never been the same since they did away with the stand on the back straight many years ago.

On another note, while im in no way knocking Chris Harris's determination to win the meeting, i don't understand his win at all costs attitude that could well of not only hindered his GP chances but also his and Coventrys domestic season, surely his priority should be stay out of trouble in the british final, as he is already at Cardiff and carry on with his good form at Torun on Saturday. Some of the moves he pulled on Monday left me wondering if he felt the british title was worth more to him than a top eight finish in the GP's. As for the other three from Coventry, well, i feel someone is going to get hurt if they don't calm down a little.

All in all it was a good meeting and IMHO the track looked fine from where i was stood and i couldnt understand why so many riders chose the wrong set up, most of them took a look at the track pre meeting saw how much dirt was on there and then seemed to choose a set up for a slick track where power from the start is paramount!