Should Tai Woffinden Be In The Gp Next Year?

[HasseHolmqvist 102]

Best wait a few years until Robert Lambert is ready as I dont see any of GB's current riders being on the pace for the GP.

 

A few of us will be dead by the time that happens

 

Tai wants it but isn't ready. It will mess with his head and Harris might not be good enough but it's not through the lack of trying. He has put 100% into speedway not jet ski's or moto bikes.

 

And yet Tai is still the better rider, maybe Chris should try "jet ski's or moto bikes"

 

Scott rode very well last night, considering he was carrying an injury. He deserves the chance, but Tai who has the abillity has to PROVE, he's worth the chance.

 

Woffinden has proven in the WTC that he can compete, he will be better prepared than last time and can gate a bit

[Fromafar 10,401]

Don't think any Brits deserve a wild card.Harris was pretty poor last night he cannot really expect another wild card ,always gives the impression that things are going OK and this will be the night,in reality he is earning plenty cash as a speedway rider and that will do him.He is a very entertaining rider when things are going right though.

[philfromcov 326]

i agree that he doesn't deserve to be there on his performances, but to be honest i wouldn't go if i didn't have a brit to cheer (no matter how embarrassing it was!)

easiest way out of this, because of the injuries etc, is reduce the places to 14 and have 2 wild cards.

 

i have a first time speedway person with me (from st Austell, funny enough) and he noted that the local was "not very good"

 

personally i think he needs to concentrate on his league form where he gets the £££££ from, because if he cant get better than a 7.70 average in the elite league over the last three years, then he needs to realise that's his level!

 

get your league form right and the rest will follow, he should be a 9+ riders in the elite league, until he becomes one he should forget the GP's

[screm 8,067]

Giving the other alternatives it would be just plain wrong if any Brit rider were to be giving a wildcard pick,pains me to say but theres none good enough at present,Woffinden is probably the best and most promising though to be fair.

[iainb 5,079]

Fans on the continent must laugh with dismay every time they see the token Brit, so mediocre in their own leagues

 

Like we all used to laugh in the days before the GP when a lot of places in the world final were taken by mediocre riders from the eastern bloc through the continental final?

[george.m 3,063]

Going by the standards we are seeing in GPs and SWCs nowadays, the new breed of world class riders coming through are in their teens. The UK just doesn't have anyone near good enough at present.

 

The Danes and Eastern Europeans seem to have a production line of talent. We're looking for one person to step up. Seems to me that we are going wrong somewhere.

[T.N.T. 355]

Depending on how Linback and Vaculik do in the GP Challenge, the 15 riders for next season are all but sorted.

 

The top 8 at present, Hancock, Holder, Pedersen, Crump, Sayfutdinov, Gollob, Lindgren and Jonsson.

 

Add to that Vaculik and Lindback and you have 10.

 

You then have the 3 qualifiers from the GP Challenge .... to make 13

 

Lindback*

Ljung

Walasek

Miedzinski

Kasprzak

Andersen

NKI

MJJ

Madsen

Smolinski

Zagar

Watt

Batchelor

A Dryml

Vaculik*

Pavlic

 

Jarek Hampel will be handed the next race jacket followed by Tai Woffinden

 

Should Vaculik and / or Lindback qualify, you will have 1 or 2 extra places available which would go in order to Darcy Ward, Jepsen Jensen as World U21 Champion elect (if he hasn't qualifield already) and most likely Kasprzak the final place if its available

 

 

They are really hoping MJJ, Vaculik and Lindback get the three qualifying places !!

Edited August 26, 2012 by T.N.T.

[LagutaRacingFan 1,940]

Kolodziej deserves a pick, One of the best in the Ekstraliga and Sweden.

 

No suprise that his 2 teams are both top of there leagues.

[TrueBee 147]

No British rider is good enough for the GPs yet. I'd like to see Hampel along with 3 from Pawlicki, Ward, Vaculik, Pavlic and MJJ.

[secsy1 215]

The reality is no British rider deserves a `Wild Card for the GP series`.

 

The best performing Brits this year are 1. Richie Worral-but one step beyond at the present, but a definite future prospect.

2. Josh Auty-suspect at gating but preverbial racer and trier, needs support to achieve it.

3. Ben Barker-more deserving than Tai at present and more reliable.

Only my opinions for what they are worth, but why must a British rider be in it if they are not up to standard required. We have many foriegn riders who have ridden or still ride in the GP`s who fans can relate to and would still follow the series.

 

In 2-3 years time the British riders in the system will have evolved and become more dedicated to their sports with the goal of winning far out weighing the need to be tarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[davidncohen 18]

Great post; very interesting discussion.

 

I have often asked the question: What would the impact be on British Speedway if there was no GB rider starting every GP? And, what would the impact be on the British GP be, if there was only a wild card GB rider. I'm not sure I know the answers, but I'm just thinking of the 'bigger picture'. Actually, with many top riders no longer riding in the UK, I think this shows that the speedway world has shifted somewhat, and therefore, I think the overall impact on the GP would not be too great - but as far as that little meeting in Cardiff once a year goes, could be a different story - maybe?

 

Right now, it certainly is looking like Chris Harris is at the last chance saloon with regard to justification for inclusion in the 15 next year.

 

Also, GB riders success in the SGP qualification rounds hasn't been barn storming over the years, so it would be interesting if it was left to this avenue for a few years to see if Brits could qualify.

 

It kinda reminds me we use to moan about how in the 60's and 70's the continentals always had 5-ish qualifiers through to the World Final, without having to meet the other top boys beforehand, and how their performance just wasn't up to it (bar one or two exceptions - Plech etc.) People in the UK said how unfair this was, given the continentals continued poorer performance at the top level (OK, eventually everyone was brought together in two semis). So, does the same now apply - the GB SGP riders are consistently failing to get to the top, but are still given a berth in the following season's event.

Edited August 26, 2012 by davidncohen

[HasseHolmqvist 102]

The reality is no British rider deserves a `Wild Card for the GP series`.

 

The best performing Brits this year are 1. Richie Worral-but one step beyond at the present, but a definite future prospect.

2. Josh Auty-suspect at gating but preverbial racer and trier, needs support to achieve it.

3. Ben Barker-more deserving than Tai at present and more reliable.

Only my opinions for what they are worth, but why must a British rider be in it if they are not up to standard required. We have many foriegn riders who have ridden or still ride in the GP`s who fans can relate to and would still follow the series.

 

In 2-3 years time the British riders in the system will have evolved and become more dedicated to their sports with the goal of winning far out weighing the need to be tarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah and stick Woffinden in 10 match races against each of them and he would win 9 out of 10 against each, the 2nd division is just that ... why is Ben Barker more deserving than Tai ..... Woffinden will finish the season as Wolverhamptons number one .... Ben will finish the season as Plymouths number one

 

I also rate Adam Roynon above all of them

Edited August 26, 2012 by HasseHolmqvist

[Glenn 26]

GB will have only have one place so not like the old World final carve up of yesteryear.

 

To think we started the whole thing in 1936 and are now nowhere on the current world stage.

But do any of our wonderful promoters worry ?

 

 

[Ben91 1,743]

Some of the comments here are laughable, something along the lines of giving Josh Auty a permanent GP wild card for next year from someone, I hope that was an attempt at humour. Auty would get destroyed in the GPs.

 

The Wildcard system is flawed, it should all be decided by GP qualifying rounds. How someone decided who 'deserves' a wildcard place and the criteria which constitutes deserving that wildcard are a mystery, probably even to the person who makes the decision.

 

Cardiff is the Speedway GP's biggest night, therefore there must be a Brit in the series full time as well as the meeting wildcard as a minimum. That means a wildcard to the series needs to be offered to Chris, Tai or Scott. Chris is showing at the moment he is struggling, Scott has had his time in the series but there is no doubt he could compete and in my opinion he is more geared up for the GP's than Chris. Tai is the future, he had one season which came too soon but he has shown in the SWC he can compete. Lets hope he gets the spot, I think it would be the right decision to make.

 

As an aside, in the Formula One Grand Prix, you couldn't consider the drivers to be the best 24(?) in the world.

[robert72 845]

Tai is simply not good enough for GP racing, he is a long way off that standard.

 

Again, its bomber or scott for the one position if they choose to have one brit next season,this is how poor we have got in this country and the promotors bringing over riders to race at 6 & 7 is wrong.