British Final 2022

[keepturningleft 589]

If Ellis does well at Cardiff, this thread will fall deafeningly silent...

[False dawn 2,298]

The plan to rerun the British Final after Cardiff seems a bit daft. There is some kudos in being British Champion but not a lot anymore, unfortunately. The real interest comes from the prize of going to Cardiff. This rerun will look like a bit of a dead rubber.

And there has to be some logic in sending an in form rider to the British GP as the wildcard. Sending someone who was in form last year does not pass this test.

A run off (best of three plus any super heats if necessary) at a neutral venue between the top 3 would surely be more satisfactory than going back to last year's meeting. At least it would be decided in a set of straight races rather than race times or drawing lots (heavens forbid). If the neutral track was streamed on BSN, there are commercial possibilities (barring any problems with Eurosport over the rights, of course).

It just feels like we've ended up with a result that pleases no one (apart from Adam E, of course). I've got nothing against Adam. He was a deserved winner last year and it's a real shame that Cardiff didn't run. But I just feel empty in thinking about this decision. 

[topaz325 1,859]

6 minutes ago, keepturningleft said:

If Ellis does well at Cardiff, this thread will fall deafeningly silent...

It’s not about how well Adam Ellis or anyone else performs at Cardiff in my opinion.

[Steve_R 19]

The meeting was going well, and the 3 guys who finished on 8 points all rode brilliantly. 

There is no perfect solution, but surely rain in the UK is not entirely unexpected, so a contingency should have been set and known and published in advance for deciding the title and the GP slot. 

A 3 way run off at Cardiff before the GP, with the winner crowned champion and the best finisher out of of Brennan and Harris going into the GP would have been fun to see, and dare I say it a better idea than giving the GP place to the guy who scored 1 point on the night. Yes, I understand he won it last year, but that was last year. Anyway, I hope Ellis goes well at Cardiff. 

Nevermind. As I say, there is no perfect answer, but the lack of foresight makes everyone look like a right bunch of amateurs. 

[secsy1 213]

So, allegedly it was a FIM decision for Adam to progress to the British Final. Cannot argue if that is the case.

But who made the decision to have Jack Smith as first reserve and Harry McGurk as second reserve?

Surely in the grand scheme of promoting fairness and youth it should have been McGurk with either Mulford, Hagon or Ablitt? 

[Endeavour 681]

The thing that astounds me is that there was no provision put in place for any possibility weather wise BEFORE the meeting.

Manchester is hardly noted for being sunny and dry all year round.

If rain forecast no parade. Just possibly could have got to each rider having his four programmed rides.

You could argue Ellis didn’t get a chance to ride at Cardiff last year. If he was in the mix there would have been less of an outcry.

Perhaps people need to take off their (insert colour of team) tinted glasses and say what would have been a fair decision.

Don’t call out Ellis. What rider would turn it down? Call out the powers that be who had no provision in place.

[Midland Red 2,383]

9 minutes ago, Endeavour said:

The thing that astounds me is that there was no provision put in place for any possibility weather wise BEFORE the meeting.

Manchester is hardly noted for being sunny and dry all year round.

If rain forecast no parade. Just possibly could have got to each rider having his four programmed rides.

You could argue Ellis didn’t get a chance to ride at Cardiff last year. If he was in the mix there would have been less of an outcry.

Perhaps people need to take off their (insert colour of team) tinted glasses and say what would have been a fair decision.

Don’t call out Ellis. What rider would turn it down? Call out the powers that be who had no provision in place.

Five programmed rides!

[mc131 366]

12 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

So, allegedly it was a FIM decision for Adam to progress to the British Final. Cannot argue if that is the case.

But who made the decision to have Jack Smith as first reserve and Harry McGurk as second reserve?

Surely in the grand scheme of promoting fairness and youth it should have been McGurk with either Mulford, Hagon or Ablitt? 

Reserves at British final mean nothing I'm sure randomly jack Smith always seems to be 1 or last few years at least 

[lbw 869]

Still raining in Manchester this morning, I know how everyone loves a weather report?! 

I'm singing in the rain.......Hot Chocolate classic "Pirates win again, Pirates win again"

Edited August 2, 2022 by Turnip

[Wasp 31]

When the media opened Harris came out first that door flew out he didn't look happy

Edited August 2, 2022 by Wasp

[Daniel Smith 5,666]

With this years winner or runner up (if Bewley bothers) not getting a slot to the GP, I foresee a lot of withdrawals at it being a field of mainly National Development League rider's for the rerun, mainly Belle Vue one's too. 

It will be a farce 

[iainb 5,022]

2 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

The farting about while it poured last night was typical BSPL and unacceptable for the poor buggers there watching, but they eventually came to the least unsatisfactory decision.

How many times were they in and out of that media room? Can somebody clip it up and put it to the Benny Hill music?

[iainb 5,022]

52 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

So, allegedly it was a FIM decision for Adam to progress to the British Final. Cannot argue if that is the case.

But who made the decision to have Jack Smith as first reserve and Harry McGurk as second reserve?

Surely in the grand scheme of promoting fairness and youth it should have been McGurk with either Mulford, Hagon or Ablitt? 

I don't think that was the case, as far as I know it's the home governing body that makes the decision as regards a GP wild card and for the FIM to accept or reject it. That's the way it works for GP's in other countries, that's why you get the likes of Nick Skorja included when the GP's are held in the back of beyond... the UK in the past chose an Australian for a wild card spot, how forward thinking was that? 

[cinderfella 865]

From the BSPA statement:

BSP Chairman Rob Godfrey said: “There was a procedure in the rulebook by which after Heat 12 a result could be called.

“But after consultation between the riders and the SCB, the riders weren’t particularly happy, so myself and Damien (Bates – vice chairman) intervened and factored in a good solution.

 

So if they can overturn procedures in the rule book the floodgates have just been opened and team managers will now argue that results for league and cup matches cannot be declared if the meeting doesn't go the full distance.

Speedway has become a total joke now run by a shower of imbeciles with their own interests at heart.

Damien Bates should not have been involved in any decisions as Adam Ellis is one of his riders.

[chris4gillian 1,832]

Why did this meeting go ahead at all with such a strong possibility of rain?  League meetings are called off a day in advance these days should the weather forecast be so poor.  Why should this meeting be any different?  A re-staging date before Cardiff should've been pencilled in should last nights meeting need to be cancelled or called off for whatever reason.  An absolute school boy error by the 's at top with absolutely no thought for the punters, the guys on the terraces that keep this sport alive.

At least they didn't try to keep racing and common sense prevailed as nobody wants to see any rider get hurt.

Restaging is 100% the correct decision.  BUT, and this is a big but, why wasn't a restaging date before Aug 13th already pencilled into the calendar??

As for Adam Ellis getting the wildcard, whilst it does 'make sense,' it also smacks of yet another decision which had no forethought.

What happens to this years eventual British Champ?  No Cardiff may well mean no turny up on the restaging date.  What's the incentive?  A pretty meaningless trophy, and I say that because Britain's two (arguably) best riders can't be ar$ed to ride in it as they don't think the title is worth anything.

Overall, a meeting that started off brilliantly turned into a farce.  But that's unfortunately British speedway.  We all put up with it, but will we put up with it forever?