2023 GP line up/wildcards

[f-s-p 832]

3 hours ago, JCookie said:

 Timi Salonen? Honestly?

Not really...

But Levishyn got in by beating Zmarzlik in ONE heat during the season... Or atleast thats what I read about it in the press release.

[JCookie 753]

1 hour ago, f-s-p said:

Not really...

But Levishyn got in by beating Zmarzlik in ONE heat during the season... Or atleast thats what I read about it in the press release.

They're both exciting, and come from lesser speedway nations. Otherwise, they're nowhere near the quality of a GP. If Levishyn got in for that then it's crazy.

[chunky 6,108]

5 hours ago, JCookie said:

The reserve list is bizarre. I know why they've done it, but barely any, if any at all, deserve to be near a GP. Timi Salonen? Honestly?

Thing is, the reserve list is probably the one thing that illustrates the fact that we pretty much have all the top riders in the GP's. Is there REALLY that big a gulf between the top guys and the rest? Apparently...

Then again, most of us felt that neither Lambert or Bewley were true GP quality yet, and looked what happened there!

[arnieg 3,651]

58 minutes ago, JCookie said:

They're both exciting, and come from lesser speedway nations. Otherwise, they're nowhere near the quality of a GP. If Levishyn got in for that then it's crazy.

But they are both a long way from being their nations' top riders. Lahti and Loktaev (who may be otherwise engaged at present) must be wondering what they have to do to get noticed.

[Technik 491]

10 hours ago, longmeadow said:

Its time to change the sgp challenge system. If no reserves are allowed from countries who already have a grand prix rider involved then a chance to shine is taken away. Rasmus jensen being a prime example knowing he wont get the chance to cover for an injured rider this year. But its time to stop full time gp riders appearing in the challenge. If poland denmark etc give qualifying places to existing gp riders then that limits the chances for new riders to get into the full grand prix. If full time riders miss the top six there is always the fall back of five wild cards. Surely that is enough.

I have felt for many years the Challenge is the most cut-throat meeting in speedway. With only the top 3 making the next years SGP series.

I was happy when the list of seeded riders was reduced from 8 to 6 But I feel that those that believe they may fail to make the top 6 should be required to go to the Challenge & join at the semi final rounds & take 6 riders forwards then the winner of the SEC plus the SGP2 Champion & finally re-introduce an intercontinental championship so a rider from outside the Euro boundries can qualify that makes up the 15 regulars + the normal local wildcard

[JCookie 753]

54 minutes ago, chunky said:

Thing is, the reserve list is probably the one thing that illustrates the fact that we pretty much have all the top riders in the GP's. Is there REALLY that big a gulf between the top guys and the rest? Apparently...

Then again, most of us felt that neither Lambert or Bewley were true GP quality yet, and looked what happened there!

What about Jensen, Kubera, Cierniak, and probably countless others I've missed? They're close-ish to GP level, so I don't think we've exhausted all options.

36 minutes ago, arnieg said:

But they are both a long way from being their nations' top riders. Lahti and Loktaev (who may be otherwise engaged at present) must be wondering what they have to do to get noticed.

I totally agree with you btw. They're daft selections.

[Daniel Smith 5,666]

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

[Lorenzo558 39]

2 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

Maybe keep a wildcard in case of injury. What about top 7 in the SGP qualifier gp through and then we have 1 wildcard plus the SEC winner and if the SEC winner is there then we have 2 wildcards. 

[racers and royals 8,737]

12 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

We might, but someone has to find a track(s) willing to put on a meeting that probably will lose them money. the other thing to consider is that in 2023 the series is very likely to finish in November with the final round in Australia.

[SPEEDY69 1,260]

19 hours ago, f-s-p said:

Not really...

But Levishyn got in by beating Zmarzlik in ONE heat during the season... Or atleast thats what I read about it in the press release.

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

[f-s-p 832]

54 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

Yes you are right.

And the other guy was right when he said both Salonen and Levishyn would get beaten 9 times from 10 by half a straight by their countries top dogs.

”You win some and lose a lot” as the old speedway saying goes…

[racers and royals 8,737]

54 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

That’s 2 different pecking orders Fricke is in because even though Bewley qualified from the challenge he also finished top 6 so 4th in the challenge gets the place. Bewley and Jack Holder came in from the reserve list when the Russians were rightly banned.

[SPEEDY69 1,260]

3 hours ago, racers and royals said:

That’s 2 different pecking orders Fricke is in because even though Bewley qualified from the challenge he also finished top 6 so 4th in the challenge gets the place. Bewley and Jack Holder came in from the reserve list when the Russians were rightly banned.

Ok thanks!  So the reserve list is for the back-up wild cards and they take preference over those next in-line from the challenge.  I do remember thinking Kolodziej, Lebedevs, Smolinski & others in the challenge final feeling hard done by with Bewley & especially Holder's inclusion. Out of interest, can the riders bring sponsorship to the GP series as a way of getting in, like F1 drivers do to get into teams?

Edited October 7, 2022 by SPEEDY69

[racers and royals 8,737]

36 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Ok thanks!  So the reserve list is for the back-up wild cards and they take preference over those next in-line from the challenge.  I do remember thinking Kolodziej, Lebedevs, Smolinski & others in the challenge final feeling hard done by with Bewley & especially Holder's inclusion. Out of interest, can the riders bring sponsorship to the GP series as a way of getting in, like F1 drivers do to get into teams?

They certainly can use any money they get to go towards the best and fastest bikes- but they still need to be able to ride them fast and qualify like everyone else.

2022 reserve list

SR1. Jack Holder (Australia)
SR2. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
SR3. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
SR4. Jakub Miskowiak (Poland)
SR5. Mads Hansen (Denmark)
SR6. Luke Becker (USA)
SR7. David Bellego (France)

Edited October 7, 2022 by racers and royals

[f-s-p 832]

2 hours ago, racers and royals said:

They certainly can use any money they get to go towards the best and fastest bikes- but they still need to be able to ride them fast and qualify like everyone else.

2022 reserve list

SR1. Jack Holder (Australia)
SR2. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
SR3. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
SR4. Jakub Miskowiak (Poland)
SR5. Mads Hansen (Denmark)
SR6. Luke Becker (USA)
SR7. David Bellego (France)

I’d actually say that you can buy a wild card to the series. Remembering that it’s not as easy as it was when there were 22 riders (or 24?), but why not? U still need to be good enough though, they’d not sell it to Latifi or me.  

But for example Timo Lahti, who IS a top25 rider in the world for some years now, why not... Especially now that he’s not sponsored by a rival of Monster, I fail to see why 300k € would not open a door for him to the series?