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Debs... or whatever you chose to call yourself at this particular moment is like thrush. An irritable twät who just wont go away.

I wouldn’t dismiss your claim, but he has to prove it by winning the top trophy. Of the three, the one that stands out clearly to me is Madsen. He is carrying an injury that affected him badly for a couple meetings, sadly the results in those meetings robbed him of being champion. He has proved, to me at least, he not just a hater, he can race. He has a great personality too.

We agree on something! Madsen is clearly the best rider in the world at this time but injury cost him this year.

It's funny, looking at some of the comments on these threads (not just this particular one)... Some don't want Hancock because he's old. Some don't want Hancock because he's "boring". Some don't want Lindback because he's "never finished higher than seventh". Some don't want Iversen and Zagar because "they don't add anything". Some don't want Laguta because he is "just a gater". Some want a bunch of youngsters, just because "they are the future". The thing to remember is that this is the World Championship. Unlike the old system, the GP series is actually designed to include the best 15 riders in the world, and surely, that SHOULD be a goal of ANY world championship. World championships are designed to find the best right now, not those who will be competing ten years down the road. No, it's not going to be perfect, as nothing ever is. There will always be questions. Yes, personally, I would like to have seen Michelsen in place of Lindback, but can ANYONE state categorically that the line-up for 2020 doesn't include - or at least come damn close to including - all the best riders in the world? Steve

Lindback 9 years in the GPs never finished better than 7th, just because he is Swedish. Michelsen should have been given it better league form.

I keep all reference books from speedway's past. All the programmes from matches attended too. All the mags. All for reference purposes and because I prefer the sport from a certain period. I have decluttered down the years, books I read once and haven't touched since. If people don't hold on to the past, they'd have no family photos. By the way, I compiled books for the 1958 and '59 seasons.

That's a bit harsh on James.

True. Absolutely no place for Hancock.

Yeah, offering a 4 time World Champion who rightfully qualified before his wife's illness sure does 'make a mockery'. He deserves a place until it's proven he isn't up to it anymore.

I fail to see what Linback has done to justify a wildcard

No GP wild card for Lambert, hopefully that means he'll do the UK next season, and that'll be good news for the Stars. A year out of GP's will help him rediscover his form of 2018 and push for GP's again in 2021.....

Lindback? No words.......

Not according to the experts on here... This is what gets me; do we want the best riders, or do we want the future? If we want the best riders, I am sure that Greg still would still be one of those. The idea of a World Championship is surely to feature the best competitors on current form, not who will be best in five or ten years time. So, given that Hancock has been out of action for a year, it seems that there are those who think he is "washed up". How many top riders in the past have had a year off - or longer - because of injury or other personal issues? And returned at - or close to - the same level? As a Dons fan, Todd Wiltshire and Ronnie Moore are two that immediately spring to mind. Briggo wasn't that far off after missing a year and a half... So, I have no reason to suspect that Hancock wouldn't be able to compete at GP level...

With me, the programmes bring back personal memories, but that isn't all of it. We had a lot of others from the 30's, 40's, and 50's, and I love the historical value. Worst thing is that we had most of the World Final progs, including Malmo 1961. I really wish I still had those...

I’d have thought it’s time to move on from Worrall.

So far on this thread you have shown you have no interest in the history of the sport nor in the modern day sport. Can you explain what exactly you are doing here?

Always makes me chuckle when people say 'this rider' or 'that rider' deserves to be in the series. The only riders who deserve to be there are the 11 qualifiers. Still, we have to go through this charade every year, so I guess Woffinden and Hancock are obvious, along with Michelsen (Euro champ) and Drabik (U21 champ.)

I think you are right about Worrall. I was thinking about starting a new thread on the lines of "did Worrall getting injured help the Lions top the league?".

So many sports stars have chosen the number 23 over the years in tribute to the legend that is Jamie Carragher

I hope Redcar get through simply because Leicester have used a horses for courses approach to finishing top using guests for Richie Worrall. Injuries are part and parcel of the sport but there should be some sort of time limit to find a replacement or you revert to r/r.

Really? Well I started as a spectator in the 50s and eventually did a bit as a mechanic and sponsor, now at my (quite) old age I don't get to many meetings and all my local tracks are long gone. So we all have a little experience, anyway you strike me as an assuming and know it all type so I won't be bothering you again.

How costly was running out of fuel in Malilla

The problem with Emil is he keeps dropping points at critical times in meetings, how many times has he made the wrong gate choice or ended up with the worst gate in Semi- Finals or finals ? These things have cost him

It's a pity there aren't a few riders like Jack around today , he maybe didn't ride for long at Berwick but he still has cult status. Len Silver also said great things about him in his book

Nah, just a realist.

Why Hancock? I am just amazed everyone saying he is a banker... judging by the Monster PR stunt of bringing him to Cardiff, he may well be offered a place but if that happens it makes a mockery of the sport. It would be a 'mates gift sentimental wildcard', not based on sporting justification. He's 50, he's missed a season and as of a couple of weeks ago he could not even say if he would be able to ride. If he is offered a wildcard, he needs to be given a deadline to commit to be fair to any replacement.

Why? If you love entertaining speedway then Bartosz is the man. Nice guy too.

This thread shouldn't be happening until after the play offs, not right! Just support your play off final team, there's the whole close season for saying who you'd keep and wouldn't keep!!!!

As we all know, it can be anything dependant on what logic the BSPA use.

No, but he did make his British League debut for Hull in 1976 at the old Perry Barr track. Top scored with 11 points. Anyway, the World Champion we did have wasn't that famous. Not from a speedway perspective.

Indeed they were. Frank was not very nice about Jack at a Sunderland Reunion a few years back, Very sad.

Thank goodness for that as I was beginning to think I was the only one who understood he was being sarcastic.

Think you’ll find BW was being sarcastic.

What, Perks retired because he wasn't in the running for points.

Perks retired twice when in last place. Not sure how that made much difference to the scores?

There was a good few riders like that , the obvious one who rode for Middlesbrough was Mad Dog Dicko (Martin Dixon ) not the most gifted rider but always gave a 100% and when he lost a race always wanted a few words with the rider who beat him , always remember him having a few spats with the great Joe Owen who used to beat him 19 races out of 20 ,

I have a similar vague recollection, I think it involved Kasprzak and a civic reception though.

Michelson is most deserving of a Wild Card after Woffinden. I think Hancock would have to prove himself in league speedway before he gets back in the GP's but maybe he'll get one. There is no obvious deserving rider. It's no to an Artem Laguta Wildcard for me.

Other sports may not be numbers..... Snooker it’s names.... “Hurricane “, “Rocket”, “Whirlwind”. Other sports, apart from numbers, it is colours to a massive extent...... in MotoGP Yellow is synonymous with Valentino Rossi, Red with Marq Marquez. Combine the yellow colour with 46, the orange with 93, and at the GP’s you see a sea of yellow46 flags, hats, jackets, banners, and orange93 similar products ..... all in the tens of thousands. Jorge Lorenzo is 99, Andrea Dovitsiozo is 04..... the list goes on....... they are all big money spinners, massive. The new popular number to watch in Moto GP is 20 - Fabio Quartararro - just see how that number goes massive in the next few years. Back to speedway, those who watched the under 21 world championship from Pardubice last Friday.... did you not notice sections of the crowd were wearing clothing in the same colours as their idol - Bartosz Smektala, - and they stood out. Smektala will be in the senior world championship sometime soon, The money machine is already working hard.

Another motorcycle racer (James Whitham) who had the same number said he originally chose it because he fell off a lot and the number appears the same upside down.

Bruce had Alzeimers towards the end of his life and died in 2006. I have photos in my Speedway albums on Facebook of Bruce, Charlie Barsby and Alan Cowland at a Leicester reunion in November 2004. Charlie was my favourite rider and only ever rode for the Leicester Hunters throughout his career. He died this year aged 88. Very sadly Alan committed suicide only 2 months after the reunion.

From the same era the Evening World (Bristol) published a speedway annual between 1948 and 1951 at least.

I said that hours ago.... In American sport, teams actually "retire" a number that was used by legends.

Sad indeed...however he was well thought of by many. John Davis had good things to say about him for one.

What a genuine guy Madsen is. One of the first out to congratulate Zmarzlik. Proper sportsman who gets unfair flack.

Been a very good GP and gone further than expected before Zmarzlik has got there. I like Tatum and Pearce. No issues with them at all. Both enthusiastic and it comes across in their commentary.

Madsen blew it this year when the nerves got him in Denmark. If he had had even a decent gp in Voyens he would have probably have been World Champion this year. A much more accomplished looking rider than helium boy.

I think Tom Bacon will return ?

I remember Nicki Pedersen never bought into the nonsense.

It's not simply about the wet weather though is it? It's also much colder in the evenings in October which affects crowd levels and track preparation, clubs are always moaning about the precarious state of their finances so surely it makes sense to run the meetings during the optimum months for the sport? As for those that don't like their season finishing in August.....is the sport as a whole supposed to suffer to accommodate their wants? given the average attendance at most clubs, how many people genuinely feel like that? a dozen at each club? I attend every match at Swindon and whilst i'd be disappointed if our season finished at the end of August, I'd gladly take that to see the sport run in a more professional manner where the greater good of the sport is the main concern and not the wants of a few hundred people up and down the country, too often this sport has pandered to the few over the years and look at the state it is in. There were 12 home league matches in the PL and even less in the CL, do people really want that strung out over 7 months? are people really going to complain about the season being 5 months instead? surely people can find other entertainment in the off season? for those that want to watch more speedway how about attending fixtures at other clubs or attending the away matches featuring your own club? There's bound to be a few that do that already and attend 60+ matches a season but I can't believe a majority favour Speedway in October.