ladyluck

Was it a "fair fight" if Czestochowa were tracking a team beyond their means?

Has the "Berry" decided to retire? I did read that Torun were waiting for him to decide whether he wanted to carry on riding after a disappointing 2010. It'll be a shame if he does hang up the kevlars - a good little rider and a fine servant for the "Angels".

A great ambassador for the sport? Yes, I know his life was cut tragically short and that he was a fun sort of guy, but let's not forget the circumstances behind that 1984 world final appearance. Where was he in the world championship of 1985? Nowhere. He was banned.

Are you just being deliberately obtuse? I fail completely to see the point you are making. The point I am making is that the "wild cards" should be decided entirely on merit, as that seems to be what BSI are indicating. If a Polish rider is the outstanding candidate to be "wild card" at one of the Polish GPs then he should be the "wild card" and not overlooked just because Poland have four riders in the series. Similarly, if a British rider is the outstanding candidate for the Cardiff "wild card" then he should be the "wild card", but if there are better candidates then they should get the nod. The same should apply to all GPs, including Sweden and Denmark. Now, do you understand that?

No, but similarly, he shouldn't get the Cardiff "wild card" if he's simply performing well in the PL and flukes a rostrum place in the British Final. If the "wild cards" are to be decided on merit then it should be applied across the board.

It is called a "wild card", so it should be "wild". If the likes of Kasprzak are doing well enough they should be picked, if they aren't they shouldn't. However, it has to be the same for everyone.

Why shouldn't they get picked as a "wild card" if their form merits it? The same criteria should apply to everyone, regardless of nationality. The likes of the two I previously mentioned, together with Kasprzak and Miedzinski should not be overlooked just because of their nationality. If their form is good, they should get the "wild card" slot.

Why should riders such as Maciej Janowski and Przemyslaw Pawlicki miss out? Poland wasn't the only nation to get a rider nominated. Sweden, Denmark and Russia (not at issue, since they don't stage a GP) also had nominated riders. BSI claim that the move away from local riders as "wild cards" is to strengthen the GPs by weeding out the weaker "wild cards" and in recent seasons the British "wild card" has not performed well.

Seems like a rather big "if" to me.

Tradition in recent seasons has been for the best performer in the British Final not already a GPer getting the "wild card" for Cardiff, but what about next season? BSI have said that "wild cards" will have to be justified. It may not be the Poles who miss out on having a local "wild card", since the Poles are blessed with an abundance of talent that would be impossible not to justify. It might be the British. Last season Scott Nicholls scored a mere four points at the sport's "show piece" event and only three "wild cards" scored less than that. Those three were Kus (Czech Republic), Madsen (Denmark) and Carpanese (Italy). The previous two seasons weren't any better, with Edward Kennett also scoring a mere four points on both occasions. So, will the British Final still decide the Cardiff "wild card" or will we be seeing Darcy Ward take the place?

Harris, Holder and Bjerre look the most likely to drop out of the top eight, although I do think that things will be very tight next season. Kolodziej, Nicki Pedersen and Emil Sayfutdinov look the best set to get into the top eight, although it will be interesting to see how Sayfutdinov comes back from his injuries and if he can avoid further injuries. Big seasons are required from the Swedish duo of Lindgren and Jonsson. As for the world champion, I think it'll be between Gollob and Crump.

Obviously a one that teaches English better than the one you attend. My arguments are sound, but you prefer inane waffle to cover the fact that you've been as soundly thrashed in the argument as Andersen was in the GPs. Andersen had the weakest case out of all the contenders. He failed last season; he failed this season, indeed, his performances in the GPs have been on a downward trend ever since he entered the "mind-set" of having a guaranteed place on the back of his performances in the season he was left out. Many people had him down as a serious challenger for the title last season, but he ended up outside the top eight. As it happens, I think Jonsson had a poor case for a nomination, but that win at Bydgoszcz saved his GP skin and no doubt set him up for another season of drifting aimlessly in 2011.

Very well, but it doesn't affect the argument, since the Hans Andersen injury people are talking about happened when he got caught up in a Nicki Pedersen fall at, I think, Malilla. According to your argument, the injury was self-inflicted, since Andersen was behind Nicki Pedersen at the time. What that tells me is that Andersen's best year in the GPs was the season in which he was over-looked for a nomination.

You'd be a wise man to give up now. It was someone else who originally stated this year was stronger than last. I merely repeated it in a response. Was I being ironic?

By chance I was talking to people connected to a former GPer at the weekend and they suggested that oversight of machinery at the GPs was a joke and opined that the bikes of the top three should be impounded and stripped down as standard.

How much lower do you intend to stoop in the name of a lost cause? Anyway, I do believe Kolodziej's engine failure was caused by grit thrown up by a competitor's rear wheel caused the engine failure, so by your reasoning that wasn't his fault. Yes, I can stoop too, but my cause isn't lost. Kolodziej's in.

So, injuries that don't stop you riding are a good argument, but engine failures aren't a good argument? If my point isn't proper, neither is your's. Riders have lost the world championship due to engine failures (Jessup) and injuries (Collins), both are part and parcel of the sport.

Bike failures are part and parcel of racing, but so are injuries. Andersen didn't qualify via the GPs and couldn't even be bothered to go through the qualifiers. As you say, tough. Failed last year, failed this year. He has the weakest case of all the contenders.

I'd have said that seventh qualifies as being "around eighth place", wouldn't you? Kołodziej was in third place in the race when his engine failed in Vojens. A third place would've seen him qualify (and GP failure Fredrik Lindgren miss out). We can all come up with excuses, but the simple fact is that out of the contenders Andersen has the weakest case. Nicki Pedersen is a three time world champion who ended the season strongly; Emil Sayfutdinov is the new sensation who won three GPs in the previous season and was third in the world; Andreas Jonsson won the final GP of the season; Janusz Kołodziej performed well in his two GPs, just missed out in the qualifiers and was near the top of the averages in the two major leagues.

Well, it is clear now why you think it could be a close call. You have under-stated Kołodziej's performances in the GPs. It wasn't just two semi-finals; it was two finals. As for my "tide is changing comment", that pertained to the British representation being set at two. My comment is not just based on a couple of forum posts and the grandstanding of the PZM boss, but more on the article from Philip Rising in the Speedway Star. Rising is, supposedly, well connected when it comes to BSI. You suggest that the best way of "working out" who'll be picked is to study BSI's past choices. In that case you should obviously discount both Andersen and Kołodziej in favour of a random Briton. Remember, Richardson was picked and Andersen dropped at the end of 2005. However, as I said, the tide seems to be turning. Don't let yourself get caught swimming against it.

Ever thought of practicing what you preach? You can't say what would've happened if Andersen hadn't suffered injuries, just as you can't say what would've happened in the cases of Sayfutdinov and Nicki Pedersen. Would they have been top eight? Where would there top eight status leave, potentially, Bjerre and Holder? Out of the candidates the sad truth is that Andersen has the worst case, although had Jonsson not won in Bydgoszcz his case would've been worse.

Hardly "sitting pretty", he was down around eighth place and he also failed to qualify last season, in a "weaker" line-up. The last time Andersen was kicked out of the GPs it was the correct decision (the only problem was that a rider who performed worse than him - Lee Richardson - was given the nod) and Andersen subsequently had his best season the following year. Since that "proving a point" season, he has reverted to drifting. Regarding the qualifiers, how many GPers rode in the qualifiers this season? It's a serious question. Harris, Zetterstrom and Lindgren made the final, while Woffinden failed to make it that far, but what about the likes of Bjerre, Andersen and Jonsson? Others have more valid reasons for missing them. For example, the likes of Gollob, Crump, Hancock and Nicki Pedersen would be either nailed-on certainties to qualify, get a nomination or call it quits. Rune Holta was in two minds about riding the GPs this season, so he'd probably have quit if he didn't make the grade.

The tide seems to be turning. A few weeks ago, perhaps even a few days ago, I'd have agreed with you, but it seems that Kołodziej's candidature has the momentum behind it. Barring devine intervention, there will be only a sole Briton in the GPs next season and you have to wonder when that representation will increase again. As someone else has commented, perhaps in the Tai Woffinden thread, it's awfully tough to get into the GPs via the qualifiers. It'll require either a nomination or a huge effort. For me, this season has seen Woffinden, Britain's big hope, slip down the standings of young riders. He should, to repeat, have stayed clear of the GPs this season and concentrated on the Under-21s. Apart from Woffinden (and the qualified Harris) there is no one else close to GP standard. So, Russia will have two GPers, Poland four and Britain only one next season. furthermore, I see no reason why the Poles should be denied a local "wild card" for the Polish-staged GPs next season, unless other nations allocated nominations are similarly treated. That would mean the Danish and Swedish-staged GPs.

Why did Kołodziej not qualify? Yes, he had an engine failure in his final ride in Vojens. What was Andersen's excuse for his failure last season? Why has Andersen under-performed since that fabulous season in 2006 when he had a point to prove? Andersen drifted before that jolt of exclusion from the series at the end of 2005 and has drifted since he once again entered the comfort zone of believing a GP place was his by right.

Andersen has, of course, started "bigging up" his injury problems, while conveniently forgetting Kołodziej's engine failure in Vojens. To be honest, Andersen always comes out with unworthy comments following a bitter defeat. He had those mysterious engine problems when Gollob made a mug of him in the SWC final in 2007 and the Poles were cheats anyway. It's a shame because there is talent there, but Andersen has slowly returned to type after that "up your's" season in 2006 when it really looked like he was going to be a genuine contender. Andersen should start to take things on the chin, rather like his compatriot Nicki Pedersen has done.