The White Knight

Hear, hear!!! :approve: Gone a bit off Thread on this. No - I don't think Mike Bast would have been a World Champion.

I remember that the 'Daily Mail' was also involved. I seem to remember a huge Silver Trophy of a Speedway Rider. Must have cost a fortune in those days. Anyone else remember?? - Over to you Norbold.

Good to hear that a Rider I have only heard about and read about is still around. VERY BEST WISHES to him. It really is good to hear about the 'old boys' of our wonderful Sport. Thank you for telling us about this writernick. :approve:

We will have to agree to differ. My 'mmmm' comment was sort of tongue in cheek - not totally if I'm honest. Regarding the 'Pilsner' - if we ever meet up - I will buy you one. I watch my Speedway at Brough Park by the way - if you are ever up there - look for the bloke in the Aussie Hat. Ian

To answer your question. 2000 - The World Championship was won by the most CONSISTANT Rider in the Series - certainly not the BEST. Mark Loram. As for my being bitter and stuck in the past - well I am sorry but I think my Post regarding how I would like to see the GP System work was actually VERY positive. It was also FAIR which is more than the System is today. As folk have said - the 'old' System had it's problems too, which is very true - I agree. I have outlined what I consider to be a FAIRER and BETTER System FOR THE GP SERIES and you accuse me of being stuck in the Past. I don't think so!!! As regards BITTER - mines a Pint.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :unsure:

.............................and that would have been very sad. Everybody likes the underdog to win once in a while. It adds to the spice of the Competition. Hence my previous Post on this Thread.

Sidney - I don't pretend to be an expert. I DO however HATE unfairness. To answer your question directly. I would like the GP Series to be run in the same format as at present but with the Rider with MOST Points from five Rides being the Winner. I would have NO Semi Finals or Final. If a Rider has achieved a fifteen Point Maximum - he deserves to win the GP without having to Race off for it. Again it's down to FAIRNESS. I don't care about extra Races - again this is NOT what the Championship should be about. The BEST Rider should win and not be prevented from doing so by an engine failure, fall etc. If he has has scored the MOST Points on the night - then - self evidently, he IS the best Rider. After that it is REALLY simple. Instead of all these 'GIFTED' places - I would like to see NO, ZERO, ZILCH places awarded. I would like to see Qualifying Rounds for all Riders - no exclusions from that. If Greg Hancock failed to qualify - hard luck. He wouldn't be World Champion that year. Same for Crump, Gollob et al. The WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP should mean something - not just having, more or less, the 'same old, same old' Riders EVERY year. If someone has a bad night - and they don't qualify for the Series, again tough - BUT - THAT is Sport - THAT is Competition. The Championship should be about beating ALL IN SUNDRY to reach the ultimate goal which is WORLD CHAMPION. You did ask sidney....................................................................

Why don't they just take it in turns to give the Championship to one of the top eight on a Rota basis? :angry:

I will be honest Rob - off hand - I can't answer your question. THAT though is NOT the point. The point is, who is to say , had there been Qualifying Meetings for EVERY Rider, someone COULD have come through and surprised everyone. I am not saying that it WOULD happen - but - only that it COULD. Remember Mark Loram won a World Championship without winning a GP. All my surprise entrant would need to be is the most consistant performer. Remember 'Wild Cards' HAVE won GPs. Who's to say that if Dugard had been in the Series the year that he WON a GP that he would not have been good enough to maintain enough consistancy to finish at the top of the pile? I casn't answer that - and - neither can you. Had there been PROPER Qualifying Rounds for ALL Riders - WHO KNOWS what could have happened over the GP years? Perhaps the results would have been the same and we would have had the same World Champions - but then again - PERHAPS NOT!!!

Perhaps I didn't make it plain - I mean't that they MIGHT beat them in the QUALIFIERS for a place the GPs - if everyone had a chance.

You never know - they MIGHT be, on the night, if they had the chance. BUT - we will never know - will we??? ...............................and THAT is the crux of the problem.

Says it all really. :sad: Suppose that's why Ward got a pick. Great Rider, young, marketable - yes - a GREAT way to pick a World Champion. One problem - he didn't QUALIFY!!! :mad:

I brought Jack Young in to the discussion. Why? Because it is relevent. He would not have had a prayer of getting in to the GP Series these days. To answer the question on FAIRNESS - obviously the 'Old' System was much fairer because as has been said so many times on here, EVERYONE could Qualify. Until I read this Thread I had not realised that so many places were 'GIFTED' to Riders. I suspect why this is so is because ISI/BSG are determined to have all the Top Riders in the GPs. It would obviously be detrimental to their Product if they did not FIX it so that ALL the 'BIG' names were there. There is no room for the minnows. Places in the GPs should NOT be GIVEN on a Commercial basis if that is the case. THAT is why, in my opinion, the SGP is a discredited World Championship.

Good Luck to Greg in 2012. :approve:

You obviously have it all well planned Aleksandr. :approve:

How about this for Déja vu - I am sure I Posted about all of this on another Thread. The one about the 'Older Brigade' dominating.

It makes no difference. In answer to the implied question in the Thread Title. As long as the Top EIGHT and others, for whatever reason, are gifted places the following year - then the chances are that it is from them that that the so called World Champion will emerge. As long as the SGP is a virtual closed shop you are always going to find that the Champion will come from a select(ed) few. I know I am always banging on about this - BUT - if EVERY Rider had to go through Qualifying Rounds - I would feel much better about the System. I believe that EVERY Rider should have the chance to be World Champion EVERY year.

Sorry iris - but - what question?? Ask away and I will do my best to answer it if I can. :)

What a first rate idea. Cracking Post with POSITIVE suggestions. :approve:

Another TERRIFIC Issue. I particularly liked the Article on Graeme Smith (no surprise there then). The Chris Morton piece was great too. This Magazine really does go from strength to strength - long may it last.

These are GREAT. Thank you for putting them on here rusky. George Formby didn't look too out of place on a Bike did he?

Cheers Steve. :) Ian

I hope you will put a Link on here when it is up and running Steve. Sounds very interesting. Thank you. Ian

B.L.R.C. or as I called it - Briggo's Benefit. :approve: Those were the days!!! :)