tyler42

I agree with the selection of Lambert, but your quote 'Bewleys was just about 4th.' Well It's not a bad effort when you consider the three riders above above are the current world champion, a three times ex world champion and arguably Polands 2nd best rider.

Absolutely spot on. The worlds top riders back in the day, PC, Ole, Ivan etc, would have two bikes. Most riders only had one. A mechanic would cost you a fish n chip supper. The next day that rider would most likely have gone to work. Now days of course. It's 3 bikes a lovey fully kitted out van and a full time mechanic. So imo riders of today need to ride as many times a week as possible just to cover their outgoings. Unfortunately riders starting out see this as the norm and as such will aspire to making a living out of a sport that attracts less people than a lot of non-league football clubs. It's too far gone now. Riders will not accept anything less than what they get now. Could you imagine for example Bomber being told " You can only ride for one club"! To do this he would have to survive on most likely one bike a smaller van, use a mate for a mechanic and maybe shock horror get a part time job. I don't think it will happen, but if it is left as it is, the riders will have no clubs to ride for!!

Trevor Hedge, Barry Thomas, Peter Collins, Tommy Jansson and Gordon Kennett

I would agree. Not only did you have the likes of Les Collins (2nd World Final) Dave Jessup (2nd World Final) Gordon Kennett (2nd World Final) and Malcom Simmons ( 2nd World final) riding in the National League. (To be fair the riders above were at the tail end of their careers,) but were still very competitive. Then you had the young up and comers. Wiggy, Cross, Loram, Adams, Havlock, Boyce, Wiltshire, who all went on to be genuine World class riders. With Loram and Havvy going on to be World Champions, Wigg and Wiltshire 2nd in World Finals Adams coming 2nd in grand prix series and Boyce getting on the rostrum in the last ever one off World Final after a run off. So you had a great mix of experience and youth Plus some bloody good journey men in the middle in what was a very competitive league. As others have said, todays 2nd tier is arguably not as strong, but that does not diminish from the racing which is very good.

For someone who watches his speedway at Poole every week. Mr Shovlar has a strange outlook on what is good and bad racing. I would have thought any racing would look good compared to the utter crap that that is served up at Wimborne road on a regular basis. Even the home riders in the past have a good moan in public about it!!!!

I think we have been lucky to have seen some fantastic racing this year. Look at heat two tonight. Out of this world and there were plenty more. I thought the whole think has jumped up a notch or two this season. Especially the top end of the field.

I think you're right, but there is no great influx of young new riders coming in. Yes we have Robert Lambert, but then we Kasper and Zagar! Bartoz could go on and win a few more. Woffy has the experience but does he have the desire?

You mean under this system. Let's face he would never get a better chance and yet he was still a poor second to the young Pole. If it were under last years system he would have been miles behind.

They were talking about riders doing back to back titles!! which of course he is one now

Your bloody well right there!!

I agree no system is perfect, but surely no one could doubt that last years systems was the fairest by miles! What you score is what you get. Anyway I'm far too old to understand these new rules they keep bringing in. I will just enjoy the racing

1) It never happened. 2) We were talking about yesterdays Wu21 in czeco not a GP meeting. The clue might have been that I posted it on the wu21 thread and not the GP thread. 3) Read above, Seven points was scored by the young czech in the u21 meeting.which was not part of series of meetings, but a one off meeting. 4) You keep mentioning GP's why? We are not debating GP's? I commented in this thread (u21 thread) on how a guy in a one off world u21 final had a chance of winning having only scored 7 points.

You're starting to confuse me now. In the history of the old one off world final not one meeting was won with a score of less than twelve points. So how you have come up with the idea that ten points would have been enough to win seems very confusing? Yesterdays Wu21 was a one off final and thank god the guy who scored 14 points won the meeting. Not someone scoring seven points and scraping into the semi and have a sniff of becoming champion. If you read again what I wrote. I said You could never score 7 points in and old world final and become world champion. You argument is you could score ten points and become champion, but it never happened! in the whole history of the old world finals!!

I always thought it was only the BSPA who could try and f**k up something which was unbroken. It seems the FIM are doing a pretty good job on how to F**k up a perfectly good system as well. No doubt they will come up with some other fantastic system for next year. Maybe the eight lowest scoring riders get an extra race that counts towards their final score. So that way all riders get a chance to win regardless how poor they rode through the night!!!

Again, as proved yesterday you can score seven points in a world final and still become world champion. Where under an old world final could one have scored even ten points and become world champion?? Your getting qualifying rounds confused with finals.

Why, before last night one semi final appearance. What if Anton wins tonight. Does that put him in the frame?

It is what it is but, poor Jan Kvech scorers 13pts and will go down in the record books as finishing 5th!! I hate the fact that a rider (Petr Chlupac) Can score 7pts and still have as much chance of winning the meeting as ( Jaimon Lidsey 14pts ) I know it's all about keeping in line with other sports, but personally I will never accept it as a fair system. Just like the senior GP's series. Bartosz Zmarzlik has been head and shoulders above the rest of the riders, yet one bad meeting tonight and it will mean nothing. If thats a fair system I'll eat my hat.

Why are Pearson and Tatum talking about a great battle for top six?? There is another five wildcard picks so sixth is not as crucial as they say!

I think thats a bit of PR by BSI. After the top six there is another five wildcard picks. I can't see them picking outside of the GP boys even though there maybe a few deserving of a pick. so in effect It's eleven who qualify for next season plus Lambert and the three from the GP challenge. So that gives' us a total of fifteen.

He was the same at Wimbledon. He done his own spanners. His wife was very vocal when Bobby was in the race lol

and also very fair to each other. Which is good to see.

Strange comments from Pearson and Tatum. "massive in context of the championship" Not really even if Bartosz make it a double if he wins tonight. He will still be only a couple in front of Tai and Freddie!

It took me a few goes, so it just show how hard it is for the ref, but yes I have to agree with your good self. It looked like he made a perfect jump!!

As someone stated earlier. It takes slow-mo to see whether a rider jumps or just make a perfect start. Last week slow-mo proved Bartosz made a perfect start. That was why he was not issued with a warning. but refs nowadays call back races when a rider makes a fantastic start, because they think " he must have jumped" so anyone who makes a great gate is usually called back just like the riders who jump the start. I would not agree with what you said about Madsen. In his semi-final It showed imo as well as Tatum and Pearson's that he moved before the tapes went up. I totally agree with you when it comes to clearing the warning if you have been excluded in your previous race. Surely by being excluded then your punishment has been dealt with and thus you should go back to no warnings.