TheReturn

Hardly, Nicki was riding (slowly) around the track to see hanCOCK running towards him, I was not expecting him to hurl himself around Nicki's neck, I assume NIcki was not either. The only time Nicki could defend himself was after Hancock had dragged him off his bike, that's why Hancock's statement about 'self-defence' is laughable. I agree its box office that will help BSI sell tickets, I am not sure it helps speedway beyond that. The reason to have banned Hancock is because next time Nicki is involved in a crash, it is deemed acceptable to attack him now Hancock seems to have escaped real punishment.

But with respect, that is exactly the point I am making about the statement, it's childish 'he did this, he did that' as some lame excuse for Greg's actions. Until this week I always thought of Greg to be ultimate professional, the sports Mr Nice Guy, but not anymore.

But I don't believe for one minute he deliberately sets out to hurt another rider. I wholeheartedly accept he rides to the limit, and beyond a lot, but then so do many other riders, Emil does, for a long time Gollob would too. Greg left a big gap, Nicki went through and kept the throttle open and track space got narrower and narrower. Racing accident, Nicki excluded (I will perhaps agree right decision) and that's the end of it. What Hancock did subsequently is what is deliberate and unacceptable and I am sick to the back teeth of sycophants excusing it because the recipient was NIcki. Again I come back to a point I made earlier in the thread, take the who away and focus on the what, would everyone still be defending the actions of the rider hitting out and making stupid personal statements if the rider on the receiving end of the leaping neck tackle say someone 'nice' like Tai?

How old are you? The only bullying I can see is of Greg and 'unnamed riders' making accusations about Nicki. I wouldn't throw myself at another person's neck no. If someone rammed me off my bike (road bike) I would make the required hand gesture and simply hand the handlebar camera footage over to the police. What Greg did on track was wrong, but I can understand the heat of the moment stuff, but how does that explain the pathetic statement 24 hours later?

He did, he is trying to come up with a pathetic lame reason to excuse Hancock's post crash violence and thuggery and subsequent pathetic childish statement.

What do you think about what Hancock did and his website statement?

Then those riders are worse than anything Nicki has done, because they would choose to do it deliberate, they are setting out with intent. Perhaps if you have heard riders discussing it you should name them Philip.

The more I read the statement from Hancock and look at his Twitter feed the more I an convinced we have someone playing for sympathy, playing the victim. I have just had a look through Greg's Twitter timeline for the last month, and his posts of yesterday seem very deliberate and different compared to the tweets of the previous month which are all bikes and speedway.

I might have known you would have found a way to twist the events to defend Hancock actions.

And in your post! We don't need to be behind the handlebars to know crashing bloody hurts.

But Nicki did not touch him did he?

One nice guy? Hardly, he showed with the actions and the statement he is not the Mr NICE Guy of the sport people like to paint him to be.

Not exactly the professional approach we have come to expect from Greg, which to be fair he has always conducted himself professionally. That statement really is unprofessional (at best), some of the comments about Nicki and questioning his mentality are beneath Greg.

Not really, he failed to apologise to Nicki for attacking him.

Hancock is really living up to his name during this 24 hours.. I quote him How does launching yourself at someone unable to fight back at that moment be seemed self-defence? That statement is so unprofessional. If he has a grievance, take it to the sports governing bodies.

Listen you little muppet, don't tell me to go watch a race in which a rider died. However, I have underlined a word for you, I think it is relevant for last night and most likely all of the crashes involving Nicki.

Well to my knowledge he hasn't yet and no rider has been seriously (disabled) injured because of Nicki. So yes, I am happy to say the evidence suggests it is an exaggerated thing to say.

I think he showed that a long time ago, but most of us actually hoped he would grow up and learn from his ban to get his head down and race.... seems he cant keep away from trouble.

You may be right, but the Harris one is the one that I can remember in the 20+ years Greg's been riding... tell a lie, I remember Rickard Hellsen holding him and Billy off for four laps at Station Road.... two races (he was beaten both times).

Nope, I think I was right the first time. But is it not what you typed?

I just typed something similar myself actually crossing your post, you have written much more succinctly.

Not anymore. I always respected Greg, but I never really got excited by him at the tapes, a fairly boring rider in that he rode, but I don't really recall him racing (other than the night Harris won the GP at Cardiff). But, despite not being a fan of his style on track I respected his professionalism. Until last night. What I find hard to accept is so many people are sycophants defending Greg because it was Nicki and not condemning his post crash actions (even if they understand why he did it). Greg's action was unacceptable, end of. It wasn't a fight though. Greg launched at Nicki when Nicki was still riding his bike. Not exactly easy for Nicki to put his hands up to defend himself at that point.

So that's ok then, lets forgive Hancock. So if at Cardiff Greg takes Nicki wide and Nicki needs to bail out it will be ok for him to get up, run across the track and throw his arm at Greg's neck?

But I have never seen a rider get up, run across a track and rugby tackle another rider's neck. Just because it is Nicki, Greg seems to have got away with it. What Greg did was disgusting. How ironic it would be if Greg is in hospital today for hurting himself in the rugby tackle rather than the crash!

And? Emil had incidents with other riders (not including Nicki), Gollob had few in the early days of the GP's. So it's not just Nicki.