OveFundinFan

If Teterow had been a one off world final meeting, Zagar would have been world champ. I would love to see Zagar as world champ as IMO he is a class rider, BUT the way he has ridden this year he is not up there, and it would have been an injustice if he had been crowned world champ. Thats why I favour the GPs these days.

http://www.speedwaygp.com/event/2017-torun 15,500

I have watched BT Sport on my tablet, and I now get it on my TV and have not had anything like that at all. Just a screen full of speedway.

1 Carter 2 Morton 3 Simmo 4 Louis 5 Wilson Mortons career was really something good, especially because he was not a brilliant gater, and he was always in the shadow of PC which psychologically may have affected him. He was the only one of the 5 that had a long track career, riding in 5 finals plus one at reserve, and coming 3rd in one of them - no mean achievement when you consider the era it was (Germans always good plus top speedway riders in the mix as well). I think Dave Jessup deserves a mention as well. 6 world finals (best 3rd) 3 world pairs (won it once) and 6 world team (1st 3 times), let down by the fact never British Champ nor BLRC. Apart fro an engine failure in 1978 in his first race, he could have been world champ that year - scored 11 from 12 after that. Think Olsen won on 13.

I enjoyed the one off world finals, most I saw were at Wembley, the one exception was the last one I seen and that was 1976 in Katowice when PC won it, and its because we, wife and I, wanted to see PC win the world title and we put our money on that year. Thats was a fantastic afternoon and still watch the replays available on You Tube. Its only since 2013 I started seeing the GP series on TV (may have seen an odd one before that). Went to Cardiff 2013-14-15, and I love the series. If the world championship went back too a one meeting event I would be very sad, and I think modern speedway would be lacking. Having 15/16 of the worlds top riders racing together 12 times a year appeals to me much better then a one off meeting, as good as they were.

I record the GP's so I can watch again through the winter months....... there are exceptions though. I already erased the Teterow GP, rather get a tin of paint out and do a bit of painting then watch THAT again.

So basically you encouraging, even suggesting, a rider should affect the outcome of a match by throwing points away - is'nt that cheating. Never ends at Poole does it.

Sure you need a well tuned engine dialled into track conditions etc, but as you say, f-s-p, but the rider plays a very large important part. Rider confidence is massively required and IMO very often changing something (like engine tuner) can give you that confidence, the feeling "I got something special", and especially if they have success in their first rides then this lifts them up mentally. This is proved true because all and sundry seem to be leaving a certain tuner (doesnt matter who but in this case PJR) for a.n.other, yet Matei Zagar comes out on a PJR tuned engine and whips them all. It happened with Freddie Lindgren with the Gerhard motor, big confidence boost, riding on top of the world, suffers an injury so his "feel good" factor is low" which affects his confidence, goes off the boil, then Bingo!, next thing hes changed engines/tuner and off and away he goes again. Pity Freddie had the off form part of this year, I would like to have seen him win the WC, hope he can make the top 3.

I agree, Marky, Zagar cert for a wild card if he doesnt finish top 8 - and he and Vaculick could take Zmarzlik down a couple places if he doesnt perfom in the last meetings.

For those who would like to see the one off world final nights only have to watch this tonight to see that the wrong man could end up being world champ. And thats not being disrespectful to Zagar - on form he is a great rider and I would love to see on form regularly, but the world championship needs a GP series like we have - and I seen many world finals at Wembley. The riders tonight must be very frustrated with track conditions like tonight - not much racing, very strung out. The track caught most of the Poles out, got a bit tricky and they not up to it. Zmarzlik is a full trottle rider with not much throttle control IMO. Track got him really bad tonight. At least the ref was consistent with his moving at the tapes - just absolutely no reason why riders cant go straight round and back to tapes - no pit gates open. The trophies are shocking. Given out a few GPs ago for the first time, once was enough, but I wouldnt want a collection of them - a complete insult to the effort given winning a trophy just to end up with one of those.

I like the solar panels at the track, more tracks should have them. Thank you for the race cards. Joe

So Vaclav Milik does not get a ride this time? Shame if he doesnt.

I thought I remembered seeing a meeting their couple or three years ago and, yes, it was decent racing, so why mess up a meeting this time. Surely they knew the importance of the meeting, not only the fact it was determining 3 GP riders for next year, but also, put on a good meeting and possibly the track is in line for a GP meeting in 2018 and beyond. Or perhaps they didnt want a big meeting - too costly to put the show on with too little return,

Get wet and cold somewhere else.

It was a very poor track for the GP Challenge. If I was deciding to go to it in 2018 or not, as it stands it would be a definite NO. That should of been a show meeting, the organisers must know they were under a watchful eye with 2018 maybe in the offering. Not much attempt to provide a race track at all. Think you could count the number of passes on one hand - and thats for a whole meeting, not one race.

You may read the comments from speedways paying public, but from whats been said (ie more guests) its apparent BSPA are not reading. Either not reading or they couldnt care less what the paying public are saying. Just when I was thinking "it cant get any worse", it looks as if it is. Oh dear.

I just revised the average age of posters on this forum - now down to 7

I think the top 3 Brits (post war) are nailed - PC, PC and TW, its deciding what order they are.

I suppose I am not surprised the "quiet man" of speedway has not been mentioned - Bob Duckworth - a Belle Vue Aces rider back in the 60's and also Newcastle Diamonds. Whilst with the Aces Bob and his family used to live in Partington, Manchester, where the Collins/Morton families came from. Bob used to use my dads garage to mechanic his bikes. In 1963 he was invited to present trophies at a cycle speedway meeting in Manchester, he took mum, dad and myself to the meeting and that was the start of myself being a cycle speedway rider then later grass track racing.

What a farce speedway is in this country. Big gaps in meeting schedules and then come to the end of the season there are double headers with the same team, or miles/hours of travelling between one meeting and another, and all this at a time it could be reasoned teams may have injuries to riders. Time for a massive shake up, or has that been said for the last xx number of years!

Seems strange to introduce something new to a trak that was known to produce good racing. Wonder what the thinking was behind that move?

Many years ago I remember Wal Phillips developed fuel injection system. Dont know how successful it was, or whether it was a failure or whether it was banned.

The way Holder was last night I think his bubble has well and truly burst. If he gates he could hold on for a win, but he is not consistently a brilliant gater. He struggles from the back and is pulling out of many tight riding spots. Something amazing will have to happen if he wants to get back where he was pre DW accident days.

I certainly didnt like what he did last year in the WTC. He rode in getting USA to the Friday night play off then he should have ridden in it. If, at the start of the competition he said he was not riding to give youngsters a chance then fair enough, I can accept that. "Love" for Greg as a rider cooled off after last summer, but that was then. Having said that, he is the current world champion, still is until the end of the Melbourne GP. Someone said he was only 2 points inside the top 8 this year.....that is a great achievement no matter who the rider is. Most on here say this years line up is the most competitive for years, so why pull down someone who was in the lying 7th in the series. You can say at 48 he is the past. While agreeing he is not the future as he wont be gracing the GPs in 5 years time (IMO), he is the present and age doesnt come into it - performance does, and we all know Hancock could get the right set up and whip the youngsters and teach them a lesson. Greg for a 2018 wild card - he gets my vote.

The travel is not the potential problem........, KK is not in the hunt for a world championship. Would you want to risk injury the night before a GP and possibly ruin your chance of being a world champ or qualify for next year.