AndyM

I wonder if it isn't wiser for riders like Nicholls to forego the GP circus and stick to domestic racing instead. The myth is that you have a chance of glory and mega money, but clearly the majority struggle to make GP pay. Remembering Paul Scholes and others giving up playing for England to concentrate on their club, it's surely better for all parties for the likes of Nicholls and the EL clubs to be loyal to one another and forget the international scene?

On the night Bridger did look better, tho Tai was unlucky to drop 3 points when leading - his fall seemed to follow some kind of mechanical failure. Having seen both at several tracks I'd have said that on balance Tai is the more composed of the two. He looked very uncomfortable in dealing with an absolutely pig of a track at Lakeside, and he wasn't alone in that. Of the two, I believe he has the bigger potential, though Lewis is also clearly a talented rider who can go far.

Think this discussion has been from the wrong angle. What we should be asking is this: what would it take for Scotty to be up there in the top 3 consistently? Other than giving up EL, I don't know what he has done to prepare but he should have been gearing up in a very big way. How about these ideas: Employ a commercial manger to get really big sponsorship deals with top companies to fund a massive investment in his GP bid Big investment in the best equipment, tuning and mechanics to get equipment up there with the very best Employ at least a part-time personal fitness coach to keep him at tip top condition through the season Employ a manager to take full responsibility for logistics and to keep his mind focused on the job in hand Employ time with Mauger, Briggo or another seasoned pro to work on his technique and iron out flaws Employ a sports psychologist to identify and iron out flaws in his personality that prevent him achieving his potential ...and that's just for starters! With the right backing, there's no doubt he could do a lot better, however low down we feel he is among the top ranking riders.

That certainly suited him as a rider, but how is it "more professional" or "better racing" for riders, fans, sponsors or anyone to have processional races on a track that gives no grip? That way lies madness and extinction for the sport!! Come to think of it, has anyone else heard him say that we need less dirt? I haven't!

I remember Olsen being interviewed about the disastrous GP at Ullevi in Gothenburg, where you will recall he did not have responsibility for preparing the track and which later proved so bad the whole thing had to be rerun. He said words to the effect that he always prepared the best track he could in the time available but where temporary tracks were required it was a very imprecise science and the results were never as good as when you had a solid base on which to work. Not that I saw it, but presumably last night was one of those occasions where he could have done with more time?

Thanks, Kid, but I get out quite a lot actually. Down your way via London yesterday, for example!!

Difference between what a rider is capable of on the day and his results. Are league averages from one country an indicator of which are the best riders in the world? Quite possibly not. That said, I agree that he isn't consistently capable of beating the best, week in week out. But what is he doing about that?

If they were all set up identically, surely that wouldn't be a problem? Sure, components can change but a lottery to determine who had which bike would prevent any cheating in advance.

Ho hum, so much for the British challenge again. Perhaps someone in the echelons of power will recognise that we should be supporting our countrymen and making a real breakthrough on the world stage....particularly in view of the actual winner of this GP!!

Obviously. And you haven't even met me, either!! Perhaps we should recall PC, Mort, Mike Lee, Dave Jessup and Malc Simmons?

No disrespect to the lads in the squad, but that really does indicate the pathetic strength in depth we have nowadays. Time was when we had a dozen or more genuinely world class riders to choose the WTC squad from. In those days, most of this squad wouldn't have got a look in.

It's very noticeable that while the previously dominant teams in F1 don't like the regulations that have eliminated their inbuilt advantage, the sport is getting a lot of positive press from the fact that different drivers from different teams are now winning races and the whole thing is much less predictable than for a long time. Evidently the viewing public approves of more opportunities for passing and a more open title. Is it not time for a similar rethink within speedway to level out the inbuilt advantage apparently enjoyed by some riders within the GP circus, at least as far as their equipment goes? Should we not be relying totally on skill and less on equipment to determine the world champion? The idea someone had for bikes in league matches to be owned by the home track and allocated by a lottery might work well in GPs. If every machine were otherwise identical, would it be the same riders who won out every time?

Thanks Jim. I would have a host of questions for PC but for now here are a few: Looking back on your career, what if anything would you have done differently? What was the real reason you 'retired' for a year? Apart from the infamous match races with Mich in 1973, what was your most memorable race? Do you regret only winning the world championship once? Which riders of your era did you most admire? And which Belle Vue Aces riders? What would you change about modern speedway to reintroduce excitement?

Says it all. Is he organised any more professionally nowadays?

do Crump and Pedersen have faster machinery or is it just their attitude that makes the difference?

Yes, that was the point - I was asking what a rider has to do to break into the elite circle.

As in the winner and top 5 each year comes from a very small group. 7 winners in 14 years of GP is not a great record.

Makes you wonder why it's become like a closed shop. Riders don't need to be much better to dominate the rest. Maybe they are more rested without so much league racing, but there are other factors too. Interesting to read that Padraig Harrington employs a backup team of 6 to help him on the golf tour. They comprise the senior coach, a swing coach, a putting coach, a physio, a fitness coach and a sports psychologist. Who do the top GP riders take around with them, other than mechanics and possibly management?

Wouldn't want to see speedway adopt this rule, though like F1 I think our authorities should be reviewing the machinery used in order to simplify, standardise and slow down the sport, reducing costs in the process. Also I think we should adopt sin bins from rugby so a rider guilty of an offence could be banned from his next 1-5 races depending on the seriousness.

If everyone could foresee everything impacting on their deals life would be so easy, wouldn't it! In the real world, circumstances change and contracts get renegotiated in every line of business on a daily basis. The only reason a club would negotiate a deal like that in the first place is because they had guarantees which somebody else welshed on. What choice have they got? Go out of business but stick to the letter of Nicki's contract?

Nicki's income is unsustainable in the current environment, and he must know it. If it is a 50% cut (do we know that for sure?), it is because anticipated revenue has fallen and the club can't continue with existing contracts, not because of any desire to backtrack on contractual commitments - if that were the case, nobody would do business with them. The point is that every club will start to feel the same constraints and sooner or later he will have to lower his expectations or give up speedway and move to F1 or something else. In times of recession, you have to cut your cloth...

Do you remember that there was a case recently where people voted for a pay reduction at a factory to save the jobs of fellow workers? If circumstances have changed and the club in this case can't afford it, Nicki, who isn't short of a bob or two, should stay loyal and think of the common good by accepting a pay cut until such time as the club can afford his original deal. He would be rewarded for his loyalty in the longer term. Taking the attitude he has does nobody any good.

More fool him! I hope he finds himself out in the cold.

You could argue it's better to put up temporary stands in stadia with permanent tracks than put down temporary tracks in another stadium?

So if nobody is prepared to pay Mr Pedersen the money he feels he wants, he will probably end up riding for nobody and much the poorer. Will riders start to discover the hard way the impact of the recession and to downgrade their expectations?