FAST GATER

It is sad that the GTR has not taken off as it was hoped but it is no real surprise in this sport ,all riders seem interested in is speed and how their machinery looks .I was once at a meeting in the 70's when I saw a Jawa that looked like it was ready for the "bin" ,the rider went on to score max and happened to be one Barry Briggs who reputedly spent as little as possible on his machinery even using other riders cast offs . My point being that if riders were to accept don't need to spend huge sums on tuning etc and concentrate on setting bikes up to suit conditions to gain an edge the whole GTR or similiar type of engines might just catch on .

IMO looking at the total sum raised from the sale it was not a huge amount ( no one can argue that Ivan was one of if not the greatest riders this sport has seen) in comparison to most other m/sports and I for one am sad that the collection has had to be sold .The value to the family I am sure was priceless and parting with it was more than a little heartbreaking under circumstances,I hope that it is able to help Ivan enjoy what time he has left in the most comfortable manner possible .

I think it was down to Alan's riding style which was quite distinctive from memory .

He retired from riding to become promoter of Bradford where he had ridden as captain and their number one ,had a very unusual arrangement with his handlebars as I remember .They were set off centre (50/70 mm) to the right i assume to help him in the corners ,they really looked strange but he was a top rider in the old NL .

IMO the best league/team rider I have ever seen I will miss him but I am also glad he has left fit and at the top of his game all the best PK

Well looks like Doyle's to lose now and fair play he has done the business and come back well after last year.Not my favourite rider but it would be churlish to argue that he will not be a worthy champion and has won the title fair and square. IMO it is sad not to see Grin race a full season as W/C and NP injured as I think that we have seen the last of both of them on the GP stage , we now have a changing of the guard and ironically Doyle bridges the generational gap .

I agree with that totally !

So you do all this and then what happens if these TOP riders decide not to come back ,on the Doyle thread he is moaning about the state of tracks in this country .Make no mistake which ever riders you are dealing with MONEY is the most important element of the whole negotiation every time ,which is quite right as they are self employed guns for hire to the highest bidder !!!!

When you have riders like Hancock ( love or hate him) who been and done it all saying that riders need to come here to learn their trade then that tells me that this is still an important league/s within the sport .They are vastly different to the wide open spaces of Poland etc and that is the very point ,there is less room for shall we say Mr Doyle's robust riding style plus like all sportmen/women once they taste success it often taints their point of view.

Imo cream always floats to the top and that is a fact of life but I want the best rider to win because of his skill not the amount of money he has to spend on engines etc.It saddens me that riders just change tuners to improve their ability to win races ,there has never been and won't ever be total equality but the cost of success is just spiraling out of control .

I do think there is a place for GTR engines in league racing where the demands on them are perhaps not as great as the GP's ,it may well be the case that they are not as fast or adaptable as the GM's .However if all the riders were on them and with knowledge gained in setting them up this may address some of the issues that riders currently experience . My own thoughts are that it is crucial that the costs to riders /promoters are reduced for the well being of the sport but I do believe that the use of tuners ( I have nothing against any tuner on a personal level ) is an unnecessary evil within the sport . IMO their service/skills should perhaps be left for the GP level riders where the bulk of the sports wealth lies anyway

Rosco average rider average team manager below average pundit sadly

I thought it was a good GP and a great final ,"off night" for Doyle by his standards ( he is a little brutal in his approach for my liking) but I am sure he will bounce back and has a great chance of being WC .

Far too reasonable for s/way sadly could just catch the imagination of fans ,maybe be done in some kind of open meeting to test it

You are right of course the last place rider looks for issues is with himself but IMO the best riders are not always winning as they should but lesser riders on better machinery often have the edge .

I have always said that s/way is a team sport ridden by individuals and there in lies the problem IMO,there are very few riders who are true team players as in general they are paid on their results not the teams.I am sure there are incentives ( bonus points to follow team mate ) for the team winning but these are vastly outweighed by lining one's own pockets and keeping personal sponsors happy . Riders are fickle by nature in my experience and selfish ( not that in some respects that is a bad thing) what you propose would have to be enforced by the governing body IMO .Otherwise it would never happed as the only increased power and items which enhance the appearance of the bike are embraced by riders regardless of the cost which is quite ironic really!!!

Wonder what Greg is worth ?

i would suspect that this is the end for Greg it is a long time out for anyone and at his age I think it maybe an ideal way to bow out ,I think he will have time to reflect and the loss of momentum may just be too much for even him to overcome.

NOT a fan then

iT'S Doyle for me if he manages to stay in one piece he is riding out of his skin and IMO there lies his possible downfall ,I am not a fan of his robust riding style and feel he pushes the limits too far sometime.If he wins the title he will be a worthy winner he not in the first flush of youth and there are plenty of young "Bucks " waiting in the wings ,I suspect this year maybe his best chance !

Just think it is a season too many for Greg , hope I am wrong but just get the feeling that this could be his final Gp series .

Depends which Hancock turns up also !

It was brought to my attention last year when Peter Karlsson fell off about three times in a month( which was his own fault) more than I have seen him off in most of his career ,IMO the vast majority of modern riders are all but passengers on bikes these days !

Why do we need all this new expensive startlng tech for the sport that is barely surviving as it is ,make the riders return to the start unless there is a rider/s on the deck .If I wanted robotic starting methods I would play computer games ,leave the thing alone other aspects of the sport need fixing first IMO.

IMO it all boils down to the fact riders in general can either gate or not ,what ever rules that were dreamed up Mauger would always on average out gate PC .