chunky

There is no normality when it comes to speedway!

I agree 100%, and I was referring specifically to the incident with Loram when I mentioned "luck". It seems that a lot of people have forgotten about it - maybe because it was Mark - but that was one of the worst decisions I have ever seen at that level. It has really stuck with me, probably because of the impact it had on me. People tend to think of the last-minute incidents that can cost titles, but that was every bit as crucial. The other incident that bugs me is when Ermolenko wasn't excluded from the rerun in 1993, as he clearly wasn't under power at the time of the stoppage.

I don't think anyone has been an "undeserving" champion. Sure, several riders who weren't actually the "best" rider in the world won, and there have been some who had a large slice of luck, but that doesn't mean they didn't deserve it. In the old days, it was all about getting it right on World Final night, which mean that it was more unpredictable. There are those who claim that Loram didn't deserve it because he didn't win a single GP, but that wasn't the goal. The goal was to score more points over the series than anybody else. He did that, therefore he deserved it.

The reason I don't take a knee is that I wouldn't be able to get up again. Anyway, my name is Brown, not Black...

That's why I am so much happier being able to stream my phone on my telly now! Old age isn't all it's cracked up to be, and strangely enough, I picked up my first ever pair of bifocals today...

That's it! Bring bloody minorities into it!

So sorry to hear that. I've been going through that with my wife for the last few months too, so I totally understand. I wish you both well.

I go to watch the racing...

Can't really argue that, but it's not necessarily by choice... Honestly, as you go through everything in life, you do actually learn the truth that it isn't... Well, I am usually wrong on here, as I really don't know what I'm talking about. Sidney the Robin will tell you that!

I think you mentioned that once before, John...

Of course, but as you heard on the interview, they still hadn't been able to get the set-up right. These days, with all the advances in machinery and technology, it is such a delicate balance, and if you don't get EVERYTHING right, it can be very difficult. Again there, Tai just didn't seem to have the speed...

So you have internet access to check things on websites, but not to watch YouTube? Funny thing is that people are giving you these other websites, but the best one for updates is speedwaygp.com...

You were saying???

As has been said before, simply check YouTube a few minutes before the start.

I never understood why there were always "speedway fans" who were ONLY interested in the top few riders. At whatever level, it's about the tracks...

Nobody is forcing you to watch it...

OY! You're not supposed to use facts and common sense on the BSF!

That's exactly what Kelvin just said. Of course it wouldn't. You just introduce the rules, and the riders would have to obey...

I'd often wondered they always come out to refuel after a false start? Absolutely no need for it.

The problem these days - and we know that it applies to everything, not just speedway - is that we have to "rebrand" everything. New titles, abbreviations, descriptions, rules, colours etc, just to make things appear "cool"...

I am not "wrong", and I am taking Szczakiel's win as a prime example. He wasn't the best rider on show. He didn't have to work hard to qualify for the final. He had a couple of second places, and a win - which wouldn't have been totally unexpected. Throw in a couple of other wins (GOOD rides) - against quality opposition - that wouldn't have been expected, and there he has 13 points. Forget the run-off (it was handed to him), and two GOOD rides clinched him the World Championship.

See, you only read what you want to; I have NEVER said it's not flawed. In fact, not only did I state that "most of us" didn't like it, I have also stated elsewhere that I personally am not a fan. However, it is the same system as used in a lot of other sports with the 20 heats now being used as simple qualifiers. The only difference is that speedway does it all in one night. I used the World Cup as an example. Germany could qualify for the World Cup finals with a 100% record in their group. England could lose a few games, and then beat someone in a play-off to join them. None of that matters now - England and Germany are both in the finals, and start with the same number of points (zero). Then we have the group matches at the Finals. Same thing; Germany win their group with 100% record, England drop points, but join Germany in the knockout rounds. Again, both start with the same number of points (zero). Exactly the same. The trouble is that with speedway, we love to look back on the way it used to be. Personally, I thought the system we had last year was fine (of course, the GP winner could still earn fewer points than the guys who didn't win - which is a flaw).

Again, what you did BEFORE the final meant nothing, even if you didn't drop a point. Some unfancied rider (who was only a low-order qualifier during the rounds) could have a couple of unusually good (or just well-timed) rides during the Final, and end up as World Champ. That is the same with an individual GP now. How you qualified for the semis isn't important; what matters is just being there. You are all starting from scratch. I know it seems different now, being done one one night (rather than over the season), but the concept is identical.

Go back and re-read what I said. My point was that QUALIFYING for World finals (and indeed, all rounds) was no different to the system used in a 2020 GP. A rider could scrape through - and often did - from one round to the next, and it didn't make one iota of difference. Whether you won the I-C Final with a 15-point max, or scraped through in 11th place with 5 points, it didn't matter; you both started the World Final on level points. Which is what happens in a GP. My point is that Rider A could qualify from the British S-F in 8th, the British Final in 5th, the Commonwealth Final in 9th, the Overseas Final in 8th, and the Inter-Continental Final in 11th. He never looked like winning a race. Rider B could have won every race in those. Doesn't make the slightest bit of difference though, does it? They start the World Final absolutely level. Rider A could win TWO races, with three seconds. Rider B could win four races, and suffer an E/F. Rider A is World Champ having only won two races all season, and finishes higher than Rider B who only lost one race in the entire season! It doesn't matter whether it happened or not, what matters is that it could. The fact is this : there WERE riders who scraped into meetings, and then made the most of their good fortune next time out. In fact, there WERE riders who became World Champion only having to win a small handful of races compared to others who worked hard all season and just fell at the final hurdle. People really don't realise - or want to accept - that the old World Championship system (with the World Final) was the most flawed system we ever had...

Which was EXACTLY the way it used to be in the days of the World Final qualification - particularly when you had 11 riders advancing from the Inter-Continental Final. Or 8 advancing from the British semis. Or... The fact is, all this negativity - and accusations of riders "not trying to win" is coming from people who I'm sure have never competed in anything. The vast majority of individuals will ALWAYS go out to win and do their best, certainly at the higher levels. It's called "pride". However, there will ALWAYS be situations where a little common sense and playing it safe will be a better option. That is nothing new, particularly in a dangerous sport like speedway...