chunky

Except that it didn't. He lost the title by 16 points. Had Doyle scored better in previous rounds (most notably in Warsaw and Horsens, where he scored 5 and 7 respectively), he could easily have had things wrapped up by the time he got injured. Seems a long shot, but look at the 1970 F1 season. Jochen Rindt was tragically killed at Monza, but he had already opened such a lead that nobody was able to catch him in the remaining races. When you have ONE slip-up in only five rides, there is no way back, but over a season, there are opportunities. Steve

Pretty sure that nobody has mentioned Gustafsson being joint leader after 12 heats in 1990 - and only finishing sixth... Steve

Dammit! Have to get some new glasses! Steve

Okay, 1956 final... After eight heats, Briggo and Eric Boothroyd were joint leaders on five points. Fundin (eventual winner), Moore, Forrest, Craven, and Crutcher were all on four points. Neither Briggo nor Boothroyd finished on the rostrum. Steve

Well, there have only been three 12-point winners; Young, Ermolenko, and Rickardsson. Oh, and nobody has mentioned the other well-known anomaly. Bluey Wilkinson scoring a 15 point max in the World Final, and only finishing third! Steve

Um, you have now given me a task! I love going through stats, and I hadn't actually thought about this one! On the flip side, what about Ken McKinlay in 1969? After 12 heats, he was in fourth place on 7 points, but then ran two lasts. Steve

I was waiting for someone to mention Jack Biggs! Steve

6 - Nielsen 5 - Ermolenko 5 - Niemi 4 - Gundersen 4 - Knudsen 4 - Moran 4 - Pedersen Steve

Actually, assuming that there are at least three finishers in every race, a standard 20-heat, 16-rider meeting can be won on 8 points (with a run off - or series of run-offs)! There are a total of 120 points available, and without doing all the work, I am sure it is possible for a 9-point return to win WITHOUT a run off! Steve

This has been discussed on here before. Basically, there is a generic riding style used by most riders today, and it is not easy to identify individuals. In the old days, everyone seemed very different, and we had no trouble picking out the styles. We could identify riders wearing identical masks, and even when helmets like the Bell Moto III was popular, it wasn't hard to tell riders apart, even from just a head-and-shoulders pic! Steve

Okay, I think you are misunderstanding this thread,but that is understandable with some of the stuff being posted here! The thread was actually talking about Woffinden being the best ever BRITISH rider. Nobody is saying that he is up there with Mauger, Fundin, and Rickardsson. Yet! That remains to be seen, and only time will tell, but his achievements on the world stage have clearly exceeded those of any other previous British rider. Steve

But it is not "easier" when all their opponents are similarly prepared... Steve

I was never a fan of predominantly white leathers, but I thought that the Gulf/Weslake leathers (mostly white, with orange and blue trim) used by a few (Gordon Kennett and Steve Weatherley etc) looked cool! Steve

Oh, I know that; I just love using logic, reason, and fact to annoy people!!! Of course, I really am better than Phil, though... Steve

Of course titles mean nothing. Larry Ross was FAR better than Mauger, Briggs, or Moore. I played darts professionally for 25 years, and the fact that Phil Taylor won over 200 major titles - including 16 World Championships - doesn't prove that he was better than me... Of course, back in the day, the world final fields were so much tougher. However did those World Champs beat riders like Josef Hofmeister, Per-Tage Svensson, Jerzy Trzeszkowski, Hans-Jurgen Fritz, and Petr Ondrasik... Steve

Give 'em time... Steve

Again, equipment isn't particularly relevant. All the top riders today have pretty much the same equipment, and as has been said, Zmarzlik has the fastest bikes. Back in the day - whichever day you wish to talk about - the riders were all on similar equipment. Steve Edit: as far as the number of "gold medals", Tai doesn't have as many as others from past times, because he doesn't have the quality of partners/team-mates that others did...

You gotta no respect! Steve

Just thinking about league averages... If they were used to determine world rankings, then from 1966-1973, Eric Boocock would have been the fourth best - at worst - rider in the world. Well??? Steve

Ah, okay! So Britain is the SECOND strongest speedway nation, then? Steve

Not true. "A Pole" has only been number one twice, but as a nation, "the Poles" have been number 1 thirteen times. If you think I am splitting hairs, then you try convincing everyone that Britain is the strongest speedway nation currently... Steve

And who says speedway is predictable? Next, you will be saying that speedway is "first out of the gate wins", or that Woffinden is the best ever British rider... Steve

No it SHOULDN'T!!! This thread is about Tai being the best ever BRITISH rider! No Mauger, no Rickardsson, no Pedersen... All has been said is that he is on course to break the records of Mauger and Rickardsson. And yes I know you prefer the 70's... Steve

You started it by stating Mauger was British Champion three times, which - YET AGAIN - has no bearing on this thread... Steve