spook

no absolutely not...... not on what must be one of the fastest tracks in the world right at the end of one of the straights...... we know the guy has a bit of a wild streak but no one is that nuts! Also the question has to be asked..... what would his motive be? Does he look intimidated by NickiP? Did he look like he wouldnt just take Nicki on the next bend again? (edited) Actually ... and this is the point..... Nicki P went from behind him to almost past him in a second or less....... but he didnt do it cleanly.... Emil didnt change direction..... and Nicki clearly decided to ride the man and shove Emil out (not for the first time this season) rather than make sure he went into the bend cleanly I would suggest the majority of refs would feel in a difficult position to have to rule on it but would concentrate on the passing move the directions entering the bend and and ultimately who collected who Dekker has found an interesting way of putting his point across but he is right about 1 thing at least........the key thing here is that Nicki has decided to ride the man rather than the track again this season and it is because he can no longer rely on his super fast machinery of the previous 2 years

well it depends how you mean this but I would be saying it in that the gp's are processional on the permanent tracks and the temporary tracks are a game of who can actually look like a speedway rider........ this is still what is killing the competition.......... the issue is at a basic level of track prep..... I dont see how this has much to do with the format of the world championships..... and the last thing IMG/BSL care about is the EL Ole would still be there at the scandinavian/commonwealth/overseas/intercontinental final making sure that the tracks are set up in a certain way................ in fact I hate to say it but even worse the guy has often been spotted around fishy smells and what better than to set up the commonwealth final track as ultra grippy only for the qualifying 'racers' to be hit with a slick surface later on when they meet the scandinavians? I dont see why speedway should avoid 'the credit crunch' when everything else isnt and i'm sure that the crowd issues are down to this.............. I heard that the low Prague crowd could have been partially due to the owners having some interesting timing in hiking UP the prices.......... and that it is only the temporary track GP's that IMG/BSL have complete responsibility over the finances.... the rest they are paid upfront and it is then over to the owners ........... I am certain that they will earn enough this season..... as most likely will the permanent track owners but if they keep serving up dire track surfaces all season then it could have a larger knock on effect for next year than there was already going to be and finally as a wise old sage has said on this forum recently no amount of rose coloured spectacles can make us think that the racing at one off world finals was good on the whole......... and im certain if it ever did revert back people would be requesting a return of the GP's

you talk as if Nicki didnt know he was there lol! the simple truth of the matter is that only a second or less before he was behind Emil......Normally in that scenario so close to the entry of the bend the passing rider would cut in more than they normally would and not only would they then clear the rider they havent quite passed yet but they can also control the lead in the coming bends............ ultimately Nicki was caught out once again riding the man rather than the track

as ive posted elsewhere this was a VERY difficult decision for the ref but ultimately I think he got it right........ the pass was not clean and it all happened very quickly I also do not believe that a rider would deliberately cause a crash on one of the fastest tracks in the world at the end of a straight! This is very different to Nicki's addiction to emulating Hans Nielsen's slides off in the first bend when he hasnt gated well

his biggest issue last night was riding in no mans land......... scott really does make me despir sometimes with his on track decisions........ it was patently obvious last night that there were 3 choices 1) take your chances over the ruts 2) take the wide line and take your chances with having your nose cut off by the guys on the ruts 3) take a midtrack line when already in the lead to reduce the % chance of the ruts wiping you out Scott managed to find a 4th option....... go mid track straight away in the first two bends when he had no lead and guys would be overtaking him on the inside and outside Things really are extremely grim for Scott and he looks like he is in the middle of a disaster mentally and mechanically which added onto his gating is something from hell.................... I really cannot see the answer for him and 17th out of 15 riders says it all actually i'd say the evidence points to the opposite................... what else is going to suit a gating tart such as Nicki more than slick tracks?............. the tracks this season have been a joke for their slickness and with the inevitable rutting happening at Ullevi, Parken and Cardiff it was important for the first two GP's to have a decent surface Am I incorrect in thinking that Ash Holloway moved to Emil's camp from Nicki's? This would explain a lot if it was the case.............. Nicki is no longer on rocket ships....... once he is overtaken he is clueless and powerless...... but most of all we are seeing the old Nicki resurface.... he will always be a competitive guy but when he has a fight on his hands he starts behaving like a big baby offtrack and riding the man instead of the track (in all 3 gp's so far) re: the incident ............. I think it was the correct decision........... but only by 55:45.......... a very hard one for the ref to call but ultimately he went from being behind Emil to partially infront of him in a split second and did not pass him cleanly..................... did Emil look for it to happen? If he did then he is nuts and he will get injured because we all saw how fast he came off and how fast Jason came towards him.......... I think this was one incident thats all to easy to look at in slow motion and make assumptions about Emil with...... in reality it all happened very fast from Emil cutting up the inside to reaching the fence too soon to looking around to the incident happening If Nicki is hard done by then I still have no sympathy as in recent years he has been the worst for the 'Neilsen dying swan' act................... i'm voting for Nicki to spend his holiday in the Cook Islands and for there to be a transport strike for a couple of years and I certainly have no sympathy over his finger ........... while I have respect for his showmanship as it is exactly what the sport needs to attract fans he should note that the wrestlers on WWE only ever hit air with their fists............. Sam seemed to think it was a chair that he kicked but it wasnt it was an immense roll of garage towelling ....and they are not light... im suprised he hasnt broken his foot as well!

lets not forget about the generation above them though as they have already got past the first few hurdles Holder, Batchelor, Gathercole, Ward, Proctor ................... surely the best crop out there at the moment for their age? The Aussies are certainly putting something good in the water! inevitably

Crumpy please

'i dont need EL speedway attitude thats getting peoples backs up' hmmmm and how about those very same 'people'....ie the fans? Here we have what was a thriving sport and even in the 70s and 80s it was still big....... and we have systematically ruined it because every man, dog is going to wet their knickers over the latest average american/aussie/dane/swede/pole/czech/slovenian/croatian(i'm not seeing GB yet are you?)/new zealander/italian/russian.... ok you get the point so its fine for the fans in this country to say "yeah bring them all over... the more the merrier" despite the effects that it will have on our home grown riders...... and yet our own riders arent allowed to have the same freedom of movement........ and we would be lying if we said that Scott Nicholls hasnt been a target when riding here for the very same fans complaining about him not riding here .....damned if he does damned if he doesnt As much as I have an interest in Scott Nicholls because I want him to do well he has frustrated me on the world stage........ that does not allow me though, to get things out of perspective and demand blood from the guy

actually tbf Chris Andy asked 'why was it wrong for Nicholls?' ............ i'm not sure your reply actually 'replies' to that Andy it wasnt wrong for Scott as 'home league' means nothing .... ask Jason how his 'home league' is .......... a combination of the agendas and finances of the top leagues in GB, Sweden and Poland has meant that it is a free for all for everyone........... if you are going to score the points and you are our free asset then welcome in! The statistics don't lie Chris but to be quite honest what has that got to do with it? Scott wanted to try something different and was only following in the footsteps of the majority of the top 8........... riding twice a week with a very well mapped out schedule is very different to globe trotting in a van on a nutso ad hoc basis because the EL wants to have 4 race nights............................ I am quite certain that Scott had decided that his form in Poland and Sweden shouldnt be any different to his form in Britain if he filled those baskets with more apples http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pte...Op1TkA6gHtwBfNw please also take this spreadsheet of statistics (which dont lie) for Scott in the GP's between 05 and the 4th GP of last season....... im sure you can fill in the blanks for the rest of the GPs last season.................................... it clearly shows that Scott had suffered not only a painful time of regularly being on the cusp of the semis ...ie just missing out or making it with a bad gate....................... but that he has also been in a slight gradual decline for 5 or 6 years now........... I do not blame him at all for making big changes in an attempt to change his fortunes and snap out of his spiral and for the record beesboybert is on the money with Scott's usual change of fortunes the longer a season goes on..... in the GP's anyway I'll be honest the thing that has most confused me on this forum recently has been this bile aimed towards the guy for not riding here and the funny thing is that it is mostly those who liked to have a dig about him when he was here who are doing it.......... and as I have said elsewhere they are also generally posters who have supported the flooding of our 'home league' with imported riders.... go figure

How is that harsh on Ole? He works for the FIM............. he was the guy who came up with the GP's ........... he is the guy who quite clearly runs everything with an iron rod to the degree where he thinks he could even interfere with the refs Interesting questions and although it would be good to finally get some hard answers where it will be difficult for any future race directors to pick and choose with the media as to if it is their responsibility or not..... I dont think that there is any doubt as to who is in charge is there? Either IMG/BSL are hiring Ole's 'expertise' .... or the FIM are insisting that their members fill certain roles................... either way all fingers point to Ole no matter how he tries to pass the buck when the fingers come out......... what your questions would possibly gain is the support behind the guy and where it is coming from and heres the crunch............... yes the SGP may well be focussed on its financial interests NO the grand prix is not masquerading as a sport... it IS a sport! It is what became of the old world final and road to world final......... it is not available to any tom dick or harry to feel that they can make a mockery of it.......... I hear what you are saying but I dont think that they can be lumped into Ecclestone and Mosely's bracket who tarnished their sport for 20 years in order to get rich and make it one of the top fixed 'sports'............ maybe I am wrong... we will find out however .......... if this really is all down to dirt on the erm dirtboards.... and dirt on kevlars then once again speedway shoots itself in the foot and no imagination at all is shown...................................grateful teenagers with free passes hosing down banners/ripping off top layers.................... tv 'projecting' advertising on centre greens, first few rows of stands...................... Polish style advertising boards on the centre green ............. In fact it really wouldnt be difficult to saturate a stadium and tv presentation with advertising without using the airfence.............. boards amongst/behind the crowd/flags/boards and stickers all over the pits like some wierd corporate style fete.......... and TV presentation graphics littered with it but most important of all speedway uses dirt! dirt is what makes it interesting ....... that just cannot be messed with lol ............... its like saying rugby should be played on concrete with no tackles.....ie a pale shadow of what the sport is about and a borefest despite the length of the meeting I defy any speedway fan, non fan, floating fan, & potential fan not to get excited about Cameron Woodwards pass on Monday in ht15................. Gollob in full flow at Bydgoszcz up to 2004 .......... Gundersen at Odsal 85 ....... Gollob/Nilsen 99 ....... Havelock/Rempala 04 ......etc etc.........all of these required dirt and there is no sanitised substitute that we should sacrifice our sport to for the record my polite email to the IMGworld guys has not been responded to

this is an age old problem with Tony...... sometime around 4 heats from the end of the heats he becomes completely obsessed with who will make the semis ............ nothing wrong there as it is fairly key.............. but he becomes so obsessed that he actually cant see the woods for the trees and ends up ruining race commentaries with semi final facts which are actually fiction..... and then to the extent of ruining the semis as well! my neighbours know when this is happening only too well

I guess we will find out but the chances were always going to be that the next 3 GP's would have a low % of passes................... all the more reason to make sure the first two GP's were all action anyone know who the reserves are for this?

Personally I dont think that there is anything wrong with the format and a quality product is being dished up with everything except the track preparation......... without wanting to get into the whole 1 off final vs GP argument I feel that for the format they have chosen they have fine tuned it well to not only make it pay for the riders and themselves but also the fans...................... if only the race director was on the same page though! If the extremely crucial cog of track prep becomes as professional as the rest of the cogs then I can only see the GP's increasing its fan base

thx for that Sandie (although some creative quoting there.....you should work for a tabloid! ).... that would explain why Kelvin wasnt there with him

When I looked into this the other night I came up with paul.bellamy@imgworld.com MD BSI george.pyne@imgworld.com President IMG Sports and Entertainment https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/111101 and for the FIM (cannot find or work out email addresses for either) andrzej grodzki Vice President of FIM racing track commision Roy Otto President of FIM racing track commision lets not forget that although its in img's interest to have an impressive GP series their hands are ultimately tied on some things ..... the question is .....exactly what? Ole does have bosses at the FIM though and it is not in their interests for this to be happening the irony for me is that this has been happening for donkeys years now and although it is a pleasant suprise im quite bemused by this thread.................... does this mean that if Ole serves up a decent GP next time that everyone will go quiet again? Will it buy him some more time? For me this had reached fever pitch a long time ago and tbh it doesnt actually matter why he is doing it... the fact is he is and has been for a long time and it is doing no favours for anyone other than gaters......................... sponsors will go away, the fans who didnt go to Prague will continue not to turn up, people will stop tuning in to Sky to watch it, and worse the longer it goes on the longer it will take to get some racers back into the competition I find it incredible that something with all the ingredients of a superb product that will bring new fans in can be scuppered so badly by one guy with an agenda the opposite of everyone else

if things continue in the same way that they have for the two brits so far then there is no way that IMG/FIM can justify giving GB two wild cards next season.............. they stretched things this year as it is .....and it hardly went unnoticed! ...... but to do it again with even worse form shown would be silly So next year we just have one and if that lucky Brit doesnt get himself sorted then hopefully by that time one of the younger Brits will be ready I live in hope that it wont come to that though and if by some miracle Bomber learns to gate before it is too late Scott quite frankly should hang his head in shame.......... and I wonder what caused Kelvin to be sitting in a studio in Britain instead of out there with him Scott Nicholls maybe?

and how thrilled would a few teenagers be to be allowed in for free and to stand on the centre green to watch the racing inbetween when they hose down those banners?

Interestingly a letter to the relevant people has been on my mind for a while people say that petitions dont work....... I remember a certain sports editor for a national newspaper giving us a reply that a campaign wont work with them but then lo and behold speedway started getting a bit more coverage from his newspaper......... petitions and campaigns do work because it shows in volume exactly how people feel the question is who are the correct people? I should imagine Paul Bellamy at BSI is a natural guy to send one to ............ is John Postlethwaite still a big cheese at BSI? George Pyne and Jim Leitz look like the right guys at IMG and then there is the FIM.............. as far as I can tell Ole reports to either the Vice Presidents of the Track Racing Commission....Jörgen L. Jensen and Andrzej Grodzki..... or to the President himself Roy Otto No matter how Paul Bellamy beamed about the first GP in his interview with Chris Louis tonight.... BSI cannot be happy with a) the crowd at Prague and b.) the potential of attracting fans to the venues by the racing itself a fortnight ago................. I have had the distinct feeling that BSI/IMG's hands are completely tied on this matter but i'm sure it wouldn't hurt to contact them to let them know of the disatisfaction

Chris Harris will be in the team for years to come unless 5 guys come along and perform better than him and sadly I think it will be the same with Scott and Rico for a shorter amount of time................ while we have some riders making a bit of a leap this season the team pretty much still picks itself if the agenda is to pick the best 5 or 6 guys

If he goes for Nicholls and Rico in the same team............ ie something like Nicholls Rico Harris Kennett Bridger then the question has to be how is this any more youngster orientated than if Rob Lyon wasnt the manager and we werent going for 'youth' in particular? The team above picks itself based on form............. a team really going for youth would be Harris Kennett Bridger Woffinden King but that is unlikely as someone else has pointed out because Nicholls has already been appointed captain.... so that makes: Nicholls Harris Kennett Bridger Woffinden/King Ultimately no matter what Rob Lyon is saying I would lay money that he will cave in to the pressure of the whole thing and select the first team above with both Nicholls and Rico included and that ultimately this team will be no more about youth than any other manager would have selected based on limitations and form I hope I am wrong but I hope that we will finally see a GB team manager not only with his eye on the future with something more radical than 'normality' but also not trying to get us qualified before the race off............. it is easy to see how much better prepared for the final teams are who have got through the race off...... and it will do no good to our 'youngsters' to suffer a humiliation like 2 years ago because they arent setup correctly

Colin is on the money It matters a great deal as has already and recently been discussed at length............ Ole's tracks are gaters tracks... whether it is to keep the sponsor banners clean.... or to lessen even a minimal chance of a rain off............. or maybe for reasons of a more nepotistic (is that a word?) nature In short a gaters track is bad news for the current brits in the competition........ a normal Leszno they have a cat in hells chance Normally after Ole has received as much flak as he did following Prague there would be an effort made for the next GP....... but depending on which weather report you read Leszno is due rain showers sometime tomorrow night ............. this will probably be enough of an excuse for Ole to scrape off every molecule of dirt

lol well that sounds great for you guys Mateusz.... although i'm not sure how the setups in recent years can be bettered.... the Poles are always on rocket ships!

So the influence of Phil Crump and Craig Boyce for the aussies at the SWC cannot be denied....... am I wrong in thinking that Brian Andersen and Karger are hands on for the Danes?.... The poles are always set up perfectly and well prepared which indicates that it has been a team effort and hands on tuners have been involved............... i'm not sure what the case is for the Swedes....... but do the Brits have a similar arrangement? The reason I raise it is because for the last couple of years it has been obvious that the machinery has been well off the pace and clearly not set up correctly across the team................... do we have a tuner who gets his hands dirty leading up to and during the SWC? Overall we seem to be behind the rest of the world overall when it comes to tuning but Peter Johns certainly fits the bill

and for me this is the issue now that Rob Lyon has set his stall out under the banner of bringing the youngsters on............. if Nicholls, Harris and Rico are used then we only have two spots for youngsters remaining..... and tbf that would have naturally been the case for any GB manager this season under whatever banner they were deciding to hold If Rob really means what he is saying then he has a hard decision over whether to drop one of those 'top' 3 or not.............. I think I would be a controversial GB manager but I would be dropping one of them ..... either the one least in form at that time .......or Rico.......... I like Rico ... he is a nice guy and has a decent SWC record overall but quite frankly he is not going to be getting any better (yes the same applies to Scott as well) and if this year really is about bringing on the youngsters then it makes full sense to make sure that Ed, Lewis and Tai race................... at some stage we have to grab the bull by the horns and after deciding that we have little chance of winning we need to really build for the future and dedicate the SWC to building experience edit sorry chris (and TNT) but it is 100% irrelevant....... what is relevant is who is best able to help the youngsters and who will put in a decent showing and re: danny king ...................... for me he needs to continue his form this season and improve on it next season before he should be included if we are building for the future............................. he is still young but his career so far has very much been 2 and a half steps forward 2 steps back............ i'm pleased for him that something is starting to click but this wouldnt be the first time he has been here

thx Jesper appreciated