spook

that doesnt mean that there isnt and hasnt been one of sorts through the BSI & IMG years

cheers TNT Event One 5 Artem Laguta 12 Emil Sayfutdinov 11 Tomasz Gollob 8 Maciej Janowski Event Two 10 Chris Harris 10 Davey Watt 1 Max Dilger 4 Kevin Wolbert

I'm interested in how IMG are going to deal with things if even one of Watt or Batchelor qualify. Undoubtably they have been lining up Darcy for a pick next season ....but add one or two more Aussies and their quota system will be working against them

cant be argued with I guess........ i'm shuddering at the thought of a Dryml or Kasprzak in the GP's but everyone deserves their chance Hopefully this will now put paid to any notion of Bomber in the 2013 GP's and he will have to go back to the drawing board if he is serious about it in the future

I think its more than a bit naive to think that the likes of Harris, Kennett, Nicholls & Richardson have been receiving the same level of backing as the other top guys............. if it was the case the law of averages would dictate that at least a few of our guys down the years since the golden era would have broken the mould instead of just Loramski.............. there is no better time for seeing the difference in backing than the SWC....and it has been crystal clear for many years that the Brits dont have it..... As was pointed out by Rico they werent even having their expenses covered When Harris won the British GP he was on megabucks Brian Andersen machinery which was arguably the fastest in the field that year... just not consistently............ he has now gone down the Mark Loram route of Norrie Allen and making the best of the relative peanuts.... other riders have their machinery going from the start of the season...... with Bomber its a well rehearsed story of how many engines, tuners etc he has had to try during the season.... we know it isnt talent holding him back The grasstrack angle? maybe... but then do all the Poles come through grasstrack? ................ it makes sense to me that it is first of all about regular opportunity which the tracks in this country just dont provide..... and then when someone has been persistent enough to break through its about the financial backing ............... also it could be argued that the Tatum, Wigg, Doncaster, Screen etc era, despite coming from grasstrack, and despite some of their success, had already fallen a notch of standard behind the generation before them Like you say, there has to be some kind of movement to protect and nurture talent...... the Danes have their 80cc...... the Poles give riding time and backing........... until there is some form of movement & acceptance that more has to be done, doors and opportunities wont open I don't think the machinery and financial side of things should be underestimated though...... despite their generation being under the spotlight for not being the same standard as the golden era..... Loram, Louis, Screen, Wigg all still found rostrums and titles............. I personally think since then the game has seem a shift in the importance of tuners and consequently the money needing to be raised & invested

that was a golden era for British riders..... unfortunately since then the machinery and sponsorship has got away from us I'm not sure that along the way we havent had riders to have the same potential as those guys ....but they have had a virtually impossible mission to realise the potential while their finances and backing are minnowed by the top guys from elsewhere........... I am still waiting for the day that a generation of them wake up and find out what the Aussie blueprint is because they hardly come over with megabucks themselves All that said there are obviously still issues in the Harris camp as to how the tuppence should be spent .... Holts gun gum or rubber bands

i'm with CJ69 on this one but alternatively if we cant attract that lineup then the riders and BSPA should pull out, and take the time to figure out what package is needed to be competitive for future years.... we can go on about the standard of the riders as much as we like but if the machinery isnt there and it is all down to the riders to pay for everything upfront and put something together to the standard required...... then I think we have had enough proof down the years that its never going to be good enough......... lets not forget why GB's highest SWC scorer decided not to ride for GB

I surely couldnt have meant anything by that.... if I did it would be naughty of me ....... obviously he had super charged flying machines a few years before....... I guess its all or nothing in the Pedersen camp You are right he is making it into the first bend amazingly quickly... even when not trapping.... just like a few years ago..........obviously a few decent GP's do not make a campaign but he actually seems to be rating highly in all on track categories.... out of the start.... into the first bend.... in the dirt.... in the slick..... straight speed......... It is good to see NickiP competitive again and mixing it up.......... I have concerns about Crumpy on this score as he appears to have started to become a little too 'safe' (although even this approach he is starting to perfect)........... however finding a passion and wanting to mix it up are not the same as wiping someone out and then playing up to the cameras.......Nicki clearly has learnt nothing over the years and is still blind to the line that separates being competitive from being a liability..... Nicki was never going to get injury from a move like that but THJ could have I think that was a bit of fake lift from a desperate man who had already gone into bend 3 attempting to cut a portion of it off ... Nicki has history with fake lift I think Harris is quite capable as a rider .....but as has been alluded to in this thread and has been patently obvious over the years..... he quite obviously has issues putting the right machinery and setups together....... he can blame everything until kingdom comes but he is the one who has to gain the sponsors and then spend the money wisely on those who will help him to produce results.......... this was an issue years ago and the odds are he will never find the right path at GP level

tbh i'm not sure I see the reason for the semantics in the thread over the result of Semi 1.......... it is obvious that common sense prevailed...... as great as he is Crumpy was never getting 2nd in those final few seconds..... and after taking sensible avoiding action his point shouldnt be in doubt either What should be debated long and hard for the next two weeks is the behaviour of NickiP ..... is he back? yes and good luck to him/his tuner while they get away with it........ but that has nothing to do with his outrageous behaviour at the end of that heat and his subsequent comments about THJ ............... pantomime villain or not he took a rider out at full speed down a straight and risked not injury to himself.. but the other rider

tex I am in the states and have just tried looking for it to see if I can record it........ just wanted to confirm with you that no one is showing it here??? i was hoping i could record it as i have to go out..... gutted if I have to wait till I get back to the UK

the fact that Joe Bloggs has no use for a Honda speedway bike is a major obstacle to it happening of course.................... but I dont see that as the only way the Japanese manufacturers would get involved What is in it for Monster? Product placement, pure and simple. They will reach yet another audience from young to old and no doubt we will all be brainwashed within a few years with all the merchandise, posters, racejackets just like in the other motorsports they are involved in. Any new generation coming along in speedway will see Monster as part of the furniture, and so the thinking goes in advertising, it will make Monster one of their first choices when it comes to choosing energy drinks It shouldnt be much different for the big Japanese brands...... if/when the sport is watched by enough people it will outweigh the cost of testing, setting up and producing from a production line............... I guess the question there is how many fans at the stadium and at home would it take for it to be worth it?

absolutely fantastic news, someone worked their tail off to land this one. With Monster involved it should make the GP's/SWC more attractive for other big names to get involved Would love to see a couple of USA GP's on the calendar next........ and interest being shown by Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki etc

that night and that manouver will forver be indelibly etched into our memories...... so its interesting to hear your take on it I dont think it was that cynical tbh...... just like Harris's pass of Hancock at the weekend his bike was carrying more speed...... that was the reason for Greg looking round at the start of lap 3 and at the end of the backstraight on lap 4...he was a worried man and needed to know where the rider buzzing around him was because the track had more than one line that night ...... I think it is a simple as because of the pressure Bomber was applying.. Greg chose wrong........... he chose to enter bend 4 tight but then slide out to try to cover the mid/outside... Greg used the mid/outside for 3 of the 4 laps on bend 4 and obviously felt it was faster

I think you misunderstood me ... the lack of massive changes are not what you would like them to be... ie changed from before they took over....... the lack of massive changes are since they have taken over... ie the point of that paragraph... consistency................... in a speedway world that changes everything from year to year and extreme to extreme... IMG do a fine job of generally keeping things smoothly consistent and making the changes and improvements gradually If the FIM were happy to run the GP's it wouldnt be farmed out to IMG.........where is this confidence coming from that things would run without a hitch if it was given over to the federations to run? They have hardly had a good track record in recent years............... for example what stance would the Polish federation have taken this season over silencers for their rounds? What kind of explosive and damaging situation could we have seen there with a bit more power in their pocket? What I do see a lot in this section is criticism aimed in IMG's general direction for them not funding grass roots......... I dont see anything about what the FIM are doing with the money that IMG are giving them.......now call me stupid but isnt it the FIM's responsibility to trickle cash down and not IMG's?....... you talk about money pouring out of the sport and into IMG coffers but how much was going into FIM coffers before BSI/IMG got involved? How much has the revenue been raised due to the improvements made? I don't trust promoters or federations to do the right thing ... a generalisation I know but as I outlined in a previous post they hardly cover themselves in glory or indicate that they know how to build the sport into something professional for the modern age.......... I once watched a senior BSPA member at a leading shared events meeting stand watching the turnstyles clicking on his counter everytime someone went through......... it was explained to me that this was because trust was at a minimum and a potential rip off was being avoided... even though the promoter and track had been designated the event................ as the Poole/Coventry farce has shown us this is where we are at in this country and what we would be bringing to the table for our GP rounds ..............Now if someone was to say that there are some other interested organisations out there who can bring better media exposure and markets such as America...... then i'd probably be saying that FIM should dump IMG

cant say its ever crossed my mind

there is a possible side discussion here on Speedway's position in the 40s to 70s compared to Formula One and how all that changed and why........... I believe Bernie Ecclestone once said Speedway would have to be bought lock stock and barrel to be big again ...... I wonder how much Lewis Hamilton earns in sponsorship and how that compares to his Maclaren pay

IMG are expected to pay money to the FIM .......AND to invest into the future of the sport that it doesnt govern or have anything to do with outside of the GP's or SWC? ............ isnt this the FIM's job? They were the ones who canvassed for bidders and accepted the amount agreed IMG are a business and are in it to earn money... it just so happens that they are also judged on how well they run things in terms of future business........... why on earth are you talking about a benevolent organisation? Even the FIM are not a benevolent organisation ... and i'm struggling to think of any motorsport which is run by a benevolent organisation! Trees you cannot seriously believe that the GP's would be the product that they are without the involvement of BSI and IMG............ I understand that, like WK, you have always had an issue with the GP's...... but we are talking about the annually foot shooting world of speedway here arent we? The biggest thing you missed out that they have brought is consistency..... ironically one of the pluses of the needlessly long contract........ they dont make massive changes.... they spend enough cash to not appear to be tight to the outside world (something 95% of speedway fails on!) .......as far as we know they arent bullied into decisions by this or that federation.... and in the end they are an island within the sport with what is mostly a top quality product

so a couple of questions but no sign of a disaster for speedway? the FIM leased out the GP's to a company who were able to take them to the next level ..... this is clearly seen on GP night both in how they are run and presented........ i'm not an expert in the industry so I couldnt comment on if the money the FIM earn from it is good enough ... or indeed how much of that money the FIM put back into the sport (why would IMG put their money into anything other than running the GP's and SWC?)........... I don't think however, that the contract should have been as long as it is The ACU, SCB and BSPA are good examples of what is going wrong in the sport..... one organisation trying to have nothing to do with the sport.... another being run by BSPA members..... and the BSPA the shambles that it is............... and in the case of the latter lets just consider the commitment towards British riders both domestically and for the international stage................ what was once the way in speedway isnt necessarily wrong, dead and buried WK..... but times have moved on and if you want a good example of what goes wrong between federations when they are left to govern, take a look at silencer issues, KK's swedish silencers and KK's banning from riding for Brum by Tarnow................... I am thankful that a professional outfit is in charge of Speedway's flagship The GP series went from 24 riders to 16 a handful of years ago because those who werent making the sweet sixteen couldnt make it pay and therefore didnt spend enough to get into the sweet sixteen........... We were led to believe that the switch to 16 riders was a successful one ....... if it now has become unsuccessful it can only be down to costs rising at a different rate to prizemoney which has been a theme throughout the sport with carbs, tuners, teams of mechanics etc The bottom line is that we have a very very slick product (no Ole jokes please ) served up by an organisation who unlike a majority in the speedway world, don't allow themselves to look like amateurs........... if there are real concerns over the money earned by the riders i'm sure that either riders will start turning down their GP berths... or that IMG will adapt their model to make it work like they did before

yes absolutely and takes us once again full circle back to the question of if we think IMG are doing a good job or not....... if they are and the alternative isnt worth thinking about then it is naive to think that they wont make sure they put bums on seats and again we are going full circle to if IMG are doing a good job or not............ well are they? yes quota and the such like isnt very romantic for a world championship but it just wouldnt be good for the sport or coverage if half the field was from Poland .......or some other undesirable make up of numbers Just for arguments sake...... can I ask what kind of a step back it would be for the GP's to have a field of: Hancock Jonsson Hampel Crump Sayfutdinov Kasprzak Pepe Bjarne A Laguta Nicholls Richardson Walasek Ulamek Dryml Sullivan Woffinden this is what could happen with your method (and yes I do know some of them dont try to qualify anymore ) my heart tells me that we should have some grand qualifying arrangement.... minimal WC's.... no corporate consideration etc etc ....... but this is the real world and I only need to take a quick scan around world speedway to see what a mess the GP's/world championship could be we have riders cheating, UK and Polish promoters bringing the sport into disrepute, laughable TV deal brokered in UK, riders threatening to strike over silencers in Poland, riders not being paid, clubs going down........................... considering all of that IMG seem to me to be a very solid and reliable, flagship, cornerstone of our sport and I think what they do works ........ on the whole re bjarne and pepe and your scenario........ if 11 of the riders have to qualify with no wildcards then that theoretically means that 10 of the gp field go into the qualifiers...... surely that means we either get the same stragglers back or Bjarne and Pepe in? I dont see how it makes it more difficult for them tbh ok so the wildcards...... the brits have been covered ........Lindgren and Andersen are perfectly reasonable picks and also have been on the pace............. KK would have been chosen to boost the Polish numbers for that year and probably deserved a shout through his league form.............for Lindback in 2007 see Ward in 2011..... and Bjarne also will have been making up Danish numbers..... I really dont see an issue with the picks tbh and any rider who stunk out the place or didnt invest as much as they should have were shown the door as far as I know

so you are saying if the guys who are being given wildcards were to go into qualifying... then Pepe and Bjarne wouldnt qualify? Which of their picks have not been successful? And why did IMG pick them in the first place?

but this takes us full circle to if we think IMG are doing a good job or not why do the riders think it is ok to miss qualifiers? along with the cluttered calendar..... it is because if they do badly in them it makes it more difficult for IMG to give them a wildcard......... with the way that IMG do things we can see how this gives them more options............. for instance if Bomber had entered the qualifiers and crashed and burned on top of his dip in GP and league form I think even IMG would have found it difficult to justify giving him a card.............. I do not currently see IMG insisting that riders do the qualifiers Pepe & Bjarne are good examples why IMG need the wildcards.... maybe they have just been unlucky in the past... or maybe they were not prepared enough..... either way they have both had disastrous campaigns historically.... make 3 qualifiers like that and it makes it important that there are wildcards in there who are on the pace or it will be a GP field of two standards I do think IMG are doing a good job ... and especially when we consider what it would most likely be like left to the FIM or another pocket of the speedway fraternity ............. I dont think it is a bad thing to question the way that they do things but it is easy to miss the woods for the trees

yep Woffy Woffy Woffy is virtually a certainty for 2013 if IMG keep their 'policy' and Tai remains fit and in form........... I suspect Bomber would be out on his ear for 2012 if Tai had wanted the wildcard Pepe may be hot stuff in the leagues but he has shown time and time again that he does not get his act together for the GP's.......... the same could be said for Bjarne.......... Darcy should do well but I wouldnt expect any more than hanging around 8th overall for his first year............................... despite my opinion of Rune, he finished 4th last season... while Janusz was looking high top 8 material based on his league form (pre new silencer )....... i'm not sure people were expecting Rune and Janusz to have such stinking campaigns It is still a very tough lineup on paper and probably one of the toughest in history..... but I think it probably is a slight step down from this season..... on paper

sense prevails and the right choices were made ... for 2012 anyway............... i'd suggest Bomber, Freddie and Nicki should be in the last chance saloon though....... at least unless they are prepared to try to qualify in the challenge

possibly unfair to give examples of when the guy is riding injured but last night is a good example of what i'm talking about..... Rune can quite often be found losing control at this level when others arent sure he is a nice guy though and has worked very hard in his career

its based on my observations of his riding............. the same way ive determined his bikes are usually uber quick