spook

WK you may well be right... I used to love the old road to the world final ........but then even that wasnt a true representation of the world's top riders having an even chance to get in when there were so many eastern bloc riders getting in and only scoring points against each other In the end IMG do what they do (and IMO pretty well on the whole) and it is the FIM who have given them the freedom....... it is just howling at the moon to think money and corporate thinking wont be an influence...... as things stand now though they are really backed into a corner this is the issue i've suggested though WFJ .....Bomber is probably the least of the issues for them............. if there are 3 qualifiers..... a top 8 .... a wild card for each GP ..... and at the moment 4 riders making a good claim for a wild card from Bjerre down to Kolodziej ..... then there is no room for a Kennett or Woffinden......

after all these years I would have thought someone would have realised what makes Terenzano a good track when it isnt being a bad one ....as all we seem to get from it is alternating extremes ............ poor track on Saturday and the racing on the outdoor tracks on the whole this season has not been great with regards to the tapes issue there is seriously something wrong with the sport if something like that can't be rerun..... I couldn't care less if a summit of world leaders approved the result, once that replay had been seen then only one thing should have happened................... to allow the meeting to just continue as if it is acceptable and normal is ridiculous and shows the sport in a bad light Chris Bomber Harris and the IMG dilemma ...... at the moment, based on previous years Laguta, Holta and Bomber are adrift enough to not be handed wildcards..... add that to those above them outside of the top 8 seemingly being on the pace enough to be offered wildcards, and even at around the half way point it is starting to add up to an IMG/Brit problem for next season.............. unless Chris rapidly improves, or someone starts plummeting like a stone, or one of the veterans retire..... I should imagine this is adding up to being a big issue in the IMG offices

Harris Pedersen Hancock Gollob cheers

I think it will be good for speedway if the hosts don't win it...... failing that I hope its close with good racing

yes I realised and edited what I had posted before you replied..... now posted in other thread

looks like your stay here is going to be entertaining I should imagine everyone has noticed the other thread... and the posts in that thread where the apology was quoted............. Ben Barker was also being supported by others.......... the thing with forums is that you get differing opinions ... some could see the benefit of ben now and in the future... others didnt..... IMHO the great thing about Ben is that he learns and overcomes both on and off the track

tbh I don't understand why anyone would want to take an English, Welsh or Scottish flag to a GP or SWC..... in speedway our riders are from Great Britain (currently anyway)..... taking a flag of one of the nations that makes up GB imo is making a political statement ... not a flag of support for our riders wierdly i've never had an issue with the Cornish flag... probably as its so interesting..... but tbh its no different to the above

I noticed that too and it was disappointing as he is better than that..... Ed is ever improving though and I don't doubt he will work it out eventually...just like he has with the big tracks in the UK now

I just wish some of them would have a bit more nouse though Matt..... everything in British speedway seems to be run with the ethos of take first... and not necessarily give after...... long term investment and strategy seem to be dirty words If our national team and GP riders are doing well it should have a knock on effect with the media and attendance.......... How much would that cost, over what period of time, and by how many clubs?

I think we should go back to why Middlo ended up back in the job anyway.......... it was because Rob Lyon vacated the position... and that was because talk was cheap from his employers when he took on the role Middlo does not have the tools at his disposal to enjoy any success.... this will be repeated year in, year out until the majority of promoters decide that the development of British riders is important to them

You are absolutely right but 'young' is an important word there

controversial! It really is one of the most ridiculous things ive seen in speedway...... I used to do similar things on my pushbike when I was a child.... imagining that I was a top class rider....... Lewis absolutely needed to be there tonight because he is the next in line based on likely potential and form this season......... he had a rubbish night but I hope he takes off the rose tinted glasses and watches the meeting...... all the answers are in the footage...... especially if he compares himself to how Emil was smoothly riding the bike I wonder what would happen to his career if he swapped all the flash stuff for being understated and businesslike... Isnt it just its been coming for years....... and now we are here finally.... the SWC finalists will be easy to predict for the next 3-5 years ..... while we join the Russians, Germans, Czechs and Finns in the fight to get to the race off meanwhile the BSPA will no doubt continue being deaf dumb and blind to the need to do something about it ..... instead it's all about those 5 assessed assets

Hasn't it been more a case that 'we' were England right up to the point that 'we' became Great Britain? Other nations may not get in the team currently but to call the team England is an insult to the other home nations....... there may come a day when our 3 best riders are Scottish and Welsh.... it is not so improbable when you consider the likes of Sayfutdinov, Zagar, Holta and Vaculik and their nationalities

Apparently there is or has been bad blood between Ryan and at the very least Craig Boyce ........ tbh with one eye on trying to create a future winning team i'm not sure i'd put him in either

and we havent even discussed 'fake lifting' yet

hedging your bets I see

I wonder how much Emil would have put on the gate and I wonder how much a bona fide Russian challenge would have put on the gate

well theres a suprise ok so if the FIM are powerless to stop it and there is no paper trail.... as fans we can expect to be notified before next season of how the FIM have rectified this to make sure it is impossible to happen in the future... can't we? Glad that Russia are at some semblence of full strength but unhappy that the sport is looking tin pot again (how much did IMG pay the FIM last year again? was it 1 Million?)

Well I guess life would be boring if we all agreed...... You aren't alone as there have been a few recently who have the same opinion as yourself.... Personally I find it amazing that you can't see it happening occasionally I think i'll start keeping a media folder of dubious incidents so I can wheel them out in such discussions As for Troy..... if that incident is what started off this discussion ...... In his case I agree it is unlikely that what he did was on purpose as there are far easier ways to pull the wool......... locking up and almost highsiding is probably the last thing a rider would want to do.................. whether he was confused as to how he should pull the wool is a different matter

you beat me to it

You are right to highlight the refs when it comes to Nicki ..... and tbh I think in seasons where he hasnt had fast machinery he has taken the attitude of wearing them down.....ie something like if he is involved in 10 incidents then at least 4 will go his way... regardless of if they should or not................... he has argued some ridiculous incidents in recent years and even told a ref that he wouldnt be his friend anymore ....... thankfully most of the refs seem to have kept their heads and not allowed him to get away with too much tbh I think with Nicki it is as much his competitive nature and refusing to slip down the order that makes him place himself in some of the situations that he does than anything else.........at the very least it is entertaining for the viewer but like you mention there is nearly always a second rider risking injury as well I've barely been on a motorbike in my life so understanding what it feels like to fall off controlled and uncontrolled doesnt come so naturally for me .....but it is easy to see the gains involved competitively when refs are reluctant to stop a race and make a judgement unless someone actually goes down.... it automatically gives riders incentive... especially at the top level re: The Americans... it was of course for safety and I wasnt insinuating anything tbh .... I guess I was just illustrating that these guys have the ability to deliberately get off the bike if they choose to I'd like to think in a parallel universe somewhere that i'm a speedway rider .... if I was, I think i'd be ignoring that particular % game in preference of the Hancock approach... stay fit and stay fast makes me think of that unbelievable Bob Cole's crash It was very impressive and Scott must be counting his blessings I'm not sure much can be done to stop them except for relying on refs to keep order......... the trouble with that IMHO is that a couple of refs cant be relied on to remain impartial

welcome to the forum not sure why you are talking about riders chucking their bikes but we do all know that some riders do it don't we? Hans Nielsen was a master at getting off in the first bend if the gate didnt go his way and a rider (any rider!) was close enough to be a potential patsy.......... Nicki Pedersen is down on the ground far more than anyone else and it can be easily argued that he is playing the %'s....... some have suggested that Bomber isnt adverse to jumping off as well................ I believe the Americans used to have a test that prospective riders had to pass before they could race Costa Mesa which was showing that they could deliberately lay the bike down I suspect from your post that you are close to a rider(s) ... so you more than most will know the professionals that they are.... but from what I see this means different things to different riders sorry to hear about your injuries

not especially the Scott incident... I felt it was a theme the more the meeting went on tbh... off the top of my head: Bomber constantly seemed like he was being sucked into the fence in one heat...... Ed was fighting for control in another.... Ben seemingly struggled to smoothly take a bend in his 2nd......Lukas almost repeated history (minus an airfence down the straight) ....... I vaguely remember other incidents involving the czechs or russians having to sharply adjust in bend 2 next to the fence It all seemed to add up to a track that was slightly over grippy interesting what you are saying about arms being pulled though as it makes sense of that kind of incident

the track was a bit double edged for me...... one one hand it was obvious that they had made an effort to produce a track ready for racing which should be commended... and even in its one line nature it was able to produce some good racing such as the heats involving Bomber, Tomasz and Jarek.......... but on the other it backed up the use of slick tracks that we usually see at this level .... the grip was visibly showing top riders struggling to keep their bikes out of the fence