Grachan

Crump also had 2 years in the bottom tier. Peterborough in 1992 and Swindon in 1993. I remember Woffinden riding at Sheffield in his first season and he was like a little ball of dynamite! I'd never heard of him. He came in at reserve (I can't remember if it was for or against Sheffield) and looked very impressive for a 16 year old. When he first appeared he looked every inch a future World Champion to me. Then he rather dropped off the radar for a bit - possibly due to the problems in his family - and was very much a shock winner in 2014. And this too I guess.

I remember when Woffinden first came onto the scene. He was every bit as Jason Crump was at that age. I even made the effort to go to Scunthorpe once just to see him because I was so impressed. No. But he could have done what Crump did. Start as a British rider and then switch. Nick Morris may well have done the same, but I don't know.

Crump claimed to be British too when he started, coming in as a British junior. So those two both used their British roots to their advantage, before becoming Australian once it suited. Woffinden never. He remained British. So either he saw himsef as more British than Australian, or he wasn't eligible to be Australian. I agree with Orion that he almost certainly wouldn't have been World Champion in 2014 had he been Australian, but I don't really see that this would have had a bearing on any decisions he or his family made earlier in his career if such choices were there to be made. Woffinden is a double Wotld Champion. He's good enough by now to have got in the World Championship without the Wild Cards. Anyone who can win World titles would have enough faith in their own ability not to be too bothered about wild cards and the like, I'm sure.

It's strange how so many people get so stroppy about British sportsmen links to another coutry. I remember the same sort of comments about 'choosing Britain for his own advantage' being directed towards Lennox Lewis. If it's such an advantage, how come Jason Crump and Nick Morris never chose it?

King's Lynn's side is ok. It's as good as most. Everyone knows Belle Vue and Poole are streets ahead of the others and early results indicate that.

Enjoyed the match. Good win for Swindon, but Coventry were surprisingly poor. I think they will have better nights and Swindon will have tougher matches. The Coventry Pole looked quite an exciting rider. I think he will do well. Doyle was excellent for Swindon, but everyone rode well. Even Sedgy was unlucky after leading his last race for a while before getting Harrissed. Some good races tonight. Enjoyed it.

He was a 15 year old kid at the time. I'm sure any decisions were made by his parents. By coming back to the UK at that time he effectively would have waived his right to Australian citizenship. I'm sure all the decisions taken from his family would have been speedway rather than citizenship based.

Surely that, in itself, indicates that winning the British title isn't as significant as some people are trying to make us believe. The reason for the seeding would, presumably, have been to give a British rider a better chance of being World Champion. The thinking is not so different really.

I think he was being sarcastic. Hope so anyway!!

Absolute nonsense. Even if he was eligible for Aussie citizenship, riding Speedway for GB would have no effect on it. So, anyway, what you are saying is that he doesn't have Aussie citizenship. So how can he have ridden for Australia then if he wasn't a citizen?

Is that the same Chris Holder that decided not to ride in the Australian Championships?

He's already announced that he's not getting involved with arguments but will pick the best riders available for Team Gb as we are there to win, not just make up the numbers.

20 or 30 years ago the British Final meant a chance to ride in the World Final. Yes, everyone turned up for it. I wonder if, for example, Peter Collins would have ridden in 1978 if he had already been seeded to the World Final. Maybe he would, but you can never know for sure. My guess is he would not have. And didn't we used to get riders "buying" points in it. So just maybe actually winning it wasn't what it was all about. British Final was always a qualifying round of the World Championship and, I'm pretty sure, that for most riders in it that was the main priority. Likewise, if Grand Prix qualification depended on it, Tai would be there this year.

I think it will, for the very same reason.

I don't think Woffinden has the same level as patriotism as, say, Harris. I think that's there for all to see. His Twitter profle has him as coming from Europe and Australia. It is a shame that he is not in this, I agree, although I do think him and Harris shouldn't have to qualify. they are different animals though, and I'm sure Haris has no problem with qualifying. That's how he has got into the World championships on several occasions too. Unfortunately British Speedway has made a rod for its own back though. It has decided it doesn't need the World stars in the way it is run. Every year it constantly goes down the route of dumbing down,without the foresight to understand that the closer the Elite League gets to Premier League standard, the closer the crowd levels also get to Premier League levels. As long they do this then the lower Britain will be down the list of priorities for top riders. Yes, it's disappointing he's not here. But I bet British Speedway did its usual 'cost cutting' methods in trying to get him here.

Hancock? Another who opted out of British Speedway and had the famous 'Swedish doctor'. The thing is, Woffinden is of a similar mindset to other top riders, and sees British speedway as lower down in his priorities because that is how British speedway sees itself! That's why he is a World Champion. I'm sure most people here would prefer him if he was still riding number one for Scunthorpe, but he would never have achieved what he has with that mindset.

Scott Nicholls opted out of riding for Team GB. Surely that's more of a snub to British Speedway then pulling out of an individual meeting that is of little significance to riders already in the Grand Prix. I guess Scott's parents never emigrated when he was a kid, so he gets less flak.

The thing is, it's to the benefit of everyone to have as strong a field as possible for the British Final. What is the main motivation for the riders these days? Is it to win or to qualify for Cardiff? Woffinden and Harris are already riding at Cardiff. Their own positions in this meeting are already different from all the other riders in it. For me it makes sense to seed Grand Prix riders to the final. You'd get a lot more people watching if Woffinden, in particular, was there. One would hope they at least did everything in their power to try and get him there.

I agree. Surely Grand Prix riders can be seeded to the final. They are effectively there as 'wild cards'anyway. If that is the reason, then it's pretty short sighted from the organisers.

Another possibility then. Maybe he wanted to be seeded direct to the final but they wouldn't let him.

Because he had Australian parents. Tai doesn't.

How does he qualify for the Australian side? He was born in Britain to British parents. He can't just choose to become an Australian because he lived there as a child. Personally, my guess would be that this isn't really about 'burn out' and he is saying that as an excuse. My guess is that he wanted decent money, what with being World Champion and everything, but they wouldn't agree to it. Just a guess though. Also, let's not forget the frustrations of Scott Nicholls and Lee Richardson with British authorities. I suspect there is more to this than meets the eye. I bet he was trying to work out a good deal to perform in a meeting that seems to mean very little these days, and none was forthcoming.

I wasn't being serious. :-)

I think the more successful you are, the bigger the crowds - regardless of the racing.

Poole have played the way the averages were distored due to the race format - and taken total advantage of it. On this showing, it looks like they've made mugs of everyone else, and fair play to them. Then again, maybe we're just rubbish!!