JT

Presumably so. Isn't Hampel still injured? I think the next reserve, Kasprzak, was on standby if Crump was unable to ride, but as first reserve, Vaculik gets the nod again. Excellent league rider, GP winner on his debut and Challenge finalist, probably answer your first question. I don't think his debut performance was a fluke.. JT.

On past form at Gorican, Harris might pull his finger out in this Grand Prix. At this stage of the season, nobody cares if his machinery has been serviced by Justin Elkins, he absolutely must reach finals from now on. As the top scorer at this venue in past GP's, a win isn't out of the question. No Brits warrant a place in the series, but as unfair as the Wildcard system is, one of Harris or Woffinden will inevitably get one due to their nationality. Having witnessed Woffinden's 14 points in the World Cup, and knowing one decent meeting is all the excuse the organisers need to gift a wild card, it should have dawned on Harris that his previously guaranteed place in the series is no more. Put simply, it's all or nothing for Bomber from now on. As much as I'd like to see a British winner, I predict a Vaculik, Sayfutdinov, Hancock and Holder final though. JT.

I understand where you're coming from, but hasn't Iversen topped the Swedish averages for most of this season? Madsen has been excellent in the Elitserien as well, so his place his safe. As you say, Pedersen for Mikkel Jensen it is. Shame for the 17 year old, but he'll be in it for years to come. As for the Brits in Sweden, Harris hasn't actually been that bad in the Swedish league, averaging around 7 points, but the rest have done very little. Unfortunately I can only see the race off being a head to head between the Danes and Poles, with the odd win for Britain thrown into the mix. JT.

Yep, replacing one of the in form riders in the world right now, Demark's top scorer and team captain must be their next move..... Would love it to happen, but I'd be astounded if Britain get anywhere near the final, unless Australia have really bad luck on Monday. We'll easily make the race off as we've had the fortune to have a far easier first round draw, but talent wise we're miles behind Denmark and Poland. Hell, we all know the only reason we have a rider in the GP is because our No.1 has been a charity case for most of his international career. JT.

The top riders when you include Sweden and Poland only (Smolinski and Dryml don't ride in the top Polish and Swedish Leagues); http://postimage.org/image/gzk64uz6j/

Good point, totally forgot about him! Laguta is averaging 9.01 from 14 meetings, putting him at No.6 in the top 30. Begs the question (again) whether a British rider should get a wild card? The organisers will surely hope Vaculik qualifies from the Challenge, allowing them to give Laguta and Woffinden the final two wild card slots. JT.

Yeah, sorry about that, copied it from a Spreadsheet. I've re-formatted it above! JT.

At the end of every Grand Prix season we debate who should line up at the start of the next season. The challenge usually gives us at least one dud and we all know Wild Card's have been given out in the past on the basis of nationality, but who ARE the top riders in the world? Outside of the GP's, arguably the most accurate guide to a riders ability and consistency over a season is his form in league racing. Below is list of the riders currently in the GP's, the Challenge (some are in both) and two riders who I deem most likely to receive a Wild Card in 2012 (Ward and Woffinden) and their averages across the three main leagues (Elite League, Elitserien and Ekstraliga). Points, (Updated 2nd July 2012) thanks to the excellent www.aktuellspeedway.se site; Top Riders in GP, Challenge & Potential Wild Cards (Ward, Woffinden and Laguta) http://postimage.org/image/5qvgqu46r/ Apologies for the statistics overload, but if we presume Hampel, Ward, Woffinden and Vaculik will get wild cards (whatever the latter does at the Challenge) then the strongest 2013 line up will be; Pos. Rider Meetings Ave Current Top 8 1 Greg Hancock (USA) 18 8.71 2 Jason Crump (Australia) 19 7.79 3 Chris Holder (Australia) 33 9.52 4 Nicki Pedersen (Denmark) 19 9.93 5 Tomasz Gollob (Poland) 16 7.68 6 Freddie Lindgren (Sweden) 31 7.97 7 Emil Sayfutdinov (Russia) 19 8.47 8 Andreas Jonsson (Sweden) 19 9.45 Wild Cards 9 Jarek Hampel (Poland) 13 8.43 10 Darcy Ward (Australia) 22 10.25 11 Tai Woffinden (Great Britain) 12 7.80 12 Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 19 7.78 GP Challenge top 3 based on current form 13 Niels Kristian Iversen (Denmark) 34 9.96 14 Hans Andersen (Denmark) 20 8.69 15 Davey Watt (Australia) 22 8.65 JT.

Let's be honest here, we don't have to wait for long for Harris to disappoint, he does it on a regular basis. Well I understand his biggest fans must get frustrated hearing their beloved Bomber being criticised, the fact you or they struggle to argue a case for his inclusion in the GP series (aside from the fact he's British), would suggest there isn't one. This is a forum after all and I make no apologies for stating my opinion. I used to like Harris, but a reality is check is needed. All this charity has gone straight to his head and unless he spends a year out of the series I can only see him getting worse and worse. I know he had a good spell at the end of 2010 and that brilliant win in Cardiff, but he certainly hasn't replicated that on a consistent basis. If you like, Harris is comparable to a Walasek, Ulamek or Protasiewicz, world class on the odd occasion, but nowhere near good enough to warrant wild card after wild card. We often wonder why these average Poles nearly always qualify for the series, but it's obvious, they know they won't get a gift, so fight for their place instead of relying on their nationality. If Harris somehow gets in the top 8 this year (and his job has been made easier with Hampel's injury) then fair play, but if not, he shouldn't get an unprecedented 6th wild card. JT.

This is what I don't get, he's very rarely what you would call 'world class' and his form away from the comfort of the British league is that of an average second string at best. I've also noticed whenever things are going ** up he blames everything bar himself, his bikes mainly, but all his 'engine failures' come when he's at the back. That could be down to poor set up as his team constantly tell us, or it could be just a typical Motorsport excuse. As he's had years of riding in the series to get this right (and the sponsorship opportunities that a pretty much guaranteed place in the series brings) I'm leaning towards the latter. The British No.1 excuse is laughable by the way, so what? Is it for the television? If so, who actually tunes in to watch Harris scrap for the odd point, or chance a final once in a blue moon? He technically isn't actually our No.1 anyway, that's Nicholls, but I wouldn't give him a place either. Make them actually work for a place and maybe, just maybe, they'll raise their game. JT.

A mediocre line up, probably the weakest of all three meetings, and Harris still can't qualify. Going on past form, I await every excuse in the book from his 'team', more delusional BS about how his machinery has cost him valuable points this season (as if without these, he'd be leading the series) and every attempt made by those in charge to find an excuse to give him yet another wild card in 2013. JT.

'Mechanical Failures'. Let's face it the so called turnaround in Denmark wasn't really a turnaround, he just rode his luck (which I accept is a major part of Speedway in the end). Tonight he was an embarrassment, but you just know every Speedway media outlet will be full of Harris blaming everything but himself, his machinery, his dog, his girlfriend... Unless he qualifies through the SGP Qualifiers (for the sake of the series, I hope he doesn't quite frankly), he and Bjerre are surely done for on this form. It's a shame for Bjerre, who if he was British would easily 'deserve' another go, but as he isn't, I can't see him being afforded the same charity, especially when Iversen, Jensen and the like are waiting in the wings. The two new boys were superb tonight. If Vaculik doesn't qualify by right, he surely warrants a Wild Card on tonight's form. Brilliant. JT.

Well done Crump! Amazed to see Harris in the final, but fair play he plugged away quietly and deserves credit for being in the right place at the right time when others made mistakes. Still feel Iversen, probably one of the in form riders in the world right now, could have challenged for the win. Frightening though how good the young Danes are. Pedersen was comical and his tactics were so blatant it made Pearson and Tatums ignorance of those tactics, infuriarating to listen to. As a former rider, Kelvin surely knows certain riders like to throw the bike down from time to time? JT.

Paid 18 point max for PUK, amazing stuff again. Best way to stick two fingers up to the Copehagen wild card selectors. I just hope he can keep this up, as on his day he's one of the most exciting riders to watch in the world. If he's riding like this by the end of the year, I think he'll be ready for a full time GP slot. Ward aside, he's the best rider out of the series, and let's face it, he's better than half the riders in it, too. Special mention to King also, 7 point is a decent return from a Brit in Sweden. JT.

I was at that match, Denmark won if I remember correctly? These were the teams; Team GB 1. Scott Nicholls 8.66 2. David Howe 7.71 3. Lee Richardson 7.79 4. David Norris 10.12 5. Mark Loram 10.10 6. Stuart Robson 6.93 7. Chris Neath 6.29 Total = 57.60 Denmark 1. Hans Andersen 8.42 2. Jesper B. Jensen 7.35 3. Bjarne Pedersen 8.67 4. Kenneth Bjerre 7.60 5. Nicki Pedersen 9.22 6. Niels-Kristian Iversen 6.43 7. Charlie Gjedde 7.00 Total = 54.69 Howe and Neath were young at the time, and with all due respect to them both, riding in such a test match hardly turned them in to world class riders. There have been a few exceptions (Andersen and Iversen spring to mind) over the years, but by and large if you're Danish you don't expect a Grand Prix wild card EVERY season. Maybe if our riders didn't rely on a charitable pick every year, they'd be forced to raise their game, instead of relying on their nationality year after year? JT.

We've tried 'youngsters' before and it was embarrassing. Aren't there 4 riders in a team this season? This should help us. Harris has been woeful in the GP's but he's still our best rider. Woffinden is our next best and is probably our best bet on the world stage for the future. If the British charity continues next year, I expect Tai to take over from Harris in the GP series. Providing he's fit, Nicholls is out third best rider AND has plenty of experience at this level. Finally i'd give the last place to the next top British rider in the EL averages. I assume that's one of Kennet or King? JT.

I thought this was a genuinely entertaining GP on a much improved circuit. Well done to Lindgren. One thing I couldn't understand was Pearson's continued sympathy for Harris, personally I find it hard to feel sorry for a rider who has been dining off a freak GP win for the best part of half a decade. Harris is a decent league rider, but he's past his prime at this level. His comments in the press are very rarely backed up by his racing on track either. No doubt we'll get the same BS about set ups and bike troubles in the Speedway Star, but only the most avid Bomber fan could say he deserved yet another go this season. Sadly from a British perspective, our best rider is nowhere near good enough. JT.

Iversen looks genuinely world class this season, I can understand why he's dissapointed. His step up in consistency, professionalism and top end scoring power would surely make him favourite in this years GP qualifiers? I'd also be very surprised if he wasn't in the World Cup side. Aside from Pedersen, he's arguably Denmark's best rider on current form. Shame in Britain we don't have any serious competition for a world cup slot, I think most of us would kill for someone with Iversens scoring power this season. JT.

http://www.speedwayg...er-under-attack "He thinks that he should be here....for me, Harris is a strange guy who produces zero and then is still surprised that it is going wrong" This perfectly sumarises Harris' GP career. I used to like 'Bomber'; he's as an exciting rider on his day, but I think years of charity have made him delusional. There's having confidence in your ability and then there's being misguided. The fact he's last in the series, having spent £20k on equipment, suggests he just isn't good enough any more, and his place, and the inevitable sponsorship opportunities that a place in the series brings, should go elsewhere in 2013. JT.

How about Sam Simota? There's always talk of him returning to Britain but he hasn't ridden here on a full time basis for a while. He would surely be a decent replacement for Frampton? JT.

While a Wasp last season he was the best rider in the league, on that form he should easily up his starting average. Great signing for Rye. JT.

If the crowds really are as high as people are saying, then Bowden is basically throwing away a golden opportunity with terrible signings like Werner. Newport did the same in the early 2000's, probably one of the biggest fan bases in British Speedway as a whole at the end of 1999, but a series of crap teams saw the crowd quickly fall away. There is only so long these fans will stick by Bowden, he still has time to build a really decent team with the riders out there. Barker and Ashworth are as strong a top 2 as any, Boxall has potential and Glanz could be a shrewd signing on 3. Holder won't improve, but probably won't get any worse this season either. As a reserve he makes sense, as a No.2 he is probably out of his depth. Cockle seems to have won his place on merit. 1. Ben Barker 9.87 2. Steve Boxall 5.69 3. James Holder 4.00 4. Ricky Ashworth 8.39 5. (Travis McGowan 7.49) 6. James Cockle 3.69 7. Nicki Glanz 3.00 They have 7.86 left for a genuine heatleader if you discount Werner; look at the riders suggested on the Berwick site for suggestions. Even at his peak I doubt Werner ever averaged 7.86 without bonus points, let alone now after missing an entire season and averaging around 2 in his last go at speedway. I have nothing against Brent Werner who may be a nice bloke, but I think it's a huge shame for Plymouth fans and the decent riders left out there that Bowden hasn't taken advantage of having Barker for another season. JT.

Out of interest if Werner decides to give up AGAIN after a few meetings, can Plymouth use Rider Replacement for him? If so, for how long? I know it's cynical, but this is the only reason I can fathom for signing him on a 5+ average. Enabling the Devils to use better riders in his place (5.83 is a false average, he was woeful for Somerset in 2010 - Ashworth, Boxall, Holder and Cockle could take his rides) and save on travel costs in the process. JT.

If Bowden has to sign an American then he could do worse than Tyson Burmeister, a young, talented Yank with a years EL experience under his belt. On a 3.42 average he would surely make much more sense than Brent Werner? Glanz and Burmeister are a decent reserve partnership and on low averages free up space for a strong top 3. 1. Ben Barker 9.87 2. Steve Boxall 5.69 3. Jerran Hart 4.45 4. Travis McGowan 7.49 5. Ricky Ashworth 8.39 6. Nicki Glanz 3.00 7. Tyson Burmeister 3.42 42.31 That looks a lot more solid to me than the rumoured septet. JT.

For crying out loud don't put us through another year of Chris Harris. I cant believe people are still falling for his machinery excuses, he's simply delusional. I genuinely believe he has had so many free passes he has become a primadona (sacking people etc), which is a shame as he always appeared down to earth before his years of freeloading. Sure he did well last season, but that was after years of gifts, now he has blown anther chance, let someone else have a go and attract the sponsorship that comes with a place in the series. Saying he is the best Brit is like saying syphilis is the best of the STI's. I still wouldn't want it.... JT.