G the Bee

I would like to add my congratulations to Denmark. They were the best team on the night. For me, what's disappointing is seeing so many forum members clearly supporting Denmark. I know this is an international forum, and a good few members are Danish, but it is clear to me that quite a few British members have decided to support Denmark. I'm proud to be British, and no matter who my favorite rider was, would never dream of supporting a foreign team. It's a free country, and people are free to support who they like, but I feel a little sorry for those who do not feel the same way as I do.

Always nice to see Lupus lining up to have a dig at a Bees rider. Whether Chris came down too easily or not is probably only a question the rider himself knows the answer to. But lets face it, it's not the first time a rider appeared to fall off easily in a race against Hans Andersen this year is it? Those in glass houses..........

Yes Ross. It all boils down to that self same competition a few years ago: Perhaps if Hans had tried the technique he used last night (to stop the outside run of a quicker rider) in a certain race at Poole, perhaps he would not be so unpopular with certain fans! My own opinion is that Hans tried to be overly aggressive and messed his own race up. If he had worried more about what he was doing and less about what Nicholls was doing he might have won the race. I also think Scott went to shake hands but then pushed Hans' hand away. It made me wonder at the time whether anything was said between the two to make Scott change his mind. If Scott never intended to shake hands he could have simply blanked Hans or rode round to the pits before him. I must confess, I generally take criticisms of Scott from Ipswich fans with a pinch of salt, especially where Hans Andersen is also involved. I think many of them do not seem able to forgive Scott for leaving them at the end of 2004.

Wouldn't be an Ipswich fan would you? Bomber has only been to Smallmead once this season and scored paid 11. Hardly a poor showing. I'm not sure about Louis' guest bookings at Smallmead (I presume he has had some judging by other comments on here), but I know he scored 14 when Ipswich visited. However, three of those points were from a double pointer. Take those away and you've got 11. Don't see much of a difference myself. Theoretically if anyone should make way at Reading it should be Stead as he only scored 6 at Reading when Belle Vue rode there. However, both did their job tonight. They got us to the race off so they should be allowed to get us to the final. We've got to look to do the best we can for the present whilst building for the future at the same time. If Louis was streets ahead of Stead and Bomber I would say bring him in. The fact is, he isn't, so he shouldn't be! I thought that perhaps Louis should have been included today instead of Richardson but tonight's result proved that Middlo's got the balance right. As for Danny Bird. I'm sure what happened with him at Reading was unfortunate this season, and I'm sure he is very quick around Reading. However, I don't believe he has got the necessary experience of riding at the top level. There is a world of difference being quick in the Premier League and racing at World Championship level. If we had bombed out tonight then perhaps Middlo could have justified making some changes and taking some chances. However, on the back of tonight's performance, bringing Danny Bird in is a risk Middlo does not need to take.

I agree with the comments posted above about the doube point 'Joker'. It adds nothing other than a general feeling that an injustice has been committed when double points are scored. Yes we were treated to a great ride by Gollob when he was on the Joker, but if Poland had gone through tonight then it would have been a travesty of justice. They were the third best team on the night by a mile. The meeting was no more exciting for its inclusion. The fact the Aussies and Team GB were so close made the meeting exciting and it would have still have gone to a last heat decider. I know that some would argue that Speedway is entertainment, and the joker adds to the entertainment value of the product. However, it's also a sport and in sport, teams that are not the best on the night should not be given extra assistance to win. If the powers that be are genuinely concerned about entertainment I would suggest there are other areas they could focus their attention.

Looks like everyone was correct. Just had text from Bomber confirming he is through. Great news for both Chris and Simon Stead, showing that they can do the business on the world stage given the opportunity.

Then presumably you would have had him in for Chris Harris as well. I would have been tempted to take Louis as well, though not at the expense of either Bomber or Stead. On the back of his poor form recently, Richardson should have been the one most in danger of being left behind. However, I think it's good to see some sort of stability in the team and it's not like the omission of Louis has turned us from a team of world beaters to a team of also-rans. I don't think keeping 4 of the 5 from last year is a bad thing. Nicholls, Bomber, Stead and Richardson (assuming he turns his current form around) should be the backbone of the team for the next few years. Perhaps this thread should be moved to the SWC section of the forum.

There's no way that Olly Allen should have been left out of the 12. His form for the Bees has been first class this year. He top scored for the Bees at Oxford on Wednesday (beating home rider David Howe on the track and also in the scoring stakes with paid 15 as opposed to paid 7). On Friday, for the Bees against Reading, once more he headed the Bees scores (along with Bomber this time), beating Gary Havelock in the process (not that I have any issues at all with Gary's selection). My gripe is that Edward Kennett, Danny Bird and David Howe have all been picked ahead of Olly. Perhaps Neil Middleditch, who we all know reads this forum, would like to give us some indication of his thought process here because, whilst I stand to be corrected, as far as I can see he hasn't gone on current form. The way Olly has turned his form around this season is terrific. A call up to the GB squad would have been a suitable reward. I'm gutted for him that he has been left out.

Did the Oxford fans recognise the rider that was passing GP riders for fun in heats 3, 7, 9 and 14? Pleased as punch with the result. Only wish Scott could have progressed further. He said in the interview that he was happy with his bikes but he looked down on speed compared with some of the other riders out there.

From BSPA website: JOE Screen will be in Great Britain’s starting line-up for the launch of their World Cup campaign at Swindon on July 31. The Belle Vue rider joins Scott Nicholls, Lee Richardson, Mark Loram and David Norris. Coventry’s Chris Harris is on stand-by. British boss Neil Middleditch said: “Joe has impressed me this season, he likes the Swindon track and he wants to ride for his country.” So there you have it. Screen gets the final place. Bomber first reserve and no place for Simon Stead. I'm not knocking Screen but I must say that I am disappointed. I do not doubt that Neil Middleditch has got the best interests of Team GB at heart, but I can't help but think he bottled it and made the easy decision. Giving Bomber and Simon Stead the last and first reserve places would have rewarded their efforts this season and perhaps took a little justification (especially as Stead's form has dropped a little lately). However, Jacob Olsen was making similar decisions a few years ago though and look how powerful the Danes are now. We can't rely on the old guard forever. This was an opportunity missed in my opinion.

After another excellent performance by Chris Harris tonight at Monmore Green, I for one, hope that he gets a call up for the SWC at the end of this month. He is hitting form at just the right time. Assuming Nicholls, Loram and Richardon are a given, and Norris will probably also get the call up if fit, I can't think of any other riders out there who could do a better job in the final position. In my opinion, it's the right time to begin dispensing with the old hands and bringing on the new boys.

And why? Certainly in 1987 one of the reasons was because Kelvin was injured in his first ride of the first leg of the KO Cup, and missed the whole of the first and second legs.

Would a sponsor regard e-mails as welcome feedback or harassment? I am sure that if I were a company sponsoring a rider I would welcome any feedback from the public, positive or negative, regarding how that rider was percieved by the general public. I would be thinking that the public opinion of the product endorsed by the rider would reflect the image with which that rider is viewed by the general public. That is generally why successful riders attract more sponsorship. Companies understand that by associating themselves with someone successful their product will be viewed in a similar light.

The guestbook on www.uglyduckracing.com (H.A's website) makes interesting reading. Looks like Hans has some teenage girls defending him but that's about it!

No matter what your opinions of Nicki Pedersen are, I don't think anyone can deny he deserved it after his performance tonight. I was so impressed with how he kept his cool during both an eliminator and finding himself at the back in his semi. To become World Champion is a tremendous achievement. Congratulations Nicki.

Would that be the same Coventry Stuart Robson rides for

Whatever happened to all 4 back? I know there is no such rule as 1st bend bunching, but if either of the three incidents (2 with Lee Richardson and one with AJ/Nicki P) occured in an Elite League meeting I think we would have seen all 4 back. You are going to see hard 1st bends in a GP. Add to this the added issue of unpredictable man made tracks and I think a certain amount of leniency has to be given for 1st bend accidents. If riders were seen to be taking advantage of this then the referee would have to act. I thought Lee was harshly treated second time round. He had been moved over himself and did not seem to touch Gollob. However, if that was the precedent the referee wished to set he should have also excluded Pedersen in the final.

I too was bored. I thought the track was awful again, although it would appear that they'd had quite a bit of rain. The distance between the riders first and last past the flag in some of yesterdays heats was a joke, and I thought the track rutted up badly after the first few heats. To me, the GP's lately are all spin and no substance. Get them in the fancy, sponsor festooned stadiums, let off some fireworks and flares, play disco music, get Suzie Quattro along (or the chap who did yesterdays gig), accompany it by some flash PR (the 'Fans GP', whats all that about?) and there you have it - the SGP. Don't worry about the fact that the the tracks consistently fall way below standard or that despite having the top riders in the world you can count the amount of decent races on one hand. All I could think of was that I could have watched Cov. V. Peterborough tonight.

I agree Star Lady, and made a similar point in the Elite League section on the GP rescheduling thread. It was interesting to see Mark Loram interviewed by Jonathan Green and Chris Louis on Sky this evening. When he was asked whether he would be at the GP on Saturday he said words to the effect of "Yes, I havent heard anything or seen any press releases to say otherwise." This, despite him knowing that he already has a commitment to ride for Eastbourne against Poole on Saturday. I was hoping he would say words to the effect of "Well we will have to wait and see because as far as I was concerned I was riding for Eastbourne against Poole on Saturday". I get the impression that the riders would much rather risk the wrath of their clubs than BSI. Perhaps I am wrong! I'm not having a pop at Mark by the way. He is a rider I admire enormously, but I think his interview gave a good example of the mindset of a GP rider.