iris123

Would love to see top class test matches back on the calendar.We shouldn't forget that also over the weekend the annnual test in the US took place against the other Rest of the World team USA Final total score 56 Billy Janniro 1 0 3 6 3 0-13 Tommy Hedden 0 3 0 2 1 2 -8 Bart Bast 3 3 2 3 3 1-15 Bob Hicks 1 0 1 0 0 2-4 Bryan Yarrow 0 1 0 0 2 2-5 Bobby Schwartz 1 2 2 2 1 3-11 World Final team score 53 Martin Smolinski 3 3 3 1 3 3-16 Alex Marcucci 2 0 0 0 0 0-2 Robert Kosciecha 0 1 1 2 3 1-8 Grzegorz Walasek 2 2 3 1 0 0-8 Lewis Bridger 3 1 2 3 0 0-9 Cameron Woodward 2 2 1 1 2 2-10 Must say i haven't heard of Marcucci.Bit let down in the end by Bridger who bit the dust a couple of times.Once while looking to have a good race with Bast for the lead.Not blaming him,but the result would have looked different had he stayed on

Ok,so you don't know what system you would like to see.But what about the other points i have raised?What were the high pressure meetings the likes of Mauger and Collins were riding in so often apart from the British league?What 16 riders would you like to see in "your" world final?Tell me "your Opinion"

I wouldn't be surprised by how many meetings they rode in.By picnic,i meant specifically as it was in that sentence and in no other,the 'open' meetings on the continent,mainly Germany.Sure there was some hard races,but it wasn't high pressure like GPs or Polish/Swedish league.You just have to watch some of the video of those days.Ok Egon Müller was a fairly relaxed guy,but he was also competitive and beat all of the guys you mention.But look at his video footage and those meetings were a laugh,joke and a sing song with some races thrown into the mix.Just look at the Mauger/Briggo world series.They had riders like Bart Harkins tagging along.Now,no disrespect to Bertola(i saw enough of him at Plough Lane)as i know he uses this forum,but he was about 4th in the Dons averages at the time. Let's face it you don't have an argument,so are just arguing for the sake of it i think.I will set you(and Parsloes if he is up to it) a task.Tell us just what system you want to see.And in an ideal world tell me the 16 riders you would love to make it into your World Final.Hope this doesn't just include Ricky Kling because he is your favourite rider or Cameron Woodward because you think he is a very nice guy

How was it harder back then?Michanek rode in Britain and Sweden in the leagues.How many leagues did the others ride in?They rode on the continent,mainly in Germany at the weekends and it was a bit of a picnic.You can't compare those 'open' meetings to the pressure of riding in 3 or 4 leagues.They also done the Longtrack world championship,because there wasn't the opportunities there are today.And now the riders have 11 world finals,not just the one and some quali meetings where you only had to finish in the top 8 or 11 to get through to the next round

Yes i know.I did mention Hampel as one of the riders who got a WC because of his U21 title and took a while to get to grips with the series.I used AJ really because by now he sort of should of had a title under his belt.Go back 5 years or so and he looked like he was one of the guys who would make the step up.He has really disappointed since.Apart from this year.But he still hasn't got a title and it is possible he never will go any better than second.That is why i used him.Him and the riders of his generation should have been swapping the title between themselves.In a way if Parsloes has trouble with the oldies winning,that is where the problem lies.Not with BSI not picking more teenagers or kicking out the older riders.But maybe it will happen in the next few years that AJ,Jarek and Bjerre will step up and win some titles.Then Parsloes and Sidney will probably moan about that as well.

I don't know how on earth you can say you agree with Parsloes and then use Darcy Ward to back up your argument He is exactly the opposite.He didn't qualify and because he is young,exciting and a new kid on the block he has been given a place in the series ahead of riders who did better than him in the qualifiers.It wouldn't have mattered one iota if he was injured in July or August or ........If we use a qualifying system like the good old days Darcy wouldn't have had a sniff.I don't quite see the appeal of the old style quali system.You just have to look at what happened back then and look what happens practically every year at the moment.The riders who tend to get through the qualis aren't the bums on seat type and are generally not youngsters.They are the Bjarne,PePe,Walasek and Ulameks of this world And they get through because let's face it,they are better than most of the others.I tend to get the feeling that you and Parsloes would love to see the World Title contested by Lewis Bridger and Joonas Kylmakorpi and Davey Watt and Simon Gustafsson and Dino Kovacic or someone..... Just this year we had one of the youngest ever riders in the GP series and World Finals.Mikkel B.Jensen.We have also had Darcy and we have seen Jonasson for instance.I am a big fan of Mikkel B and have been for a number of years now.He was chuffed to bits to get a ride and made a very good impression.It was an experience that will help him for sure in the future.Great for his sponsors as well But there is no way Mikkel is ready to challenge for the World title.Sure he has other priorities at this moment.These youngsters have to build solid foundations before they make the big step up.Talking to one young Danish rider in his second season.He owes his father quite a tidy sum already since he went "professional" and he is one of the top talents in the country.Like i said before it is no wonder they take on commitments in foreign leagues.It pays well if you make a success and you learn from it.There is though the risk of taking on too much too young and burning out.Look at Risager for instance.You could also look at the generation behind Adams,Crump,Gollob and Hancock.Look at the likes of hans Andersen and Andreas Jonsson.They are the guys who should really have been on top of their game and top of the world now.But maybe because of all the pressure in so many leagues they just haven't made it.It seems to me that you and Parsloes are wanting some young kids,just for the sake of new faces to follow in their footsteps

Sometimes you do seem to go too far in making your point.You had to apologise before with your comment on Hancock.I do feel you have gone way ott here.What majority?I for one certainly don't diss young riders.I love going to 80cc meetings to see the youngsters.I went to the European and danish championships this year and saw some great racing and some very good prospects. I don't see many if any posts of the manner you are suggesting And i don#t see obstacles either.Hampel was originally given a wild card,Emil as well.Did Holder qualify(i really can't remember either way)? And Ward has also been fast tracked into the series if he decides to accept.What i will say is maybe an obstacle for the youngsters that wasn't there before,is the riding in so many leagues.The youngsters have so many meetings to do now and so much pressure on them to do well in various leagues around Europe and then various other U21 comps that they will certainly at that stage in their career find it hard to stay so competitive throughout the year.Once they get into a team in Sweden or Poland(talking about youngsters from outwith those countries..)they are under imense pressure to keep their place.At that stage in their careers i guess it is only understandable that they have to prioritise.And really because of the money i guess league meetings might take preference over trying to get into and challenge for the GP title. I am all for Darcy getting a place in the GPs.And hope he takes them by storm next year also.If he manages to finish in the top 8,i don't think it would be so bad if Hampel,Emil and Holder also finish up there.That is quite a young group of riders

Ice on my car windows yesterday.Changed so quickly this year.We had 30°C just a couple of weeks back But read on FB that British rider Mark Uzzell has decided to hang his leathers up and spend the winter in the shopping centres if Mrs Mark gets her way

For sure things have changed a great deal since those days back in the 70s Parsloes.Everything has really.But right back in those early days in the 30s workshops were set up by teams such as Wembley and all the bikes were checked up and tuned up to give their riders an advantage.It isn't as though technical advances have just happened since GP days.Mauger was always looking out for any technical advance that would help give him another advantage.Egon Müller i think was another who tried to get the best.You could also look at Gundersen having Olsen in his team.Long gone are the days when riders turned up with one bike on the back of their car.People in general,not just sportsmen and women are fitter now at a later age than back in the 60s and 70s.But like it has been pointed out,there has been a fast track into the GPs for a fair number of World U21 champs.Sure it is hard to hit the ground running,when most around them have been doing the series for years.That doesn't mean that these guys are at the top because of their bikes or their team.They have to go out there and do the physical and mental part of the job themselves.And as you can see year after year they can battle with young upstarts like Emil and Holder. I too did love the days of one off Finals when Wembley was packed out.But the GPs have moved speedway into the 21stC.It is a totally different experience as a fan to go to one of these GPs.It is just so professionally run,that you can't really compare it to a normal speedway meeting.And it does produce some great racing at times,even if most of the riders are almost twice as old as some of the track reserves or in the case of Mikkel B,more than twice as old

Parsloes,give it up You seemingly so often fail to understand a reasonable argument for the sake of some point you hold to be the truth.Like HenryW points out,if darcy failed to qualify for the Vetlanda behind the likes of Ulamek,Madsen and Watt,why are you so certain he would qualify for a World Final if he was also up against the GP riders as well?If Olsen could fail to get through to a World Final,i sure think Darcy could also fail

Considering they are doing it for our entertainment and not the money,that ain't half a good lump of swag to keep the bank manager happy

Just look at some of the figures quoted.If Ryan is earning that much,do you think Nicki is earning less when he rides in more leagues and also the GPs?The past few years figures for Poland have been quoted on here from Polish sources.Can't be bothered for the sake of your non believing to search through years of qoutes for them.But i do seem to remember some problem with Rune Holta led to the top earners being posted on here

Don't think those figures are anywhere near the true figures.No way.Just have to look at what the riders earn from Poland alone to know that

Some day i will find someone that has had sleepless nightspondering that question

Ach,you might as well wonder why Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé doesn't have as much power in the world of politics compared to Angela Merkel as compare a speedway riders earnings to a F1 driver

Of course it is pretty paltry compared to F1 How can you compare earnings in speedway to F1.You might as well say it is paltry to what a footballer earns in a month and he doesn't have to pay his tema or for his boots out of his earnings.Speedway is a minority sport.How often does it need to be said?It doesn't attract the sponsorship of F1,Football,Tennis,Golf,American Football,NBA and loads more including probably Cricket and Rugby although i know next to zero about these sports

Just remind us how Emil got into the series in 2009?Not through the qualis.....if there is talent out there then IMG/BSI would surely want them in their series.Same with Darcy.The World U21 champ was getting an automatic place for some years,but they tended to be disappointing from memory.It took Hampel quite a while to make a real mark.

Yes,even the great Egon Müller rated that as the best speedway race ever.But i wasn't there to see it,so chose races i have witnessed in person

Not sure that is totally true about the only rider to be able to beat the Danes etc....I was at the 85 test at Oxford and Carter was poor.Was there a valid reason that i have forgotten?But looking at the England scores and Carter only topped them two years against Denmark.

As Polski is a Polish speedway journo i guess he has heard something on this to come out with that statement

Intrigued about the online pole?Who will win?Plech or the aforementioned Daniszewski

Yup a tad.Wouldn't pick someone up for getting the letters mixed up.I know i do i quite a lot.Just typing too fast.And one of my friends who i guess as he is a speedway star correspondent,knows how to spell words always seems to write "teh" instead of "the"....just typos.But because you used a z instead of an s i thought you were making a point about that

Think you will find both are acceptable.But your version is an Americanisation perhaps.Thought the Yanks are the ones who use 'z' in place of the British 's'

One from recent memory is Nicki Pedersen in the Danish Final at Holsted about 4 years back.Mucked the first turn right up and almost came to a standstill.Then over the next few laps took(i think) Bjarne and Kenneth Bjerre,but Hans looked to have got the Final in the bag.Somehow Nicki managed to make up about 8 metres or so and take Hans before the last bend...Nicki when he was really flying Also remember a great race from Mirko Wolter at Güstrow when he made a similar balls up and was almost down to about 5kmh on the turn,but kept control and came round one or two riders

Rune is also one of the nicest riders i have met,so gets my vote