oldace

It had me wondering. I am sure we have had pages of debate with Sidney banging the drum for qualifying (which has always been in existence) and now he hates qualifying, largely I suspect because Ward failed to qualify for this year

Thanks for that, wasn't sure

Wouldn't think it would have any effect. It was exactly the right call however harsh it seems. A rider can't simply lay the bike down and claim a re run because he thought the guy in front may fall. For whatever reason Iversen was the one on the deck and the one who had to go

Does anyone know if the next GP is on SKY or not?

Not at the GPs (Except Cardiff)

I am not missing your point, it is just that your point is totally wrong, Like I explained, neither Eurosport or SKY provide the commentary They buy the world feed and it comes with it. Had Sky extended their contract to show the GPs you would have watched the exact same pictures and commentary as you did on Eurosport. When the GP comes back to Europe the commentary will once again be Nigel and Kelvin. SKYs only addition was the studio section, Eurosport simply let the feed run

Eurosport didn't have different commentators. As you said they simply took the world feed and the commentary that came with it. The only difference was they stayed with the feed throughout whereas SKY used to cut out of it and do the studio bit.

It had nothing to do with Eurosport. They simply buy the world feed exactly as SKY have done in the past. The Heuwen studio bit was SKYs own input, Eurosport simply let the feed run

And if he has a season this year like Ward did last year then even if he fails in the qualification process he will be considered for a wildcard. He is a good rider I agree, not world class though, not yet and that final breakthrough from very good to truly world class is a very hard one to make, time will tell

Sidney said qualifying for the SGP was a joke because MJJ suffered engine problems in a qualifying round.The question was would this have been different if it was a World Final.

What are you talking about!!!!!!!

You gotta laugh don't you. I think Sidney forgets what he has posted from one day to the next. Bad luck trying to qualify for a world final, like Olsen in 76, PC in 78 etc is ok but if it is in a SGP round the whole thing is a joke.

No I am OK on that score. I could do with some knock off designer gear though if you do that as well

Go on then, point out some of this abuse. I can find posts from GRW and yourself which have been abusive but none containing abuse aimed at yourselves from anyone. People disagreed with him, he had a little paddy and stormed off, you think thats coming out of it very well!!!!

I agree, I always thought middle of April is soon enough to start but, as you say, Easter was a big money spinner.

Sidney you, and others, have banged on for years about how there should be this open to all qualifying that you dreamed once existed despite many people pointing out the flaws in it. You now appear to have totally changed your opinion and realise that qualifying can be a joke process. Fortunately the SGP recognises your point and builds in a facility for such eventualities and allows the likes of Ward, clearly good enough but failed to qualify, to take a place in the series. Or is it just qualifiers for the SGP that are a joke, if it had happened in an old Inter Continental Final it would be fine

They both certainly have the potential but neither of them are world class, or anywhere near it yet. When you compete against and regularly beat the very best riders in the GPs, the Polish League and the Swedish League then yo can be considered world class. You are confusing potential with actual ability

It is how it used to be, a team 6 behind had the choice of gates

Indeed so

Correct, you are getting it now. In the days of big average heat leaders there were plenty of 2 and 3 point lower riders, much more than now. Like I said it doesn't matter who the riders are the mean average will always tend around 6. For every 10 point man there is a two point man Instead of repeating the same garbage have a read through the thread and see the points being made

Yes wouldn't disagee with you on that one.Replace "purely" with "generally"

Somehow though people seem to think the achievement are being denigrated by the points being made, they are not. I dont know why it is so difficult to understand in all honesty. Under the old 13 heat format it was possible for the two number ones to score 11 and 12 points respectively. That is "fact" rather than opinion surely. Now with the current format at least 3 points will be dropped between them. That is fact also. Without any other factors that means an average of 11.5 then is the equivalent of 10.8 now. Throw in various other factors and it reduces it more. That is the point being made, not that John Louis was no good, or Chris Morton or any other rider of the era, simply that mathematics dictate they would lose 1.5 to 2 points on there 1970s average if todays formats were applied. Equally your (and mine and everyone else's) perception of how good a rider is (or was) is based purely on the points he scored and the average he attained because of it so we assume Morton was better than Harris (he was in my opinion, miles better ) or Mauger better than Holder etc.

Are you being serious? "Unprecedented at the time" If I was referring to Peter Collins being the first Brit to win a world final in Poland I could use that term as the achievement has been equalled since. It is totally wrong in the context you used it. And you say you have a degree in English, were they that easy to get back then that someone with no grasp of written English could get one

Has the point that is being made got lost on you Sidney? Maybe one day it will click and you will feel such a fool. Until that day you will have to suffice with everyone else thinking your'e a fool

What about Premier Sports. I thought it was on there