Terry

I've always hated seeding riders into the gp. Wasn't it Billy Hamill that started this nonsense back in 99? I remember Sam Ermolenko kicking up a stink about it, and you know how tightly knit the yanks are. It should be top 8 gp, top 7 challenge, no excuses. I just don't get this 'Jarek got injured so he deserves a place' talk. Unfortunately injuries are part and parcel of our sport and riders have missed world finals because of them. Sam and Jan O as examples. I don't know why they changed the qualifying system, maybe it was to finally get Andy Smith out the gp!

Well done sir!

Obviously it's 2 riders.

I don't think it's possible to compare the stars of 1980 to today. Pop quiz, which riders shared the only golden helmet dead heat?

Greg Hancock would be the most likely winner. With his gating prowess, he'd have more chance of an unbeaten night. Tai couldn't just 'cruise and do enough' anymore. Nicki would more than likely suffer an exclusion somewhere along the way.

No rider has ever been bigger than the world championship, Emil included. Like everyone else I'd love him to be in it, but if he doesn't have the will, backbone, ambition, or whatever, there isn't much we can do about it.

Did anybody else think the groom looked a bit like Woffy? Relation perhaps?

Dave died in a motocross crash in 2006.

Can't argue with those four I guess.

You're right, it was Jeremy. I remember top flight teams showing little interest in Todd, thinking he was 'not forceful enough' for the British league. Reading signed him at the last minute and he won the league for them, ending the year with a higher average than the world champion!

If I remember correctly Russell Lanning wanted British League racing at Plough lane in 1990, mainly so he could hold on to Todd Wiltshire. He'd signed Andy Galvin, and was after Leigh Adams. For one reason or another they didn't move up and Lanning left. I think it started going downhill for them then, because Russell and his father Dave did a great job in turning 'the enemy' into one of the most talked about clubs in the league. We had some great battles down the years, including of course the all London ko final of 88. Which Hackney won comfortably.

I think the writing was on the wall when we lost both Andy Galvin and Steve Schofield. We signed Tony Olsson who did ok, but we were badly understrength. I seem to recall Vladimir Kalina showing some potential, along with some battling displays from Michael Warren and Dave Hamnett. (Sad to think they're both no longer with us.) All that's left now is to bask in the glow of 1988.

That was a horrible time for us fans. What made it worse was we'd recently lost our no.1 Paul Whittaker to a badly broken arm, so bad in fact that there were real fears he might lose it. He was riding better than at any time in his career at that point, and was being talked about for an England place. I think he rode for Rye House and then Middlesbrough when he recovered, but he was a shadow of the rider he was. The big 'resurrection' as the London Lions in 96 was of course, a bit of a disaster to put it mildly. We had a pretty good team, with a top 2 to match anyone in Leigh Adams and Kelvin Tatum. It wasn't a good track though, after being used to great racing at the 'Wick', it was very disappointing. I think it was only Crumpy, Hamill and Hancock who liked it. I know Leigh was critical of it, even though he scored plenty of course. I followed Arena/Lakeside for a while after Hackneys first closure, but it just wasn't the same. There will only be one team for me. "UP THE HAWKS!"

Lee would've thumped him. Tai was all mouth and no trousers in those days!

I've seen plenty of Nicki fans defend him when he crosses the line. He didn't do anything wrong on this occasion. I've always believed a bit of 'handbags' on the slowdown lap is all part of the entertainment. I still maintain though that Nicki's mechanic started the trouble by getting in Masters face. He should have just left well alone. He was banned for a week for kicking the Torun manager.

I think some people defend Nicki regardless of his actions because he's the recognised 'bad boy', and it makes them feel a bit bad and dangerous too. They imagine themselves as a 'James Dean, rebel without a cause figure', and backing Greg would be a sign of weakness.

Shove riders up against the fence apparently. To some, superb track craft and clean overtaking is 'boring'.

I haven't jumped on any bandwagon. I've been critical of Nicki's dangerous riding for years.

Not stupid at all. I just prefer to think for myself rather than follow the 'gang'.

I guess you must have missed his last to first ride in heat 6.

Well it's down to the younger riders to beat the 'old crusty', as it's only Tai who is capable at the moment. When Mauger and Gollob won at an older age, it wasn't a sad state of affairs. They, as with Hancock were just better riders.

Ooh, touched a nerve.

Nicki?

Oddly enough, I use this phrase to describe a certain group on here. I must say I did feel a little bit sorry for Nicki-no-mates cutting a lonely figure on the rostrum, while Tai and Greg were having a good old chat. Still, they let him join in with the champagne spraying which was jolly decent of them.

Go to bed, you're overtired. School in the morning.