Dave the Mic

Olsen has way too much influence.

And so they did! Norbold, with all your years experience of watching speedway, you should know that the only predictable thing about our beloved sport is that it's unpredictable! Personally I was very pleased to see the Poles through after Australia had the timely opportunity to use the joker in the last heat. It could have spoiled what had been a fantastic advert for speedway with a Mickey Mouse rule robbing a team of a deserved place in the final. Well done Poland. Now letS see the British boys stick it to all of 'em in the final. Come on TEAM GB!

The decision to include Havvy for the final has to be regarded as wise, I feel. Screenie, whilst having done a good job at Eastbourne (& was great to watch) hasn't shone at Poole of late & as Wimborne Road often suits those who gate, I don't think he would be the best choice. Havvy on the other hand rides the track as well as anyone, has ridden the track as a Poole rider recently & can get out of the traps. On the subject of racing for his country, Havvy is as passionate about wearing his country's colours as anyone in the sport & will be worth so much more than the points he scores on Saturday. He would race through a brick wall for us. Even though Scottie is skipper, Havvy is a leader & brings out the best in others. His record as captain of his teams in the past bears that out. I don't think he will let us down & if you want 100% commitment to the cause, he's your man. What Rob Peasley seems to forget, is that whilst Havvy is a former World Champion, that was 12 years ago. You can't really compare his form as a 23 year old to that of a 35 year old who has had to change the way he races due to having a broken back in 1996. With the riders at his disposal & the form at the moment, Middlo has his best five on track on Saturday. Let's get behind them instead of bleating.

Gary Gugliemi - Gary Williams. Supposedly because the Scots couldn't get their toungues around (leave it) the pronunciation of his real surname when he first came to the UK.

I think this could have been @ Haldon racecourse circa 1978/9. It's a racecourse in Haldon Forest, which is just south of Exeter on the A38 towards Plymouth. A longtrack was built there by Peter Oakes & I think there were 3 meetings there. There were all star line ups for the first 2, including Collins, Crump & Autrey among others & at one of the meetings Kenny Roberts & Dave Aldana came over with their flat track machines for a demo & there was a match race against PC too. I have the programmes from all the meets there somewhere if anybody wants any info.

falface, it's like an Excel document. Click on the years at the bottom of the page & the averages come up right before your eyes

Bet you wont be so happy when you see a daft muppet walking up your garden path in a black cloak with a scythe in his hand. I don't remember him on the muppets, was he Kermit's long lost brother or something

And me!

Good job you were watching very carefully what happened. We wouldn't want you to get your facts wrong now would we? Grim, that was just a mis-type. You know exactly what I was trying to say.

The gates for the semi finals & final are drawn not allocated.

What a load of tosh about Andesen in this GP. In the run up to the first turn with Sullivan he did nothing wrong! He got to the turn level with Sullivan & then put his elbow in front of the Aussie. And? Sully would have done the same & in any case this happens in every other race up & down the country every week! And his run up the inside was perfectly fair - it sent Bjarne wide. So? And of the race involving Loram, Max & Dryml? Max clearly touched Andersen. It was all four back end of story.

The histrionics of the riders (right or wrong) are not relevant. Let's look at the facts, shall we? Nicki Pedersen's dirt deflector caught Jason Crump's back wheel, causing Crump to fall. Result? Pedersen rightly excluded. You can argue all you like about Crump being able/not able to stay on & there is no comparison to the Hancock/Nicholls clash for 2 reasons. 1) Greg caught the second bend rut & that forced him into Scott. But, Scott had his wheels in line & was upright. It was (in relative terms) easier for him to stay on. 2) Nicki appeared to see Jason coming & moved over - that's OK, nothing wrong with that, he is entitled to change line - but he caught Jason's front wheel & that most certainly isn't OK. Crump & Pedersen were still on the bend & that would have made it much more difficult for Crump to stay aboard. I'm not a Crump or Pedersen fan - I couldn't care less if neither of them wins - so don't put me in the Pedersen hating corner, as that isn't the case. The fact is the rule book shows no grey area for this kind of incident. If a rider causes another to fall, he is excluded. Where the rule book could perhaps do with some looking at is where a rider is impeded/struck by another's misfortune/mistake as was the case with Hancock/Nicholls. Greg got out of jail & it cost Scott a probable place in the final.

I think the ref got it right on all 3 counts to be honest. Greg was messed up by the track. He did take Scott's front wheel & he did well to stay & Greg was lucky he did. Had the incident taken place a few yards further back, I feel the outcome may have been a little different - Scott was virtually "upright" & had his wheels pretty much in line & I think that helped him to be able to stay on. Unlike in the Pedersen/Crump incident, where Nicki clearly caught Jason & as he was still "sideways" & was at an angle (not uporight), it was always going to be more difficult for him to stay on. I thought Lee was a little unlucky as KB charged up his inside, but it didn't look like they touched, so I guess Lee had to go. On the subject of why he didn't make a fuss - I think he knew there was little point as A)Refs don't alter their decisions & B)It was a 50/50 decision that could have gone either way. Nicki, on the other hand "made a fuss" because he always does, as he always feels he is right, regardless of what he does on the track.

So what is being said is that it is OK for a rider to take another's front wheel away? At 60 odd miles an hour? Sideways? And that rider should go unpunished? Of course.

Just finished watching the Sweden-Holland match after the GP & thought I would have to look at what has been said about tonight's action. Lots of interesting comments & opinions - as usual. Firstly I would like to congratulate Jason Crump on his win & his increasing maturity as time passes on. He has grown up in the last couple of years, is generally elloquent when interviewed & is a good ambassador for the sport, who I feel would make a good World Champion. Glad to see the few riders who bit the dust tonight get up & walk away. Nicki Pedersen sat on a see-saw in terms of my opinion of him tonight. His actions in the final were commendable & I take my hat off to him - that was great sportsmanship & not many would have even thought to do what he did. Well done. On the debit side I thought his usual "I can do no wrong" attitude surfaced again in the incident with Crump. Whether Crump could have stayed on or not is of no real consequence, although I feel it unlikely he would have fallen on purpose. Pedersen clearly moved over (it was nothing to do with the rut) to block Crump's run. I suspect he didn't mean to take Crump off, but there was contact - those who say otherwise must need their eyes tested - & in that case, Tony Steele had no option, Pedersen had to go. If you touch another rider in that way & they fall, you are guilty of causing them to fall. Period. His histrionics thereafter were amazing to see & great TV, but you can just tell that the way he conducts himself, he feels he can do nothing wrong & there is always someone else to blame. Mr Steele must be gutted that he is off Nicki's Christmas card list. Poor Tony.

Had an e-mail back from BSI(!), the date for 2005 has not been set yet. As soon as the contract for the date has been agreed it will be on the website www.speedwayworld.tv

Has anyone asked BSI? They have a contract for the next few years, don't they? If that's the case, they could probably tell us. I have just sent them an e-mail. I won't hold my breath, but you never know!

In Lt's defence, Acorn Dobson was a speedway rider of some renoun in years gone by. I have a pic of him in one of my books!

I'm assuming you know him quite well then, as you don't "like" him?

By the way, if you are over in East Anglia, there are also tracks @ Ipswich (Elite League) & Mildenhall (Conference) too. Wherever you go, enjoy!

What a fantastic story! Welcome to the wonderful world of speedway Warleyone, I am so pleased for you that you made the trip to Cardiff & that you & your good lady had the time of your lives! As you have probably guessed from the threads on this forum, most people who went did so too! Whichever of the tracks mentioned in this thread you choose to visit, you will find that, by and large, speedway fans up & down the country are the best sports fans there are. Wherever you go, you will make friends as speedway folka are always willing to "chew the fat" & if you are ever stuck for info or need some help on something, someone nearby will be only too happy to help. I have been lucky enough to travel the length & breadth of the country (& Europe too) watching this great sport of ours & have never been short of people to talk to at the various tracks I have visited, whether cheering on the home side, or the opposition. If you ever get to Somerset - which is a great race track - even if the facilities are pretty spartan, let me know! Your point about the sport becoming addictive is pretty much on the money too! Hope you have a healthy bank balance!

Uh? Don't get me wrong, I think Deano is a great bloke, but him ahead of Richardson? Or have I missed something & you are one of the "I hate.....(insert name of your choice - in this case Lee Richardson) brigade? Do me a favour! The top four pick themselves, don't they? Loram, Nicholls, Richardson & Norris - especially at Eastbourne. Fifth slot would go to Havvy at Poole, but I would be open minded at Eastbourne. Deano wouldn't be a bad idea, KT would do OK, Stoney is in good form & rides any size track well, as does Simon Stead. david Howe maybe, what is he like around Arlington? Any other sensible (not Hall or Ashworth) ideas?

Not sure how I missed this thread! Echo everything that was said really. David was a complete star on Saturday. This will sound mad, but I ripped my throat raw (I still can't speak propoerly now!) in his first race, that 3rd to 1st was sensational - the best race of the day for me. I have always had a soft spot for him & as a bloke he is just great, but he came of age on Saturday & his inclusion in the WC squad with Mark, Lee & Scott gives us a real chance of glory. I would love to see him as a GP regular, he demonstrated that he can easily live in that company, but in fairness, I think that has always been the case, it just hasn't come to the surface. Remember, he was close to being the best English guy around when he broke his leg while riding for Reading. he can be again. COME ON FLOPPY!

Interesting comparison Philip. I think there is something in what you say. Carter was, in many ways, a typical straight talking (please forgive me if that is too much a generalisation) but he siad it how it was & if he upset someone he would just shrug his shoulders & get on with. Pedersen is certainly similar in that respect, but the one vital difference is that KC (God rest him) knew where to draw the line on track, sadly something that Nicki has yet to learn.

Agreed.