home straight

I'd agree with that, he's the best current rider never to have won a world championship imo. Although frankly I'd settle for anybody other than Jason, Nicki or Greg, nothing at all against those three guys, but I think we're desperate for a new winner, off the top of my head, i think it was 2003 that we last had a fresh winner in Nicki, so we're crying out for a new world champ I reckon.

I really couldn't give two hoots what the rule book does or doesn't say. It's patently obvious that if the technology is there then it should be used. If a referee chooses not to use all the information available to him, he's essentially stubbornly choosing ignorance and therefore can't be relied upon to make the correct calls.

You're talking nonsense Bryn. If the Sky cameras are there they have to be used. In an ideal world there'd be camereas at every match, but you can't refuse to use them when they are there because "we don't have cameras at all matches" That would be like me taking the air bags out of my car because there are still some cars on the road without them. Absurd.

QUOTE (Rob B @ Apr 24 2010, 10:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Will have a look at the semis again, but it didn't calculate the count back rights, eg the 4 rides on 8 points, it had one with 1 win higher then those with 2 wins. It doesn't matter that it doesn't calculate the count backs, as you have to manually put the semi final riders in depending on their gate positions. I thought it worked really well.

Davey Watt's still riding, so no. Holder needs to get his bikes sorted out pronto.

Looks like it could be useful! Will interesting to see how well it works when the GP season starts!

You're gonna need a holiday after that lot mate!

When a kid starts out riding he's risking his life, which fans is he doing that for? Speedway riders ride for themselves, over time they may build an affinity with a club and it's fans, but the reason they get on the bike is to earn themselves a living doing something they love.

Perhaps not, but over the next few years we're going to lose Gollob, Adams and Hancock, Crump too possibly?, so almost by default he could find himself top 3, and you never know then!

Unfortunately I think we've seen the best of Crump at the very highest level. His best chance of another title is next year if, and it's a big if, Pedersen takes his foot off the gas, after that I can see Hans and AJ really coming to the fore.

.......responding to my post that Scott Nicholls shouldn't be in the GP solely based on the fact he's the National Champion of GB "BigFatDave" wrote: If GB are one of the top 5 nations then surely Poland and Sweden are too, so presumably Skornicki and Zetterstrom should be in next years GP? Of course they shouldn't. As I've said before a decision needs to be made. Either the GP is the world championship and therefore should be open to everyone through open qualifying rounds, or they need to bite the bullet and admit that it's a closed invitational event, and carry on picking and choosing who they want to be in it.

And because they actually bothered with the qualifying rounds instead of relying on their nationality to get a seeded place.

Why so? If that's the criteria then Chris Holder, Adam Skornicki and Magnus Zetterstrom should also qualify being that they are the champions of their respective nations. Where do you draw the line? should the hungarian national champion automatically qualify? Norway? Italy?

I think he's a year or 2 older than that, but even still, time is on his side.

Can you not read or something? Where did I say that I personally would choose Kennett? I was merely suggesting who they might choose if they were going for a second Brit.

Ok clever clogs, I never said that was what I would choose

I agree completely, infact you could probably make a list of 10 riders you'd put in the GP ahead of Kennett, but if they insist on 2 Brits they make take the view that Harris and Richardson have had a go already and look for someone who hasn't.

1) Probably 2) Probably 3) I think I'm right in saying that if he's in th GP that would mean if he chose to ride in Britain he'd come in on an 8, which would probably put paid to him coming over, for a while at least. He could quite possibly achieve an 8 point average, but he certainly wouldn't be as good value as he would be on 4 or 5 4) From a selfish point of view I seriously hope not. 5) I would imagine they wan t2 brits so it will probably go to Harris or Richardson, although they might Ed Kennett a try.

Having just been crowned world champ for the 3rd time, and looking pretty well unbeatable, can Nicki Pedersen go on to equal (or even surpass) the record of 6 world titles?

No he shouldn't.

What an absolute disgrace

I think the ref was spot on all night. Gutted for Crump, it might have been possible with a 12 point gap, but 16 is certainly a bridge too far. Well pleased for Bjarne, I just had a feeling when I read about him discounting himself from next years series that with the pressure off he'd have a good night. NP is going to be a worthy world champion barring total meltdown in Germany, he's been the best rider all year, but I have to say this tactic of laying his bike down when someone gets by him is frustrating and unnecessary. Dryml is a menace. Nicholls was superb in heat 7, absolutely brilliant ride. You could argue that his conduct after the race was unnecessary, but when yoyu think he was doing 60+mph and nearly got put in the fence by that maniac twice I think he was rather restrained!

I fail to see how any event can be termed "The World Championship" when actually it's a closed shop. Surely it can only be termed the world championship when all the competitors are there because they have qualified through open qualifying rounds. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the GP series the guy who wins is probably the best rider in the world, and I'm not tryingto take anything away from those guys. I just feel that the only way to hold a "world championship" with any integrity is to do away with wildcards and make people qualify on merit.

What is Crump complaining about? He was already halfway off his bike before Andersen got anywhere near him.

Personally, I don't like the wildcard sytem, and believe that it devalues the GP series to such an extent that it shouldn't be advertised as the "World Championship". It would be more accurate to call it a "two bit invitational series" In my opinion, Chris Holder would be better to wait and try to qualify again next year. It'll give him another years experience, and another years worth of resource behind him, and, should he qualify for the 2010 series he'll be able to make a serious attempt at top 8.