SPEEDY69

fairly sure nicholls is riding for rzeszow. that'll be 5 meetings in 6vdays over 3 countries. busy boy.

Competition too tough

They don't recognise the SEC and do not make allowances for it. This is the same reason they prevented Nicholls from riding in it the first year (threatened to ban him entirely).

OK meeting last night and right from Heat1 could see it would be difficult for the Aces. Zagar did his usual last place but Worrall looked on the pace. The Aces were simply too slow off the start. A few things I picked out were Heat 3 where Nicholls jumped a little early but ref let it go as he was at the back, then in Heat 10 I think it was, Batchelor did exactly the same but the ref called it back, curious. Iversen looked very quick, as did Zagar at the end. For the Aces, simply too slow off the start but Steve Worrall impressed. For Lynn, Batch was Batch - make the start and win, don't make it, last. R Lambert was also tardy off the gate but took advantage of Aces' mistakes/lack of speed but the stand out for Lynn was Rose. Loked very quick and made some quality passes, best I've seen him ride. Meeting was closer at the end than it felt like, which seems odd to say. Lemon made a big mistake not using the TR when he could have in Heat 6 and Fricke was complete road block in 14, if he'd have looked he could have let Scott just get ahead on the outside as Lambert was buzzing around - it could've been a 3-3 and a point for the Aces but he didn't and once Lambert got under him he passed Fricke easily. Good result for Lynn and Rory will make then stronger.

I am not saying who is a better rider, I am saying that this is the evidence in 2016 - that's it. You are using conjecture by assuming that because a rider is not in a competition, that they are not "anywhere near" that level. Evidence I've see this year: Harris - Doing ok in BEL, Poor in Poland Nice Liga, Poor in GP qualifier, Poor in 3 GPs, Good in one GP (directly beat 6 of the 15 riders), Poor at Belle Vue Nicholls - Doing ok in BEL, doing ok in Swedish Elite, doing ok in Poland Nice Liga, doing ok at Belle Vue, incl. British Final King - Doing ok recently in BEL/PL, Poor in GP qualifiers, doing ok at Belle Vue - British Champion That's it, no bias or assumption.

Ok, I'll bite. If you don't be selective over a post and the parts within, how can you debate because all you'd do is say "I think he should" and you'd respond "I think he shouldn't" - wouldn't question time be even duller! So, your first poitn about Harris doing better in the BEL this year - I counter that with the opinion that there are more top stars riding in the Swedish Elite league, whom Nicholls is beating and that is a greater "indicator of pace" to me, using your criterion. It is of course impossible to say how King or Nicholls would have fared in the GPs over the last 3 years because they haven't been in them - that's what evidence is all about!! I am using the evidence of their competition with "top stars" and at the track they'll be racing on. Simple really.

Just goes to show how people see things differently I suppose. How riding in the EL can be a "better indicator of pace" than winning races on the big Polish tracks I have no idea. Also, if Nicholls "isn't really that great" at the NSS then Harris, being worse, could be described as being hopeless there. Also had to smile at point about not having raced in a GP for 3 years - apart from Prague 2016, has Harris?!! One swallow doesn't make a summer and I don't think his results this year earns him a pick. We'll beg to differ, but whoever Rosco goes for, I will be cheering for them on 30th.

The things I listed were not criteria to include, but evidence to use in judging whether Harris deserves a pick, in response to an earlier post. Lambert will be in as he's flavour of the moment with BSPA & FIM and Nicholls has a case given his regular competition in Poland and Sweden. Whoever is picked, I will be there hoping they put up a good fight.

Hard to include him based on his results in Poland, British Final, GP qualifiers and all GPs bar one (can't include Sweden as he's not good enough to get a ride there). Rosco will pick his favourites and if they do well, their supporters will feel chuffed, if they don't, their knockers will be seething

Disagree entirely and I'm not sure what criterion you're basing that on from this year? Rosco should pick 5 riders who he think will score the most points - if he believes in objective analysis then he'll look at all kinds of indicators, or he may just pick his favourites again, a bit like Brucie

Not sure what age has to do with anyone scoring points for Team GB? Don't really understand the second point either - the World Cup final is this year and he's in poor form internationally.

Time for Harris to move over, having been in the side for over 10 years. He was top scorer a couple of times but this year has been poor in the GPs (Prague was the exception), dire in Poland, can't get a ride in Sweden and hopeless at the British Final. Cannot see how he stands any chance of a pick. The others, apart from Woffinden, are all a bit up and down but at Belle Vue it has to be Cook (off topic, why is he not a reserve for Cardiff?), Lambert is the blue eyed boy at the moment getting wildcards all over the place so the BSPA will smile on him, leaving one spot in the main body. Difficult but I favour Nicholls purely on the basis he's doing well in Sweden against the top guys from overseas and rides for Belle Vue, having beaten King when they've met this year. However, I only think Woff, Cook and Lambert are certain.

Loads of guys like that though - it's part of the job and perhaps one of the most important, because the set-up of a bike makes a huge difference. Which rider wouldn't have traded their machine for one of Maugers or Nielsens when they were riding at their best. Being one of the best is about the whole package.

Okay I'll make it a little easier. You say that Tai has at least two sets of bikes, one for the GP and one for league racing. In Cardiff, he will have one set in the UK and one in Poland. At no point at any time do these two sets of bikes ever meet, so he couldn't take bike number three from one set and exchange it for bike number three from the other set? Surely you can see how that it is ridiculous to suggest the reason for not competing is because of a lack of equipment. I'm much more inclined to believe it was a money issue than an impossibility. However I'd question your figures there as you've simply made them up. Bringing a bike to the UK in the back of someone else's van (and this goes on all the time with riders), costs very little and nowhere near £2000. Forgetting the spin and figure massage to support points, people decide on priorities all the time on the balance of want/need/resource etc. and I think he decided the British Final was simply not a priority. It's that decision I think was wrong. Checking out now!

Suggest you read my post again. Cardiff proves he could have Careful, everyone knows it's impossible. He couldn't simply have transported/built a bike in the UK at some point given the time he had, maybe got a certain tuner here to help him (PJR), that would've been impossible.

Which reinforces the point that he is able to transport equipment to the UK for Cardiff and still have equipment in Poland for the next day. This is no different to having equipment in the UK on Friday and racing in the Polish GP on Saturday. Or are you suggesting his bikes circle Europe in two vans which are never or it could never be arranged for them to be in the same place at any time? It's an excuse. I believe he simply decided it wasn't a priority for him which he is entitled to do but I disagree with the decision because of the impact upon the British Championship and fellow riders.

The point is, which some don't seem to recognise, is that he will have bikes in the UK and Poland on consecutive days - something which people seem to say is impossible.

This has dragged on and i think all points covered. Nothing has changed my view though that Woffinden should be in the Cup side but he should also have been in the British semi-final (he may not have reached the final of course). The GP weekend is a red herring to me. Bomber did both, and Tai is doing almost the same on the Cardiff weekend with Poland either side. Gp practice is more about sponsor schmoosing than any real benefit for the GP itself and they have understood if he'd missed it for his National Championship.

No, I don't think they should, unless they have a role at that meeting e.g. advertised as photo opportunity or signing autographs etc. Not simply just to hang around the pits. This is not being mean but if a professional rider they will have been paid to ride unlike all the supporters and free entry should stop once they stop riding. This is for general admission - it may be that for a long serving rider one club may give them free entry and I don't mind that.

A lot people seem to be saying he's not of international standard or he is etc. How many of the Brits are competing regularly against the top international riders? Woffinden in Sweden & Poland and doing well, as well as the GPs. Harris in the GPs, doing badly. Nicholls in Sweden and Poland and doing well. The rest are EL or PL.

I would go with Woffinden, Cook, King & Nicholls with Lambert at reserve, although Lambert could easily take King's place in my view. I think Cook is fast starting enough to have success in the WC and Nicholls is beating & mixing with the big guns in Sweden this year and these are the guys that'll be in the WC - this is maybe why I'd take Lambert over King as well because he's shown before he is not scared of the big occasion internationally but they have both had very inconsistent seasons this year.

Well done to Danny, deserved the win. The track suited him down to a tee as he usually likes to hang out wide but you have to take advantage and he did that. Still don't think the World Cup team is easy to select though - his form this year away from Brandon has been shocking. Will have to see how they all go in the coming weeks. For me the only certainties are Woffinden, Cook and Lambert.

Yes may be right with getting the setup right but with his experience it shouldn't be too far off what everyone else was riding - I remember Nigel Flatman used to bemoan his equipment week after week as an excuse for poor results, then Billy Sanders hopped on his bike and won in the fastest time of the night! I think to blame his bikes is simply an excuse for a poor night of riding by him.

Ha, no - lost interest in F! many many years ago. You can get close/exciting racing at all levels but if the result doesn't mean anything to you then it loses its appeal, especially when there are so many rounds. That was my point.

Didn't watch the GP at the weekend and although it seems from comments that many found it enjoyable I can't say I missed it. I'm just bored with the GP circus, Jonsson vs Pedersen or whatever, seems to have been the same old riders for years now and I couldn't care who wins. I think there are simply too many rounds and that makes each GP not particularly significant - shame, because it's a sport I love but I'd much rather be following a team or even GB in a test series.