SPEEDY69

I was wondering the same thing and am a bit disappointed - anyone know?

If he qualifies from the challenge, which I think he will, there are no arguments. If he doesn't then he doesn't deserve a wild card pick. He has never qualified by right for the Grand Prix and cannot be given any more handouts - but like I said, I don't think it will come to that. I also think Lindgren & Woffinden should be dropped if they don't make it either.

With Chris Harris pulling out of the EL meeting at Ipswich this Thursday night due to an injury aggravated in Sweden this week (although no crashes reported on speedway.nu), will he be fit for the GP & practice being held in Sweden on Friday & Saturday?

Couldn't agree more. Well done to the Brits, an excellent result and best of luck for Saturday. I hope that Stead improves his gating as it will be vital at Vojens. Couldn't believe Lindgren trying to get reinstated for Heat 1 - clearly minimal contact if any at all and nothing to make a rider fall off. I don't think the Aussies were being arrogant, simply trying to keep relaxed and not let the pressure get to them. Wonder if Lyon will keep the same riding order putting out Scott in the first & last heats - I think it should be the job of the Captain to shoulder that pressure to bring it home.

I agree that with a World Final in Poland Gollob would likely have won one by now. Disagree though about the Intercontinental Final/GP - certainly more pressure in the Inter as you had to finish in the top positions to get to the World Final - no slip ups were possible. One or two poor GPs and you can still be World Champ.

I accept that to win any open meeting is an achievement in itself but I find GP wins irrelevant - it's the title of World Champion they are going for.

I think Harris was on his last chance this year (as he has never qualified for the series, which at least Nicholls did twice I think) but winning the British Championship may save him again if he fails to get through the qualifiers. It's all about becoming world champion and there are plenty in there who have had so many chances - if Gollob doesn't win this year with three GPs in Poland then he never will either. Don't forget Poland's last world champion was in the early 1970s so Britian hasn't done that bad!

Take a look at www.southerntrackriders.co.uk as they have several meetings left this season which don't appear on your list. Cheers

As some of the nominations for the GP in the past seem to have been based on National Champions, this includes Britain, then it seems certain that Harris will be in the GP again next season even if he fails to qualify again - perhaps I'm wrong but I don't think he's ever qualified has he? Good for him to win last night, he made a great start in the final and has been on top form in the last couple of weeks. Does anyone know if the ref was watching the meeting at any stage?!!

I've been going to Foxhall most weeks since about 1982 and in my view any lack of passing is not solely due to the track shape. I have witnessed processional meetings at every track I've been to, even at GP level they have been dull this year by and large. As the bikes continue to output more power and the changes in style required it's easier than ever for a rider to stay in front, especially on the almost universal slick tracks. Let me tell you there are riders who can pass regularly at Foxhall, Nicholls & Harris being two, but I don't think there is as much skill required with the throttle these days as in the past. At many tracks you can simply hold it on full most of the time. What's needed is a reduction in power/revs for the bikes and heavier tracks where you simply can't keep full throttle all the way around. When faced with tracks which are like this many of todays riders struggle badly. 15 years ago you would rarely see riders go right round the fence line because the risk of a crash/lift/losing ground due to a mistake was high. That isn't the case any more so there is no fear and what used to separate those who could use that bit of the outside line and engineer a pass has now disappeared.

You make some good points there Steve. One problem might be how you cover the smaller countries? As there are only 16 places in total and only 8 available for nomination, where would they come from e.g. UK, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Poland, USA, Russia, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Norway etc. etc.

The main criteria for the nomination should be whether they can make consistently good starts. As has been evidenced this year overtaking has been rare with most races processional. With the possibility of 3 GPs in Poland next year the organisers are clearly desperate for a Polish World Champion (and the gate receipts!), which despite all the plaudits on their strengths, they have failed to deliver since the early 1970s.

Actually, yes. I went to Latvia this year but wouldn't have if there were no brits to support. The event loses appeal for me. Also, a lot of people are puitting Woffinden forward but isn't he a reserve in the foreign leagues?

I also think there are too many who get in without doing qualifying rounds as such - and I don't mean wilcards, but the riders who finish in the top 8. I think it should be the top three only. There are riders who perform very well in 1 or 2 GPs but poorly in the others but continue to get in top 8. There is too little change from one year to the next and on the current state of motorway tracks & dull racing then the only real points of interest are how the newcomers get on. If this doesn't change I think the series will continue to decline - something I won't be too disappointed about anyway as I've always much preferred team racing.

no need to build for the future in a few years time because by then some new youngsters will replace this bunch and so it goes on - seen it happen in other sports. i think we might surprise a few at peterborough but whatever the ages of any rider, the team should be your strongest one and i don't think it is.

Wow, this must be the first post of yours I completely agree with!! We see it other sports as well, I remeber Cricket went down that road for a long time, putting in players just because they are young. Football the same but that's changed recently and who did most people say was one of the better performers for England - Beckham one of the oldest. You need the best team regardless of age.

Disagree Gemini. I have seen some of Scott's comments on missing the EL and it was to do with a reduced racing schedule, travelling time and time with his family. Poland meetings are on Sundays, Sweden on Tuesdays which makes it fairly easily to plan homelife around. In the EL, you can be called upon to ride on any day of the week, sometmes at short notice due to rain offs and it's this that led to him giving the EL a miss for a year - nothing to do with money.

Ok thanks.

Hi Does anyone know if there is any way to buy tickets for Latvia from the UK other than via a bank transfer (£20 charge!)? If not, are tickest easily available at the track on the day or is this one usually sold out? I have flights and accommodation booked already but any help with this GP would be much appreciated. Thanks Karl

I am a big fan of Scott and of course would love to see him in the GPs again next year - he is certainly one of the more entertaining riders in the series. He has no right to be there next year though as he finished outside the top 8 and didn't do the qualifiers so if they picked others he would gave to accept it, as his fans would. However, the series has nevre been about who are the best current riders in the world - it's a series to attract sponsors, fans & viewers & ultimately make money. The qualifiers for this years series didn't really pull up any trees did they and all three are now out again. Holder failed to get through the qualifiers so if he gets a wildcard, why would anyone else bother doing them? It's not black and white this issue but yes I still think Scott adds to the series and I can't think of many others better who should replace him.

This will now make it the third Polish GP this year and with so much hanging on this meeting I'd have preferred a different venue but I suppose they were short of time. Who will it favour (apart from Gollob), Holta, Nicholls or B Pedersen?

Trouble is, Holder was not good enough to get through the GP qualifying and was knocked out earlier this year. By all means nominate him but as for every nominated rider, there are others who have just missed qualification that could rightly feel aggrieved. Having said that, the qualifiers through the rounds for this years GP haven't really set it alight either - Dryml, Kasprzak, Pedersen?

As far as I'm concerned there is nothing wrong with the tuning side of Scott's equipment, he alwasy has more than enough power, it's the setting up of the bike on GP race nights that seems to be the problem - normally takes at least 2 races to get it anywhere near right. Power does not equal speed and in slick conditions it is the steps the mechanics take to reduce the power of the engine & adjust other parts of the bike that can be the differnece between winning and losing. This is probably why he has taken the step (if true) of refreshing his support team - to be honest I think he was always more competitive when his father looked after his bikes on race day.

How we can improve is if the riders/mechanics etc. can get their machinery suited to the conditions - it was quite obvious on Monday that they were lacking in speed and simply spinning their back wheels in the slick conditions - Bjarne Pedersen simply had so much drive along the straights and many of the other riders and their teams managed to get this right. This area has dogged our lads so often now that it must be very frustrating for them as well - on the TV they did show Scott talikng to Armando Castagna, perhaps he was pointing this out to him Apart from that I'd like to hear the team manager show some belief and inspire the team to do well & not say that his focus is on next year.

Just finished watching and I'm glad I was able to fast forward! Only one or two "races", the rest from the start & was predictable - glad the russians were there to liven it up a bit.