chunky

For anyone who still thinks Bewley should have been in, just remember that Lambert only dropped points on the track in ONE ride...

It's total points from two days. The top scoring team is in the final, and the 2nd and 3rd race off to join them. The winners of the final win the championship.

Just thought I'd remind people of your prediction, Steve...

Not the first time...

You're not allowed to reply if you disagree with him...

He WASN'T excluded for missing the 2 minutes. You really DON'T have a clue, do you?

If you don't agree with KingoftheTrack, you shouldn't be replying, Steve...

That looked terrible...

Must admit, I never thought I'd see France and Latvia riding in World Finals, let alone ahead of Australia and Sweden...

I don't think he's riding...

Bloody Bewley should have been in the bloody team. So much better than bloody Lambert...

Is this "World Championship Speedway"???

Yes, he won it all by himself...

I wouldn't say that too loudly if I were you...

I agree. Having grown up on some of the great cricket commentators, I quite enjoy the waffling! For me me, they are far superior to Tony Millard "stealing a march" and PC's "Henrik Gustaffersson". Even the great Dave Lanning made mistakes. So? The wonderful thing about Nigel is not only the fact that he is a great guy, but he is a TRUE speedway fan, unlike Alan Weekes. For their critics, you have to realize that like everything else in this world, commentating is totally different to what it was 40 and 50 years ago. Individuals like Kenneth Wolstenholme and Ted Lowe are a thing of the past.

Come on, Norman; why would I do that? I was actually aiming for you! I just wasn't that accurate back then...

Ya think???

Of course (and I was there too...)

Yep! I was on the fourth bend - as a 7-year-old.

Nah... It's all the idiots on here that make you feel that way! I'm only 59 and after an hour on here, I feel I'm going loopy!

I wouldn't say you're spouting rubbish, but your memory is playing tricks on you! Remember, the last few Wembley finals had a contingent of at least four Brits qualifying directly from the British Final. The worst year for English qualifiers was 1969. The "British" contingent consisted of three New Zealanders, a Scot, a Welshman, and Nigel Boocock. Everyone was horrified when Trevor Hedge was the sole Englishman in Poland in 1970.

What I find really sad is that they changed from the SWC to the SoN to make it easier for lesser nations to compete. Unfortunately, a lot of the major nations can lose just one or two riders, and they aren't able to compete. There really is such a gulf between the top few and the rest at the moment...

These days, everyone wants to be more "inclusive", but when you cease to reward ability and achievement, then you have a problem. Personally, I don't think that Kubera gatting a spot would have been a problem, but as I said, it's not like there are that many likely candidates in speedway.

A World Championship SHOULD feature the best competitors in the World. The US Open is just that - an "open event". As with many other sports (like darts, the World Cup, and many others), the speedway World Championship is a much smaller field, supposedly featuring the elite. As long as there are opportunities to qualify for the World Championship, that's fine. If the same names keep qualifying (and qualify on merit) then the others have to work harder and up their game. The World Championship is not - and should not be - a line-up chosen by the fans.