barrow boy

Here are the average placings SCB JC-3 GH & HA 5 NP-6 LA & SN & MZ & AJ 7 TG-8 AL & BP & JH 9 NKI-12 LR-13 PP-15 You're correct. It proves yet again that SN is worthy of another go.

Isn't having the best 15 in the world against all of BSI's principles. No one should be invited. They should all qualify on merit.

In support or otherwise my theory that the losing semi finalists be rewarded for reaching the top 8. I took the librty to award the highest qualified third placed semi finalist 14 pts, the second highest qualified third placed semi finalist 13 pts, the highest qualified fourfh placed semi finalist 12 pts and the second highest qualified fourth placed semi finalist 11 pts. If any of these riders actually qualified with more points then their qualifying score was retained. Just for the record the outcome is:- 1st Jason Crump Australia 193 2nd Greg Hancock USA 151 3rd Nicki Pedersen Denmark 137 4th Andreas Jonsson Sweden 124 5th Leigh Adams Australia 122 6th Mate Zagar Slovenia 114 7th Scott Nicholls England 104 8th Tomaz Gollob Poland 97 9th Jarek Hampel Poland 96 10th Antonio Lindback Sweden 92 & Bjarne Pedersen Denmark 92 12th Hans Andersen Denmark 61 13th Niels Kristian Iversen Denmark 58 14th Tony Rickardsson Sweden 44 15th Lee Richardson England 42 16th Piotr Protasiewicz Poland 31 Not much difference at the very top end but interestingly it would seem that Scott Nicholls is worthy of another chance when it is also considered that he had one less GP than the others. His GP average is in fact better than Mate Zagars. It would also confirm that the riders down to 11th place did well enough to warrant another chance.

Have a look at my topic 'More To The Point' (Making The GP Series More Competitive) that I started on 26.06.06. This was viewed 833 times and received 27 responses that were the thoughts at that time. However now that this year's series is almost finished who knows opinion may now have changed. Nice to know that someboby else is thinking along the same lines though.

Agreed Hans Andersen did not finish in the top 8 but neither did Scott Nicholls, Antonio Lindback & Jarek Hampel and they were all invited back in. It wouldn't have been so bad though if Lee Richardson who finshed behind Hans Andersen got back in. Total travesty. 2 of these 3 are not in the top 8 this year either.

I don't think that Greg, Niki, Leigh, Andreas, Bjarne and the rest of the boys will appreciate being called weak. There are always riders not included that should have been but no one said that Tony won so easily last year because the rest of the field was weak. Could it be that like most everyone else has said. they won it because they were much better and more determined and more dedicated that most of the rest?

Exactly. Thought the Sky Presenter was wrong at the time.

Anyway it's not really being gifted points.The actual points gained doesn't change.All I am saying is that if it is apparent that by being unable to ride it costs a rider a top 8 finish, this should be taken into account when giving out the wild cards.

Fair enough

No. He wouldn't be given anything by default except another chance as an invited wild card entry for the following year.

No. He did not miss them because of injury or illness. He quite simply did not become an official GP rider until he replaced Tony Rickardsson. Only his points scored as such should count.

If Scott Nicholls or any other rider for that matter misses any GP's because of injury or illness I think that after the series has been completed they should be credited with the average points lost. ie. At present Scott Nicholls has gained 67 points from 7 GP's for an average of say 10 points per GP. If he finishes out of the top 8, but by adding 10 points to his final total for every missed GP he would have in fact finished in the top 8, then he should be given one of the 2007 wild cards.

I would personally like to see Mark Loram back in the GP's but to invite him back at this time would not be fair to those riders that went to the trouble of racing in the qualifying competition. Mark has said many times that he wouldn't mind another go now that the format has been changed but he can't be that bothered otherwise he would have had a go to qualify. Even if he had not qualified by showing his intent he may have earned himself a wild card in the way Chris Harris or Peter Karlsson may do as a result of their recent efforts.

The top 8 automatically requalify. The remaining 7 to go in a GP Challenge Race Off against the top 8 qualifiers from the GP qualifiers plus the World Junior Champion with the top 7 going into the GP proper. Remaining place to be available for a wild card rider. Won't happen I know but this is what I feel and I will shout it from the rooftops at every opportunity.

Still think there should be a meeting for those outside the top 8 and the winners of a qualifying series with the first so many getting in

Totally agree SCB

He should have entered the qualifiers this year if only to send a message that he was genuinly interested again. Even if he did not automatically qualify which is unlikely, there being only 3 places available, he would have been given serious consideration by FIM/BSI.

Don't care. Should be the best riders wherever they are from

Same with Footy. No fall, no free kick or penalty but the intended foul was still performed.

Please add me to your fine appraisal MikePK

How about each country that qualified for the World Cup Final and Race Off be entitled to have their National Champions represent them in the following year's GP series. All non national champions that finished in the top 8 in the GP also to be reinvited by right. The World under 21 champion only to be invited if he does not come into either of the above catagories. All remaining places to be filled by the winners of a GP Challenge Final

Good morning Wizza. Thanks for your response. Just like to clarify your first comment though. What I meant was that of those non automatic qualifiers only Scott Nicholls had gone into the top 8 this year but that someone had to as a result of Tony R being in swan song mode. I think we are of the same mind on this.

So, after the Lonigo dust has settled we have only one of last year's invited riders in this year's top 8 in Scott Nicholls who has merely taken the place of the retiring Tony Rickardsson which means that all of the other non automatic requalifying places are filled by riders that were given a lifeline or were chosen for political and financial reasons.

He had the best white liner around in his corner so he was obviously very well advised