Pete

These are the incidents that make for interesting viewing, I don’t care what anyone says, a bit of niggle between teams in any sport will make viewing figures increase. My thoughts on the race were that Hans pulled off one of his ‘specialty’ moves that he does time and time again if he knows a rider is coming round him. It must be taught in Danish schools because we have all seen Nicki do it and I have also witnessed it done by Bjarne and Bjerre. Scott should have telegraphed it better as soon as he saw Hans riding out but as it happens he didn’t but pulled off a great switch to give Hans a taste of his own medicine and win the race. Now what would have been classy is Scott shaking Hans hand as if nothing had happened, that would have hurt Hans pride more than refusing to shake his hand and looking like Hans got to him. That is what disappoints me a little with Scott is his tendency to let the red mist rule him when he could do more damage by acting differently. Hans knew what he had done and knew Scott had got him back and was willing to shake hands because as he says what goes around comes around. The other thing I find amusing is Sky blatant bias toward team GB which is fine but it does make them look silly at times. The first example being the whole Hans/Scott hand shaking episode and their view that Scott offered his hand to the big bad wolf and he wouldn’t shake it. Then after seeing it again it was clear that it was the other way round. The second example was the whole first bend bunching debate. When Nicki Pedersen came off having really nowhere to go it was obviously his fault for the stoppage and as it gave GB an advantage he MUST be excluded (Nigel Pearson was making himself look a bit daft during this bit if you ask me). Tatum was trying to agree in the nicest possible way without telling Pearson he was talking out of his rear and that type of incident has had all 4 back since year dot. Lo and behold when Chris Harris then falls foul to a bit of first bend bunching and ‘was the cause of the stoppage’ it’s all forgotten about and it MUST be all 4 back. I found it funny anyhow………..

Hmmm, not good if you ask me but hey ho, fingers crossed and all that. http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/europe...locationID=3291

http://www.ipswich-witches.com/GP-2006.xls Anyone who wants a prog can get it form the link above. Do you have to have Excel to download it from a website in HTML format???? Pete

Actually I had forgotten it is already linked through the Witches website. Just replace the names in the score chart at the top and hey presto. http://www.ipswich-witches.com/GP-2006.xls Pete

I have one I can e-mail if you let me know your addy.

I believe Mike is involved with a new Samba Band in Suffolk as reported in the local press recently.

You are our very own Stuart Hall Mr Clemens. Superb!

Didn't realise he was Swedish U21 champion, I think that's fair enough then and I expect lashings of Humble Pie my way when he steps onto that top step on Saturday. Pete

Why is Jonas Davidsson the wild card? Give the young riders experience yadda yadda yadda but surely if you are going down that route Lindgren would have been a better choice seeing as he has just represented Sweden in the SWC. Personally I would have given it to Peter Karlsson who has been on very good form and would certainly be able to mix it on the Swedish tracks. Pete - now waiting for Davidsson to reach the final.....

I don't think Scott is that petty but even if he was did you hear the Danes bitch and moan that he didn't sit back and let Hans through.....no, funny that. Hans wouldn't have caught Jonsson just as Scott wouldn't have caught Karlsson but hey ho, some can accept things better than others Anyway one or two observations last night, firstly I was getting really wound up and embarrassed at times by Nigel Pearson. I can understnd he is as passionate as most about Team GB's fortunes but to hear him say 'IT'S NOT FAIR' over and over like a little schoolboy who has had his lollypop nicked was cringeworthy. I thought the ref got most things right to be fair to him, Lindback's persistent attempts at jumping the tapes got himself caught out in the first instance leaving him high and dry which was a fair result but the next time (in Scott's, erm, tactical ride) he got away with it and it should have been called back. As Nigel would say 'IT WASN'T FAIR, waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh'. The Gollob/Stead incident was such that an unintentional collision happened which impeded the rider behind more than the one in front. 'Let it go' I thought and so he did, fair do's. In my book the ref got most right on such a highly charged night. Team GB were not good enough unfortunately, Lee seemed to be the only one who had his engines tuned right and he rode very well (*gritted teeth*), Scott looked to have got going with his beating of Rickardsson (but then I think Justin Elkins may have beaten Ricko last night, more on that in a min) but then he seemed to lose his way. I felt for him re: the engine failure but WHY is it always Scott's way of doing things. He either over tries and falls (as he has in GP's this year) or his bikes give up the ghost, or he sees a red light in the crowd or he..........or he.........get the drift? Scott is GB's No.1, no doubt in mosts minds but his constant mistakes and mis-haps when it really counts will always go against him just as they did Chris Louis in his hey day (although Loobs were always more mechanical than mis-hap). An Ipswich curse maybe? Stead rode well enough and will improve, Harris was never really in it and Screen was off the pace. Yes good experience for the two youngsters but I am still in the camp that a half fit Loram and Norris would have scored more than Harris and Screen, and yes I WOULD have said that before the meeting but I do see Middleditsch's quandry with them riding well at Swindon. As for the rest, well Ricko reminds me of Tiger Woods. Get him on his own in an individual competition and the bloke is awesome, put a team competition in front of him (a la the Ryder Cup for Tiger) and he seems to lack interest, weird. Pedersen of the Nicki variety was pretty shocking also and you need riders of his ilk to make those meetings special IMO. Thankfully Gollob was inspired again which made up for the losses of one or two others. The bloke is a genius on a bike when in the mood, one of THE best I have seen and I thank my lucky stars I was able to see him ride for my own team in England for as long as I did. Right, that's more than enough waffling, most has probably been saidalready but I am that lazy that I haven't checked so apologies in advance Pete

The PM worked fairy.................

Have team GB changed their riding order or will Stead slot in at 2 where Loram was programmed to be? Pete

I just don't get this at all! So a rider who you claim is well past their sell by date but averaging over 8 in the Elite League (in Louis' case) should make way for a 3 point averaging youngster to 'give them experience'. You don't want to put out our strongest side to win then, you'd rather give up the chance of winning just so a couple of kids can do their confidence a world of good by trailing round last? I don't care if Louis and Havelock were 87, if they were better than anyone else we had I would put them in. They earnt their places when they were young and weren't given leg ups at the expense of better riders. Give the kids a chance, when they are better than the old guard, IMO. Pete

I wonder who Middlo will pick as the SWC squad for this year and who the main 5 will be? Obvious picks are Nicholls, Richardson, Norris and Loram but will Middlo look to give some of the youngsters a chance for experience or will he, in my opinion, pick the strongest riders on current form even though they may be in the twilight of their careers. I would have Louis and Havvy in the squad ahead of anyone outside the main four already mentioned. Pete

The one I made for download from the Witches website can be foud at the link below (in the interactive section). Simply change the names at the top to the riding order of the GP you are watching, print it off, and Bob's your Uncle. Apologies though that I have the green helmet colour and not white, force of habit. http://www.witches-speedway.fsnet.co.uk/index2.htm Pete