fatface

Well that's very sad news indeed. Never one of speedway's superstars, but a rider who was the very lifeblood of the sport - a 100% trier. RIP

When did we lose David Smart? That's news to me...

294 - Les Collins and Andy Grahame 295 - Dave Morton (White) and Phil White?? 296 - PC 297 - Bruce Cribb?

Hiya WATTY, welcome back to the fold. 286 - the mystery man is Louis Carr 287 & 293 - Shooey 288 - Shooey leads Larry Ross and PC 292 - outside in: Sudden Sam, Cocker, Cowboy, Wiggy

I've never heard anyone before ever praise Nielsen for his long-track skills. To my mind that was his biggest weakness, he never got anywhere near being the best in that discipline. As for team riding skills, Morton and Collins weren't too bad at that either. To my mind it's also not certain that Hans would have won all those world titles between 85 and 95 in a GP format either. I always thought he was prone to being a little nervy on the big occasion, whose to say he would've been different in GPs. Just for fun, you could flip the argument around with Leigh Adams. Let's say the one-offs had replaced an old GP format. I'd bet there would be loads of people who now be saying "if it wasn't for these one-offs, Leigh Adams would have won about five World Titles by now"

Wasn't it Berwick declaring war on Russia as well? Sergei Darkin better steer well clear of Bandits fans

You are so right. Come on fellow Englanders! You can't have it both ways a British GP and then an English GP. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's only fair ... they're happy to have a Welsh Assembly when they want their own laws and a British Parliament when they want handouts and subsidies to pay for it <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bit of politics eh? It must be a cushy number being a Scottish or Welsh MP, that's for sure. Nearly all your responsibilites devolved, but a nice comfy seat in London for you to sit on, a fat salary and an even fatter expenses cheque to get by on.

You are so right. Come on fellow Englanders! You can't have it both ways a British GP and then an English GP. You're giving our Celtic cousins bloody good evidence that we are indeed arrogant. Have to say I wouldn't be interested in another GP in Britain. I go to Cardiff every year because it is special, it is a superb stadium with a great atmosphere inside and outside. If there was another GP at say Coventry or Poole, it would look quite crappy in comparison, but then there will always be those who could even opt for a cheaper GP and take people away from Cardiff. Then everyone's a loser. Anyhow, if I was to go to another GP outside Cardiff (which I have before - Czech 03), I'd choose to go abroad. With cheap flights and cheaper accomodation, the cost would not be that much different for me going to Poole or Coventry (and no disrespect to these fine English places but Copenhagan, Gothenburg or Prague would be my preferred pick any day of the week)

Enjoyed your post there Nevsy. I can't believe there is still someone with a GHOST sticker on their car! I'd forgotten all about them. Those Berwick matches were something else though - probably my fondest memories of supporting the Falcons.

I certainly would be interested to hear more of the Crump/Sanders relationship and I'm sure Tony Mac is well capable of handling it sensitively. It just seems like rather an untapped area. Was interested to see they rode together once at the World Pairs in 77, but never again. I would have thought a Crump/Sanders combo would have been in with a shout of winning the World Pairs in the late 70s/80s, but we never really got the chance to find out.

Any more details? What's Steve up to? Is he still involved in the sport in someway? What about Frank Andersen? eh? Berwick KO Cup 89? 5-1? eh? Draw on aggregate. Jumpers for starting gates Ron.

I'd be interested to know more about Crumpie's relationship with Billy Sanders. The two of them spent a few years vying it out to be Aussie no1 and I think they had a few coming-togethers. I also cannot recall them ever getting together for the World Pairs, which was strange because they were clearly their country's best at that time.

Big Loram fan - one of the few "Box-Office" riders in the sport. But I think the time has come for the GPs and Mark to go their seperate ways. He is still a class act and still GB's no1 IMO, but what has he got to gain? He's won it already, but realistically he's not going to win it anymore. I think it would be better for the EL, GB's SWC team and Mark himself if he dropped SGP from an already packed schedule.

Sounds to me like this new format is very much like the World Long Track used to be (or maybe still is for all I know). Is that right?

Fair play to you Trees, that's your opinion. Leigh is lucky to have fans like you.

So what you are really saying is that Billy is the only one of the two to win any individual senior FIM medals. Furthermore, we can also conveniently overlook Billy's part in USA World Team Cup wins in 90, 92, 93. I don't want to diss our Aussie friend, he's a smashing rider. But on the international stage Billy Hamill's successes are way, way above those of Leigh Adams - and that's a fact.

I don't think it will be sacrilege if Leigh Adams doesn't win it at all. I simply don't think he has ever proved himself to be the best on the world's biggest stage. Yes, he is great in league racing and is always the first name in my fantasy team, but at World Championship level the likes of Rickardsson, Crump, Hancock, Hamill have consistently bettered him. Speedway history is littered with riders who logged up 10-point plus averages in league racing year after year but could never quite be the best of the best when it really mattered - Kelvin Tatum, Chris Morton, Jan Andersson, Bobby Schwartz, Nigel Boocock to name just a few. Sorry, but for me it looks like Leigh will join that list.

I'm not going to pretend I know more about track preparation than a three-time World Champion and it is quite absurd for anyone else on this forum to either. It seems to me that it is a very finely balanced job, particularly in terms of the temporary tracks. It can go either way - Cardiff is the best example. 2002 - too rough, racing quite chaotic, 2003 - too smooth, racing processional. 2004 - perfect, great night's racing. We've gone both ways for Norway now, so let's have a little trust that Ole can get it right for Hamar in 2005.

I'm a GP convert. In my mind, anyone who trots out the "it wi' better in ma day wi' t'old one-off finals" line must have cleansed their minds of Pocking, Norden, Vojens, Munich etc. But having said that, why Norway is the climax for the series is beyond me. It is quite obviously the least atmospheric venue of all and with a very questionable track. A World Champion should be crowned on a grander stage than this surely?

Told ya so! Told ya so! Now he's cracked it, I predict we'll see a Crumpie oozing with confidence and defending his title in 2005.

That was me, by the way....... I hadn't logged in...... Didn't know guests could now post......Now I'm talking to myself.........

I suppose I will look a right a*** if I am wrong, but surely Crumpy won't blow it this time. Will he?

....I'm not one to say I told you so, but............. Sorry - I couldn't resist bringing this back to the top! Where were all the experts this time last year?

I think you're missing my point. Why should BSI expect to benefit from the development programmes of any country, whilst putting nothing back themselves? For that matter, why should any country bother to develop riders when they can be used by the SGP without any compensation (be that financial or otherwise)? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You've obviously got a big problem with BSI. It's almost as if you are suggesting that riders that have been through youth development programmes and go onto a high level shouldn't go and compete in that nasty Grand Prix, all for the benefit of those terrible men at BSI. Development programmes should be about getting more riders into the sport, new generations of riders into the sport and consequently fresh talent at the very top of the sport. Who benefits? Clubs, supporters, sponsors, promoters, etc. or in other words "Speedway", the whole sport benefits and unfortunately for you that includes your sworn enemies at BSI. If you are trying to make the point that BSI puts nothing directly back into grass-roots development, then thanks for stating the bleeding obvious for us all. What they have undeniably done is increase the profile of the sport's top men and the World Championships - team and individual. Consequently, interest in the sport is now much higher than it was in the bad old days pre-SGP and pre-SWC. Old supporters have come back and new ones have arrived. We have crossed this bridge before Kevin, but I did dig out figures that proved there has been around a 50% increase in the amount of operating tracks in Britain since our profile has been raised. Coincidence? I'm sure you will try and prove it is. Over to you, King Copy-Paste.

That's not the issue at all. The national federations should never have given away the rights (and therefore potential profits) to a commercial company with no interests in domestic speedway. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kevin, we all know you like to slice and dice. But at least keep it in context. I was replying to someone who suggested that BSIs profits go into developing youth. I'm saying that as a private company we cannot expect them to do that. And if we (Britain) want quality youngsters coming through we are going to have to get our hands dirty and do it ourselves. Nothing more nothing less.