fatface

Where do you go to the toilet then?

I know - sorry about that. No offence to Rudy. In fact I'm sure I read somewhere that he emigrated to Australia? Still wouldn't mind knowing what happened to Larry Ross though....

Well, if he wanted to win something, he just had to head North.

Yeah then they sold him to Halifax/Bradford and he was (errrmm got to be polite!!) not very good home or away Larry Ross - always true to Belle Vue........

Aye right Steve! You'll be there every GP Saturday in front of the TV with your surround sound cranked up. How miserable it must be for you for those 10 or so Saturdays every year.

Would love to know what Larry Ross is up to as well. He was a cracking rider for the Aces for a while.

Chuffed to see Loramski there. Since the GPs started, he truly has been one the most successful and exciting riders in the series. I don't think he's capable of winning the series anymore, but a fully-fit Loram is capable of pinching a rostrum place or two.

I would say that the whole Pre-Main Event is meaningless in the current format. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter what format you use if the event is well promoted, and the racing sufficiently exciting. The 'boring' 16-heat, 20-heat format still managed to attract 100,000 fans to past World Finals, which is three times the number of the best attended GP to date! Don't really agree. Riders from the Pre-Event Main can win the GP - I know Nicki Pedersen is one who has certainly done this. I also think the format does matter - GP organisers have to appeal to people outside the sport not just those within, that means an easy-to-follow system in which every race counts. Also, I do think harping back to "Wembley-100,000-one-off" is nothing more than a pleasant trip down memory lane. Like it or not, those days are gone. We live in a multi-media world where people's choice of entertainment has increased ten-fold. We have to change, the world won't change for us.

113 - Chris Cobby/Darren Boocock 114 - Les Collins 116 - Martin Hagon, Paul Woods, Blue is anyone's guess - Flemming Rasmussen will be my first stab in the dark :?

Or possibly a 16 rider formula in which the first few races see elimination heats which get rid of just one rider (4th), give two another chance (3rd and 2nd) and one goes through? That might be a way of keeping around 20 heats? Or is that too complex?

I remember Tony Forward too. He seemed to leave the speedway scene just as quickly as he had arrived as I recall. Didn't he also have a short stint in the National League with Long Eaton or someone similar??

Its a nice sentiment to be concerned for riders having to travel so far for two rides. But this is our big showcase event, and I think it has to be geared toward spectators. That means every race meaning something. Some Formula one drivers crash at the start of GPs, Some 100m athletes are eliminated in the first round of the Olympics, Some Footballers go to the World Cup and don't get a game. That's sport. Its tough, but as a spectator I wouldn't want it any other way.

On second glance - i think you've nailed this one.

How about: "PC, you've got over one hundred caps, why oh why did you choose to wear that?" - hehehe - like it falcace! Cheers WATigerman Andrew's pulled a few good uns out there too, Tony Forward in particular is a great spot. See if I can help with the gaps: 103 - Paul Woods, Mark Courtney 104 - Kai Niemi, Neil Collins 95 (I think that was the one I thought was Flemming Rasmussen) - I'll go for Thomas Ravn now. :?

How about: "PC, you've got over one hundred caps, why oh why did you choose to wear that?"

I still say 98 is Simmo, as for 95, I need more thinking time :?

90 - I'm struggling, I'll throw in Dave Morton, but I'm not confident :? 94 - Martin Hagon 95 - toughie, I'll try Flemming Rasmussen :? 96 - Nigel Crabtree 97 - Finn Jensen 98 - Malcolm Simmons

90 - Tough one this, Craig Pendlebury?? 91 - Steve "Handsome" Regeling 92 - Kenny McKinna 93 - Mavis Davis?

agree with steve, except: 84 Mark Crang and Kelly Moran? - Shooey in foreground 90 - Tommy Knudsen & Dave Bargh? 79 - Sam Nicoj-nicol-nicha (oh, you know who I mean) Also: 73: Foxy Smith 74 - Martin Hagon 77 - Shooey 81 - Frank Varey? 82 - I'll go for Sam nico...... sen again 85 - Eric Monoghan/ Martin Hagon 86 - Les Collins 89 - Keith Bloxome (betcha didn't think i'd get that!)

67 - Mighty Mort 68 - Rod Hunter 69 - Stephen Collins 70 - Dave Morton 71 - Sam Nicolajsen 72 - Lance King I'll be back for more later........ :evil:

Amen to that! Scottie is a cracking rider and for the next 5 years or so will remain one of the World's most exciting and talented racers. I think our opinions on Scott should be based on his performances at the top level - not some crappy individual meeting at Berwick. :roll:

It doesn't! Going into the last GP 4 rider could be World Champion and posisbly 1 or 2 had a chance of 10th. That means 6 riders were intrested in the meting so any race witout these 6 was pointless, surely? NO beacause riders wnat to win every race and that woudl be the same wit the current or the old/future format! It does! Winning a GP means a lot. To Greg Hancock every race certainly counted last week.

OK - I'll be the first to say it and I'll be the first to be shot down in flames if I'm wrong. But despite all the talk of problems in his head, problems with his team and this incident with the idiot who sent him the letter, Crumpy will win the title next year IMO. Why? Because deep down, he knows he should have won it this year cos he is the best in the world. Nicki deserved it, but Crumpie lost it. If Tony R would have won it again, I think that would have affected him more, and he wouldn't be able to believe he was the best. But I think Crump has the beating of Nicki and in 2004, the pressure will be all Nicki's with all the riders gunning for the World Champ. Crumpie is the man for me next year. :!:

I am totally with you on this Grachan. They are not everyone's cup of tea (especially the speedway purists) but BSI have taken our sport and made it far more appealling to the wider masses. In the current format - every race counts. in the old one, it wouldn't. Just another point, but if we went in for 20 heats plus final with 4-3-2-1 points as well or some similar suggestion. Isn't there a danger that quite often two or more riders will emerge as joint top scorers from a GP? Or the winner of the final isn't necassarily the overall winner of that particular GP? :roll: I don't think Joe Public would buy that. People want clear results, were we have a 1st -2nd - 3rd result. Not a winner of the final, but two other guys who have scored the most points .

Agree totally. The current format makes the meeting build to a crescendo, now it will only really get going towards the end. The danger is that people will turn off their TV in droves and tune back in just to watch the final couple of races.