Lee Richardson

[bluebee]

Apart from Mrs Allen who might that be?

 

I've ben so impressed this season. He looks if he's found a few answers and is riding genuinely well against many good riders both home and away. Just hope he can consolidate this form and the make the next step up.

[SCB]

The quote of the meet `the disappointing lee richardson` - never a truer word said.

Steady in next year surely.

No, quote of the night, no, quote of the season, no, quote of the millenium was, "He's got loads of natural talent, he's had it 3 or 4 years now". So there you go guys, Sam, Ermelenko thinks Simon Stead is 3 or 4 years old!!!

 

According to this forum the following riders should not be in the GPs....

Lee Richardson

Scott "two semi-finals" Nicholls (who intrestingly has had 2 better GP than the World Champion!)

Bjarne Pedersen

Niels Kristian Iversen

Antonio Lindback

Piotr Protasiewicz

 

So you lot only think the top 8 and Andreas "same number of points as Scott Nicholls" Jonsson should be in the GP's? Why not just go with a 10 rider format, as that lot and Hans Andersen can ride then!

 

Believe it or not, if you have a meeting with 16 riders, 5 riders will come in the bottom 5, who ever the riders are or whatever the format is! Are there really 6 riders better than the 6 mentioned? I'd say Ahns Andersen is one and PK is another, struggling a bit after that as Bjerre (a rider mentioned) is definatly not, look at his league form! Krys Kasprzak and Fredddie Lindgren could probably argue a case too, but I don't think they're "better" just the same, on some tracks you'd bebetter with Richardson and Protasiewicz, others and you'd be betetr with Kasprzak and Lindgren.

 

If you did put Kasprzak, Lindgren, Karlsson, Andersen and Bjerre in for the riders named above, someone would come last, would you then argue they should be dropped for Scott Nicholls?

 

Maybe the last 2 in each GP should be dropped and replaced by someone else, how you would determine "someone else" I don't know but at least the last couple of riders would always be a bit different. I guess it would come down to BSI picking riders, maybe even having the odd meeting for riders to show their worth.

 

BTW, take out the retiring Tony Rickardsson and Scott Nicholls is joiny 8th (well 9th by virue of the fact AJ has had a higher scoring round than Scott), so he may well be back next season on merit, if he carries on his current form!! How this forum would love that!

Edited May 20, 2006 by SCB

[Mylor]

We can't be too hard on Scotty. After all he did make the semis in the last two GP's. That said I believe we have already seen the best that he and Lee can produce and we shouldn't expect any more from them. They're both in the world's top twenty but are now starting to slip back.

 

It's also pretty obvious there are no others to take their place. The blame lies squarely with the promoters for not backing young Brits and the riders themselves who appear, unlike their foreign counterparts, to lack ambition, preferring the easy life. It probably frightens half of them to see the time, effort and comittment the young foreigners put into trying, and succeeding to make the GP's.

 

Drastic action is required guys, something like a Grand Prix Academy where the best young Brits, say aged 18 to 23, are guaranteed a decent wage for say 2 years and a place in an EL team with each team being compelled to accept one. Hopefully amongst them would be the youngsters considering an easy life in the PL but willing to try their hand in a relatively risk-free environment. In exchange for this commitment they would be expected to produce performances and improvements in keeping with their status. Reviews could take place every half season. Funding? Well, just as we pay to develop foreigners through entrance fees we could just transfer that to the British kids.

 

The primary stumbling block is that we don't have any real world class mentors willing to put in time, effort and expertise. I also don't see much in the way of a street-fighting mentality or real aggression amongst the kids.

 

These are first thoughts. I'm sure you guys could add a lot more.

[SCB]

The sooner they bring in the qualifying rounds and stop the wild card entries the better.(mind you isn't the Championship of GB a qualifyer?, so Scott or Lee can get in again through that route )

Just imagine Scott qualifies by finishing in the top 8!! He is currently joint 9th, but TRick is 7th!

 

Freddie showed he can mix it with the big boys, I think because he is keen, don't know about Pepe he seems so off the pace, Zagaar, Iversen are new to it all and surely will get better, Jarek in fits and starts is on the pace, still feel he would do better if he rode in the EL to be able to keep up with the other 4.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, Zagar is so off the pace he is in 5th place, shocking, who the hell gave him a wildcard!! Bloody BSI, what are they doing?

[rabbit]

Have to say i agree with you SCB. Unfortunately there is such a big gap between the say, top 10 riders in the world and the rest, that they end up looking second rate when we all know that they're not when talking league action.

 

PUK and Anton are still so young so can be excused, and I think you can add Zagar to that since I'm not convinced he'll be that great on anything other than the big tracks like Slovenia and Poland at this stage of his career in the GPs. Bjarne was injured for the last GP and did better in this one. My only gripe is really with PePe - it's a complete surprise he was ever picked again.

 

don't know what to make of the Brits - i try to support them each time, but tbh it's so damn hard when they goof up each time. Being totally objective i'd say that Andersen must feel totally p'd off to see Richardson especially bumming out each time. Don't know what the answer is - if i did I could make a fortune out of these riders!

[stevebrum]

i think scotties place is safe. its consistency thats the key and yes he had a poor GP by his so far decent standards - however Richardson had an absymal GP so there can be NO comparison.

Scottie has earned his role as the countries number one so he WONT be dropped from it.

But take HANS ANDERSEN as an example - didnt have a great year but still made some semis and he STILL was axed for somebody less experienced and younger.

Lee has a habit of having the odd okish GP but on the whole hes pretty much fodder.

i happened to Hans, it will happen to lee. If Steady carries on his form this year and impresses in world cup/cardiff then i feel he will be in and lee out.

I think its the best move for the future.

[Subedei]

I've said all along (well, ever since qualifying became so "old hat" to BSI) that riders should be given one second chance at the GPs. How many chances do you want Nicholls and Richardson to have? They didn't qualify automatically for 2005 and they didn't qualify automatically for 2006. Doesn't that tell you something? Neither has won a GP. Nicholls hasn't made a final since 2003. That suggests they aren't good enough. Pure and simple. Let others have a chance. At the minute we've the same old suspects at the top of the pile and they'll probably still be there five years hence.

[Badge]

Just imagine Scott qualifies by finishing in the top 8!!  He is currently joint 9th, but TRick is 7th!

Yeah, Zagar is so off the pace he is in 5th place, shocking, who the hell gave him a wildcard!!  Bloody BSI, what are they doing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Then if Scott qualifies by right, that's fine by me, and if I mislead you over Zagar I apologise, what I mean't but phrased it wrong was that he and Iversen will only get better due to this being their first season, I was only commenting on Pepe being off the pace.

[Sir Jasper]

Interesting comments made by Tatum last night, where he virtually confirmed NIcholls bikes are not fast enough (he is a Jawa works rider, even Gollob is using GM's increasingly more) Where as according to Tatum, Richardson has the "right" equipment but is just not using it to the best of his ability.

[Hansfan]

Have read all the comments about various riders what is the point of having a scoring system when the Brits finished outside the qualifying points but still got chosen, I think it is a travesty that Hans was left out and now everyone is moaning that Scott Nicholls (Tim Henman - the nearly man) and Richardson are CRAP, to be honest the GP has become quite boring, last night I would rather have watched paint dry, luckily we had to go to a party and left half way through (I can remember when I would have cancelled all social engagements to watch it!!!) The comments that are made about people won't attend the GP's if there aren't any Brits are a load of rubbish you either love speedway or you don't!! it seems that if you suck up to Postlethwaite (who knows sod all about speedway) or Olsen you are o.k.

 

Like I said earlier WHY HAVE A POINTS SYSTEM IF YOU DON'T STICK WITH IT!!

[Najjer]

Apart from Mrs Allen who might that be?

 

A certain Ipswich fan

[ABS]

For me Richardson should be out of the GP's, along with Pepe and possibly NKI. NKI shouldn't have been in in the first place - only Olsen and his BSI cohorts could possibly believe that NKI is a better rider than Hans Andersen. NKI does at least have the potential to improve, whereas Richardson and Pepe will most probably go backwards.

 

For me Steady should be in for next season - he is the top Brit in the averages (for now) and a vastly improved rider from last season. Hans Andersen should also be a must and I would include Joonas Kylmakorpi, who, like Steady has come on leaps and bounds this season. All these three are what I would call real racers, which the GP needs. Another rider worth considering is Jesper B, who has been in the GP before and is now recapturing the form that made him such a great prospect a few years ago.

 

I daresay had Kylmakorpi been a Latvian he would have got a wild card for this season - maybe a GP for Finland?

[gazmo]

Despite everyone's thoughts on who should and who shouldn't be in the Grand Prix BSI, Ole Olsen, and Sky Sports are going to want a spread of riders from a selection of countries in order maintain national interest. This will mean that some riders are likely to miss out even though they are better than some who are included but it is in the overall financial interest of the sport. For example, If Lee and Scott were removed I wonder what impact this would have on the attendance at the Millennium Stadium or Sky viewing figures throughout the season as I suspect the UK is Sky's biggest customer in Europe. However what I would like to see is a promotion/relegation system introduced, say, halfway through the series where, perhaps, the bottom 3 riders at that point are removed and replaced by 3 of the best performing non GP riders around at the time.

This, I feel, would spice up the series and motivate those riders who are out of contention as far as winning it. The riders coming in could inherit the points of those relegated.

On a different matter, isn't it time that the 3rd placed riders in each semi were rewarded, perhaps, with an extra 2 points?

[Jemma]

To me it really boils down to what the organisers of the GP series want. If it's a fair competition, watching riders who are there by right battle it out to become the true world champion, then make them all qualify, and then there's no argument. If it's a circus where the main aim is to make money and keep sponsors/fans in the various countries happy, then pick and choose who rides in it. I think we can pretty much see which direction the GP series appears to be pointed, and sadly it's the opposite of what the majority of speedway fans want and expect - a true sporting contest based on talent alone, not based on who you are or who you know.

 

On a separate note, in response to comments suggesting that if there was no British rider in it crowds would drop at Cardiff - well I'm not convinced. Most speedway fans I know often support whichever of their team's riders is competing first and foremost anyway, regardless of nationality. From a personal point of view a GP series full of riders who haven't qualified on merit is more likely to put me off going to Cardiff than seeing a series fought out by riders who are there by rights, but which may not include any British riders. Perhaps a few GP series without a British rider qualifying would make our own powers that be start wondering why we're not producing top British speedway riders in this country and come up with some strategies to rectify the problem.

Edited May 21, 2006 by Jemma

[DanTheMan]

Interesting comments made by Tatum last night, where he virtually confirmed NIcholls bikes are not fast enough (he is a Jawa works rider, even Gollob is using GM's increasingly more) Where as according to Tatum, Richardson has the "right" equipment but is just not using it to the best of his ability.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

this jawa and gm thing still puzzles me, i honestly don't think there's much of a difference in their speed performance, even jason said he doesn't think his set up is any faster than last years jawas.

 

leigh adams looks plenty fast enough on his jawas.

 

As for scott and lee, well last night was dissapointing for both of them, lee's year so far has been really bad, but we all know he can suddenly pull off a great meeting and get to a final, he just needs to change something (his head or his bikes).

 

As for scott, well he's started off ok, with solid semi final places, when to be fair, he's looked underpowered compared to last year, plus his heads still not right, he needs help in the mind games

[Crump99]

As for scott, well he's started off ok, with solid semi final places, when to be fair, he's looked underpowered compared to last year, plus his heads still not right, he needs help in the mind games

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I thought Havelock was there to help him with such things

[DanTheMan]

havvy is experienced in speedway, and can certainly help on that side of things, but he's not a psychologist

[MrEagles]

Lets face it the whole GP smacks of nepotism. With the exception of Crump, Pedersen, Adams, Hancock, Gollob and a few others who are there on merit.

 

The rest of the field is made up of a few other qualifiers and the rest is down to selection by BSI. The selection process is not based on the ability of the riders more like who is the best commercial option for BSI. I can fully understand the frustration felt by Hans Andersson, he is far better thab most of the other also rans and doesn't even warrant a place.

 

I have to say that Lee Richardson is fast becoming a joke at the GP's and the only reason he is there is because there isn't another brit waiting in the wings. I would like to see Simon Stead given a chance next year, he can't do any worse than Richardson.

 

Scott Nicholls may qualify by right bext year but he is never going to break into the top five he just isn't good enough for that. Riders like Crump and Pedersen are hungry for success Nicholls doesn't appear to have the determination to succeed at the highest level. I saw Nicholls get beat by Lewis Bridger a few weeks ago so I think the writing is on the wall for him.

 

I wish Scott all the best for the remainder of the season but until there is qualifying method for the GP's so you are there on merit nothing will change. Unfortunately because of the influence held by BSI,Sky and Ole Olsen I cannot see things improving.

[Subedei]

There are qualifiers for next season. But from what I understand Nicholls isn't going to bother with them.

And all this talk about the Top 9 qualifying as of right next season because of Rickardsson's departure, is utter tosh and nonsense. The Top 8 is the Top 8. If Nicholls finishes 9th, he's not in the Top 8 and hasn't qualified.

[salty]

I daresay had Kylmakorpi been a Latvian he would have got a wild card for this season - maybe a GP for Finland?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Joonas would be the perfect candidate for a wild card at the Scandanavian GP.