barrow boy Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 I hope that we have Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris in the GP's next year. Scott is getting better all the time, and his rivalry with Hans Andersen is pushing him to new heights. Don't forget that Hans was dropped from the GP's because he didn't finish in the top eight last year. Now he has hit a patch of form which showes his true class. Scott I think was his equal before this season and I think we may see him become equally as good or close to. As for Chris, he is improving fast and with him and Scott being at the same club, there is bound to be a rivalry growing between them, both wanting to be number one at their club and also the best British rider in the GP series. As for Mark Loram I thgink he is still good enough, but I doubt he will be given the chance. Bring back a full qualification system, and make it fair for all. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw ministerofport Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 I can not argue with what you say Barrow boy, if Hans was British he would still have been in this years series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reviresco Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 I don't have a vendetta against Nicholls. I just don't see why his serial failure should be rewarded year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year.If memory serves, he was in the top eight up until Bydgoszcz last season and then flopped at Bydgoszcz and Lonigo, which took him out of the top eight. Andersen, a GP winner was defenestrated from the series, Nicholls was included. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So Subedei, another gutless performance by Nicholls, full of excuses, at tonight's Latvian GP then? Yes, he may have only got 9pts, yes he may have only made the semi again, but surely even you, Subedei, could appreciate his effort a few weeks after his injury. Well done Scott. A great performance tonight and all best wishes for your GP campaign next year representing yourself and Great Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subedei Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 So Subedei, another gutless performance by Nicholls, full of excuses, at tonight's Latvian GP then? Yes, he may have only got 9pts, yes he may have only made the semi again, but surely even you, Subedei, could appreciate his effort a few weeks after his injury. Well done Scott. A great performance tonight and all best wishes for your GP campaign next year representing yourself and Great Britain. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Don't recall ever suggesting Nicholls was "gutless", just that he shouldn't be there if he doesn't qualify as of right. I didn't watch the meeting as I was at Berwick, but I'll try and watch the repeat tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reviresco Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 (edited) Said, No. Intimated, Yes. Then, you being a Mongolian Warlord, I suppose everybody is gutless comapred to you, including Britain's top current speedway rider..... Edited September 9, 2006 by macca56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 (edited) If you want gutless, look at Britains 2nd best GP rider. I've stuck up for him time and time again, I'll even admit to liking him but tonight, I was ashamed to be a Lee Richardson fan, ashamed to even be British when he went out on track. He rode like, I don't know!! I was going to say a CL rider but they'll ride on anything! He needs to sort himself out, quickly! Edited September 9, 2006 by SCB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reviresco Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 It's all a bit strange, what is happening with Lee Richardson at the moment. There was the rumour that he wasn't going to compete tonight and him being deleted from early betting. He had that illness a few years ago - has that resurfaced. He appears to have totally lost his confidence and, I guess, the crash he had at the last GP may have affected him more than we thought. It's just strange that he was gating and getting in good positions tonight, but just not keeping it together. Hopefully a year out of the GP's will do him some good as, a couple of years ago, he really was challenging Nicholls for British no. 1. With the dearth of world class Brits around just now, we really need Lee to get back to his best again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subedei Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Hopefully a year out of the GP's will do him some good as, a couple of years ago, he really was challenging Nicholls for British no. 1. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And that's the crux of my arguement regarding Nicholls, although you seem to have missed it. Nicholls and Richardson get permanent wild cards seemingly each and every year while other riders get shunted out. They've been in a "comfort zone". Look at what having a year out has done for Andersen. Kicked out of the GPs he's come out all guns blazing and has won a couple of GPs when he's got the chance. Handing out charity year on year is doing Nicholls no good at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty2hotty Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 And that's the crux of my arguement regarding Nicholls, although you seem to have missed it. Nicholls and Richardson get permanent wild cards seemingly each and every year while other riders get shunted out. They've been in a "comfort zone". Look at what having a year out has done for Andersen. Kicked out of the GPs he's come out all guns blazing and has won a couple of GPs when he's got the chance. Handing out charity year on year is doing Nicholls no good at all. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> [/quot How about going for the top rider from each Elite League team and then topping it up with some from the continent ie Jonsson, Holta, Gollob, Hampel, that way you will get a mixture of nationalities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subedei Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Oh dear, as ideas go, that's dreadful. Who's Arena Essex's No 1? Kylmakorpi? And Todd Wiltshire from Oxford? Although Ales Dryml is still top of Oxford's averages. Either way, none of them GP standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Yet Lindback and Zagar lose out! Why not the all Swedish EL teams numbers 1? Polsih teams? Why stop there, Danish, German and Russian teams number 1's too! You can't beat the good old qualification rounds. Why not run them on the same day as the GP's? That way there's less clashes with league dates as them days are already not usable. The day of the last GP, is the last but one round, where the top 4 from each meeting meet the bottom 7 in the GP in the final round to qualify for the following season GP. The last rider either be the 5th placed rider from one of the rounds, or the best wildcard/reserve from the GP series (so this year it would be Hans) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 All arbitrary selection processes result in stupid omissions. Free and open qualification on the track without national quotas is the ONLY fair was to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
605ts Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Sorry but picking Loram or Louis would be a backward step for British Speedway. Stead or Harris have to get a go, not sure how either of them would do though. If Crumpy was to contiue helping Stead like he has at BV then maybe he could be competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Jasper Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Scott Nicholls has already said that if he doesn't qualify as of right then he doesn't deserve to be there. I'd hope he'd have enough integrity to live up to those words and decline any invitation proferred. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Did'nt say he would not take the invite though, I think Nicholls has more than proved his worth this year and had it not been for an injury would more than likely be higher in the standings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris26 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Did'nt say he would not take the invite though, I think Nicholls has more than proved his worth this year and had it not been for an injury would more than likely be higher in the standings. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> yes, I think Scott would have been at least above Jarek if he had been able to ride in Prague Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G the Bee Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I can’t believe there is such a clamour to have Bomber in the GP ahead of Loram or Steady, this subject has surfaced at least twice before……… <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You make it sound so clear cut, when the actual grounds for including Stead ahead of Bomber are shaky at best. If we are going to analyse statistics, let's look at the wider picture. Most improvement is totally irrelevant. Olly Allen has improved hugely this year, but he is not going to get a GP call up is he? The only thing going for Stead is that in GB (and GB alone) he is averaging more than Bomber. According to the stats in Speedway Star, this is by 0.32 per point. Hardly a huge amount. Based on Chris's current form, I would not be surprised to see him close that gap in the next week or two. However, let’s look at meetings in which they have ridden against each other over here. In heats against each other (Cov v. Belle Vue, Belle Vue v. Cov, Champ of GB and Cov. v. Poole) Bomber has beaten Stead 6 times to 4. At Brandon the other week, when Stead was a guest for Poole, he didn't get near to Chris. But this only tells half the story. The SGP is not held solely in Britain and internationally, Stead's form is not nearly as good as Bomber's. Look at the statistics from http://www.sportowefakty.pl/statelitserien.htm and http://www.sportowefakty.pl/stateliga.htm. In Sweden, Harris's average is over two points higher than Stead's (7.89 v. 5.53) and in Poland it is well over a point higher (6.00 v. 4.71). It's interesting to note the riders who Bomber is ahead of. Lindback, Loram, Zagar, Nicholls, Iversen, Hamill and Lindgren are all averaging less than him in Sweden. Add into the equation Stead's performances in front of BSI. He had a poor meeting in Cardiff this year, was outperformed by Bomber in the GP Qualification meeting and was dropped from Team GB (albeit harshly) for the World Cup. Indeed, whilst neither rider qualified from the Grand Prix Qualifying Meeting last month they did not achieve the same result at all. Bomber was a genuine contender for a GP place. What Bomber achieved in this meeting and what Stead didn't was, in front of BSI, Bomber showed, as he did in the World Cup, that he is capable of performing on the international stage. With his inclusion at Cardiff, Stead has been given more opportunities than Bomber to shine on the world stage this year and has not capitalised on them. So, looking at the wider picture instead of one set of statistics I agree, there is really no contest. Bomber every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzybird Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Indeed, whilst neither rider qualified from the Grand Prix Qualifying Meeting last month <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Your words not mine!!!! Neither qualified at the meeting yet had the chance to, Mark didn't compete because of a technicality (sp). (ooooooo now where have I heard this before ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzman Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I can’t believe there is such a clamour to have Bomber in the GP ahead of Loram or Steady, this subject has surfaced at least twice before……… <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We have already mentioned the fact that Bomber carries a higher average over Steady in both main foreign leagues of Poland and Sweden. Despite the fact in Poland, he has had to be a heat leader in a very poor side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benson30uk Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 steady average in this country is only higher than bombers because of his home form, bomber has a higher away average than steady so surely bomber would be a better bet for the gps as none of them are at belle vue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzman Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 It is almost impossible to take the Swedish averages seriously. You mention that Bomber is ahead of several GP riders, well so is J0000nas, he is ahead of Nicholls, Tonihumho, Zagar etc. If you’re not careful you’ll have shovlar on hear claiming a GP place for his favourite reserve!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats rubbish, you cant discard the swedish average just because of Jonas. If I remember quite rightly didnt Jonas look the bees knees in one of last year's Swedish GPs. He's just an extreme case and what about Jagus and many other Poles which continue to be in Top 20 in the Polish averages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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