World Final V Grand Prix

[longlivefrankie]

ok now the GP season's almost at an end

 

what would you prefer a return to the old one off world final

or keep the GP's ?

 

ive been to dozens of both and i must say the old world final is for me.

nostalgia? perhaps and you gonna get duff meetings either way

 

but personally the olde mammoth qualifying route then a final i would choose

 

what would you pick?

[MARK246]

ok now the GP season's almost at an end

 

what would you prefer a return to the old one off world final

or keep the GP's ?

 

ive been to dozens of both and i must say the old world final is for me.

nostalgia? perhaps and you gonna get duff meetings either way

 

but personally the olde mammoth qualifying route then a final i would choose

 

what would you pick?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Have to go for the old one off final, got to be better than the "face fits club circus"

[Mateusz]

The GP series is far more fair and everyone winning it fully deserves to become the World Champ, even such Nicki P.

 

One day final would have its magic for sure but sometimes luck or track knowledge may play the main role.. Organise the final at Bydgoszcz and you already know the winner

[Paulco]

The old one-off World final for sure . Ok with the GP series the years best rider wins the title , but the uncertainty of a one-off final makes it special . A tapes exclusion , an EF or a fall can spoil it for one of the favourites and give us a Jerzy Sczakiel or Egon Muller . Plus with all the qualifying - anybody has the chance to be World Champion - not just the select few .

[BigFatDave]

The GP series is far more fair and everyone winning it fully deserves to become the World Champ, even such Nicki P.   

 

One day final would have its magic for sure but sometimes luck or track knowledge may play the main role.. Organise the final at Bydgoszcz and you already know the winner 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Couldn't agree more, M8! The more GP's the better.

[Dean]

I have to agree the one off final had all the excitment, plus the whole qualifying rounds(thats when the british final actually counted for something!!). Of course you got the odd shock result(Muller 83)but that added to the whole appeal. I guess the gp is much fairer, however if your good enough you would win in either format, look at Nielsen second two years on the bounce then champion in 86/87. The major problem for me with the gp, is seeing the same bloody riders each series!!I understand its given speedway a wider audience with sky, but i suspect its also been detramental to british league speedway also. One thing is certain the gp is here to stay, thats for sure!!!

[Mr. Clemens]

Give me the old one off world final every time

 

The qualifying rounds - would be as entertaining as any GP - most of them were as I remember - Kenny Carter's British Final performance - being one that a lot of people are recalling these days - since the publication of the KC story.

 

The GP are becoming too 'routine' these days = diluted thrills and the loss of interest in them that follow on from that

 

The more GP they have - the more diluted things will become

 

Nicki Pedersen said earlier on in the season that there ought to be just 8 GP's

That struck me weird - because I thought - if anyone should know there are plans for more GPs - the riders competing in the GPs should be the first to know - surely???

 

On saturday night I noted that when Nicki finally clinched the title - the low key response from the crowd - and a seeming 'lack of interest' in the fact - down in the pits area

 

As Nicki rode around the track after the race - it was almost as if he was looking round and saying to himself - 'Is there anyone here in this stadium???

 

Speedway is a 'romantic' sport - which people have forgotten - for that is what is wrong with speedway these days - the romance has gone - and there was nothing more romantic than the one off - World Individual Championship Final

 

Fundin Mauger Briggs Nielsen Olsen - et all - did all right out of it - the very same riders people confirm would dominate the Grand Prix if they were riding today

 

 

Yep give me the one off world final every time

Edited September 24, 2007 by Mr. Clemens

[spin king]

Have to say I prefer the old one offs, I think they add to the drama and the excitement, more than the Grand Prix.

[MattyHart]

I would prefer the one-off final,but then again whatever we say won't change it,we are only mere fans.

[T.N.T.]

One day finals were great, but you have to move forward.

 

The big down point in the one day finals was travelling to Sweden, Germany or wherever to see your star rider have an engine failure in heat one. Night Over.

 

With the GP's there will no longer be 1973 and 83 results.

[RPNY]

I used to love the old one off world finals. Also the British & Overseas finals were 2 of my favourite meetings of the year. However I think the GP is fairer, better run & gives the supportes most of the major nations a chance to see it live.

Also most of the same name used to appear year on year like in the GPs.. And if my memroy serves me correctly not all the one off finals were great to watch were they, there were a fair few stinkers in there..

[Silver Bee]

At the end of the day, BSI/IMG are businesses. They are in it to make money, quite simply. They would be mad to change from 10/11 money making GP to just 1 money making meeting.

[longlivefrankie]

I know we are unlikely ever to return to the one off finals (money etc) and you gotaa move on etc.

 

the question really was if you had a choice (excluding all the reasons why we cant)what would you choose

 

funnily enough it was the some what muted response when nicki fully deserving won the title, compared to my memories of seeing mauger, olsen, collins, briggs, fundin etc winning that prompted the question in my mind

 

as an added discussion

 

wnat about an alternative idea a GP type qualifying series (with more riders eg everybody having 6 out of 8 rounds) then a big one off final (top 16 scorers) at the end (which the $1,000 seems to be in some sense)

 

and how about GP round at cardiff... final at wembley then!

 

or has anybody got other ideas?

Edited September 25, 2007 by longlivefrankie

[pugwash]

GP system but go back to the old Elimination system after 4 heats. It certainly had more excitement "early doors".

[norbold]

With the GP's there will no longer be 1973 and 83 results.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At the risk of upsetting several people on here, was Mark Loram really the best in 2000 and was Nicki Pedersen really better than Jason Crump when he won the first time???

 

Maybe the GP series doesn't always find the best rider in the world either.

[The Know]

Grand prix is far better, there to much to chance in a one off. The best rider over 11 rounds is the true champion. It will never go back to a one off final.

[stevehone]

one off finals were all about excitement there on the day and knowing the winner at the end of it, and for me that's what i prefer.

 

you have the majority of GP's where you'd go away feeling like it was all a bit of an anti-climax as in a way nobody has won anything other than that meeting.

 

by saying that if it was at Bydgoszcz you might as well give it to Gollob, well who is to say he would make it through the qualifiers?

that was the beauty of the one-offs ... we had qualifiers that had different riders, and every meeting meant something, and all riders had something to fight for.

 

every now and again we had riders that could have a great season in the league and ride through to a world final, that's not possible now as it's more or less an invitation series and would take a long time to find your way to getting an invite.

[MARK246]

one off finals were all about excitement there on the day and knowing the winner at the end of it, and for me that's what i prefer.

 

you have the majority of GP's where you'd go away feeling like it was all a bit of an anti-climax as in a way nobody has won anything other than that meeting.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spot on post.

I have been to GP system meetings and it is flat compared to the old one off finals. There is a choice though no one forces anybody to go. Given the option the 75,000 that went to Wembley is now 40,000 at Cardiff and many at Cardiff eg. the Polish supporters possibly never got to Wembley.

Whether you agreed with the winner or not on the one off final it was all there and then much more exciting.

[fatface]

If you're thinking of a World Final as being in front of 90,000 screaming fans on a Saturday night at Wembley, then the answer is obvious. But if you're thinking about a World Final in front of 20,000 on a Sunday afternoon at Vojens or Pocking. Then the answer is also obvious.

 

The GPs was the right way to go for the sport...those Wembley nights were long gone by the time the one-off final was scrapped.

[norbold]

one off finals were all about excitement there on the day and knowing the winner at the end of it, and for me that's what i prefer.

 

you have the majority of GP's where you'd go away feeling like it was all a bit of an anti-climax as in a way nobody has won anything other than that meeting.

 

by saying that if it was at Bydgoszcz you might as well give it to Gollob, well who is to say he would make it through the qualifiers?

that was the beauty of the one-offs ... we had qualifiers that had different riders, and every meeting meant something, and all riders had something to fight for.

 

every now and again we had riders that could have a great season in the league and ride through to a world final, that's not possible now as it's more or less an invitation series and would take a long time to find your way to getting an invite.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I think you've summed it up nicely there, Steve.