British Final And Semi Finals

[Coventry_Bee]

As there were 4 riders in the final wasn't there 4 people who could have won it?? If we are going on about how it used to be then Scott Nicholls would be British Champion.

 

Seriously though,

 

it wasnt that bad a meeting with good passing, few crashes and despite Barker taking Nicholls wide to let his best mate through it was a good meeting. Better than some of the crap we see on sky ??

Edited June 15, 2010 by Coventry_Bee

[tyke]

only one comment, despite peoples memories being vague.

 

yes ther were big crowds in the 70's, i was one of them, but to suggest 10-12 could win was wrong, normally lee, collins, jessup and one other1

 

at most 4 in with a chance although all competitors were in the top league and most were heat leaders.

Sorry Phil, cant agree with that. After Mauger won his last title in 73, There was only one guy won it twice Lee 77&78 until Carter did in 84 & 85

 

They were

Wilson, Boocock, Louis, Simmons, Leex2 , Collins, Jessup , Bastable , Grahame (Andy) , Morton then Carter x2

 

In the last nine year's apart from Scott and Bomber only Screen in 2004 has lifted the title

[Fourentee]

 

I understand that Nicholls was gutted at not winning the title but in his interview at the end he came across as though he does not care about Cardiff, if that is the case, then don't go mate

 

In what was I think his final interview of the night he said that in a few days he would be ready to enjoy Cardiff and go out with a positive attitude about it (he had also spoken last week about how much he wanted the wildcard).

But he really desired that sixth title (see 21CH and Badge above) and all that was in his mind at the time (minutes after the final) was the night's disappointment.

That doesn't come across to me as not caring. That comes across as caring a great deal.

Edited June 15, 2010 by Fourentee

[London Witch]

I personally think Tai and Lee should've been seeded in. A British Final minus two of the top British riders just isn't right to me and I can't help but think that we were cheated of more good racing between the top riders.

 

Enjoyed the meeting and was delighted with Scott and Danny getting to the final. Bomber was a worthy winner, how he got up from that crash and rode again was amazing. Not a fan of Barker at all, but full credit to him, he rode well and got his rewards for it. No real surprises, but was pleased to see Jason King have a good night and was disappointed with the decision made against Schrammy.

[Trees]

The crowds everywhere are much lower than back then, not just for this meeting. Although it was a poor crowd for such a meeting. It doesn't get much more accessible than Monmore. Just a few miles off the M6 in the Midlands. There were fans there from such far flung places as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ipswich and Eastbourne (as well as many in between of course).

British Finals years ago didn't take place on a Monday night did they, might have been a few more fans in attendance had it been on Saturday night like it should be, or even Sunday afternoon!!

[Icicle]

Sky have shown PL and I'm sure they will again.

 

 

Umm When?? Sky said they were going to show MORE PL this season..so far only 1!!

[Sprog1]

Why should Tai and Lee been seeded in, they didn't qualify...end of. Thought we all moaned about the fact that the top guys used to get seeded in and how unfair it was

 

The trouble is we have this dichotomy in speedway where riders have to qualify for the national championship on merit but they can get seeded in to the GP's, having failed to qualify, just because they have a British passport.

If you are going to have a system of strict qualification for the British Final the same should apply to the GP's but if you are going to seed people into the GP's just because they have a British passport, even though they failed to qualify on merit then you might as well seed riders ito the British Final as well. Its daft to have one thing for the British Final and another thing for the GP's

[Badge]

The trouble is we have this dichotomy in speedway where riders have to qualify for the national championship on merit but they can get seeded in to the GP's, having failed to qualify, just because they have a British passport.

If you are going to have a system of strict qualification for the British Final the same should apply to the GP's but if you are going to seed people into the GP's just because they have a British passport, even though they failed to qualify on merit then you might as well seed riders ito the British Final as well. Its daft to have one thing for the British Final and another thing for the GP's

Well we can't dictate over the GP's but surely qualification is the fairest means, just take a rider in point, (whether you agree he should have been in the final or not) but Chris Schramm has NEVER been invited before this year to enter the qualification rounds (these are the one's for the lowly riders to ride in, as in years gone by we have had seeded riders straight through),when he was no worse than many of the other PL riders taking part, he wasn't included even when he was EL with us. Well I'm sorry but he had every right as a British rider to have a go, and this year they seemed to get it right, although I do agree that it was a bit unfair for Tai to have to ride in the Sheffield qualifier due to his GP commitments, but Lee Richardson got injured on the night, and so, like any other rider was unable to qualify.

 

I was actually chuffed to see how much it mean't to them all last night, so perhaps there is some pride in British speedway after all

 

Also, no-one has mentioned this, of course no rider could be accused of home track advantage last night either

[Ellesmere Gunner]

Correct me if I am wrong? I was at the meeting and was none too impressed with the track, given I was looking from terraces and not riding it!The second bend in particular seemed to be causing no end of problems but hey I am no Track Custodian it is just an observation! In fact I feel that from watching TV meetings this season with the odd exception track prep. has been poor.

[tigerblues]

I didn't think last night was a bad meeting, of course congratulations to Bomber who I felt was a deserved winner. Scotty deserved his wildcard and I look forward to seeing him back at Cardiff.. he can just relax and enjoy it this year with no pressure.. he was gutted not to be British Champion again, but I'm sure he'll be up for Cardiff

 

Ben Barker.. the effort and passion he puts into all his racing is just superb and it really shows on track.. one thing you absolutely can not accuse him of is not trying as you always get 100%. He just wants to race and do his best, what more do people want of him!? I think he did brilliantly last night, whatever people write on here about what he might get up to off track, his attitude to speedway is fantastic and I wish one or two were a bit more like him. Well done Ben

 

Also, the PL riders. To those who felt ripped off by the line-up.. you all knew the line-up beforehand and nobody forced you to go. Some of the comments about PL riders are just disrespectful IMO. Riders like Clewsy, Frampton, Tully to name a few all qualified so whatever you think, they deserved to be there, it's that simple.

[jenga]

you are oh so............... correct.

the only time you wont get a point is when you and your machine cross the finish line apart, ie. not touching your machine , or you get outside assistance. ie. track staff etc touching your bike.

[stevebrum]

Have a day off. It wasn't the EL final, it was the British Final. There were 2 semi finals, the top 8 from each semi qualified for the final. Not so hard to grasp really is it?

 

I take it you weren't a fan of the old qualifying system when EVERYBODY was given an equal chance of qualifying for the World Final?

 

 

Lets be clear. There was little wrong with the recent seedings system.

 

Gone are the day when England ruled the speedway world, there was an abundance of decent British riders and we were a high profile sport.

 

You cant compare the OLD style qualifying rounds to the current ones or the importance more importantly.

 

We want a British Final that will show the best there is - not allow the likes of Richardson to not qualify because he is ill. No wonder the Poles or Swedes or Danes have no fears tuning in to watch that uneven line up.

 

I suppose you would prefer a one off world final with half a dozen inferior riders fighting it out i guess.

 

As far as SKY goes - of course there EL bias as they should.

 

Its like saying Match of the Day is pro Championship

[Bessiebee]

I didn't think last night was a bad meeting, of course congratulations to Bomber who I felt was a deserved winner. Scotty deserved his wildcard and I look forward to seeing him back at Cardiff.. he can just relax and enjoy it this year with no pressure.. he was gutted not to be British Champion again, but I'm sure he'll be up for Cardiff

 

Ben Barker.. the effort and passion he puts into all his racing is just superb and it really shows on track.. one thing you absolutely can not accuse him of is not trying as you always get 100%. He just wants to race and do his best, what more do people want of him!? I think he did brilliantly last night, whatever people write on here about what he might get up to off track, his attitude to speedway is fantastic and I wish one or two were a bit more like him. Well done Ben

 

Also, the PL riders. To those who felt ripped off by the line-up.. you all knew the line-up beforehand and nobody forced you to go. Some of the comments about PL riders are just disrespectful IMO. Riders like Clewsy, Frampton, Tully to name a few all qualified so whatever you think, they deserved to be there, it's that simple.

 

Good post, I agree with everything you have said

[T.N.T.]

yes ther were big crowds in the 70's, i was one of them, but to suggest 10-12 could win was wrong, normally lee, collins, jessup and one other1

 

at most 4 in with a chance although all competitors were in the top league and most were heat leaders.

 

Collins, Morton, Jessup, Lee, Louis, Betts, Simmons, Ray Wilson, Kennett, Lee, Boocock ..... all big hitters in the 70's early 80's not to mention Pusey, Wyer, Reg Wilson etc etc

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong? I was at the meeting and was none too impressed with the track, given I was looking from terraces and not riding it!

 

The second bend in particular seemed to be causing no end of problems but hey I am no Track Custodian it is just an observation! In fact I feel that from watching TV meetings this season with the odd exception track prep. has been poor.

 

Your wrong !

 

Monmore Green has the advantage of having numerous race lines although the two main ones used are either tight to the kerb or blast around the apex of the bend (roughly 2 yards from fence). There is always plenty of dirt on the track and even when its slick it has more grip than many other tracks. This means riders are not used to grippy tracks and set up to get out of the gates quicker.

 

When they exit a turn, they pull hard on the gas and often this causes them to lift. Some riders like Lewis Bridger and Tai Woffinden can often be seen going down the back straight on one wheel, especially when they come off bend 2 on the inside which always has loads of grip if you hit the right line .... (ie ... Karlsson's Corridoor)

 

 

As for other tracks preparation .... You MAY be correct ?

[RPNY]

Well living on the other side of the world I only got to see a Sky re run last night & I have to say I thought it was a good meeting. No major suprises, but plenty of incident & passing, all in all a decent British final & I'm happy Scott is the Cardiff Wild Card as in my opinion he is the most likely to make an impact on the day.

 

If I could change a few things about the british final, firstly Id like to see 8 seeded and then a semi final for the other 8. Half the field is a pretty fair split & means we dont get a situation like Tai & Lee again. Secondly I'd love to see it at a big fast track like P'boro, K Lynn, Sheff and on either a Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I appreciate that it's logistically not the easiest but I think it would add to the etertainment and attract more fans. My real 1st choice would be to have it at Coventry but that would be to unfair with the amount of Bees riders in the field at present...

 

The interviews showed me that the riders all really still care for this title. Scott was devestated. I don't think he is not bothered about Cardiff, more that he just really wanted to br British Champion.

 

All in all I thought it was a good meeting, well done bomber & Scotty, here's to Cardiff!

[cityrebel]

British Finals years ago didn't take place on a Monday night did they, might have been a few more fans in attendance had it been on Saturday night like it should be, or even Sunday afternoon!!

the british finals i went to in the 1970's were all mid week, west ham on a tuesday and coventry on wednesdays. it never stopped the crowds from turning up in big numbers.

[Silver Bee]

The biggest problem with the qualifying system this year was having the 2 semis at big flat out open tracks then having the final at Monmore.

 

I'm not knocking Monmore, love it as a track, but the reason some of these boys made the final was because they are big track men, to then put the surprise packages round a track that's completely different to the one they've qualified on seems ridiculous and was half the reason the meeting wasn't as good as it should have been.

[Pinny]

People need to get a grip.

 

If Tai was so good he would of qualified from the 3 heats at Sheffield, a track he knows well, and Richardson would of gone through at KL, a track he also knows well.

 

Just because people think these are two of our best riders, they dont have a god given right to be in the final.

 

They were up against lesser opposition on their respective nights and were beaten and didnt qualify. Nobodys fault but their own.

 

Woffinden extremely over rated anyway. Nothing but average for Wolves this year and is being totally humiliated in the GP's where as Zorro, the man who "should never of been in it", is just outside the top 8 with more than double Woffindens points and has already made a final.

 

Woffinden thinks he is a lot better than he is, hes another rider who has reached a stand still after showing a lot of promise earlier in his career. The likes of Ward and Holder are much better prospects.

 

So why people are moaning because we didnt have Tai or Richardson in the final, get a grip. They werent good enough in the semis, end of story.

[barrow boy]

The biggest problem with the qualifying system this year was having the 2 semis at big flat out open tracks then having the final at Monmore.

 

I'm not knocking Monmore, love it as a track, but the reason some of these boys made the final was because they are big track men, to then put the surprise packages round a track that's completely different to the one they've qualified on seems ridiculous and was half the reason the meeting wasn't as good as it should have been.

Exactly

[Cornishman]

People need to get a grip.

 

If Tai was so good he would of qualified from the 3 heats at Sheffield, a track he knows well, and Richardson would of gone through at KL, a track he also knows well.

 

Just because people think these are two of our best riders, they dont have a god given right to be in the final.

 

They were up against lesser opposition on their respective nights and were beaten and didnt qualify. Nobodys fault but their own.

 

Woffinden extremely over rated anyway. Nothing but average for Wolves this year and is being totally humiliated in the GP's where as Zorro, the man who "should never of been in it", is just outside the top 8 with more than double Woffindens points and has already made a final.

 

Woffinden thinks he is a lot better than he is, hes another rider who has reached a stand still after showing a lot of promise earlier in his career. The likes of Ward and Holder are much better prospects.

 

So why people are moaning because we didnt have Tai or Richardson in the final, get a grip. They werent good enough in the semis, end of story.

 

 

Not really fair to say Rico wasn't good enough. His bike packed up in his first ride and he fell in his 2nd ride leaving him unfit to take his other 3 rides.