Team Gb

[Woz01]

Harris and Woffinden are definites, the final two places will be between Kennett, Nicholls, Barker and Richardson if he wants to ride for GB.

Edited April 20, 2012 by woz01

[Dave_minall]

Harris and Woffinden are definites, the final two places will be between Kennett, Nicholls, Barker and Richardson if he wants to ride for GB.

 

We all know this is true.

 

I believe next year will be the year we see some new blood being introduced.

[Brummie Kev]

I reckon Harris, Woffinden and Nicholls should make it, the final place is not as clear cut. Barker was involved in the World Cup last year but I think his form in the Elite League this season has been disapointing. Only really the last meeting against Wolves did he show the form he had last season.

 

Kennett has come back and done very well for the Bee's so perhaps he is in pole position for the final spot. Simon Stead is another that perhaps is in contention, has been overlooked quite wrongly in the past. I wouldnt have Lee Richardson, he made his decsion to quit Team GB and I dont see why we should persuade him to return. That is for Lee Richardson to decide and he needs to be 100% up for a return.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Brummie Kev

[SCB]

Joking aside, Harris, Woffinden, Barker and another youngster. We're not going to win anything so lets at least give a couple of youngsters a chance. Kennett will never amount to much at this level so give up. Stead, see Kennett. King isn't even all that in the EL so no thanks. Nicholls, never seems to be that good in the SWC so leave him out. Let the likes of Cook, Auty, Mear and Bridger fight it out. I'd be tempted to go with Bridger myself, I still think he has whats it's got he just doesn't show it enough and if he clicks on day and finds it he's going to be able to use the experience of a few SWC meetings then.

[JCookie]

He's no better than Auty, if not worse!

 

give it a season or 2 and then he may be in with a shot. Until then it's far too soon.

 

Lets be fair Lawson will never be good enough to ride SWC, in a couple of years he'll be pushing 30.

 

As SCB says we may aswell try and blood some younger riders, even with 3 senior and 1 youngster we'd still beat the likes of USA/Finland/Germany.

[pandorum]

Sad part is there is no real way to judge Brit riders in terms of WTC. If we had a Young England set up (sorry Scotland and wales) and could pit youngsters like Mear, Cook etc against the likes of Poland/Denmark/Russia etc we might be able to see who was going to be worth giving chances to.

But speedway here thinks Team GB or England as it used to be known is a one week pony.

Riders doing well in a league is one thing but what if they do well in one league but are abject in another.

Barker did himself proud last year but what has he done internationally?

Auty seems to be doing well. I like Rob Mear.

Do we go with the old guard? If so to what exact purpose?

Giving youngsters a chance is one thing but they need more than a week at it.

We have so few riders in foreign leagues whilst the Poles, Aussies, Danes, Russians, Swedes etc are everywhere.

How do our young riders get the experience of riding internationally.

We all know we will not even get into the finals of the SWC. If we manage the semi final we will be doing well.

But what do we get out of this?

And how does this affect our future performances.

Until the BSPA take team GB seriously and try to educate and help the young riders who might one day become candidates for SWC by giving them all season long opportunities we will get nowhere.

A position we reached when we lost Mark Loram and have been for years now.

[crescent girl]

The remark about Richard Lawson being "too old" is an insult.

 

He didn't start speedway until he was 22,

 

Would you have disregarded John Louis at the same age?

[JCookie]

The remark about Richard Lawson being "too old" is an insult.

 

He didn't start speedway until he was 22,

 

Would you have disregarded John Louis at the same age?

 

Except no one said Lawson was "too old".

 

If he carries on his form he will probably be a good PL heatleader/EL reserve, nothing wrong with that. I'm sorry but if Simon Stead who was a 6-7 point EL rider at 28/29 was classed as no good then I don't see why Lawson is/will be.

 

And to mention John Louis in comparison is laughable.

Edited April 20, 2012 by JCookie

[SCB]

I've changed my mind. Just send Barker, Bridger, Mear and one senior rider, probably Woffy (who by age is certainly not the senior member). It'll beat anyone but the Swedes, Danes, Aussies and Poles anyway. At least if them youngsters do anything then Nigel can mess his pants in the commentary cupboard.

[stratton]

Joking aside, Harris, Woffinden, Barker and another youngster. We're not going to win anything so lets at least give a couple of youngsters a chance. Kennett will never amount to much at this level so give up. Stead, see Kennett. King isn't even all that in the EL so no thanks. Nicholls, never seems to be that good in the SWC so leave him out. Let the likes of Cook, Auty, Mear and Bridger fight it out. I'd be tempted to go with Bridger myself, I still think he has whats it's got he just doesn't show it enough and if he clicks on day and finds it he's going to be able to use the experience of a few SWC meetings then.

Kennett certainly is good anough,you have seen more of him than i are you telling me he isnt good anough for GB?.i like Harris, Nicholls,Woffinden,Barker, Bridger Auty,Stead,King and maybe Roynon,Mear Worrall,Howarth, in the future will step up to the plate its not all doom and gloom.

[SCB]

Kennett certainly is good anough,you have seen more of him than i are you telling me he isnt good anough for GB?.i like Harris, Nicholls,Woffinden,Barker, Bridger Auty,Stead,King and maybe Roynon,Mear Worrall,Howarth, in the future will step up to the plate its not all doom and gloom.

I've seen a lot of Kennett in the UK and think he's a very good EL rider. I've also followed his results in Sweden and Poland over the years and in the SWC, GP's (Cardiff) and GP qualifiers and he is not good enough.

 

It's one thing doing it in the EL but in the SWC he gets found out. He can't ride big tracks well enough so it spat out in quality competition. Steads the same only a little further back, decent enough EL rider but a nothing rider once he's abroad. For some weird reason British riders are incapable of travelling, Scott was always the same, he's always been a second string (or reserve) in Sweden and Poland yet over here he was a 10+ rider for a couple of season. We only see these riders on our tracks but they can't do it on the continent.

[junior fan]

I've seen a lot of Kennett in the UK and think he's a very good EL rider. I've also followed his results in Sweden and Poland over the years and in the SWC, GP's (Cardiff) and GP qualifiers and he is not good enough.

 

It's one thing doing it in the EL but in the SWC he gets found out. He can't ride big tracks well enough so it spat out in quality competition. Steads the same only a little further back, decent enough EL rider but a nothing rider once he's abroad. For some weird reason British riders are incapable of travelling, Scott was always the same, he's always been a second string (or reserve) in Sweden and Poland yet over here he was a 10+ rider for a couple of season. We only see these riders on our tracks but they can't do it on the continent.

 

Geez what do you do for fun, kill stray cats, 37000 odd posts and all of them negative tripe.

You must have been very good when you rode.

Junior

[SCB]

Geez what do you do for fun, kill stray cats, 37000 odd posts and all of them negative tripe.

You must have been very good when you rode.

Junior

Never claimed I rode so don't see the relevance. But I'm sure if a rider gets an engine back from a tuner and thinks it's crap they say so, they don't say, "well I couldn't do it myself"

 

You may think it's negative, many would see it as realistic, just what have Ed and Simon done outside of GB speedway? Go on, prove me wrong. Otherwise you may want to stick to the rules of the forum and attack the post, not the poster.

[wjm]

Kennet and Stead get away with their exciting, but erratic, race style in the EL, but at the top level they are found to be lacking, their seemingly constant need to turn corners that don’t exist scrubs their top level speed off IMO.

 

Ideal world side would be Harris, Richardson, Woffinden and Barker taking someone like Auty for the experience with the squad (although I fear he will go the same way as Kennet and Stead).

 

Being great to watch and continually involved in races in the EL doesn’t then mean you will make the step up to the top level. Continually being involved in races means you are lacking at the gate and struggling for track position thereafter.

[Trees]

Kennet and Stead get away with their exciting, but erratic, race style in the EL, but at the top level they are found to be lacking, their seemingly constant need to turn corners that don’t exist scrubs their top level speed off IMO.

Can they not do something about it, does Stead have to hang off his bike like he does, it looks crap. Do they not analyse their styles and try to correct what they do wrong, is that impossible for a speedway rider, that maybe the reason??

[SCB]

 

Can they not do something about it, does Stead have to hang off his bike like he does, it looks crap. Do they not analyse their styles and try to correct what they do wrong, is that impossible for a speedway rider, that maybe the reason??

Was Simon told as a 15 year old kid he was great and was going to be a top rider or did someone hit him with a spanner every time he lifted his leg off the foot rest or dropped his head below the handbars? Watch the top guys, yes they can do it, yes they do sometimes do it but it's a get out of trouble, very rare move. Weirdly the Brits think it's a must do, so damn annoying. The other thing is watch the kids, the GB kids all want to put their left foot down on the bends, compare that to foreign riders and see how many of their feet go down! But how many of them are being told this?

[wjm]

Can they not do something about it, does Stead have to hang off his bike like he does, it looks crap. Do they not analyse their styles and try to correct what they do wrong, is that impossible for a speedway rider, that maybe the reason??

 

Kennet baffles me more than Stead, maybe my memory is playing tricks on me but Kennet started with Rye and Eastbourne, as a younger rider I always remember him being neat, tidy, always looked in control.

 

Maybe he felt he needed to add more aggression to his racing style, it certainly has worked to an extent, love watching him.

 

But he seems to have lost that junior/school boy style that the likes of Hancock and to a lesser extent Howe have carried forward (I know Howe isn’t a top level rider but his style is how you should ride a bike IMO).

 

Same case with Hancock, Hancock is just a rider that does the basics but really quickly, not the most glamorous, rarely you see him with his head nearly touching the ground, or looking up to the sky mid corner, but he always carries forward motion.

 

 

Stead is a tall guy for a speedway rider so maybe that affects him, once you have a leggy style is all about how you “tuck your legs in” as such, you can still look tall and leggy but carry a very effective style (Zagar being a prime example IMO, kind of rider you could watch go around on his own).

 

Weird one, easy to say standing on this side of the fence, and having never raced a bike what the hell would fans know, but from where I stand/sit, it definitely looks to me like Stead and Kennet in particular are guilty of killing their speed and I would have thought someone would have advised them on it, maybe just becomes in built habit that you don’t know how to correct.

Edited April 23, 2012 by wjm

[SCB]

wjm, I think you can include Bridger in that list too.

 

You're right about Kennett becoming more aggressive, he lack any agression at all when he first signed for Coventry, good irder but wouldn't even block. as time has gone on he's grown a more ruthless streak, he's still no Nicki Pedersen, in fact he could still be a lot harder but he's at least willing to let the opposition know he's on track these days. Frustrating rider to watch is Ed, sometimes he is awesome but then minute later he is strubbing speed off, as you mentioned. Nice enough rider to have in your EL team TBF.

[stratton]

I've seen a lot of Kennett in the UK and think he's a very good EL rider. I've also followed his results in Sweden and Poland over the years and in the SWC, GP's (Cardiff) and GP qualifiers and he is not good enough.

 

It's one thing doing it in the EL but in the SWC he gets found out. He can't ride big tracks well enough so it spat out in quality competition. Steads the same only a little further back, decent enough EL rider but a nothing rider once he's abroad. For some weird reason British riders are incapable of travelling, Scott was always the same, he's always been a second string (or reserve) in Sweden and Poland yet over here he was a 10+ rider for a couple of season. We only see these riders on our tracks but they can't do it on the continent.

To be honest SCB, with Australia,Denmark,Poland, in it i think all the Brits fall a bit short Harris and Woffinden are only competetive.It looks more encouraging thou with some young talent emerging, saying that i dont even think it is even easy for us to just qualify. Edited April 23, 2012 by sidney

[wjm]

wjm, I think you can include Bridger in that list too.

 

You're right about Kennett becoming more aggressive, he lack any agression at all when he first signed for Coventry, good irder but wouldn't even block. as time has gone on he's grown a more ruthless streak, he's still no Nicki Pedersen, in fact he could still be a lot harder but he's at least willing to let the opposition know he's on track these days. Frustrating rider to watch is Ed, sometimes he is awesome but then minute later he is strubbing speed off, as you mentioned. Nice enough rider to have in your EL team TBF.

 

Bridger irritates me, not as a person (doesn’t bother me much about his attitude) but as a rider, should be doing a lot more. Maybe comes to easy for him and he seems to ride races sometimes like he is trying to amuse himself.

 

To be honest SCB, with Australia,Denmark,Poland, in it i think all the Brits fall a bit short Harris and Woffinden are only competetive.It looks more encouraging thou with some young talent emerging, saying that i dont even think it is even easy for us to just qualify.

 

I worry about the talent coming through, being brutal and harsh. After Woffinden there is nothing coming through that will be a threat on the SWC/GP stage IMO.