24th August 2013 Gp Challenge @ Poole

[fullbore]

Sensibly so as he was too young and unprepared

 

Obviously not grown up enough to make that clear before he was announced as being in the series.

 

Niamh

[Pirate Nick]

 

 

Obviously not grown up enough to make that clear before he was announced as being in the series.

 

Niamh

 

Obviously not arrogant enough to assume he would be offered that place and waited until they offered it and turned it down.

[Pinny]

Harris had his chance here and didnt qualify.

 

Plenty of riders with a better shout than him for a wild card

[PHILIPRISING]

DON'T think he has much if any chance of a wild card pick and, paradoxically, if he ends up as first reserve that won't help either

[Humphrey Appleby]

That's a pretty good deal. I was unaware, or had forgotten, that the riders had frieght paid for.

 

Except riders have got to get their gear to Amsterdam, presumably at their own expense.

[PHILIPRISING]

Except riders have got to get their gear to Amsterdam, presumably at their own expense.

 

NOT a big deal ... each rider (or rather his mechanics) has his own time frame within a two-day period for delivering his equipment to the freight depot where they each have their own container.

[Humphrey Appleby]

NOT a big deal ... each rider (or rather his mechanics) has his own time frame within a two-day period for delivering his equipment to the freight depot where they each have their own container.

 

300-odd quid on the ferry to get a van to Amsterdam, plus fuel, plus mechanic wages.

[Mark]

300-odd quid on the ferry to get a van to Amsterdam, plus fuel, plus mechanic wages.

 

not bad for a week in NZ for 4 people and didn't some of the riders go via USA or Australia last year. Wish I could afford that.

 

Obviously not grown up enough to make that clear before he was announced as being in the series.

 

It was well publicized It was the year Poland only allowed one GP rider per team. He would have lost his main income as his Polish team already had a GP rider. Very sensible decision you would agree

Edited August 27, 2013 by marky

[Humphrey Appleby]

not bad for a week in NZ for 4 people and didn't some of the riders go via USA or Australia last year.

 

A long way to go for just a week, and if I were going there for work I'd want all my expenses paid.

 

A few hundred quid is not the huge in the scheme of running in the SGP, but somehow I doubt Lewis Hamilton has to take his car to Schiphol when he drives in the Australian GP!

[PHILIPRISING]

300-odd quid on the ferry to get a van to Amsterdam, plus fuel, plus mechanic wages.

 

WHO says they have to get a ferry? Mechanics are being paid anyway? Haven't heard a word of complaint from any of the riders about getting their equipment to Amsterdam. It is very convenient for them.

 

Even you must have had a couple tonight to compare F1 to speedway... but then you never miss an opportunity to have a pop at the SGP.

 

Greg Hancock obviously travels from Los Angeles and Chris Holder came from Sydney but their travel expenses are also met and in both cases their equipment comes from Poland via Amsterdam. Your point is?

[LagutaRacingFan]

Why are riders in the GP's paid a pittance?

It's a disgrace, The sooner the BSI stop leeching off the leagues the better.

 

Hopefully they go bankrupt and the leeches end up leaving our sport and One Sport who value riders and pay them decent money can take over the world championships.

 

The leagues having to subsidize the Grand Prix series is a complete and utter disgrace, No wonder speedway's dying in Britain.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Hougaard Racing Fans

[PHILIPRISING]

HOW many times a day does the asylum let you loose on a keyboard?

[fullbore]

Very sensible decision you would agree

 

Had he made it clear all along that Poland was more important than the GPs to him...

 

Niamh

Edited August 28, 2013 by Niamh

[Mark]

Had he made it clear all alone that Poland was more important than the GPs to him...

 

that sentence is gibberish

[Chris Brown]

Harris had his chance here and didnt qualify.

 

Plenty of riders with a better shout than him for a wild card

 

Twice this year I might add

 

The idea of yet another wild card is ridiculous. He has ridden is 6 GP series and finished 9th, 13th, 14th, 6th, 11th and 12th so after getting a freebie in for 2007 has qualfied only once previously and been given 5 handouts, time for someone else

 

Nothing against him but 5 wild card picks is at least 3 too many for one rider

[Ghostwalker]

Twice this year I might add

 

The idea of yet another wild card is ridiculous. He has ridden is 6 GP series and finished 9th, 13th, 14th, 6th, 11th and 12th so after getting a freebie in for 2007 has qualfied only once previously and been given 5 handouts, time for someone else

 

Nothing against him but 5 wild card picks is at least 3 too many for one rider

 

I agree Freddie Lindgren have also 6 GP-season and have only qualified twice (one top 8 2012+ CP Ch 2010).

So IMO he have had his chances as well (unless he qualify via the GP Ch.).

[Triple.H.]

 

 

That's a pretty good deal. I was unaware, or had forgotten, that the riders had frieght paid for. I was only going on previous posts in forums mentioning massive costs for riders.

 

Will the same payments apply if there are GP's in Australia (i presume so) and the USA? Doesn't look like an Argentinian GP is likely to surface, would be a great four 'world' GP's to have mind. Sad to see no mention of China recently who are getting most sports to stage a showpiece event there.

China would probably demand straight through exhaust pipes to keep up pollution levels and noise.

They could have cycle speedway too surely the Chinese could raise a team.

[T.N.T.]

First let me say that I didn't agree with Bomber riding in the GP Challenge and thought Krzysztof Buczkowski should have ridden being next in line.

 

 

He did ride and did a good job to score 10 points and now has to wait and see if Smolinski gets in because of Iversen being Top 8 after being given 5th place due to heat wins ...... however

 

 

Dryml wasn't given the extra place last season when Crump announced his retirement before the end of the campaign.

 

 

When you look back at previous GP Challenge finals, there is a question that needs answering

 

 

The GP Challenge in 2012 had 5 riders finish on 10 points behind KK on 11. These were

 

2 Matej Zagar 1 3 3 2 1 = 10

3 Niels Kristian Iversen 3 2 2 2 1 = 10

4 Ales Dryml 1 2 2 3 2 = 10

5 Leon Madsen 1 3 1 2 3 = 10

6 Troy Batchelor 3 3 0 3 1 = 10

 

Heat wins were NOT taken into account and if they were, Troy Batchelor and Leon Madsen would have qualified instead of Iversen and Zagar after run offs

 

 

In 2010, Freddie, Kolodiej and Zetterstrom finised on 11 points behind Artem Laguta and Lindback on 12.

 

3 Fredrik Lindgren 3 3 2 1 2 = 11

4 Janusz Kolodziej 3 3 3 2 0 = 11

5 Magnus Zetterstroem 2 3 0 3 3 = 11

 

Had they have gone on heat wins, Janusz Kolodiej would have qualified ahead of Zorro and Freddie 5th and not had a run off.

 

 

If Smolinski IS to take the third qualifying position due to Iversen finishing Top 8 .....

 

Why did he not have a run off with Chris Harris as has been done in previous years for the last qualifying place ?

[waiheke1]

Why did he not have a run off with Chris Harris as has been done in previous years for the last qualifying place ?

Because as you yourself point out, thisd is not the same as previous years. In previous years the run offs were for the last qualifying spot. This year the tie was for the first reserve spot, which while it may end up being the last qualifying spot (due to NKI), is still not the same thing. Either way, I do agree that it bizarre that they wouldn't have a run off for the first reserve spot!

 

I think what the zagar episode (as well as the absence of a run off for the reserve spot, which is likely to end final qualifying spot) is that the GP riders should be excluded form the GP qualifiers. As someone else has suggested above, I think they should go back to the regional qualifying methods.

 

So, as the quarter finals I’d have an overseas final (brits, us, aus and nz), Nordic final (sdes, dane,s finns, Norwegians), and two “continental” semis. Follow this with an inter-continental final and a continental final, then a GP qualifying final, the winner only straight into the gps, places 2-9 into a GP Challnege, here they would meet places 9-14 from the gps, the under 21 champion (seeded), and national champion of the nation hosting the GP challenge. Top three in the GP challenge meeting to the next series, leaving three permanent wild card places available.

 

Hosts of the respective stages to be guaranteed one rider, so the inner of the National Championship (or top placed not in the gp series) to be seeded to that stage, avoiding the possibility of riders being eliminated and then re-eentering the qualifiers.

[f-s-p]

First let me say that I didn't agree with Bomber riding in the GP Challenge and thought Krzysztof Buczkowski should have ridden being next in line.

 

 

He did ride and did a good job to score 10 points and now has to wait and see if Smolinski gets in because of Iversen being Top 8 after being given 5th place due to heat wins ...... however

 

 

Dryml wasn't given the extra place last season when Crump announced his retirement before the end of the campaign.

 

 

When you look back at previous GP Challenge finals, there is a question that needs answering

 

 

The GP Challenge in 2012 had 5 riders finish on 10 points behind KK on 11. These were

 

2 Matej Zagar 1 3 3 2 1 = 10

3 Niels Kristian Iversen 3 2 2 2 1 = 10

4 Ales Dryml 1 2 2 3 2 = 10

5 Leon Madsen 1 3 1 2 3 = 10

6 Troy Batchelor 3 3 0 3 1 = 10

 

Heat wins were NOT taken into account and if they were, Troy Batchelor and Leon Madsen would have qualified instead of Iversen and Zagar after run offs

 

 

In 2010, Freddie, Kolodiej and Zetterstrom finised on 11 points behind Artem Laguta and Lindback on 12.

 

3 Fredrik Lindgren 3 3 2 1 2 = 11

4 Janusz Kolodziej 3 3 3 2 0 = 11

5 Magnus Zetterstroem 2 3 0 3 3 = 11

 

Had they have gone on heat wins, Janusz Kolodiej would have qualified ahead of Zorro and Freddie 5th and not had a run off.

 

 

If Smolinski IS to take the third qualifying position due to Iversen finishing Top 8 .....

 

Why did he not have a run off with Chris Harris as has been done in previous years for the last qualifying place ?

run offs are ridden for top3 finishes and for reserve slots in the next round. There is no next round in this case and therefore countback is the way to decide the order. In six months the next FIM rulebook will be out. Read it and let us know if the bigwigs thought this rule should be tuned...