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Who Was The Most Frustrating Rider?


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Hot on the heels of the successful 'rider you didn't take to' thread, how about this one?

 

Who is the most frustrating rider you have come across. You know, the one with bags of talent who is a world beater one day and a muppet the next.

 

To start the ball rolling let me introduce - Birmingham, Leicester and Cradley favourite Finn Jensen.

 

I recall him notching a 15 point max for Birmingham one week beating Ole Olsen twice and I think he scored nil the week after!

 

I recall him riding for Cradley at Belle Vue and coming in for Erik after one of his tpe touches - beat the Aces number one and then messed up Heat 2 against the reserves.

 

It's a tough one to beat but I'm sure there must be others out there!

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Justin EF Elkins must have driven more promotors managers and supporters mad than anyone luckily he never signed for us

 

Beat me to that one...

 

Close behind was Jarno Kosonen of the class of Edinburgh '97... Was 3 bike lengths ahead of everyone out the start in every race he rode... By the end of lap 1, he was 3 bike lengths behind everyone...

Can't complain too much though, we replaced him with the one and only Motor Carr and the rest was history...

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Bo Brhel for me. Would win a race comfortably then go back to the pits, tinker with his bike and be nowhere in his next heat. Arrrrggggghhhhhhh! Fantastic in full flight though.

Edited by Bagpuss
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To start the ball rolling let me introduce - Birmingham, Leicester and Cradley favourite Finn Jensen.

 

Damn! You beat me to that one. :P I wouldn't even say 'rode like a world beater one day and a muppet the next' as Finn could manage this feat during the same meeting. 3 - 0 - 3 - 0. I so dislike riders like that and would much rather support one who gets four 3rd places, or even four lasts as long as they were trying their best.

I suppose a more up to date version would be Krystof Kasprzak. So annoying if he didn't gate or wasn't in the mood - which was often last season for Coventry.

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How about Col Cottrell?

 

Graham Plant had much talent but he was continually let down by his bikes.

At Halifax a leading mechanic offered to look after his bikes for ten quid a week, Planty refused it saying it was too much. He must have been losing a lot more due to the famous fire engine spluttering and banging all the time. He was a great rider and could have done much better. Craig Pendlebury was another, he would out gate everyone and then breakdown while well clear, time after time.
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Simon Walker, without doubt.

 

One of the best racing styles I have ever seen, and some of the moves he pulled off around the Oak Tree Arena had to be seen to be believed. The frustrating part was after seeing him notch up double figure scores and being the League's finest on a Friday, to then looking like a wobbling junior on a away track the following night. I really believe Simon had bags of talent, but just seemed to lack self belief that was required to go any further than he did in the sport and proved he could do it on away tracks - just sadly not enough. A joy to watch at the Oak Tree Arena though.

 

James Wright is worthy of a mention in this thread too - would ride the race of his life, going from last to first, making passes inside and outside and then when you need him most in Heat 14 to dig out a result would coast around mid track behind someone had failed to score all night. Another rider who could be brilliant on his day.

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I'd say Charlie Gjedde when i saw him in Germany.Often great to watch and won a fair number of exciting races,but all too often suffered an e.f usually when out in front and cost the team

 

 

Pletschacher on Ice Speedway.Lightening out of the gate and then drops back.........

Edited by iris123
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Hot on the heels of the successful 'rider you didn't take to' thread, how about this one?

 

Who is the most frustrating rider you have come across. You know, the one with bags of talent who is a world beater one day and a muppet the next.

 

To start the ball rolling let me introduce - Birmingham, Leicester and Cradley favourite Finn Jensen.

 

I recall him notching a 15 point max for Birmingham one week beating Ole Olsen twice and I think he scored nil the week after!

 

I recall him riding for Cradley at Belle Vue and coming in for Erik after one of his tpe touches - beat the Aces number one and then messed up Heat 2 against the reserves.

 

It's a tough one to beat but I'm sure there must be others out there!

I saw this title and the first rider who came to mind - Finn Jensen, being a Wolves fan all those years ago we never knew what to expect!

Steve Lomas during his Hackney days. Couldn't score a point in the match then would come out and beat the opposing number one in the second half. Not just occasionally but every flippin week. Even uncle Len said we had a tail that only wagged in the second half.

Another intriguing one - when he came to Wolves he came at the end of one season averaged about 2.6, then the following season in about 6-8 challenge matches he was averaging nearly 7, the league matches started and he went straight back down to 2.76! Even riding against the same teams he scored loads of points against in the challenge meetings!

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Jensen certainly what an a enigma he was,for me though it was Malc Holloway at his best he could beat anybody.Remember for Reading at Bradford he scored 0 then 2 days later he got 12 plus 3 paid max against the same team he beat Carter three times he was my favourite ever rider with Briggo and Lee.

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Adam Allott (gate like the wind but if not .....), Bo Brhel (not in his last season), Leigh Adams (never quite doing enough for the big prize! but hell was he wonderful to watch round Lynn), Kozza Smith (the feeling of will or won't he stay on, has improved though :-) ), Daniel Nermark (for his first/second bend antics) and last one Michael Lee for cutting his career short!!!

Edited by Trees
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Daz Sumner. Subline white liner, like a raw junior on the outside

Was fantastic to watch at Ellfield Park. Truly comical at the County Ground.

Malcolm Corradine was another total enigma we had the pleasure of at Cleveand Park in 1979.

Any long standing Tigers fans remember his exploits at the Harbour Club in Weymouth that year.

Edited by simmo1958
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