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Despite the cobblers often posted on here the current system of qualifiers and wildcards is the fairest selection process ever used and pretty much guarantees the best 15 riders in the world contest the series, Harris aside.

I take your point, though I'm not sure it "guarantees" the "best" 15 riders in the world. One of the problems is the riders who come, say 9-13 in the Grand Prix a couple of years running. You have riders like Freddie Lindgren and possibly next year Andreas Jonsson for example who don't get picked because they've "had their chance" and yes, it's almost certainly true they are never going to win, nor maybe even get into the top 8, but, actually they are probably in the top 15 in the world.

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1970 was the worst example with 6 Poles seeded straight to the final. In the main they were, by the world standards of the day, pretty average riders as well.

 

Even right up to the 90s 5 places were given over to sub standard continental riders, although they did have a qualification process for those places

 

Despite the cobblers often posted on here the current system of qualifiers and wildcards is the fairest selection process ever used and pretty much guarantees the best 15 riders in the world contest the series, Harris aside.

 

Not sure it's fair to call the six Poles in 1970 "average". They provided the World No 2 and World No 3 that year. ;)

 

And the Pole who qualified "fifth" by the criteria the Poles used in 1973.... well, he only went and won the whole darned thing. :wink:

 

But yes, I agree, the old qualification system used to be rather strange at times. At that one point around 1982-1984, the Americans probably had 5 or 6 of the best 16 riders in the world, and yet only four could make it out of the American Final into one of the quarter-finals (the Overseas Final).

 

And Bomber is currently 11th. Yep, Hampel is injured, I'll give you that one, but he's still ahead of Batch, THJ and KK. Here's to Bomber finishing in the top three of the challenge again this year. :cheers:

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam
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Not sure it's fair to call the six Poles in 1970 "average". They provided the World No 2 and World No 3 that year. ;)

 

But yes, I agree, the old qualification system used to be rather strange at times. At that one point around 1982-1984, the Americans probably had 5 or 6 of the best 16 riders in the world, and yet only four could make it out of the American Final into one of the quarter-finals (the Overseas Final).

 

And Bomber is currently 11th. Yep, Hampel is injured, I'll give you that one, but he's still ahead of Batch, THJ and KK. Here's to Bomber finishing in the top three of the challenge again this year. :cheers:

All the best

Rob

 

 

The Brits suffered similarly.

 

Take 1978. Yes we guaranteed 4 places, but this in a time when more were easily capable of qualifying but because of the system it was impossible.

 

If I recall up the very early 80s the Americans were restricted to 2 possible riders in the world final and prior to the mid 70s they had no route into the final at all.

 

No one doubts that the current system isn't perfect but it is far better than what went in years gone by.

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I take your point, though I'm not sure it "guarantees" the "best" 15 riders in the world. One of the problems is the riders who come, say 9-13 in the Grand Prix a couple of years running. You have riders like Freddie Lindgren and possibly next year Andreas Jonsson for example who don't get picked because they've "had their chance" and yes, it's almost certainly true they are never going to win, nor maybe even get into the top 8, but, actually they are probably in the top 15 in the world.

It's also impossible to have the top 15 in the GP series over the season as the top 15 is quite fluid. Over the course of a season there might actually have been 30odd riders who have at any give time been in the top 15.

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In 2002 GP season we had four riders Crump 2nd, Sullivan 3rd, Adams 4th, and Todd Wiltshire who competed in the whole series. Incidently those four riders are our best ever WTC side having won the WTC final in 99, 00, and 02.

At the Aussie GP in 2002 Jason Lyons, Steve Johnston, and Mick Poole, were seeded into the elimination heats (without success) giving us seven riders in the field for the Australian GP.

I can't recall Jason Lyons competing in a full GP season.

 

Actually it was Sweden who won in 2000, although your country did play a part in their victory with Crump and Adams riding those prototype bikes with brakes in the last race when the Swedes needed a 5-1 to force a run-off with England. Yep, it still rankles!

 

Not to mention of course, the Danes also giving them a 'helping hand' (or should that be helping Hans) 4 years later.

 

Maybe the Swedes are just nicer people!

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Such a shame that by far the greatest talent in World speedway has, SO FAR, wasted his talent due to his own stupidity, but lets hope he has finally learnt his lesson and we will now benefit from seeing his skills on the World platform for many many years to come. Really hope he has a wildcard for the GP next season (along with the next best rider in the World, Emil) as the series desperately needs a big injection of quality after this years weak competition and the foregone conclusion (injury permitting) "cheap" World title win for Woffendon

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It is good to see Darcy perform so well, since his comeback..

 

Apart from Poole away, he has been rattling up the points for the Robins and even broke the Wolverhampton track record yesterday

 

I would put a lot of that down to the professional approach to the sport that exists at Swindon under Rosco :t:

 

Darcy 'the boy' is turning into Darcy 'the man' under Rosco and Darcy should bear that in mind when considering his future ;)

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Such a shame that by far the greatest talent in World speedway has, SO FAR, wasted his talent due to his own stupidity, but lets hope he has finally learnt his lesson and we will now benefit from seeing his skills on the World platform for many many years to come. Really hope he has a wildcard for the GP next season (along with the next best rider in the World, Emil) as the series desperately needs a big injection of quality after this years weak competition and the foregone conclusion (injury permitting) "cheap" World title win for Woffendon

This GP series is not the best, so i feel it needs Ward, Emil, Laguta, Pawlicki (Jnr) .Ok the old world finals were not always the best , but this GP series SHOULD be the best but it is not and the Euro championships line up is on par.
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Time to leave Darcy Ward alone IMO - although the ongoing vendetta trait is a recognised feature on the BSF I suppose: motto seems to be never forgive and never forget!

why do you come on here if you dont like peoples opinions that differ to yours??

Ths Bsf is this, the Bsf is that!!.....facebook is great etc etc Time to stop this vendetta if you ask me :)

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Its easier to forgive someone, Gustix, when they are genuinely regretful over the problems/harm they have caused.

Try and convince me that Darcy has done that.

He has, give it up.

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This GP series is not the best, so i feel it needs Ward, Emil, Laguta, Pawlicki (Jnr) .Ok the old world finals were not always the best , but this GP series SHOULD be the best but it is not and the Euro championships line up is on par.

I think the gp line up is stronger Sid, not by a lot, but is stronger imo

He has, give it up.

Do u have a link to it? Was it part of his long awaited statement?
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