racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 (edited) Some observations after a fantastic weekend of GP speedway and visiting Berlin. The racing was top drawer on Saturday but if I heard the announcements correctly there was only one reserve at the meeting-surely Cyfer moved into the meeting early enough for the FIM to get a replacement, Is it about time the FIM also looked at who qualifies for a semi and possible injury to those riders-because one day we could get 2 semi-final qualifiers injured together in the one semi to make it a no race(2 starters only ) . Having now been at both Polish GP`s this season-whilst the pitifully small Bydgoszcz attendance wasn`t repeated here-Gorzow was by no means full, and certainly the price of tickets cannot be the reason-I paid all in £22 for 1st bend and some mates of mine paid £17 only for 3rd bend tickets-amazing value. it set me thinking that the Gollob factor could be one of the main reasons.Kasprzak(apart from in Gorzow) and Hampel don`t have the same appeal to the Polish fans. If Gorzow v Zielona Gora sells out,why has the GP got several 1,000 unsold seats. Maybe Poland is so used to top quality line-ups for their league racing,plus having 3 GP`s a season-they are just not enough of a draw for fans to travel miles to watch it. Finally had a glimpse of Berlin`s history yesterday on a bus tour-and would recommend a visit. Edited September 1, 2014 by racers and royals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DutchGrasstrack Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Racing pics from Gorzow here: http://www.baansportfansite.nl/nieuws/446/sensationele-grand-prix-in-gorzow-.html Fantastic GP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Various discussion on wild cards above: surely likely to be ward, puk, hampel and thh? Assuming they fail to qualify and ward not banned and assumes emil remaining unavailable. Would love to see pawlicki or zmarzlick in it though, so hopefully hampel and puk make top eight and thj gets in via challenge. Emil pawlicki ward and mjj would make a handy line up of wildcards, though cant see it happening. Ward suspended then given a wildcard. That would mean his suspension has served no purpose. To get back in, Ward has to qualify. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P T Preece Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Feel for Iversen at the moment, no more SGP this season, hope he gets a pick for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Some observations after a fantastic weekend of GP speedway and visiting Berlin. The racing was top drawer on Saturday but if I heard the announcements correctly there was only one reserve at the meeting-surely Cyfer moved into the meeting early enough for the FIM to get a replacement, Is it about time the FIM also looked at who qualifies for a semi and possible injury to those riders-because one day we could get 2 semi-final qualifiers injured together in the one semi to make it a no race(2 starters only ) . Having now been at both Polish GP`s this season-whilst the pitifully small Bydgoszcz attendance wasn`t repeated here-Gorzow was by no means full, and certainly the price of tickets cannot be the reason-I paid all in £22 for 1st bend and some mates of mine paid £17 only for 3rd bend tickets-amazing value. it set me thinking that the Gollob factor could be one of the main reasons.Kasprzak(apart from in Gorzow) and Hampel don`t have the same appeal to the Polish fans. If Gorzow v Zielona Gora sells out,why has the GP got several 1,000 unsold seats. Maybe Poland is so used to top quality line-ups for their league racing,plus having 3 GP`s a season-they are just not enough of a draw for fans to travel miles to watch it. Finally had a glimpse of Berlin`s history yesterday on a bus tour-and would recommend a visit. RE semis... if you simply replaced a rider who has qualified for the semis but was then injured and unable to take his place with the next in line that rider could go on to win the actual meeting, which is unacceptable surely? Of course we all want to see four riders in each semi and from memory I think only having three in one (as we did on Saturday) has only happened once before. According to the local promoter there certainly wasn't "several thousand" unsold seats on Saturday. Feel for Iversen at the moment, no more SGP this season, hope he gets a pick for next year. WITH Ward unlikely to add to his total Iversen could still retain his top eight place. If not, a wild card would be nailed on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 (edited) RE semis... if you simply replaced a rider who has qualified for the semis but was then injured and unable to take his place with the next in line that rider could go on to win the actual meeting, which is unacceptable surely? Of course we all want to see four riders in each semi and from memory I think only having three in one (as we did on Saturday) has only happened once before. According to the local promoter there certainly wasn't "several thousand" unsold seats on Saturday. WITH Ward unlikely to add to his total Iversen could still retain his top eight place. If not, a wild card would be nailed on. And the lack of 2 reserves for the meeting Philip ? As for injured semi-final qualifiers - I agree that a non-qualifier could benefit-but if the rules were changed so everyone knew before the season started that anyone injured who couldn`t take their place would be replaced by the next in line non-qualifier,then at least all the riders would know the score. As for the crowd-there must have been a load of people who bought tickets but didn`t show in that case Bsi says 17,000 capacity, I would say no more than 14,500 there. Edited September 1, 2014 by racers and royals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywamill Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I agree Philip - Nicki did not make the top eight and therefore should not be given the opportunity to get six more points. That could make the difference for a rider between World Champ or Runner-Up, eighth place and automatic qualification or ninth and relying on a wildcard. Let's hope Greg does ride in Vojens. He is the best and safest rider in the world and it would be terrible if he lost the title through admittedly, a racing accident, but something that was no fault of his own. And to those who say he is boring and wouldn't be missed when he retires, he was brilliant on Saturday and it would have taken a fantastic ride to have beaten him. He never rides out of his comfort zone and never endangers other riders.. He may 'only' have been World Champion twice, but the man is incredible and hugely popular. We're privileged to be able to watch him doing what he does, mixing it with others half his age and showing them how it's done. As for injured semi-final qualifiers - I agree that a non-qualifier could benefit-but if the rules were changed so everyone knew before the season started that anyone injured who couldn`t take their place would be replaced by the next in line non-qualifier,then at least all the riders would know the score. I think you state it rather well yourself : non-qualifier - as in he didn't qualify. Leave it as it is. Just because you have an exception when only three ride, doesn't mean you change the rules. . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 (edited) I agree Philip - Nicki did not make the top eight and therefore should not be given the opportunity to get six more points. That could make the difference for a rider between World Champ or Runner-Up, eighth place and automatic qualification or ninth and relying on a wildcard. Let's hope Greg does ride in Vojens. He is the best and safest rider in the world and it would be terrible if he lost the title through admittedly, a racing accident, but something that was no fault of his own. And to those who say he is boring and wouldn't be missed when he retires, he was brilliant on Saturday and it would have taken a fantastic ride to have beaten him. He never rides out of his comfort zone and never endangers other riders.. He may 'only' have been World Champion twice, but the man is incredible and hugely popular. We're privileged to be able to watch him doing what he does, mixing it with others half his age and showing them how it's done. I think you state it rather well yourself : non-qualifier - as in he didn't qualify. Leave it as it is. Just because you have an exception when only three ride, doesn't mean you change the rules. . And what happens when as I suggested 2 are injured 2 ride-great race that !!!!-and 1 has ef-then 3 in the final ? Maybe as Capt Mainwaring would have said I`m in the realm of fantasy there !!! Edited September 1, 2014 by racers and royals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 And what happens when as I suggested 2 are injured 2 ride-great race that !!!!-and 1 has ef-then 3 in the final ? Maybe as Capt Mainwaring would have said I`m in the realm of fantasy there !!! If 1 has an EF, as one of the last 2 standing he makes the final. This is fair. Imagine as you say 2 rider in a semi fail to make it, you promote two riders in their place, they get the chance of 6 extra points and a GP win they don't deserve. It's ultimately a sport - if that means you have to have one crap semi then so be it. What next, can't exclude riders so we always have 4 rider races? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 (edited) If 1 has an EF, as one of the last 2 standing he makes the final. This is fair. Imagine as you say 2 rider in a semi fail to make it, you promote two riders in their place, they get the chance of 6 extra points and a GP win they don't deserve. It's ultimately a sport - if that means you have to have one crap semi then so be it. What next, can't exclude riders so we always have 4 rider races? In your case-why run the semi then? you cannot say that because he`s in the semi but doesn`t finish the race-he`s in the final that`s ridiculous. Gorzow GP over 3 hours (Polish) here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_bP6u83FlY&list=PLLP7YA_mSetHtKi0S5qMBzU2Gcoy2FsoQ Edited September 1, 2014 by racers and royals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therefused Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Gorzow GP (Polish) In your case-why run the semi then? you cannot say that because he`s in the semi but doesn`t finish the race-he`s in the final that`s ridiculous. Gorzow GP over 3 hours (Polish) here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_bP6u83FlY&list=PLLP7YA_mSetHtKi0S5qMBzU2Gcoy2FsoQ because the semi final points count to the overall standings, that's why the semi final would need to be run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 because the semi final points count to the overall standings, that's why the semi final would need to be run Very true-when there is a semi with 2 riders in it- when people start moaning at least I will be able to say told you it would happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostwalker Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Greg says that he is expected to be away for two weeks. http://www.speedwaynyheter.se/sgp/hancock-borta-i-tva-veckor/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 In your case-why run the semi then? you cannot say that because he`s in the semi but doesn`t finish the race-he`s in the final that`s ridiculous. Gorzow GP over 3 hours (Polish) here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_bP6u83FlY&list=PLLP7YA_mSetHtKi0S5qMBzU2Gcoy2FsoQ So what do you suggest should happen if in a semi-final, a rider has been excluded, 3 rider race. The rider in 3rd on the last bend wipes out the guy in second, breaks the leg of the guy who is awarded 2nd. So a 3 rider final or the leg breaking, excluded rider should be promoted a position? It's unlikely but then so is your 3 rider semi. My biggest issue with it is that Greg had 3rd pick, yet as he wasn't there, Batch got the pick of 2 gates. He should have had what was left, Greg would have picked gate 1 leaving Batch on 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 So what do you suggest should happen if in a semi-final, a rider has been excluded, 3 rider race. The rider in 3rd on the last bend wipes out the guy in second, breaks the leg of the guy who is awarded 2nd. So a 3 rider final or the leg breaking, excluded rider should be promoted a position? It's unlikely but then so is your 3 rider semi. My biggest issue with it is that Greg had 3rd pick, yet as he wasn't there, Batch got the pick of 2 gates. He should have had what was left, Greg would have picked gate 1 leaving Batch on 3. So they should have phoned Greg in Hospital to ask him what gate he wanted ???-were you on the booze last night ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 So they should have phoned Greg in Hospital to ask him what gate he wanted ???-were you on the booze last night ??? It was 2 nights ago and IMO, the others in the race should have picked his gate. Why should he gain a better gate position having already had the advantage of only having to beat 1 rider anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywamill Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 And what happens when as I suggested 2 are injured 2 ride-great race that !!!!-and 1 has ef-then 3 in the final ? Maybe as Capt Mainwaring would have said I`m in the realm of fantasy there !!! I would quote another of Capt Mainwaring often used phrases when he spoke to Pike, but that would be a little cheeky! If it happens and there are only two riders in the race, then so be it. I'm not sure what the rule would be if your scenario came about and there was only one finisher in a semi (which could happen anyway with four riders), it would be interesting to see what the FIM ruling is. This would probably have been the case on Saturday if the NKI/GH race had been their 5th outing, meaning either three riders in both semis or one with only two. The bottom line is the top 8 qualify. That is not only fair, but logical. You're not being rewarded then for 'failure'. If a runner in the 100m Olympic final pulls out before the event, they don't call up the fastest non-qualifier. If a Tennis player pulled out on the morning of the Wimbledon Final, they wouldn't call up the player they beat in the Semi Final. If a car cannot make the starting Grid of a F1 Grid Prix, they don't all move up one space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldace Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I would quote another of Capt Mainwaring often used phrases when he spoke to Pike, but that would be a little cheeky! If it happens and there are only two riders in the race, then so be it. I'm not sure what the rule would be if your scenario came about and there was only one finisher in a semi (which could happen anyway with four riders), it would be interesting to see what the FIM ruling is. This would probably have been the case on Saturday if the NKI/GH race had been their 5th outing, meaning either three riders in both semis or one with only two. The bottom line is the top 8 qualify. That is not only fair, but logical. You're not being rewarded then for 'failure'. If a runner in the 100m Olympic final pulls out before the event, they don't call up the fastest non-qualifier. If a Tennis player pulled out on the morning of the Wimbledon Final, they wouldn't call up the player they beat in the Semi Final. If a car cannot make the starting Grid of a F1 Grid Prix, they don't all move up one space. Correct, it is absolutely right that the semi final only has three riders in that scenario. The only fly in the ointment is that it can elevate a rider up a position in regards to gate pick but not a lot can be done about that 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywamill Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Having now been at both Polish GP`s this season-whilst the pitifully small Bydgoszcz attendance wasn`t repeated here-Gorzow was by no means full, and certainly the price of tickets cannot be the reason-I paid all in £22 for 1st bend and some mates of mine paid £17 only for 3rd bend tickets-amazing value. it set me thinking that the Gollob factor could be one of the main reasons.Kasprzak(apart from in Gorzow) and Hampel don`t have the same appeal to the Polish fans. Spot on - totally agree - Think Gollob was a massive attraction for the Polish supporters and he has been a loss this year. Hopefully in the next couple of years, Kasprzak can maintain his performances and another Pole can make the break through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lioness Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I blame you If there are any specific you think have gone missing I can have a wee look for you Had a quick check as promised. Posts that were just having a go at other members were hidden but none were yours (this time ) so if you are missing one of your posts it looks like it never actually 'posted' unless it was posted in another topic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.