Gorzow 2017 ....

[waytogo28]

riders are interested but fans are not

 

What interests fans most of all is close, exciting racing with at least the possibility of passing ( especially if the rider being chased makes a forced error ) but with current engines on tracks as mostly prepared now in the UK, 75% of "races" are processions ( and boring ). It just has just about pushed me into not watching after more than 60 years of being an avid fan. And it is not because of poor health ( in my case ).

 

It's just that 3 out of 4 races have little interest in them regardless of what machine, prepared by which tuner they are riding. The only way to attract a new generation of keen supporters is to make sure that 75% or races are speedway "racing". I am talking about UK league racing here and not the GP or international events when riders do 'got at it" more seriously. Perhaps paid for points only and no match guarantees?

[Midland Red]

Didn't you think it was great that the best British rider ever produced all the excitement?

No - I didn't think the best British rider ever was still racing!

 

Tai had 7 races and made passes in 5 of them.... makes you proud to be British didn't it???

I've read some strange comments from you on the forum, but this one takes the star prize! Edited August 28, 2017 by Midland Red

[OveFundinFan]

 

Also, apparently some new material was introduced to the Gorzow track over the weekend, very sandy in nature, which didn't produce the sort of racing we have come to expect at the Edward Jancarz stadium.

 

Seems strange to introduce something new to a trak that was known to produce good racing. Wonder what the thinking was behind that move?

[OGT]

That's a shame because I, for one, would be interested.

I do believe, however, there might be considerable interest in some of the costs involved. The base cost of an engine. A typical service. The cost of parts made from exotic materials such as titanium. Tuning.

If we all knew just what a racing budget looked like (even if some of it was guesswork), there might more of a push to lower costs and put speedway on a more sensible business footing in this country.

 

It is now explicitly outlawed within the SCB's Speedway Regulations:

"10. MOTORCYCLE (Solos) TECHNICAL STANDARDS....

10.9 Carburettors, without any electronic devices fitted, only can be used; i.e. no Fuel Injection."

 

But I don't know about the past. I bet there was a time when the rules didn't cover this and somebody tried it.

I would have thought that EFI and plug and play engine control units would have made setting up the bikes a whole lot easier.

[Gavan]

No - I didn't think the best British rider ever was still racing!

 

I've read some strange comments from you on the forum, but this one takes the star prize!

Ok so who is the best British rider ever??? 2 world titles must rank Tai as the best we have ever had apart from Craven.

And why was it strange comments??

 

People moaned about the lack of passing

 

Tai had 7 races and passed riders in 5 of those.

Tai is British like myself..so yes it did make me proud that the only rider livening up the meeting was of my nationality........please tell me why that is strange???

[Fromafar]

Ok so who is the best British rider ever??? 2 world titles must rank Tai as the best we have ever had apart from Craven.

And why was it strange comments??

 

People moaned about the lack of passing

 

Tai had 7 races and passed riders in 5 of those.

Tai is British like myself..so yes it did make me proud that the only rider livening up the meeting was of my nationality........please tell me why that is strange???

 

He was even singing "God save the Queen" on Sat.He is false though IMO .

[Terry]

He was even singing "God save the Queen" on Sat.He is false though IMO .

 

If you watch carefully though, he's actually mouthing Waltzing Matilda.

[waiheke1]

Ok so who is the best British rider ever??? 2 world titles must rank Tai as the best we have ever had apart from Craven.

And why was it strange comments??

 

People moaned about the lack of passing

 

Tai had 7 races and passed riders in 5 of those.

Tai is British like myself..so yes it did make me proud that the only rider livening up the meeting was of my nationality........please tell me why that is strange???

often disagree with you, but on this i agree.

Tai along with PCx2 is one of three riders with a genuine claim to be considered the best post-war Brit imo (specifying that to avoid debating on the merits of Tom Farndon etc.)

A world title, or even podium sport, would imo place Tai as a clear number 1 on that list, and I say that as an Aces fan (albeit one from the post Craven era, and only saw PC when he was past his peak).

And agree, meeting was poor, but Tai produced some great passes.

[PHILIPRISING]

THREE successive maximums in tough World Team Cup finals on the Peter Collins c.v.

[waiheke1]

THREE successive maximums in tough World Team Cup finals on the Peter Collins c.v.

And pairs titles with 5? different partners. And under a gp system could well have been b2b world champion. So I agree it's not clear cut.

With the other PC you can argue there could have been more world championships to come, though conversely I think the commonly held view on here is that under a gp system he would not have been a double world champion.

But Tai has two gold plus a silver in the individual title. His performance last year in the World Cup surely compares with any of PCs maximums.

You can debate forever and people won't agree, and that's part of the great thing about such discussions. But even if Tai is not the greatest (yet) he is certainly alongside those greats from the past.

[Guest GiveusaB]

Ok so who is the best British rider ever??? 2 world titles must rank Tai as the best we have ever had apart from Craven.

And why was it strange comments??

 

People moaned about the lack of passing

 

Tai had 7 races and passed riders in 5 of those.

Tai is British like myself..so yes it did make me proud that the only rider livening up the meeting was of my nationality........please tell me why that is strange???

I think it depends on how old you are and what era you're from?

 

I think Michael Lee was the most natural talent Britain's ever produced!

[New Science]

IN answer to an earlier question from The Dean Machine.... after his performance in Mallila, when he barely scored, Doyle had a panic and acquired at least one PJR to use in Gorzow. He rode it in his first two races, didn't fare well, and went back on his Flemming Gravesen engines for the rest of the meeting.

 

Woffinden, now using Gravesen engines, told KT that they are much easier to ride. The PJRs had plenty of power but he (Tai) couldn't use it.

 

Also, apparently some new material was introduced to the Gorzow track over the weekend, very sandy in nature, which didn't produce the sort of racing we have come to expect at the Edward Jancarz stadium.

Which clown sanctioned that, an experiment of new shale before the biggest meeting of the year at Gorzow.

Felt pretty sure, as is the norm that the locals would cop the blame for a duff GP

[waiheke1]

I think it depends on how old you are and what era you're from?

 

I think Michael Lee was the most natural talent Britain's ever produced!

I think most would agree with that, however he didn't fulfil his potential, and therefore I also think most would not have him as one of the top 3 Brits of all time.

[OveFundinFan]

I think the top 3 Brits (post war) are nailed - PC, PC and TW, its deciding what order they are.

[Gavan]

I think it depends on how old you are and what era you're from?

 

I think Michael Lee was the most natural talent Britain's ever produced!

Natural talent in most sports doesnt always bring the rewards. Alex Higgins and Jimmy White compared to Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry is a prime example.

 

Lee, Loram , Screen probably the 3 most natural brits on a bike ever, but only 2 World titles between them.

 

Tai is a natural, he is effortless on the bike and not hanging off of it, reminds me of Leigh Adams in some respects , but Leigh never really tough enough to make the pinnacle in my eyes.

 

The fact is we have a 2 time British World Champion and one of the greats of the modern era

[stewmac]

https://m.sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/707924/dariusz-ostafinski-bez-hamulcow-20-280-kilometrow-gorzowskiej-polewaczki-jak-mor

 

According to Sportowefakty above, Phil Morris was to blame for the state of the Gorzow track last weekend.

[PHILIPRISING]

https://m.sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/707924/dariusz-ostafinski-bez-hamulcow-20-280-kilometrow-gorzowskiej-polewaczki-jak-mor

 

According to Sportowefakty above, Phil Morris was to blame for the state of the Gorzow track last weekend.

TRANSLATION from our Polish guy ...

 

HOPE the following helps...

---------------------

 

280 km of the Gorzow sprinkler truck. How Morris prepared the track for the SGP.

 

In big speedway there should not be people in shorts. This year SGP

boss Phil Morris screwed up four of eight SGP rounds. The guy likes

pouring water. The driver of the Gorzow sprinkler truck was shocked

when he had a look at the truck’s distance counter.

 

By steaming our man meant ... making it harder

 

280 kilometres was the distance covered by the Gorzow sprinkler truck

during the two days that Phil Morris used it. It is something

unbelievable, because it covers the distance of a dozen or so

kilometres when the track is prepared for a league meeting. Now it has

been going crazy doing more than 800 laps. On Saturday it was going

since 9 am. It was pure madness.

 

The problem of Morris is that he has soft spot for water. Obviously

280 km covered by the truck was not only watering, but also steaming,

which however does not change the fact the track was soaked as never

in relatively short time. Morris was glad as he was repeating the

track was to shine. And so it was. The problem was the meeting was

bad.

 

Morris’s advocates say it is unacceptable to blame him for drowning

the SGP. They emphasize that he was not involved in the preparation of

the track for Friday’s practice session. Jaroslaw Gala, the Gorzow

track curator, was believed to be fully trusted. But Gala prepared the

track in such a way it fragmented (it was too dry as it was not

watered enough) and riders did not want to go. And then Morris was to

take up the job and tried to save the situation. One of the officials

was trying to convince me the situation was that serious that the

Saturday’s round was likely to be cancelled.

 

But I can’t see any reason why Morris should be bleached of

accusations on the expense of the Gorzow staff. He is the boss at the

end of the day and bears the whole responsibility. If he trusted the

hosts too much on Friday, it is his problem. Anyway, he took the whole

control over the track and could do anything with it. And he did what

he can do the best, which is drowning the surface in water. During the

race-night he was running in these shorts and was supervising the

track works, but the situation was not improving. It was too hard and

too wet.

 

The funniest thing is that the boss showed an utter lack of logics.

Before the meeting he ordered to “scratch” the outside part of the

track in order to “turn it on”. Thanks to that we saw Michael Jepsen

Jensen passing our riders in Heat 1 – Maciej Janowski and Patryk

Dudek. But what was “scratched” before the first round of races Morris

later order to “steam” and there was no place for charges later on.

 

Somebody asked me what were Messrs Dariusz Cieslak and Krzysztof

Galandziuk doing during the meeting. Both were following Morris.

Somebody even mentioned that Galandziuk was there to make the track to

suit Wroclaw riders as he is from Sparta Wroclaw club. Mind you,

Cieslak was the clerk of the course, while Galndziuk was his

assistant. Both however were executing Morris’s commands, so trying to

blaming them for the state of the track is nonsense. The best

comparison would be like saying Gala was trying to make the track for

Zmarzlik. I believe the Gorzow’s track curator simply trusted his own

routine too much.

 

It made me laugh when I read one of experts’ opinion that our riders

did worse in Gorzow, because there was not Polish track curator there.

But in Daugavpils, where we had three on the podium and the track was

even worse, there was not a Polish track curator either. Let’s not

create any extra ideology. It would be fairer to say our boys could

not adapt to the track conditions as well as others. Well, Patryk

Dudek could. Zmarzlik struggled, but he had his mechanical problems.

Two others simply did not guess right.

 

It is over about the SGP, because now the play-offs are ahead of us. I

do not dare to make beats who will make it to the final. I will only

write that my original bid Wroclaw v Leszno is now under a big

question mark.

 

We will have big emotions not only this Sunday, but also on Friday

when POLADA will be discussing Grigory Laguta’s case. I bet there

won’t be any sentence issued and the Extraleague will be scared again.

Edited August 31, 2017 by PHILIPRISING

[f-s-p]

https://m.sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/707924/dariusz-ostafinski-bez-hamulcow-20-280-kilometrow-gorzowskiej-polewaczki-jak-mor

 

According to Sportowefakty above, Phil Morris was to blame for the state of the Gorzow track last weekend.

But thats how it goes, at least it did. Locals hand over the track after fridays practise. And if it's not your sandpit, how can anyone expect you could make it perfect since you dont know the mix of it and how it behaves in sun or with water.

[PHILIPRISING]

ON one occasion I stood in for Ole Olsen (doing his Danish Strictly Come Dancing thing) as Race Director at Bydgoszcz. Tony Steele was the referee. When we arrived the track staff asked how "we" wanted the track prepared. We replied: "Just do it how your normally do it." After all, this was probably the best race track in the world. Why would we wanted to change it?

[bellevueace]

If PC had not suffered that horrendous accident at Hyde Road just before the 1977 world final there is no doubt he would have retained his title at Gothenburg, in fact only a re-run heat when Muller I think it was came off stopped him and he eventually finished second, I was at that meeting and he had to be lifted on and off his bike, that with a broken leg and over 300 stirches. At the time Peter was at his peak and nigh on unbeatable and I think only for that accident he could have gone on to equal Maugers three in a row. You cant just measure who was the greatest ever by titles alone as good/bad luck often plays a major part. Woofinden in no way comes close to PC,s outstanding ability on a bike and I would also put Lee, Craven, and depending how far you want to go back Parker way above, Jessup could have had a couple of titles only for ef,s for example. And lets not forget these riders had to navigate many difficult qualifying rounds to get to a world final where one bad ride e/f or exclusion meant you were finished for another year. If the GP had existed then PC for example would definitely have had more than one title and Mauger with his tremendous consistency would have had many more than the six he won he would have been in double figures. Titles don't actually tell the whole story, especially not today when riders have 12 meetings to be able to overcome injury problems, engine problems, exclusions, etc.