2023 GP line up/wildcards

[JCookie]

54 minutes ago, chunky said:

Thing is, the reserve list is probably the one thing that illustrates the fact that we pretty much have all the top riders in the GP's. Is there REALLY that big a gulf between the top guys and the rest? Apparently...

Then again, most of us felt that neither Lambert or Bewley were true GP quality yet, and looked what happened there!

What about Jensen, Kubera, Cierniak, and probably countless others I've missed? They're close-ish to GP level, so I don't think we've exhausted all options.

36 minutes ago, arnieg said:

But they are both a long way from being their nations' top riders. Lahti and Loktaev (who may be otherwise engaged at present) must be wondering what they have to do to get noticed.

I totally agree with you btw. They're daft selections.

[Daniel Smith]

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

[Lorenzo558]

2 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

Maybe keep a wildcard in case of injury. What about top 7 in the SGP qualifier gp through and then we have 1 wildcard plus the SEC winner and if the SEC winner is there then we have 2 wildcards. 

[racers and royals]

12 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Would everyone accept this? 

SGP top 6 qualify for next series. 

GP Challenge should consist of rider's NOT in the current series. Top 7 qualify for....... 

New - GP Qualifier; Mid October, after the SGP series is complete, the SGP bottom 9 face the GP Challenge top 7. Then the top 9 qualify for the following SGP Series.

The SGP Qualifier must be contested at an SGP circuits over 2 race weekends. 

Is that more acceptable than 'Wildcards' ?? 

We might, but someone has to find a track(s) willing to put on a meeting that probably will lose them money. the other thing to consider is that in 2023 the series is very likely to finish in November with the final round in Australia.

[SPEEDY69]

19 hours ago, f-s-p said:

Not really...

But Levishyn got in by beating Zmarzlik in ONE heat during the season... Or atleast thats what I read about it in the press release.

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

[f-s-p]

54 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

Yes you are right.

And the other guy was right when he said both Salonen and Levishyn would get beaten 9 times from 10 by half a straight by their countries top dogs.

”You win some and lose a lot” as the old speedway saying goes…

[racers and royals]

54 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That was in the World Cup wasn't it, not just a run of the mill league match?  I wonder how many other times they raced against each other over the season?  Now I'm not saying he's better than him or anyone else but it shows the lad is capable.  Good for him and I hope he gets more opportunities.  I don't think Bewley or Holder should have been in the series this year if they followed the pecking order of qualification (as they are doing with Fricke) but Bewley has shown that choice to have been the right call.

That’s 2 different pecking orders Fricke is in because even though Bewley qualified from the challenge he also finished top 6 so 4th in the challenge gets the place. Bewley and Jack Holder came in from the reserve list when the Russians were rightly banned.

[SPEEDY69]

3 hours ago, racers and royals said:

That’s 2 different pecking orders Fricke is in because even though Bewley qualified from the challenge he also finished top 6 so 4th in the challenge gets the place. Bewley and Jack Holder came in from the reserve list when the Russians were rightly banned.

Ok thanks!  So the reserve list is for the back-up wild cards and they take preference over those next in-line from the challenge.  I do remember thinking Kolodziej, Lebedevs, Smolinski & others in the challenge final feeling hard done by with Bewley & especially Holder's inclusion. Out of interest, can the riders bring sponsorship to the GP series as a way of getting in, like F1 drivers do to get into teams?

Edited October 7, 2022 by SPEEDY69

[racers and royals]

36 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Ok thanks!  So the reserve list is for the back-up wild cards and they take preference over those next in-line from the challenge.  I do remember thinking Kolodziej, Lebedevs, Smolinski & others in the challenge final feeling hard done by with Bewley & especially Holder's inclusion. Out of interest, can the riders bring sponsorship to the GP series as a way of getting in, like F1 drivers do to get into teams?

They certainly can use any money they get to go towards the best and fastest bikes- but they still need to be able to ride them fast and qualify like everyone else.

2022 reserve list

SR1. Jack Holder (Australia)
SR2. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
SR3. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
SR4. Jakub Miskowiak (Poland)
SR5. Mads Hansen (Denmark)
SR6. Luke Becker (USA)
SR7. David Bellego (France)

Edited October 7, 2022 by racers and royals

[f-s-p]

2 hours ago, racers and royals said:

They certainly can use any money they get to go towards the best and fastest bikes- but they still need to be able to ride them fast and qualify like everyone else.

2022 reserve list

SR1. Jack Holder (Australia)
SR2. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
SR3. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
SR4. Jakub Miskowiak (Poland)
SR5. Mads Hansen (Denmark)
SR6. Luke Becker (USA)
SR7. David Bellego (France)

I’d actually say that you can buy a wild card to the series. Remembering that it’s not as easy as it was when there were 22 riders (or 24?), but why not? U still need to be good enough though, they’d not sell it to Latifi or me.  

But for example Timo Lahti, who IS a top25 rider in the world for some years now, why not... Especially now that he’s not sponsored by a rival of Monster, I fail to see why 300k € would not open a door for him to the series?

[SPEEDY69]

48 minutes ago, f-s-p said:

I’d actually say that you can buy a wild card to the series. Remembering that it’s not as easy as it was when there were 22 riders (or 24?), but why not? U still need to be good enough though, they’d not sell it to Latifi or me.  

But for example Timo Lahti, who IS a top25 rider in the world for some years now, why not... Especially now that he’s not sponsored by a rival of Monster, I fail to see why 300k € would not open a door for him to the series?

Thanks, this is what I meant, not them using sponsorship for themselves but to get a place e.g. Vaculik securing a GP venue for the series to use, as long as he's in it.

Edited October 7, 2022 by SPEEDY69

[racers and royals]

39 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Thanks, this is what I meant, not them using sponsorship for themselves but to get a place e.g. Vaculik securing a GP venue for the series to use, as long as he's in it.

Not sure Zarnovica has ever had a GP and anyway if he wasn`t in the series he would be the meeting wildcard anyway. they didn`t put Pavlic in the series because they wanted a round in Gorican !!

[f-s-p]

11 hours ago, racers and royals said:

Not sure Zarnovica has ever had a GP and anyway if he wasn`t in the series he would be the meeting wildcard anyway. they didn`t put Pavlic in the series because they wanted a round in Gorican !!

There was grapevine at the the time that as long as Hamar kept staging a GP, Holta was in the series. So I asked Holta this…   he didnt say anything, just left…  

With just 15 places in the series, I cant see how there would not be any under the table shanagans… Be it a track for the series or money for Discovery or a series sponsorship.

[iris123]

Didn’t the Meridian lifts guy say he could get a rider into the series if he wanted ?  Or was it just getting someone a wc ?

Edited October 8, 2022 by iris123

[SPEEDY69]

14 hours ago, racers and royals said:

Not sure Zarnovica has ever had a GP and anyway if he wasn`t in the series he would be the meeting wildcard anyway. they didn`t put Pavlic in the series because they wanted a round in Gorican !!

It was only an example, not an allegation against Vavulik. 

[arnieg]

One of those irregular verbs:

 

I made a sound commercial decision

You were swayed by financial considerations

He took a bribe

[f-s-p]

2 hours ago, iris123 said:

Didn’t the Meridian lifts guy say he could get a rider into the series if he wanted ?  Or was it just getting someone a wc ?

Probably did... Didn't save Hans though that one year when he would have become world champion if he had started the season in the GP.

[szkocjasid]

On 10/5/2022 at 10:19 AM, Daniel Smith said:

I can't see why some are saying it's a boring selection. It was the only selection imo, unless they put more Poles in the line-up, & nobody wants half the field to be like that. No extra Brits, Swedes, Danes, Germans etc deserve to be at the top table right now. Anyone else (except Poles) would have weakened the series further. 

I disagree, some (like me) would prefer to see the top 15/16 riders in the world regardless it nationality/age etc.

[szkocjasid]

On 10/5/2022 at 6:16 PM, SPEEDY69 said:

I could have left out 'the selected', my point still holds true, jeez you're confrontational!  It's also a matter of opinion who the worlds 'best' riders are in any particular year - and no, I won't respond if anyone comes back with YOU TELL ME WHO IS BETTER THEN 

Janusz Kolodziej has to be the most "deserving" rider not to be in the GPs. 2nd in the European Championship (behind world number 2 Madsen) & near the top of the Extraliga averages. I can only assume his age & nationality went against him! Isn't that discrimination?

[SPEEDY69]

11 hours ago, szkocjasid said:

Janusz Kolodziej has to be the most "deserving" rider not to be in the GPs. 2nd in the European Championship (behind world number 2 Madsen) & near the top of the Extraliga averages. I can only assume his age & nationality went against him! Isn't that discrimination?

Yep, blatant if wanting to defend that they have the best riders in the GP but they do not say that.  It's a business and selling tickets, gaining sponsorship and venues to host are their primary concerns.

Edited February 22, 2023 by SPEEDY69