Bomber Bomber Bomber

This weeks blog has a focus around the many stories following Chris Harris around this week (no, not Laurence Rogers) and various other petulant goings on throughout the week.

GP qualifiers -Any point?

It seems we can't get through a GP qualifying campaign without it becoming a disorganised mess these days. It should be simple, riders should be put forward by their nations, then the top 8 from each of the 4 quarter finals go through to the semi finals, and then the top 8 from each of those go through to the final and the top 3 from there make the GP series. If any rider drops out they are then replaced by the next riders in line from the previous rounds. Why then, do we have wild cards at all? All it does it cause controversy and ultimately seems utterly unfair.

This weeks decision to offer Robert Lambert a wild card has raised more than a few eyebrows, considering that Craig Cook was in line ahead of Lambert after winning a run off against Lambert in the quarter final at his home track. Cook has taken a mature attitude to being snubbed, stating that it's his own fault he didn't qualify, rather than having a bitter swipe at the decision, which should be applauded. In theory, Cook is more deserving of that place, but if they were going to give it to the next people in line, there would be no point in having the wild cards.

Wildcards in the qualifiers give the organisers a couple of options, either to offer the place to people who are going to sell more tickets at that venue or to give a helping hand to those that are wanted permanently in the series. With their willingness to do this though, why do they bother with the qualifying process at all?

In other motor sports such as Moto GP, Formula One, World Superbikes etc the riders have to be signed by a team that wants them and this isn't solely down to ability and other factors such as how marketable that person might be are taken into consideration. Fans often complain that without a qualifying system in the speedway world championship that it couldn't be considered the world championship as not everyone could enter but would that be the end of the world? A case could be made that a 'closed shop' would actually improve the quality of the GP line up, as the top riders in the world would still be in the competition, but it takes away the possibility of anomalies like Chris Harris qualifying. From the top 8 downwards, the next batch of riders are inconsistent enough that it makes it nigh on impossible to justify with any certainty who is next in line so do we not want the most exciting mix to fill the rest of the series? Allowing the people marketing the series would probably guarantee that was the case.

It's a suggestion worth discussion, although I personally don't see any problem with having qualifiers (although I mind rather more so when KK is missing for the Bees because of them!). At the moment, though, they aren't one thing or the other. Either the riders should all have to get through all the qualifying rounds on merit or wait and see if they get a permanent GP wild card.

Harris is probably the rider that's caused more discussion than any other concerning GP qualifying in recent but it seems this year is a case of 'come in number 37 your time is up'. His comments concerning being eliminated are nothing short of ridiculous. As our senior rider, he shouldn't be given the round he wants at Lynn, we should be helping the less experienced riders to get through the qualifiers by offering them the home round. If Harris, a GP rider for many years, can't make the top 8 of that field in Denmark, what exactly is the point of him being in the GP's anyway? Not all World Championship rounds are held at King's Lynn! He also states that he doesn't think he's ever done a round in the UK, even though he's previously ridden in qualifiers at Poole and berwick. It's not as if we host them regularly enough for him to have been ignored every year.

There isn't a rider who has entertained me more in British speedway over the last 10 years than Bomber, but to hit out at Britain for him not being able to choose where he goes is petulant in the extreme. I'm sorry, Chris, but when you're having to blame riding in Denmark for not being able to finish in the top 8 of a quarter final of the qualifiers, it's time to give the World Championship dream up.

NB It's also worth saying that harris scored 5 points at Kings Lynn earlier this season and was beaten by Lambert 3 times. There's a good chance he wouldn't have got through lynn, either.

British Semi Finals - The latest cock up    

The next Chris Harris incident of the week is the British semi finals. Danny King was forced to miss his British semi final due to his commitment to GP qualifying the day after the Glasgow semi final, whilst Chris Harris had to miss GP practice to race at Scunthorpe, a situation easily avoided by swapping the 2 riders around, or so you would think.

Interestingly, in Harris' comments on the GP website, he states that 'we decided Scunthorpe would be the better option'. That, to me, suggests that he was given the option of where to compete in his semi final. You wonder whether all riders got the option in which semi final to compete, despite Harris' claims that he isn't given preferential treatment. Hmm.

What Bomber also says, is that he thinks the top riders should be seeded and shouldn't have to compete in the semi final. This is something I agree with. 2 semi finals are overkill. 1 semi final would be fine with the top 5/6 (depending on Woffinden riding) or so in the EL averages seeded straight to the final. 

On the flip side, Harris has ridden for Coventry on numerous occaisions on the Friday before a GP and never really cared about missing practice, which could have been part of the reason the BSPA were happy to put him in the semi finals over a GP weekend but they shouldn't be putting Harris in a position where he has to choose. Chris had well documented clutch problems in Poland, and these may well have been sorted if he'd ridden in practice prior to the meeting. Chris has done a lot for British Speedway and will always go out of his way to compete in events in this country which is probably why he rode in the meeting rather than point blank saying no like Danny King did, but it's just another avodiable cock up.

Now I don't know how any conversations between Chris and the BSPA went, but with King's clashed fixture meaning he missed the semi and was offered a wildcard to the final, Harris should really have been offered the sam.

The only other point I will make about it is that Bomber also complains about his lack of meetings so far this season, yet him missing the semi finals would mean another meeting off the calender.

In the latest of what will no doubt become a feature of the season, Rob Godfrey was forced to put out another press release to try and explain the failings of the BSPA after Danny King had to pull out of his semi. Well, I say explain. What I really mean is he came out and said 'it's realllllllllly hard'. I look forward to the next one.

The double up debate 

In the third Harris complaint, he states that all British riders should be allowed to double up, as the Swedes are in Sweden, due to the lack of available meetings for them on the continent. I agree. They shouldn't be given dispensation on their averages and they should have to sign on 12's, but if clubs want to sign the likes of him and Nicholls (and they would, even on those averages) they should be allowed.

We don't do enough to help our own, and whilst there's a danger that it encourages our riders to pick up an easy buck rather than push themselves, it's a chicken and egg situation. They need to earn money to improve kit, and meetings to stay sharp so they can cement a place abroad.

Double Standards

In an incredible match report on the BSPA website from Ipswich Vs Edinburgh, it seems criticsm of refereeing is now allowed. Sam Masters received a ban previously for slagging off a ref on social media, but it now seems it's allowed via official BSPA press releases.

In one of the most bitter comments post meeting I've ever read (and I watch a team managed by gary Havelock!) John Campbell from Edinburgh has a go at 2 of the refereeing decisions in heat 15, says that they'd have won easily without RR for Riss, that most teams will win at Ipswich and that Danny King isn't the rider he used to be.

Riss has been poor when he's visited Ipswich previously, so it was hardly a given, and Edinburgh had had to use a tactical ride to get them back to the point where they were in with a chance to win the meeting regardless. How embarrassing to need to use a double at a track where most teams will win!

Fans are constantly moaned at for criticing riders when there's no need and they are doing it for our entertainment (yawn) - however it seems it's ok for speedway promoters to have random digs at Great Britain internationals.

I've watched King both the last 2 nights for Coventry and rest assured Mr Campbell that there's no one in your Monarchs side I'd rather have in place of King!



This blog is dedicated to Matt Davis and was sponsored by 4 Seasons Landscaping & Garden maitenence.