and maybe we will also include it here on the web site to get the views of others.
Newsletter: November 2008
Dear Friends,
First of all let me congratulate Nicki Pedersen for his third world title. As I have earlier said, Nicki has ridden a very clever G P series, he knows that you don't have to win meetings the way the G P is arranged. No doubt to me, Nicki is the best rider of today and I guess he would have won even if the world championship was run differently. (here Ioana doesn't agree with me, her favorit rider is Jason Crump.)
Recently I read an interview with my old friend Gunter Sorber, (Gunter was for many years FIM's top speedway official and one of the men behind the G P's) now he would like to see some changes to the way speedways world championship is beeing decided and I agree with most what he said. To begin with, every rider should have at least a chance to take part, not just because someone is good for the organizers ("we must have riders from the country were the G P is being held."..) Why not go back to the old formula with qualifying rounds and then a final were the rider with the most points is the winner ?(not like today when the winner of the final heat is the winner, not the rider having scored most points) all the G P's could be qualifying rounds for the title race. Olympic medals are won in a "one off race" after qualifying for it.
G P's own 200.000 dollars race is arranged that way!
What can one say about the fiasco with the German G P..... and the way it was rearranged in Bydgoszcz on a track that had had a G P only two months earlier.....I guess unlucky Greg Hancock is one of the riders that has a few hard words to say. But of course Tomasz Gollob was happy!!
I'm afraid our speedway sport is going through some difficulties at the moment. One the financial situation, some of the major English teams are in trouble and at least one Swedish club have gone bankrupt; Several of the top Swedish clubs are in deep debts to riders and suppliers.
Another problem, both in the UK and in Sweden, is that there are not any new riders coming up (one reason is that the native boys don't get a chance to get into a team, all the places are taken by foreign riders....) In Sweden there are teams with not one Swedish rider.....surely promotors and officials must take responsibility and make some changes. Maybe a rule, like during my days, that no team could have more then two foreign riders. Of course I got nothing against foreign riders, I was one myself with my English teams, but the spectators and sponsors demand to see local riders.
Sorry that Ioana and I missed the "Speedway Lunch" in Norwich this year, we were away for holidays in New England at the time. We have heard so much about the beautiful autumn colours in that part of the USA and I must say that however nice it looks on pictures (for instance in the National Geographic Magazine) it must be seen!
During the summer I have also made a couple of motor bike tours. One crossing as many alpine passes I could find in France, Italy,Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Then visiting friends in Berlin and on to Denmark to see the Speedway World Team Cup. My next trip was to Spain and a tour around the northen tip of the country. I still very much enjoy riding my motor bike, by the way, I'm now on a BMW 1200 GS.
Our next visit to England will probable be for the WSRA dinner, my good friend Terry Stone is elected President for 2009 and for sure I want to be there when he receive the honors.
It's only November, but wherever you are you will already be reminded about Christmas and New Year,
so I better take this opportunity to wish you all our very best for the holidays.
As always, yours sincerly
Ove and Ioana.
Above: Ove with his beautiful wife Ioana
