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Can Anyone Do It?


thespikeyone
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I observed at a World round held in Canada in 1990 and just last month had my calls questioned on a couple of riders where I had given three's instead of five's (Jordi Tarres), Memories can take a long time to fade, must have thick skin.

Spencer

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Although there is a big effort made to make sure observers are up to scratch, I do think we could do a little bit more.

I like to think I've got a good grasp of the rules, but I did get caught out a few years ago at Hawkstone with the rule regarding wheels crossing their own tracks. At the time I thought neither wheels could cross tracks, but as the rider calmly explained to me, both wheels have to cross tracks to give a 5.

As I'd stopped the rider to punch the 5 I had a horrible decision to make as it turned out I was wrong. What I did at the time was give the rider a baulk and marked him from the point I stopped him. He was OK about it, but it was one of those situations where an observer can upset the riders day if he's not right on the ball (as I obviously wasn't).

That year I was supposed to be a timekeeper and was thrust in to the observing. For the following years I knew the rules backwards, to save being put in an awkward situation.

I had a similar one a year later when Raga had the tape caught on his back wheel, and the crowds were calling for a 5, but eventually he managed to get it out. I was watching for everything - wheel going backwards, minder taking the tape off, hands off the bars, Raga knew the rules exactly and did it right. I was half hoping that he ran out of time to save me the trouble, but he got out with a 2. EvenHarry Lampkin came past and said 'That were a 5 weren't it?' but thankfully it wasn't, and what's more, Dougie still won so I hadn't cost him the trial :)

I had one thing in my mind - please don't step off the side of the bike and take the tape off with your foot. The rules say your dismounted if you have both feet on the ground on either side or behind the bike, so it seems that as long as you keep one foot in the air you can step off :( The crowd would have gone mad, but the rules don't say i's a 5.

What would you do? :rotfl:

It's a nasty job sometimes, but I think if you forget who the rider is, and observe fairly after studying the rules, you can't go far wrong.

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Sadly the British sense of fair play is not europewide.

Give Raga a 5 I say.

Slight contradiction there - fair play in one line, then give a Spanish rider a 5 in the next.....

Pure patriotism will naturally encourage ANYONE to be more forgiving with a home rider. Not saying letting people off but being more forgiving.

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Slight contradiction there - fair play in one line, then give a Spanish rider a 5 in the next.....

Pure patriotism will naturally encourage ANYONE to be more forgiving with a home rider. Not saying letting people off but being more forgiving.

To put it more simply:-

As you can see above Bikespace was at pains to observe strictly by the letter of the law and be fair and consistent to all riders.

This doesn't happen often in Eurpoe where more than often home riders are given the benefit. Perhaps this sense of fair play is misguided?

Clearer now?

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