Bjarne joins GP ref debate (From Swindon Advertiser)

Bjarne joins GP ref debate

8:29am Thursday 3rd July 2008 in Sport By Anthony Marshall

BJARNE Pedersen has echoed Alun Rossiter's calls for under-fire speedway Grand Prix referee Marek Wojaczek to be stood down.

The Poole Pirates skipper was on the receiving end of one of the Polish official's baffling decisions in the semi-final with an exclusion which was a replica of Leigh Adams' controversial exit.

Earlier this week Rosco insisted that Polish official Wojaczek should be removed from the Latvian and German Grand Prix's later in the year, and Pedersen is backing the claims.

He said: "The most disappointing thing is he (Wojaczek) could be the ref in the next GP.

"In these things the riders are not allowed to have a say. That is wrong.

"If all the riders get together and say we don't want a ref like him in the GP system if he is not doing the job he should be doing correctly', he should be out.

"Some people (the FIM) should look into these decisions.

"If they feel the ref has made the wrong decisions, he can't be a ref in the GP because it has cost important points to the riders.

"It's not just the 16 riders it affects. It's the 40,000 to 50,000 people in the stadium who could see it was the wrong decision. Is it just one man who couldn't see it?

"I'll go away and try and forget it, but the frustrating thing is he (the ref) will be back in the GP system because the riders don't have anything to do about the selection of referees who are chosen for the GP."