Crash leaves Mads fuming (From Bournemouth Echo)

Crash leaves Mads fuming

7:00am Thursday 17th April 2008

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PIRATES guest rider Mads Korneliussen is calling for speedway to introduce a second referee after claiming he was unfairly excluded from a race during their 53-39 home win over Coventry last night.

The Swindon rider, in Poole Castle Cover's team in place of injured Adam Skornicki, was shunted into the fence at full pelt on the first bend by Bees man Chris Harris.

Pirates fans in a 3,000 crowd were immediately up in arms as they felt Bomber' had deliberately taken Korneliussen out after attempting to dive hard under the Dane.

But referee Mick Posselwhite, who has officiated in the Grand Prix, invoked uproar on the terraces and in the stands when he excluded Korneliussen rather than Harris.

Korneliussen, who appeared to escape injury in the incident which came when he and Bjarne Pedersen had been on a Poole 5-1, said: "Chris said he didn't mean to knock me off, but that just means he is blind.

"I was inside, with Bjarne on the outside, for two-and-a-half laps.

"There was no chance he could pass me on the inside because there was no gap.

"He hit me once and just kept going. He never throttled off."

It was the classic incident where the referee needed to look at video replays of the incident, preferably from several angles, before making his decision.

Asked whether that would have helped in this instance, Korneliussen said: "I would rather be in favour of a second referee on the back straight or the second bend who could help the ref with what is going on.

"We (Pedersen and Korneliussen) had the advantage going into the second bend but the referee probably couldn't see what actually happened.

"If there had been a second referee on the second bend, he would have had a better angle to view the incident from.

"I think that would improve decision making. It would also help the ref to have someone to discuss a decision with."

Harris said: "I went down the straight and thought he (Korneliussen) was going wider.

"I saw a gap but he came back in and I had nowhere to go.

"I tried to slow myself down but at the speed we are going I couldn't.

"I was in the wrong. We did touch. I was just lucky he (the ref) didn't exclude me.

"I hope he (Korneliussen) is alright. It was just one of those things, a racing incident.

"I wouldn't have complained if I had been excluded."

Korneliussen added: "I was happy to escape injury.

"It was just sad Chris Harris thought he could run straight through a rider.

"I feel a bit second-hand. I feel like a lorry has run me over.

"Hopefully, I will be alright otherwise I will get a telling off from Rosco (Swindon team manager Alun Rossiter)."

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