There are a lot of things I didn’t see coming this week!
The Witches brilliant win over Workington was far more comfortable than I expected. I never saw Leicester’s big defeat at Somerset coming. But then gaining a losing bonus point at Glasgow on Saturday night after a disastrous start was a treat. And then the big finish... Alun Rossiter’s phone call on Sunday night to say I wasn’t part of the Great Britain World Cup team – that was one I didn’t see coming.
So, where to start?
Well, thanks to all of you for your kind messages regarding my omission from the GB team. As I have already said of course I’m very disappointed, but that’s the way it goes. It’s not an easy shout for ‘Rosco’ to pick five and I’m the one that’s missed out.
In hindsight, I say I didn’t see it coming, but I must admit the fact I hadn’t been told by Saturday, with the opening meeting just a week away, should have given me a clue.
It’s no good me going on about it anymore. What’s done is done. All it leaves me to say is good luck to the GB boys. I’ll be watching on the box and hoping they do well.
It was a shame really – that news.
Because the Witches have enjoyed a couple of good meetings.
Kyle Newman was in great form last Thursday against Workington – and Justin Sedgmen had a good meeting too.
Those two are starting to bed in now and it’s a huge positive for us. We’ve ridden everyone home and away now and our record is not too shabby. We are second in the league, with a couple of away wins, an unbeaten home record and all after a very difficult start to the season ruined by injuries to Newman, Nico Covatti and Danyon Hume. So, for the Witches to be where they are is great and now we kick on... Starting at Peterborough on Sunday.
The track rode superbly against Workington last week.
People have asked me why. Well, at the start of the season it was mostly clay and was always going to take time to bed in.
A few other mixtures have gone into the track and of course the more we ride on it, the more we turn it over and over. It’s in great shape and was always going to improve – and is a credit to Bob Ellis and all the track boys.
Heat 15 last week against the Comets was quite stunning. What a race from Newman, Rory Schlein and Craig Cook.
It was great to watch and I know the fans loved it.
I may well have been in it if I hadn’t gone through the tapes in one of my races, not for the first time this season. I think referees are holding them too long these days. Riders have spoken about it.
Speedway bikes are not designed for the clutch plate and face plate to come together for more than a second or two in the way they do at the tapes. The friction between the two is horrendous. It’s like doing a hill start in a car without the handbrake on, just riding the clutch. It’s why you hear the saying, ‘burnt out clutch’.
It was a long couple of days for me after that.
I left for Somerset at 11am on Friday morning to ride for Leicester. We got thrashed, I only got five points, we only got 30 and we are struggling like hell to cope without the injured Jason Garrity - rider replacement just isn’t working.
Cameron Heeps rode well for Somerset on a track that was a bit slicker than usual, which caught a few of us Lions out.
I got home at 3.30am and was up at 9am to head off to Glasgow for the Witches.
We started awful, but I actually felt quite quick on my bike and I knew if I could get out of the starts I would be hard to pass.
The Tigers hit the first turn almost every time in the first 10 races before me and Kyle got a 5-1 in heat 11. Ritchie Hawkins had told us to keep plugging away, never give up, look at the changing track conditions.
It all worked a treat and we were a well satisfied bunch of riders in the pits afterwards, getting a losing point in a 49-43 defeat.
OK, so we didn’t win, but Glasgow are a tough side at their place. To pick up a point was a good result.
I got home at 4am Sunday morning, totally exhausted! After a couple of days getting the bikes cleaned, I took the boys to nursery on Wednesday morning. and with Clara back at work... I went back to bed!
No meeting at Foxhall on Thursday then, but I’m guesting for Wolves at Swindon, in the same team as Rory and Nathan Greaves.
So, if you fancy seeing half the Witches in action on Thursday, then Swindon is your place!
Speak next week
DANNY
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