In the Danny King column this week, the Premier League Pairs, who will win the British GP, Witches and Lions latest – and why Danny’s TV exploded!
It’s a huge weekend in the world of speedway.
The British GP is always a big favourite with fans, and having ridden in it last year, I know why.
The atmosphere is electric and the racing fierce. There are lots of good GPs on the circuit but Cardiff is right up there and the riders love it.
Sadly, I won’t be at Cardiff having not qualified from the British Final.
But I’ll be watching it on TV and enjoying the occasion. But who will win?
Well, it’s a tough call, so many riders are in the frame.
Jason Doyle is leading the standings and I, like so many other riders, have a great deal of time for Doyley.
He’s a top guy, on and off the track. He’s worked his way up through the sport, especially here in the UK and has suffered nasty crashes along the way. He’ll be up there, as will the Pole, Patryk Dudek, who is having a superb season.
I have a sneaky feeling Chris Holder, who was given a 28-day ban by the BSPA this week after a meeting at King’s Lynn the week before, may want to do especially well! And he has the Cardiff credentials to do it.
Antonio Lindback is another who does well on the indoor circuits. It’s bound to be a cracker. I’m just gutted I’m not racing!
Still, before that, on Friday night I will be racing.
It’s the Championship Best Pairs at Somerset and me and Rory Schlein are representing the Witches.
I think we have got a great chance of success. We both like the Somerset track and I think the format will suit us.
Me and Rohan Tungate won the Best Pairs for Ipswich back in 2015. It was a great night and was especially good because we didn’t quite know if Ipswich would win anything that season, so to get a bit of silverware for the club was great.
This season feels different.
The Witches are fighting on League and KO Cup fronts, so it would be nice to get the first of hopefully two or three pieces of silverware this season. I know many Witches fans will be at Somerset and Cardiff. Have a great weekend guys and girls.
Hopefully me and Rory can get the party started early!
Last Thursday we did a very professional job against Sheffield.
We are still unbeaten at home but the Tigers made us fight very hard for the points.
After we won the first three races, they then won about six or seven on the bounce and were clawing their way back into the meeting.
I know this sounds a bit strange, but the starting tapes seemed to be going up rather slowly in the first half of the meeting.
At the break, we mentioned this and they got sorted and we never looked back.
I don’t know if this was the reason for our sudden second half revival as we pulled well clear of Sheffield – but I’m convinced there is something in it.
On Monday night the Leicester Lions lost in a last-heat decider against Swindon and I felt especially bad about it all.
I messed up in the final heat, no doubt. I only needed a second place and was leading the race at one stage.
But I was caught between chasing one Swindon rider when he passed me and then defending my position in second to the other, which I messed up.
I felt crap about it to be honest and I’m sorry to the Leicester fans who didn’t deserve that.
Our team was already down to just four fit riders and with the news after the meeting that Kim Nilsson has suffered a broken arm and Pawel Przedpelski a broken fibula after their two big crashes, makes things even worse for the Lions fans and the team.
But we will keep battling on, have no fear.
Tomorrow night then we welcome Robert Lambert, Steve Worrall and Newcastle Diamonds to Foxhall Heath.
Lambert and Worrall are as strong a pairing as you will find in the Championship.
But we are confident of taking all three points.
Justin Sedgmen is back, which is great, because you can’t beat having a full 1-7 and we just have to get on with what we have been doing all season – be confident and professional.
Our reserves, Nathan Greaves and Connor Mountain continue to do well for us.
They have a huge part to play in our hoped-for play-off success, both home and away and as a team we just need to focus more on finishing off some of the great positions we have found ourselves in on our travels.
Talking of Sedge being back, I have no dout he and Ritchie Hawkins will be chatting about Love Island on our pre-meeting track walk. They are both avid fans, as is my mate Lewis Kerr.
I can’t stand TV reality shows, they do my head in!
I’ve had to buy a new TV.
Our little lad Logan (3) decided he would destroy our previous one!
Somehow he got hold of a bottle of Febreze, which we use in our house to keep it smelling nice! And duly tipped it all over our television.
Wow Logan!
Thanks mate!
Our TV was kaput! And I was off to get a new one!
DANNY
AS TOLD TO MIKE BACON
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