Ready Steady Go!

Ever wondered why Simon Stead heads to the back straight before lining up at the tapes or why Chris Harris tugs his race jacket and rolls his bike back and forwards before moving away in the pits?

Whether it’s intentional or not the ‘getting in the zone’ can make or break a performance. The time just before a race begins can be used in many way; it could be they are mentally rehearsing what they have to do, imagining beating their opposition or filling themselves with self confidence and belief, so they go into the race with all guns blazing.

By using any one of these techniques, the rider can go into the race with a positive mental attitude and leave any doubts they may have about their ability and any previous mistakes or loses firmly in the pits. The routines may go unnoticed to many or may just think it’s because they fancy doing it, but the moments in the build up to the tapes rising are vitally important as to the frame of mind the rider goes into the race with and therefore the end result.

This obviously can’t work every time, but it’s the belief that will ensure that the best possible result is taken from every single race. This is not something that always comes naturally and can be learned, in order to get the best out of man and machine. It is not necessarily the skill of the rider than will prevent race wins or heat advantages, but the frame of mind that is taken to the tapes, which needs to be focused, optimistic and hungry for the win!

But if this is true then why have we never seen Tomasz Gollob doing half a lap in the opposite direction to get race ready... Maybe his many mechanical adjustments are his way of believing he has the edge over everyone else?!

Rag Dolls and Racers

Injuries are part and parcel of speedway. The danger element of the sport can create excitement but riders will be lucky to get away from their speedway career without having at least one or two sidelining injuries. However for some, as soon as they hit the deck the next thing on their mind is getting themselves and their bikes ready for the re-run.

Take Chris Harris in the 2010 playoff final. Being thrown down the track like a rag doll and being unavoidably run over by Lewis Bridger wasn’t enough for him. As captain he had a job to do. I can’t even imagine the pain from that crash, yet he gets up, runs back to the pits (... yes runs!) and not only takes his place in the re-run, but wins it! That’s hardcore! And many other speedway riders are the same. To put it simply to win, races need to be won, to do that you have to be in the race in the first place. Being a racer must be something you can not stop yourself from doing.

Then there's Ales Dryml... Amazing! To come back to a sport that nearly ended your life, isn’t something any sportsman or sportswomen would do.  But these guys are made of something else! You try stopping Jason Crump taking his place in the remaining GP’s in the series, when there are points and silverware up for grabs... it’s not going to happen. With his shoulder injury, he has battled on and on. He may not have competed in the 2010 series at his best, but he was still third overall over the course of the year, when he is back to full strength the others had better watch out.