Smooth Sailing At The Practise

NEWS Friday 24th March 2017, 10:20pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It was a mild Spring afternoon at Armadale as the riders gathered for the second part of our two-day season launch.

It hadn’t started that way; because of morning frost there was a lengthy session of track work taking much of the dirt off, but it wasn’t long until the riders were expressing the opinion that all was going to be well, and the track would be fine.

The team lined up for the photo session across the grass, to allow the photographers to spread out and choose different riders. They finished up with the team shot holding the Parsons Peebles banner (because the race jackets aren’t done yet!)

Caps were off for the team shot and what a strange assortment of flattened hair there was! Only Max’s blonde curls stood out.

The track work was completed just after two and the riders came out on track over the next couple of hours. Probably the biggest impression most spectators got during the afternoon was that Josh Pickering took to the track very readily and never looked in any difficulty.

Anyone expecting young Pickering to be a bit shy as the new boy in the side was proved wrong, he was upbeat and chatty right from the off but worked very hard to show his paces.

The others were as good as expected and will provide plenty of opposition for the visitors in next Friday’s Harrison’s Scottish Open.

The Riss brothers looked very stylish riding a tightish line, while it goes without saying that Sam Masters and Ricky Wells were very fast indeed.

Max Clegg probably did most wheelies while Mitchell Davey, preparing for a return to our league for the first time in four years, was remarkably relaxed.

There was also a very interesting German visitor in Michael Haertel who result-watchers will be familiar with as an up-and-coming talent. He is over for a couple of days and also found Armadale to his liking.

There were also a number of juniors on show including Ryan Morris, Lewis and Gregor Miller and Blair Smith while a faller during the afternoon was Mark McIlkenny, sporting Nicki Pedersen kevlars.

You can book your tickets, or even sponsor a heat, for next week’s Open by following the link online, and it’s now just under a week to tapesup on the 2017 season!