Soundbites: 12th August 2005

Masters	Wethers

"Steve was absolutely delighted to be given the chance to ride for the Comets and we had agreed terms. Then less than 24 hours later, he rang back to say he would be out of action for six weeks. He had been in his workshop with his six year-old son Reece. The boy had gone out to see his mother and unfortunately left his bike on the floor. Steve turned round and fell over the bike, dropping the engine onto the foot which already had two broken bones. He had been actually working on the engine to bring it to Workington. It's hard to believe but is just typical of the luck we've been having at Workington this season."
Graham Drury misses out on signing Steve Masters

"I was offered a spot at Workington for the rest of the season and had verbally agreed to ride for them last Thursday. The next day Cameron got injured riding in the Scottish Open and I got asked to race for Monarchs by promoter John Campbell on the Saturday. If Workington had faxed through the papers in time I'd be riding for them. However I made sure when I agreed to join Edinburgh that, providing I score well, I'll be there for the remainder of the season."
Matthew Wethers - Back with the Monarchs

"We took a gamble this season by signing up a team we thought could challenge for the league title. It didn't come cheaply, though, and the fact they have under-achieved has left us out on a limb. We have one of the best race strips in the league, which is always complimented by visiting riders and promoters. If we had a team of local lads then we would probably be able to survive on our current attendance figures. However, we are paying top dollar and it costs a fortune to fly our Swedish rider Stefan Ekberg in and out each week. Conference League is a worst case scenario but it could become reality if we don't see a visible increase in our weekly crowds."
Glasgow promoter Alan Dick bemoans the Tigers' low crowds

"I haven't spoken to Jason yet but he was taken to hospital straight away to have the shoulder popped back in. I would be absolutely astonished if he is available for this weekend."
Tim Stone - Newport expect to be without Jason King for the visit from the Islanders

"It is very disappointing for us and Henning is gutted. He actually needed to be reminded about those two matches he rode in the Danish League because it was so long ago. We are very fortunate that Kristian Lund was released from his short-term loan with Edinburgh at the same time as our application to use Henning was being rejected. Kristian rode as a guest for us last Sunday when Lubos Tomicek was not available and won two races and scored seven points. Something similar in every match and we will be delighted."
Newcastle boss George English on the decision to award Henning Loof an 8 point average

"Chris van Straaten has a good asset base through his involvement at Wolverhampton,. Wolves have a number of riders out on loan including Chris Neath, James Grieves and Wayne Carter, so he has got enough riders to track a competitive team. In fact, he has got enough riders to track an Elite League team besides Wolverhampton - half the Peterborough side belong to Wolves for a start!"
Prospective Middlesbrough promoter Gareth Rogers believes they'll be able to put together a competitive PL side

"This was a cracking result for us and it was a good team performance, especially as they had lost at Poole the night before."
Ian Thomas on the Aces 54-41 win away to Oxford

"I could hardly move the elbow after the crash but when I woke up on Thursday morning it was much better. My head cleared very quickly and I've had no hesitation in declaring myself ready to race."
David Howe shrugs off the head and elbow injuries he sustained at Peterborough on Wednesday. He'll line up for Wolves at Eastbourne this evening.

"We're disappointed at our cup exit but Reading rode well in both legs. It was good to see ex-Islander Danny Bird make his comeback for them after being sidelined for a lengthy spell with a broken leg. As far as the signing of Krzysztof (Stojanowski) is concerned, we've had our eyes on him for some time but couldn't fit him in our side but when Poole stepped in to buy Tomas Suchanek last week, everything fell into place. The fans have already taken him to their hearts and he's ultra-keen to do well and that is amply demonstrated by the fact that he only got married a week ago last Saturday and then set off to come to us the following night."
Islanders' boss Martin Newnham on their elimination from the KO cup

"Belle Vue are running away with it. We just have to concentrate on finishing in second place. That is our main aim now."
Neil Middleditch concedes the top of the table position

"Sunday was just diabolical. None of us made a good start all day, and obviously the final scoreline showed that, it was terrible. It was soul-destroying in a way. We knew we had to get out of the start at Glasgow. We were all geared up for it, but we just never did it."
Paul Thorp on the Vikings hammering at Ashfield

"We are now sitting third in the league and the boys are really giving us all something to shout about. Other clubs have found it very financially draining to be doing so well, but our attendance figures are well up from the previous two years in the Premier League. Proof of that was on Wednesday when I was expecting the worst crowd on record, yet twice the amount of people expected came through the gates. Maybe it's also down to the team being full of so many personalities, I think it's helpful that they all live close to the track."
Buster Chapman - Happy as Larry at King's Lynn

"I am happy to come out of the meeting with a win. However, I am very disappointed with the performance of some of our team. They are far too inconsistent. We have riders winning races and then finish a poor last. I can only try and motivate them but once they go out of the pit gate it is down to them and they are not coming up with the goods."
Alun Rossiter after the Robins defeated Peterborough last night

"The motorhome is not particularly the quickest of vehicles, especially not compared to my bikes. It is nice having it though. I did not use during the World Cup as I stayed in a hotel with my team-mates, but it has everything I want in it for my Grand Prix. It has a washing machine, hob, cooker, leather seats, sleeps six people, two DVDs, satellite TV, a workshop and a Playstation."
Lee Richardson espouses the benefits of his motorhome

"We felt we were capable of winning at Swindon, we should have won at Swindon and I fear the fact we didn't may be costly. I'm normally the first to congratulate a club when their track is good, but I have to admit this was the worst I have ever seen at Swindon. It was poorly prepared and a massive hindrance to both teams."
Trevor Swales on Peterborough's defeat at Blunsdon

This article was first published on 12th August 2005