FEW people would have foreseen Theo Pijper lining up in Swindon colours as the last campaign came to a close. But here he is, and what’s more he’s one of a number of riders in the 2008 line-up looking to prove a point.
Theo explained: “I had a call from Swindon within an hour of the winter conference finishing. We talked about it for a couple of days and then I decided to go for it. I’m really happy to sign for Swindon.
"I had a bad year last year; I started really well at Wolverhampton, but I then ended up moving up from reserves into the main part of the side and, to be honest, I just wasn’t ready for it at that stage.
"I didn’t know all of the Elite League tracks and, when I struggled a bit, I was dropped. After that, it just kept on going bad, so it’s a new start for me in 2008."
And Theo admitted that he'd already got a good feeling about being with the Robins.
He explained: "We’ve had a couple of practice sessions around the circuit and so far it feels good. We’ve spent time together as a team, both practicing and our trip away to Ireland, so that will help us form a good team spirit.
“Everyone keeps saying the big track here will suit me because I’ve done a lot of grass-track and long-track racing, but, to be honest, earlier in my career I wasn’t very keen on big tracks.
"Riding a speedway bike is very different to riding grass-track or long-track, but I do really like the Swindon track and I’m looking to prove a point to one or two people this season, and try to do better than last year.”
Theo’s early commitment to the side cannot be doubted; he and his family are moving from their Scottish base to live in Swindon, a move that will hopefully enable him to create some local ties.
And he admits the draw of riding alongside Leigh Adams was another factor in his move south.
He said: “For me he’s a very great guy, it’s really good that Swindon have been able to keep him in their team because he has so much experience for the younger boys.
"Every team has one or two big boys at the top, but after that there are a lot of riders of a similar level. I think with so many riders of a similar level it’s going to be very competitive.
"I want to improve my average this year and do my best for the team. After last year, it will be nice to have a settled season. Yes, I have some targets that I want to achieve, but for the moment I’m keeping them to myself.”
