AFTER a fourteen day break from home Elite league action the Robins return to Blunsdon on Thursday 5th June as they entertain Peterborough at the Abbey stadium.
Swindon will enter the meeting brimming with confidence after their impressive six point victory at Wolverhampton on Monday night. The result sees Swindon move back to the top of the Elite league table having now completed fifteen of their Elite League matches.
Recently issued Green Sheet averages see Seb Alden move into the main body of the team whilst James Wright moves to number seven.
Ahead of the meeting, Swindon team boss Alun Rossiter is confident his side can eradicate memories of the Poole defeat two weeks ago.
"Thursday is our first home league meeting since the defeat against Poole and of course the manner in which we were beaten in our own backyard that night was very disappointing.
That result was a real wakeup call from which we have gone away and lost plenty of sleep about.
With riders like Hans Andersen, Kenneth Bjerre and of course Swindon asset Morten Risager the Panthers do have the potential to spring a surprise but were confident we can halt their charge.
We are hoping for a significantly improved team performance against
Peterborough and are hopeful we can collect the Elite league points on offeR"
Peterborough have endured a disappointing start to their 2008 Elite league campaign and arrive at Blunsdon having collected just eight points from ten meetings.
A general lack of form and bouts of inconsistency hasn’t helped the
Peterborough cause and the club are yet to register an away league victory in 2008.
The Panthers attempt to strengthen their side has often proved
frustrating with a reported twenty five riders turning down an opportunity to ride for the club.
Danish Grand Prix star Hans Andersen captains the side whilst Kenneth Bjerre and Daniel King assume heat leader roles. The Panthers have drafted in American Ryan Fisher as a guest replacement for Henrik Moller who quit the Cambridgeshire club last week.
VISITORS FACTFILE: PETERBOROUGH PANTHERS
ANDERSEN, Hans
DATE OF BIRTH: 3 November 1980, Odense, Denmark
The Grand Prix rider has fronted the Peterborough attack for several seasons now and is amongst the top performers in the Elite League. The Danish International is, at times, a touch controversial but is undoubtedly a real character of the sport. Rides Blunsdon very well and has been part of some fantastic duels with Leigh Adams in the past. Tipped by many as a future World
Champion; it would be a major surprise if Andersen didn’t register a double points score tonight.
BAGER, Henning
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 February 1981, Esbjerg, Denmark
Bager re-joins Peterborough after spending time at an array of British clubs in both Premier and Elite League. The Dane began the year with Berwick before transferring the Birmingham and now finds himself nestled in the main body of the Peterborough team. Bager is a solid performer who has plenty of experience on British tracks which should aid his quest for points.
BJERRE, Kenneth
DATE OF BIRTH: 24 May 1984, Esbjerg, Denmark.
Bjerre has made a staggering come back from a broken leg he sustained just three weeks ago in his homeland. The diminutive Dane is a classy performer who has plenty of international experience at Grand Prix and World Cup level. His progression over recent seasons has been hampered by injuries but Bjerre is still fancied for great success in years to come. Renowned for his impressive
gating ability, the twenty four year old will be amongst the front runners
tonight.
VISSING, Claus
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 June 1986, Grindsted, Denmark.
Highly rated Danish youngster who makes the move to Peterborough after spending his 2007 campaign with Stoke in the Premier league. Vissing'sperformances have certainly caught the eye this year and it is impressive he has managed to maintain a spot in the main body of the team. Surely benefits from having so many Danish team mates from whom he can learn from and gain invaluable experience.
KING, Daniel
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 August 1986, Maidstone, Kent.
The British youngster has made notable progress in recent years and now finds himself occupying a coveted heat leader berth. King is an exciting, all action style rider who many feel with front Great Britain’s international aspirations in years to come. Would have perhaps been hoping for a better start to the 2008 season and will no doubt be targeting a solid end of season average.
Rides Blunsdon well and will certainly be challenging for double figure points tonight.
RISAGER, Morten
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 September 1987, Arhus, Denmark.
Swindon asset Morten Risager hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to his 2008 campaign and will no doubt be disappointed by his form this season. However, the highly rated Danish youngster has oodles of ability and certainly knows the quickest route around the Abbey stadium raceway. On his past visits Risager has shown plenty of tenacity and speed which makes him a real trump card for the Panthers tonight.
FISHER, Ryan Scott
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 September 1983, Riverside, California, USA.
The American has been drafted in by the Panthers as a guest replacement for Henrik Moller who recently informed the club he was taking a sabbatical from British speedway. Fisher is enjoying a fantastic season with Edinburgh in the Premier league and re-building his career after a disappointing spell with Belle Vue in 2007. Previous Blunsdon scores haven't been huge but with being in such good touch Fisher might just spring a surprise at Blunsdon tonight.
SWINDON MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD
Thursday's Swindon man of the match is kindly sponsored by Advance Insurance.
Advance Insurance are an independent Insurance Intermediary, and have been established since 1929.
They specialise in Car, Home, Bike, Van and Commercial Insurance and have offices in both Swindon and Westbury.
Find out more at www.advanceinsurance.co.uk
VIP PACKAGES
Swindon Speedway pride themselves in offering one of the best VIP packages in sport, where both the ardent fan and the complete newcomer can enjoy a superb evening of fast and furious entertainment, alongside exclusive pre-meeting pit-walks, and a table in the newly refurbished Legends Lounge.
Bookings for these packages have increased year-on-year and already a large number of companies have booked team nights out and meeting sponsorships for the 2008 season. Tickets are available by calling Commercial Manager Paul Oughton via e-mail at: paul.oughton@swindon-speedway.co.uk
TEAMS FOR THURSDAY 5th JUNE, Parade 7.20 p.m.; Tapes-up 7.30 p.m.
SWINDON ROBINS (Green sheet averages shown in brackets)
1. Leigh Adams (C) (10.39) 2. Seb Alden 4.76 3. Mads Korneliussen 8.00 4. Travis McGowan 4.70 5. Troy Batchelor 7.31 6. Theo Pijper 3.00 7. James Wright 4.67 Team manager:
Alun Rossiter.
PETERBOROUGH PANTHERS (Green sheet averages shown in brackets) 1. Hans Andersen(C) (9.38) 2. Henning Bager (4.07) 3. Kenneth Bjerre 7.45 4. Claus Vissing (5.00) 5. Daniel King (6.00) 6. Morten Risager (3.50) 7. Ryan Fisher (guest – 3.00)
Team managers: TREVOR SWALES
Referee: P. GRIFFIN
SWINDON ROBINS IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEAM PARTNERS PEBLEY BEACH HYUNDAI, REDCARE LOGISTICS AND A.C. NURDEN LTD.
SIXTY SUCCESSIVE SEASONS AND STILL GOING STRONG!
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE BY CHRIS SEAWARD
SWINDON SPEEDWAY PRESS OFFICER
EMAIL: chris@swindon-speedway.co.uk
TEL: 07788991473
OFFICIAL CLUB WEBSITE: www.swindon-speedway.co.uk
OFFICIAL CLUB HOTLINE: 09068 664682 (Premium rate applies)
