Post by Pieman on Mar 9, 2006 21:45:05 GMT
WOLVES PRE-SEASON TALK-IN, 6TH MARCH 2006
The Chillington WMC was packed out for the annual Talk-in with the management, with points limits and the new team structure the hot topics, although the evening itself was a quiet one. This year’s panel consisted of Peter Adams, Chris Van Straaten and Wolves’ new foreign signing Christian Hefenbrock, with Nigel Pearson and Shaun Leigh as comperes.
CVS opened the evening by commenting that although it is usually disappointing when the points limit is dropped, this year’s side does look strong. He explained that it was his own decision at the winter conference in Tenerife to have the average for foreign EL newcomers to be reduced from 4.50 to 4.00 – this meant that Christian fitted easily into the team.
Looking at the rest of the team, he said that Billy and PK will provide experience, while Krzysztof surprised him with how quickly he adapted last year. Magnus improved over the season although Mikael’s injury hit him hard, leaving him confused although he improved again towards the end of the season. CVs also hopes that either Ben Wilson or William Lawson, or both, will join the club full-time after their trial season, and also said that Freddie would almost certainly be the first choice in anyone’s Wolves team!
Overall he was pleased with our line-up, and commented that with such a balanced league anyone could win the title.
Questions were then put to the panel as follows, both in writing and on the roving microphone:
Q: What changed your mind to having a strong top three, as opposed to all-round strength?
PA: The 2005 strategy was correct, but we had the wrong people in the team and it didn’t work in practice. We are focusing on the top end of the team for 2006, which should be a good platform for a better season.
Christian then commented that he was pleased with Wolverhampton and its professional approach as a club, and looks to improve his form in 2006. He will be living with Robbie Kessler – who was also present at the talk in – during his stay in the UK this year.
Q: What are your views on teams with riders who are set to disappear in the middle of May?
CVS: There is a problem here, but the new points limit means less opportunity to sign top riders – the extra team in the EL is also a factor. This is really the lesser of two evils – we would rather see this than have no top riders in the league, but it is still not ideal.
Q: Did Johno regret joining Wolves last year? Was he ever considered for a return on his lower average this year?
PA: We have made no contact with Johno since the end of last season, and he was a disappointment to us all last year. We decided to freshen the team for 2006, with a new riding order, so he was never considered for a return.
Q: Christian, what is your opinion of the Monmore track?
CH: In my first heat at the Olympique, I couldn’t turn the bike but it was better later on. I was satisfied with my performance. It’s a tricky track and is a good advantage for the team. I’m looking forward to practice day.
Q: Chris, in light of your work at Redcar, could we see Chris Kerr as a Wolf one day?
CVS: Well, at the moment he is in my left pocket, and he could move to my right pocket!
Q: Could Sam have taken a position at Wolverhampton similar to that he has at Reading, training their younger riders?
CVS: I did consider purchasing a Conference League track, and had this have been successful I would have offered Sam the opportunity to run it for me. His decision to take up the post at Reading certainly surprised me.
Q: Can any alterations to the team be announced before the parade?
Scoop: Yes.
Q: Can the riders’ averages be printed in the programme this season?
Scoop: Yes they will be, and there will be no squad numbers this year. (This was met with approval from the audience!)
Q: Why was the UK’s World Under-21 qualifier moved from Wolverhampton?
CVS: The main problem was the cost of bringing the riders to the UK when measured against what would probably be a poor attendance. I always accept the meeting due to my position on the management committee, and then transfer it. The meeting will be staged at Sheffield and I’m sure it will be successful.
Scoop: So, in other words, you don’t want it?
CVS: Yes!
Q: When the fixture list was drawn up, were the fans considered at any stage? With two away meetings on consecutive evenings, it is not always possible for fans to get time off work.
CVS: Good Friday is always a problem on the draft fixture list, because every track wants to run as they are guaranteed a big crowd. When this year’s list was first drafted, all teams had fixtures booked except Coventry, due to the uneven number of teams in the league. Coventry had an open fixture, and that was where we came in. On Bank Holidays and Good Friday, I will always try to secure a plum fixture for Wolves. This year we have Coventry at home on Easter Monday, and we will make sure that both teams are at full strength and that the riders put their UK commitments first.
The riders’ diaries also have to be considered. In the Premier League, it is common for teams to arrange tours to away tracks in other areas of the country, to allow for more matches in one “hit”.
Q: Did David Howe take his omission from the team well? Chris, does David believe that a season away will do him good?
PA: In our original team plans, we had David, PK, Freddie, Christian and Billy included – but then the points limit was changed. Our minds were made up to include Freddie from the beginning, and it came down to a straight selection between Billy and David – one or the other, and it was an easy decision. I think the carpet to Colin Pratt’s hotel room at the Conference must have been worn out with everyone wanting to sign Billy Hamill!!
David did not take this well as he wanted to keep his Wolves place. In our opinion it is his turn to miss a year with Wolves – hopefully his form will improve if he returns.
CVS: David will probably benefit from this – look at Scott Nicholls in the year he moved to Poole, it really benefited him. There is definitely more to come from David.
Q (on microphone): What are your thoughts on John Postlethwaite staging the latter meetings of the World Cup all on the same track?
CVS: When the Reading takeover was announced, I interviewed Postlethwaite to see whether he had what it takes to be a speedway promoter. I have no opinion of his abilities, but he has a good crew at the track and has spared no cash improving it. It is certain that the World Cup is at Reading for his benefit, and I can see the advantage. I speculate that the new Reading stadium could well host a second British Grand Prix in the future, but I am undecided on John Postlethwaite at the moment.
Q (on microphone): Christian, are you riding in any other European leagues this year?
CH: I will be riding in the Polish league for Czestochowa, and also in the Swedish and German leagues. I’m looking forward to all of them.
Q (on microphone): Coventry changed their team around last year and went on to win the league. Why did Wolves not do the same?
CVS: Coventry brought in Sebastian Ulamek to replace Andreas Jonsson, but Ulamek came in on a high average. If we had brought him into our team, he could only have replaced Freddie or Mikael. Besides, at Wolves, our riders do not want to leave six weeks into a season (!!).
Before the interval a few announcements were made as follows:
Practice night – gates open at 6.30pm, admission is by donations of minimum £1, no foreign coins please!
Two vacancies for track staff are available.
Coaches will be run to the Cardiff GP – see website for details. GP ticket discounts from the club will be available until March 31st.
After a short break, more questions followed:
Q: Will the monthly Golden Helmet challenge ever return?
CVS: In the current economic climate, the extra costs for a race such as this are really not viable without a major sponsor. The riders will not want to ride for nothing, so a lot of money would be needed.
Q: Chris, what points limit did you vote for at the conference? Who voted in the lower limit?
CVS: It was Poole who first made the decision, and they then got Oxford, Ipswich and Arena-Essex on their side. I suggested that there was no need for this, as it doesn’t leave room for top riders and creates a weak tail in each team. The rule of having only two riders of over eight points was decided – in the event Charlie Gjedde was the only rider moved as a result of this. Another suggestion I made was a change to the race format, which was to have the top riders at positions 1 and 3, which took away the significance of heat 13. I also proposed a 16-heat format, with an extra nominated heat for the second strings.
I believe that the points limit should always be 42.50, as the mean average is 42, so this is above it. In my opinion 40 was a mistake and I hope we go to 42.5 in 2007. Jon Cook was in favour of keeping the current points limit, but he couldn’t travel to Tenerife due to his wife’s illness and so couldn’t vote. I lost the points limit decision by one vote in the end – if Jon had been able to travel, we would have got it. While 40 points does offer balanced teams, it doesn’t solve the problems with the top riders.
Next, a statement from Sam Ermolenko was read out as follows:
Chris Van Straaten has been very supportive of a farewell meeting for me, but it did not happen, as I was unsure of my plans for 2006.
I am excited about taking up my new position at Reading and would like a similar role at Wolverhampton.
I will be in semi-retirement during 2006, but I will continue to co-operate with CVS and will stay loyal to Wolverhampton. I will also fulfil my commitments in the Swedish league.
The offer from Reading really cam out of the blue, and this is the reason that I have not yet staged my special meeting – I want to have the time to plan it properly.
More questions were next up:
Q: Was Nicki Pedersen ever considered for Wolverhampton’s 2006 team (No one-word answers please)?
PA: Absolutely not!
CVS: I will never say never – I have no problem with Nicki joining Eastbourne if he wants to.
At this point the audience were asked to vote on whether they wanted to see Nicki ride for Wolves again or not. Somewhat surprisingly, around 80% were in favour.
Q: The team may have three top riders, but the second strings can often turn a match especially in heats 8 and 14. Are you concerned that our second strings may not be up to this?
CVS: The points limit means that the team must be divided up in some way, and I think that Krzysztof and Magnus should be OK. They have the potential to improve over the season, so this looks like the right decision.
Q: Last year Krzysztof was supposed to have all-new equipment for his first season in the UK – what happened to this?
CVS: Krzysztof was let down badly by his Polish club – he has not been paid in two years, and also lost a major sponsor. Glyn Taylor and Graham Jones breathed fire into his 5-year old engines, and this led to improvements. Krzysztof will have one completely new bike for this season, plus one not so new but with some new parts. Well-known mechanic Enzville will be working with Krzysztof for this season.
Q: What are the admission prices for this season?
CVS: Some admission prices have been increased, but we are still the cheapest track in the EL. This season’s prices are: adults £14, concessions £9 (OAPs, students and leisure card holders), and £3 children aged 5-16.
Q: As Ronnie has purchased 2 new bikes, will he move into the team when the first green sheet averages come out?
CVS: Ronnie was disappointed to be left out of the side, but he may get a chance once the season is underway – however under the points limit I can see little change, unless there are any injuries.
Q: Are all the Wolves riders committed to the UK, or will we see Billy Hamill taking a “holiday” during the season?
CVS: The incident with Billy at Coventry was not his own fault – it was due to a lack of planning, something which will not happen this year at Wolves.
Q: Will the team be using new racesuits this year?
CVS: Yes – GTS have made new suits for all our riders expect for Christian, and this will hopefully be sorted soon.
Q: What will the riding order be?
PA: The top two in the averages had to be placed at 1 and 5, and the lowest two averages at reserve, so this left little freedom. PK did not want to ride with Magnus as his partner, so we will have PK at 1, Billy at 5, Krzysztof at 2, Magnus and Freddie filling the middle order, Christian at 7, and the doubling-up rider at 6.
Q: Will Chris Neath ever ride for Wolves again?
CVS: We talked to Chris between October and Christmas last year, but in December he decided not to race in the EL, believing his opportunities would be better in 2007. I personally believe that if he did not go full-time in the EL this year, he never will. This disappointed me, but hopefully he will move up one day.
Q: Will our management be entering teams in the Wolfcry Fantasy League?
PA: What the hell is the Wolfcry Fantasy League?!
CVS: I certainly won’t be, but my kids might. The club now has good relations with the site, and they are a real credit to the club with the amount of sponsorship they have raised for the riders.
Q: Christian, what are your aims for this year?
CH: To stay in the league, and to hold my average.
Q: Do you prefer tracks that are grippy or slick?
CH: Most of the tracks are slick in Germany, so I prefer those.
Q: Will we be keeping an eye on Mikael’s average at Arena-Essex in readiness for 2007?
CVS: Mikael is still awaiting a date to have the metalwork removed from his leg, and he may fly to the UK to have it done. The main pressure is from his Swedish club and not from Arena, as the Swedish season begins on May 2nd – this is when he wants to be fit for.
Q: Any requests from the team regarding the track?
CVS: Doc Bridgett helped build our track when the club reopened in 1984, so he shouldn’t have any problems. There was an incident before our last meeting last year, when there was some subsidence on the track and by 11am a large section of the inside of turn one had almost capsized. One of the riders involved in that meeting was Leigh Adams, who does not normally accept poor tracks well, but after we had repaired the track he was OK about it. In heat one Freddie rode straight onto the affected area and got through OK – a credit to everyone, especially Terry, who worked on the track that day. Terry is leaving us due to ill health, and it is sad to see him go.
Q: Was any move made at the conference to scrap the tactical substitute rules?
CVS: I made no move to stop them – I like the rules as they are. There will, however, no longer be any 5-2 results accepted – the rider has to beat the opposition.
Q: Was Joonas Kylmakorpi’s stance at Coventry seen as damaging?
CVS: Kylmakorpi was unpaid by Peterborough, so understandably refused to ride for them. When he guested for Coventry, he was one day out on the three-day rule – by the Saturday he could have joined Coventry on a contract.
Q: Was Ronnie ever considered for the team this year?
CVS: At first Ronnie said he had had enough of the highest level, and said his farewells at the dinner/dance. I thought he wanted to drop to the PL, and was surprised in the new year when he said he wanted to come back to the EL, but the tem was already sorted by then. I never change my mind once the team is finalised, but if anyone had dropped out I would have brought Ronnie in. If he had said he wanted to go into the EL in the first place, I would have considered it – but he never did.
Q: What are your views on how Billy Hamill will fit in at Wolves, given his previous clubs?
PA: I look forward to Billy riding for us – he is exciting, likes the track, and enough water has passed under the bridge since Cra dley closed.
Q: As it is now 31 years since Gary Peterson’s fatal crash, could there be a memorial meeting for him?
CVS: The memorial trophy is still presented to the top bonus points scorer at the annual dinner/dance, but if we could start the season with an individual meeting the trophy would be put on that. The problem is that public interest in individual meeting s is low these days, so it would only work as a season opener.
Q: Given the recent affair with Jason Crump, will Polish fixtures affect our riders?
CVS: They will not – they have no permission for anything other than Sundays, which is when most Polish league fixtures are run. I think there is one Thursday and two Fridays later in the season when Polish fixtures are run, which could affect our team, and May Day Wednesday as well, but the Wednesday clubs are not running on this day.
Q: Have meetings screened by Sky suffered low attendances?
CVS: Sky Sports is very important to the sport – more people are now aware of our sport than ever. The attendance only suffers when the track has to change its race night to meet Sky’s needs – as Wolves is a Monday track, and Sky film on Mondays, this is not a problem for us.
Q: Will Wolves be running a Conference League team this year?
CVS: No – it would not be viable. Last time we tried running in the CL, low crowds meant that the club lost £9,000. We got Jack Hargreaves out of it, but it would just not be viable.
Q: Was Adam Skornicki considered at any stage?
CVS: Adam was disappointed to be left out of the team, but we made sure he had a job. He was not in our first choice team even under a 42.5 limit.
Q: Did you have any reservations over Billy Hamill, regarding his days at Cra dley and Coventry?
CVS: This was our third opportunity to sign Billy – the other times it didn’t come off. The first time was after Cra dley closed, and I hoped that they would reopen, and of course Bilyl would have immediately returned there if they had. We had a choice of Jason Crump, Billy Hamill or Mark Loram when this happened, so we chose Loram (!). The second opportunity we had would have meant displacing either Peter or Mikael, which we didn’t want to do. This time, however, everything went smoothly.
Q: Will we see a link developed between Redcar and Wolves, and will Birmingham return?
CVS: There has been no direct news on the Birmingham affair, but it is looking more likely that they will be back in 2007. As for Redcar, we have put in a lot of hard work up there, and I want to develop young British riders there. There will be academy training sessions run there, possibly developing new riders for Wolves in the future.
Q (on microphone): When new riders have underperformed, they often get verbal abuse from the fans. Surely we all must support the team and get behind them no matter what!
This was met with applause from the audience!
Q: Will there be a challenge between Wolves and Redcar?
CVS: No – there is no comparison between the two.
With that, the evening closed amid a good and very positive atmosphere.
See you all at Practice Night!
Once a Wolf, always a Wolf
Dave Goddard a.k.a. Pieman.
(PS: I have tried to report what was said as accurately as possible. If there is anything incorrect, don’t hesitate to contact me.)
The Chillington WMC was packed out for the annual Talk-in with the management, with points limits and the new team structure the hot topics, although the evening itself was a quiet one. This year’s panel consisted of Peter Adams, Chris Van Straaten and Wolves’ new foreign signing Christian Hefenbrock, with Nigel Pearson and Shaun Leigh as comperes.
CVS opened the evening by commenting that although it is usually disappointing when the points limit is dropped, this year’s side does look strong. He explained that it was his own decision at the winter conference in Tenerife to have the average for foreign EL newcomers to be reduced from 4.50 to 4.00 – this meant that Christian fitted easily into the team.
Looking at the rest of the team, he said that Billy and PK will provide experience, while Krzysztof surprised him with how quickly he adapted last year. Magnus improved over the season although Mikael’s injury hit him hard, leaving him confused although he improved again towards the end of the season. CVs also hopes that either Ben Wilson or William Lawson, or both, will join the club full-time after their trial season, and also said that Freddie would almost certainly be the first choice in anyone’s Wolves team!
Overall he was pleased with our line-up, and commented that with such a balanced league anyone could win the title.
Questions were then put to the panel as follows, both in writing and on the roving microphone:
Q: What changed your mind to having a strong top three, as opposed to all-round strength?
PA: The 2005 strategy was correct, but we had the wrong people in the team and it didn’t work in practice. We are focusing on the top end of the team for 2006, which should be a good platform for a better season.
Christian then commented that he was pleased with Wolverhampton and its professional approach as a club, and looks to improve his form in 2006. He will be living with Robbie Kessler – who was also present at the talk in – during his stay in the UK this year.
Q: What are your views on teams with riders who are set to disappear in the middle of May?
CVS: There is a problem here, but the new points limit means less opportunity to sign top riders – the extra team in the EL is also a factor. This is really the lesser of two evils – we would rather see this than have no top riders in the league, but it is still not ideal.
Q: Did Johno regret joining Wolves last year? Was he ever considered for a return on his lower average this year?
PA: We have made no contact with Johno since the end of last season, and he was a disappointment to us all last year. We decided to freshen the team for 2006, with a new riding order, so he was never considered for a return.
Q: Christian, what is your opinion of the Monmore track?
CH: In my first heat at the Olympique, I couldn’t turn the bike but it was better later on. I was satisfied with my performance. It’s a tricky track and is a good advantage for the team. I’m looking forward to practice day.
Q: Chris, in light of your work at Redcar, could we see Chris Kerr as a Wolf one day?
CVS: Well, at the moment he is in my left pocket, and he could move to my right pocket!
Q: Could Sam have taken a position at Wolverhampton similar to that he has at Reading, training their younger riders?
CVS: I did consider purchasing a Conference League track, and had this have been successful I would have offered Sam the opportunity to run it for me. His decision to take up the post at Reading certainly surprised me.
Q: Can any alterations to the team be announced before the parade?
Scoop: Yes.
Q: Can the riders’ averages be printed in the programme this season?
Scoop: Yes they will be, and there will be no squad numbers this year. (This was met with approval from the audience!)
Q: Why was the UK’s World Under-21 qualifier moved from Wolverhampton?
CVS: The main problem was the cost of bringing the riders to the UK when measured against what would probably be a poor attendance. I always accept the meeting due to my position on the management committee, and then transfer it. The meeting will be staged at Sheffield and I’m sure it will be successful.
Scoop: So, in other words, you don’t want it?
CVS: Yes!
Q: When the fixture list was drawn up, were the fans considered at any stage? With two away meetings on consecutive evenings, it is not always possible for fans to get time off work.
CVS: Good Friday is always a problem on the draft fixture list, because every track wants to run as they are guaranteed a big crowd. When this year’s list was first drafted, all teams had fixtures booked except Coventry, due to the uneven number of teams in the league. Coventry had an open fixture, and that was where we came in. On Bank Holidays and Good Friday, I will always try to secure a plum fixture for Wolves. This year we have Coventry at home on Easter Monday, and we will make sure that both teams are at full strength and that the riders put their UK commitments first.
The riders’ diaries also have to be considered. In the Premier League, it is common for teams to arrange tours to away tracks in other areas of the country, to allow for more matches in one “hit”.
Q: Did David Howe take his omission from the team well? Chris, does David believe that a season away will do him good?
PA: In our original team plans, we had David, PK, Freddie, Christian and Billy included – but then the points limit was changed. Our minds were made up to include Freddie from the beginning, and it came down to a straight selection between Billy and David – one or the other, and it was an easy decision. I think the carpet to Colin Pratt’s hotel room at the Conference must have been worn out with everyone wanting to sign Billy Hamill!!
David did not take this well as he wanted to keep his Wolves place. In our opinion it is his turn to miss a year with Wolves – hopefully his form will improve if he returns.
CVS: David will probably benefit from this – look at Scott Nicholls in the year he moved to Poole, it really benefited him. There is definitely more to come from David.
Q (on microphone): What are your thoughts on John Postlethwaite staging the latter meetings of the World Cup all on the same track?
CVS: When the Reading takeover was announced, I interviewed Postlethwaite to see whether he had what it takes to be a speedway promoter. I have no opinion of his abilities, but he has a good crew at the track and has spared no cash improving it. It is certain that the World Cup is at Reading for his benefit, and I can see the advantage. I speculate that the new Reading stadium could well host a second British Grand Prix in the future, but I am undecided on John Postlethwaite at the moment.
Q (on microphone): Christian, are you riding in any other European leagues this year?
CH: I will be riding in the Polish league for Czestochowa, and also in the Swedish and German leagues. I’m looking forward to all of them.
Q (on microphone): Coventry changed their team around last year and went on to win the league. Why did Wolves not do the same?
CVS: Coventry brought in Sebastian Ulamek to replace Andreas Jonsson, but Ulamek came in on a high average. If we had brought him into our team, he could only have replaced Freddie or Mikael. Besides, at Wolves, our riders do not want to leave six weeks into a season (!!).
Before the interval a few announcements were made as follows:
Practice night – gates open at 6.30pm, admission is by donations of minimum £1, no foreign coins please!
Two vacancies for track staff are available.
Coaches will be run to the Cardiff GP – see website for details. GP ticket discounts from the club will be available until March 31st.
After a short break, more questions followed:
Q: Will the monthly Golden Helmet challenge ever return?
CVS: In the current economic climate, the extra costs for a race such as this are really not viable without a major sponsor. The riders will not want to ride for nothing, so a lot of money would be needed.
Q: Chris, what points limit did you vote for at the conference? Who voted in the lower limit?
CVS: It was Poole who first made the decision, and they then got Oxford, Ipswich and Arena-Essex on their side. I suggested that there was no need for this, as it doesn’t leave room for top riders and creates a weak tail in each team. The rule of having only two riders of over eight points was decided – in the event Charlie Gjedde was the only rider moved as a result of this. Another suggestion I made was a change to the race format, which was to have the top riders at positions 1 and 3, which took away the significance of heat 13. I also proposed a 16-heat format, with an extra nominated heat for the second strings.
I believe that the points limit should always be 42.50, as the mean average is 42, so this is above it. In my opinion 40 was a mistake and I hope we go to 42.5 in 2007. Jon Cook was in favour of keeping the current points limit, but he couldn’t travel to Tenerife due to his wife’s illness and so couldn’t vote. I lost the points limit decision by one vote in the end – if Jon had been able to travel, we would have got it. While 40 points does offer balanced teams, it doesn’t solve the problems with the top riders.
Next, a statement from Sam Ermolenko was read out as follows:
Chris Van Straaten has been very supportive of a farewell meeting for me, but it did not happen, as I was unsure of my plans for 2006.
I am excited about taking up my new position at Reading and would like a similar role at Wolverhampton.
I will be in semi-retirement during 2006, but I will continue to co-operate with CVS and will stay loyal to Wolverhampton. I will also fulfil my commitments in the Swedish league.
The offer from Reading really cam out of the blue, and this is the reason that I have not yet staged my special meeting – I want to have the time to plan it properly.
More questions were next up:
Q: Was Nicki Pedersen ever considered for Wolverhampton’s 2006 team (No one-word answers please)?
PA: Absolutely not!
CVS: I will never say never – I have no problem with Nicki joining Eastbourne if he wants to.
At this point the audience were asked to vote on whether they wanted to see Nicki ride for Wolves again or not. Somewhat surprisingly, around 80% were in favour.
Q: The team may have three top riders, but the second strings can often turn a match especially in heats 8 and 14. Are you concerned that our second strings may not be up to this?
CVS: The points limit means that the team must be divided up in some way, and I think that Krzysztof and Magnus should be OK. They have the potential to improve over the season, so this looks like the right decision.
Q: Last year Krzysztof was supposed to have all-new equipment for his first season in the UK – what happened to this?
CVS: Krzysztof was let down badly by his Polish club – he has not been paid in two years, and also lost a major sponsor. Glyn Taylor and Graham Jones breathed fire into his 5-year old engines, and this led to improvements. Krzysztof will have one completely new bike for this season, plus one not so new but with some new parts. Well-known mechanic Enzville will be working with Krzysztof for this season.
Q: What are the admission prices for this season?
CVS: Some admission prices have been increased, but we are still the cheapest track in the EL. This season’s prices are: adults £14, concessions £9 (OAPs, students and leisure card holders), and £3 children aged 5-16.
Q: As Ronnie has purchased 2 new bikes, will he move into the team when the first green sheet averages come out?
CVS: Ronnie was disappointed to be left out of the side, but he may get a chance once the season is underway – however under the points limit I can see little change, unless there are any injuries.
Q: Are all the Wolves riders committed to the UK, or will we see Billy Hamill taking a “holiday” during the season?
CVS: The incident with Billy at Coventry was not his own fault – it was due to a lack of planning, something which will not happen this year at Wolves.
Q: Will the team be using new racesuits this year?
CVS: Yes – GTS have made new suits for all our riders expect for Christian, and this will hopefully be sorted soon.
Q: What will the riding order be?
PA: The top two in the averages had to be placed at 1 and 5, and the lowest two averages at reserve, so this left little freedom. PK did not want to ride with Magnus as his partner, so we will have PK at 1, Billy at 5, Krzysztof at 2, Magnus and Freddie filling the middle order, Christian at 7, and the doubling-up rider at 6.
Q: Will Chris Neath ever ride for Wolves again?
CVS: We talked to Chris between October and Christmas last year, but in December he decided not to race in the EL, believing his opportunities would be better in 2007. I personally believe that if he did not go full-time in the EL this year, he never will. This disappointed me, but hopefully he will move up one day.
Q: Will our management be entering teams in the Wolfcry Fantasy League?
PA: What the hell is the Wolfcry Fantasy League?!
CVS: I certainly won’t be, but my kids might. The club now has good relations with the site, and they are a real credit to the club with the amount of sponsorship they have raised for the riders.
Q: Christian, what are your aims for this year?
CH: To stay in the league, and to hold my average.
Q: Do you prefer tracks that are grippy or slick?
CH: Most of the tracks are slick in Germany, so I prefer those.
Q: Will we be keeping an eye on Mikael’s average at Arena-Essex in readiness for 2007?
CVS: Mikael is still awaiting a date to have the metalwork removed from his leg, and he may fly to the UK to have it done. The main pressure is from his Swedish club and not from Arena, as the Swedish season begins on May 2nd – this is when he wants to be fit for.
Q: Any requests from the team regarding the track?
CVS: Doc Bridgett helped build our track when the club reopened in 1984, so he shouldn’t have any problems. There was an incident before our last meeting last year, when there was some subsidence on the track and by 11am a large section of the inside of turn one had almost capsized. One of the riders involved in that meeting was Leigh Adams, who does not normally accept poor tracks well, but after we had repaired the track he was OK about it. In heat one Freddie rode straight onto the affected area and got through OK – a credit to everyone, especially Terry, who worked on the track that day. Terry is leaving us due to ill health, and it is sad to see him go.
Q: Was any move made at the conference to scrap the tactical substitute rules?
CVS: I made no move to stop them – I like the rules as they are. There will, however, no longer be any 5-2 results accepted – the rider has to beat the opposition.
Q: Was Joonas Kylmakorpi’s stance at Coventry seen as damaging?
CVS: Kylmakorpi was unpaid by Peterborough, so understandably refused to ride for them. When he guested for Coventry, he was one day out on the three-day rule – by the Saturday he could have joined Coventry on a contract.
Q: Was Ronnie ever considered for the team this year?
CVS: At first Ronnie said he had had enough of the highest level, and said his farewells at the dinner/dance. I thought he wanted to drop to the PL, and was surprised in the new year when he said he wanted to come back to the EL, but the tem was already sorted by then. I never change my mind once the team is finalised, but if anyone had dropped out I would have brought Ronnie in. If he had said he wanted to go into the EL in the first place, I would have considered it – but he never did.
Q: What are your views on how Billy Hamill will fit in at Wolves, given his previous clubs?
PA: I look forward to Billy riding for us – he is exciting, likes the track, and enough water has passed under the bridge since Cra dley closed.
Q: As it is now 31 years since Gary Peterson’s fatal crash, could there be a memorial meeting for him?
CVS: The memorial trophy is still presented to the top bonus points scorer at the annual dinner/dance, but if we could start the season with an individual meeting the trophy would be put on that. The problem is that public interest in individual meeting s is low these days, so it would only work as a season opener.
Q: Given the recent affair with Jason Crump, will Polish fixtures affect our riders?
CVS: They will not – they have no permission for anything other than Sundays, which is when most Polish league fixtures are run. I think there is one Thursday and two Fridays later in the season when Polish fixtures are run, which could affect our team, and May Day Wednesday as well, but the Wednesday clubs are not running on this day.
Q: Have meetings screened by Sky suffered low attendances?
CVS: Sky Sports is very important to the sport – more people are now aware of our sport than ever. The attendance only suffers when the track has to change its race night to meet Sky’s needs – as Wolves is a Monday track, and Sky film on Mondays, this is not a problem for us.
Q: Will Wolves be running a Conference League team this year?
CVS: No – it would not be viable. Last time we tried running in the CL, low crowds meant that the club lost £9,000. We got Jack Hargreaves out of it, but it would just not be viable.
Q: Was Adam Skornicki considered at any stage?
CVS: Adam was disappointed to be left out of the team, but we made sure he had a job. He was not in our first choice team even under a 42.5 limit.
Q: Did you have any reservations over Billy Hamill, regarding his days at Cra dley and Coventry?
CVS: This was our third opportunity to sign Billy – the other times it didn’t come off. The first time was after Cra dley closed, and I hoped that they would reopen, and of course Bilyl would have immediately returned there if they had. We had a choice of Jason Crump, Billy Hamill or Mark Loram when this happened, so we chose Loram (!). The second opportunity we had would have meant displacing either Peter or Mikael, which we didn’t want to do. This time, however, everything went smoothly.
Q: Will we see a link developed between Redcar and Wolves, and will Birmingham return?
CVS: There has been no direct news on the Birmingham affair, but it is looking more likely that they will be back in 2007. As for Redcar, we have put in a lot of hard work up there, and I want to develop young British riders there. There will be academy training sessions run there, possibly developing new riders for Wolves in the future.
Q (on microphone): When new riders have underperformed, they often get verbal abuse from the fans. Surely we all must support the team and get behind them no matter what!
This was met with applause from the audience!
Q: Will there be a challenge between Wolves and Redcar?
CVS: No – there is no comparison between the two.
With that, the evening closed amid a good and very positive atmosphere.
See you all at Practice Night!
Once a Wolf, always a Wolf
Dave Goddard a.k.a. Pieman.
(PS: I have tried to report what was said as accurately as possible. If there is anything incorrect, don’t hesitate to contact me.)
