"I'm still in a lot of pain. It's less since the surgery but nowhere near what I wanted it to be. I have to live with it. Racing will have left that permanent mark on me. I'm not bitter about it, it’s just life I guess. There aren't many riders who get out of the sport without carrying permanent battle scars." Gary Havelock is still feeling the pain of his racing days but it won't stop him working for second-tier champions Poole.
COOPER IN NO RUSH
"Ever since I was born, I've always been on a bike. I was on a bike before I could walk, so I think it was something that’s always been in my blood really." British Youth Champion Cooper Rushen doesn't celebrate his 15th birthday until the end of March but then it will be all systems go for the talented teenager as he prepares to make his NDL debut for Leicester.
RISS RETURNS
"I stopped because doing both disciplines affected me a lot in speedway. Going from longtrack back to speedway, I found it very hard back then. I wasn't that developed as a rider in speedway and every time I jumped from longtrack back to speedway it took me a few meetings to feel comfortable..." Erik Riss believes he will be in contention for gold when he returns to the World Longtrack Series this summer.
ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S MAGAZINE
Sixty Seconds: Joe Screen • Fixtures fandango • Track Review: Scunthorpe • Peterborough stadium blow • Rivalries: Hackney v White City.
