BOMBER'S BRITISH PRIDE
Team Great Britain star Chris Harris says racing for national pride will bring the best out of him as the Lions launch their Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup campaign in Event 1 at King’s Lynn on Saturday.
Bomber joins world champion Tai Woffinden, Simon Stead and Danny King in the Team GB side to tackle Australia, the USA and Italy.
The meeting features the current top three in the World Championship with top dog Woffinden meeting American legend Greg Hancock and Aussie ace Darcy Ward.
Harris has endured a tough year against these FIM Speedway Grand Prix heavyweights in the World Championship, but he is determined to deliver his best form in his national kevlars.
He said: “It’s always a great honour to ride for my country. I’ve always managed to ride well in the World Cup, so to get the chance again is a great privilege. I’m pleased I’ve got the opportunity.
“I try to go out and give everything I have in every race – whatever competition it is. But the World Cup seems to lift me that little bit more.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve got that Union Jack on my chest and riding for my country means a heck of a lot to me. I want to go out and make my country proud – the same as every rider does.”
The Brits have a new boss for 2014 as Alun Rossiter manages his country for the first time.
Harris is confident passion won’t be in short supply with Rosco around.
Asked what the Swindon manager will bring to the role, Harris joked: “He brings a headache! No, Rosco is passionate. He wants his country to do well. I’m sure he’ll have his own way of dealing with things, but he’ll be passionate and want us to win like everyone.
“It can only bode well when you’ve got a passionate team manager. Middlo (former Lions manager Neil Middleditch) was passionate and Rosco is the same.
“I’m sure he’ll bring something new to the table because obviously it’s his debut, and I’m sure he’ll be backing the boys and kicking us up the backside if we’re not performing.
“Sometimes he doesn’t think before he speaks, but that’s Rosco. He knows when to put an arm around a rider and he knows when a rider needs a good talking to. He’ll speak his mind and he’ll pick who he thinks will do the best job.
“He’ll be nervous – it’s his first official meeting, but everyone is looking forward to it and we’ll all be up for trying to get Team GB straight into that Final.”
The winners at King’s Lynn earn direct qualification for the Monster Energy SWC Final at Polish track Bydgoszcz on August 2. The second and third-placed sides line up in the cutthroat Race Off, also at Bydgoszcz, next Thursday.
The second and third teams from Event 2 at Swedish venue Vastervik, which sees Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and the Czech Republic meet, also enter the Race Off, with the winners earning a spot in the Final alongside the King’s Lynn and Vastervik victors and hosts Poland.
Harris hopes racing on home shale will make all the difference and says a partisan British crowd, as well as one of Britain’s best race tracks, can play a key role in helping Team GB to their first Final since 2010. He said: “The crowd at King’s Lynn are fantastic. They come out in force. They’re our extra man – the people who will carry us through to the Final hopefully.
“King’s Lynn is one of my favourite tracks. Buster (club owner Keith Chapman) does a fantastic job – he’s probably the best track man in the country and probably the best in the world. His tracks are never bad. I’m looking forward to riding there. It’s a proper racer’s track. If you don’t make the start, you can at least have some racing lines and some good racing. You’ve got to take your hat off to Buster. He always prepares a great race track for the riders.”
Tickets for Monster Energy SWC Event 1 will be on sale from the Norfolk Arena box office from 2pm tomorrow afternoon.
KING’S LYNN LINE-UPS
TEAM GREAT BRITAIN (RED): 1 Tai Woffinden (captain), 2 Danny King, 3 Chris Harris, 4 Simon Stead.
AUSTRALIA (BLUE): 1 Darcy Ward, 2 Jason Doyle, 3 Troy Batchelor, 4 Chris Holder (captain).
USA (WHITE): 1 Greg Hancock (captain), 2 Gino Manzares, 3 Max Ruml, 4 Ricky Wells.
ITALY (YELLOW): 1 Mattia Carpanese (captain), 2 Nicolas Vicentin, 3 Michele Paco Castagna, 4 Nicolas Covatti.
