THE MIGHT TRIUMPHS ARE BACK!! : 12/3/08

One of the highlights of the day has got to the DALLMER Motor-paced Grand Prix featuring last year’s winner, European Motor paced Champion Timo Sholz from Liepzig, his compatriot Florian Fernow from Berlin also returns to do battle with Belgium’s Edwin Smeulders, Holland’s Patrick Besteman and Tim van der Zanden.

The French pacemaker Alain Gaudillat will be hoping for better luck this time when he paces his son Antoine – last year his motor seized on the last lap and prevented him finishing when in a strong position.

British hopes are on Agiskoviner’s James Holland-Leader paced by Colin Denman and Plowman Craven’s Simon Gaywood paced by Derek Marloe. Marloe has frequently paced Gaywood on a Derny but this is a first outing behind the ‘big motors’ while Colin Denman is desperately looking to find a rider to fill the vacancy left by his regular follower Bryan Taylor. With a distance of 22.5kms the race is long enough to hurt but short enough to be run off at a consistent high speed. It should be good!

THE SPRINTS
Sprint fans will not be disappointed with the NEOVITE Sprint. 20 riders will contest the race with Josh Hargreaves, Christian Lyte and Peter Mitchell flying the British flag against Italians Andrea Prati and Giovanni Alaia, Slovakians Matej Sivovsky and Michal Rohon and South African Gadi Chait.

The popular White Hope Sprint is sponsored by the very first winner 60 years ago, John Dennis. This race has 30 riders all out to make a name for themselves but with Jess Varnish and Janet Birkmyre among the six women in the field the race could be quite interesting.

THE GOLDEN WHEEL 20kms Scratch
Part of British Cycling’s season long National Endurance League this race boasts a phenomenal £1000 first prize with a further £1800 going down to 8th place. Plowman Craven have had their name on the trophy for the last two years and Tony Gibb aims to keep it in the Company trophy case for another year. Popular German Stefan Steinweg will no doubt have other ideas as will the rest of the field of Belgians, Dutch, French, South Africans, Italian and British riders.

GETTING IN
The gates open at 10 am and the day will start at 11am with the 200 metres time trial stage of both sprints and the heats of the 500 metres handicap scratch with the main part of the meeting beginning at 1pm.

HOW MUCH
Adult admission is £12, Children 11 – 16 £6, 10 and under is free with an adult. Family saver ticket for 2 adults and one or more payable children is only £30
Tickets are readily available on the day.

WHAT ELSE
Aside from the racing there will be trade stands of new, old and hard to get cycling equipment, books and collectables, specialist coffee vendors, high quality burger bar and a Real Ale bar.