News

Last Updated on Tuesday 29th April 2003.

Wednesday 2nd April 2003.

TANTRUM'S THE MAN.

Houston Pirates today appointed Kevin Tantrum as team manager of the club. The fiery 41 year old will take charge of match night team affairs for the Pirates and the YDL Bucks side.

The appointment comes in the wake of promoter, and former team manager, George Seymour's admission of 'mistakes' over the last couple of weeks when he has left Jan Kirsten out of heat 15 as he wasn't one of the top two scorers. Seymour said, 'This is an important position which, due to other time constraints on match nights, I wasn't able to concentrate on 100% of the time. Kevin will be responsible for making tactical substitutes, reserve changes and general rider management on match nights.'

'We know of Kevin's fiery reputation and we hope to use that to our advantage. He's had many 'discusssions' with riders, referees and officials over his career and we hope he can use his experience to motivate the team.'

Tantrum said, 'I'm delighted to be taking the job and I look forward to a long and happy tenure here. Everyone knows that I'm not slow to put my opinion across, forcibly if neccesary, when I think my team has been hard done to. I guarantee nothing will change in that respect.'

'I'm looking forward to taking charge for the first time when we face Walsall at Craigburn Park this Friday.'

Saturday 5th April 2003.

A WIN...AT LAST.

It took a touch of fortune but Pirates have, at last, recorded their first win ever in SL speedway.

Walsall will count themselves unlucky to have lost 46-43 after Lewis Henry ground to a halt in heat 14 when about to put his team 44-40 in front. As it was the score stood at 41-42 in Swifts favour before Jan Kirsten and Jamie Jackson blasted a match winning 5-1.

It had been Swifts who had ridden their luck early in the meeting with Rickard Reiner sliding off when in second in heat 3 and riding partner Martin Andersson stopping two heats later when in scoring position. Andersson had two good wins but a fall in heat 14, combined with his earlier mechanical problems, curtailed his scoring.

Pirates, in fact, dominated the match providing 11 of the 15 race winners but concern must be voiced over the quality of certain riders who are not producing. In the scoring stakes, JK top scored with 13 from 6 while Jacko continued his return to fitness with an 11+1 haul from 6. The Rocket managed 7 from 4 and Martin contributed 6 from 4 although both should really have had 9 but for their on track misfortunes. Harry Moxon showed well again at reserve with 4+1 from 4 and Nik Mills ended his run of 5 scoreless rides by winning heat 14 from Brian Devonshire. Tomas Olsson continued to struggle with 2 from 3.

Team manager Kevin Tantrum said, 'My first match, my first win. I'm pleased although I have some concern about the lower order. I'll be looking into this in coming weeks.'

'Swifts put up a good fight and may feel a bit unlucky with what happened in heat 14 but that's speedway. We dropped points early on and that was just the balance being restored.'

Monday 7th April 2003.

REINER OUT.

Pirates German star Rickard Reiner crashed out of the World Championship Continental Quarter Final at Berlin yesterday after a clash with Ipswich's Antonin Pavel. He has also picked up an injury which will sideline him for 3 weeks.

The 30 year old, who was a World Finalist last season, was eliminated after getting hurt in his second ride when Pavel crudely stuffed him into the safety fence. It is a move which incensed Reiner and led to Pirates team manager Kevin Tantrum having to be restrained in the Berlin pits.

Reiner said, 'There was plenty of room for me to go round him but he turned right on me and left me nowhere to go. I'm lucky the injury wasn't more serious. It was a bad move by Pavel and he deserved to be excluded, I was amazed to find he wasn't.'

However, Tantrum was more scathing of Pavel, 'It was a disgraceful move by a professional speedway rider. If it was up to me Pavel would be banned for 6 months. He has got to come to Craigburn Park this season in a league fixture and we'll be ready for him.' On the scuffle in the pits he said, 'If I'd got my hands on him he'd be out injured too by now. There's no place in speedway for a move like he pulled on The Rocket.'

Pirates have moved quickly to secure quality guests for the next 2 matches and will have Cumbernauld star Rory McMillan in the line up to face Yeovil at Craigburn Park this Friday. The following Friday will see Evesham's Steve Drennan step in when Pirates visit Boston.

Tuesday 8th April 2003.

KIRSTEN HURT/YDL NEWS.

Jan Kirsten was hurt, although not seriously, last night while competing in the Eveshamapolis Individual at Evesham.

Pirates number 1 hit a huge hole in the track and was catapulted into the fence but picked himself up and walked away. The World Champion was shaken up and withdrew from the meeting. He is expected to be fit for Friday's home clash with Yeovil but until he takes to the track no one can be sure what effects he has suffered.

Meanwhile, the Bucks went down 25-17 at Tayside in a YDL fixture winning only 2 of the 5 races. Dean Hart started well with a win and a second before 2 lasts while Nik Mills and Jed Davies struggled to 3+1 and 2 respectively. However, Seth Latimer managed 7 from 4 when, after a slow start due to an electrical fault, he recorded two seconds and a win.

It was a good showing by Latimer and may well lead to a call up to the Pirates side at Boston next week.

Saturday 12th April 2003.

SECOND WIN.

Pirates raced to their second win of the season, against Yeovil last night, despite only providing 7 race winners and Jan Kirsten and Jamie Jackson having off nights.

The 47-41 scoreline was only achieved thanks to Harry Moxon's impressive 13+3, from 6 rides, performance from reserve and Rickard Reiner's guest replacement Rory McMillan's 12 from 5.

Pirates had raced to an 8 point lead after 3 races but Crusaders fought their way to within 2 after 7 races. However, heat 8 proved a turning point as first Carl Cash fell on lap 2 before John Merriman ground to a halt a lap later handing Pirates a 5-0 and a 27-20 lead. Pirates capitalised with a 4-2 and a 5-1, which featured some brilliant team riding by Jan Kirsten, to lead 36-23 before, apparently, easing up and allowing the visitors some hope. The next 3 heat's yielded a brace of 5-1's and a 3-3 for Yeovil and, suddnly, Pirates were only 41-36 up. However, Moxon made sure of the points with a heat win in a 4-2 to make it 45-38.

The final race saw Michael Munns excluded and Jan Kirsten taking a tumble which aggravated the injury he received on Monday. JK will now miss the Danes opening test match at Great Yarmouth but will be fit for Pirates trip to Boston next Friday. Michael Munns then defended his Golden Helmet against Andersson after a superb start. It would have been JK against Munns had the Danish World Champ not been injured in the previous race.

Jamie Jackson had a disappointing night, seeming to shut off rather than mix it with the likes of Craig Kimble and this is a cause for concern. The young Englishman explained that he had been 'feeling a bit sore all week' but is hopeful that it's only another stage on his route to a full recovery. However, he admitted he was disappointed with his return of 5. JK totalled 8 from 5 while Tomas Olsson again looked off the pace with 3+1 from 3. Nik Mills could only muster 1 point while Martin Andersson filled some vital places to secure 5+2.

Team manager Kevin Tantrum said, 'It was a strange one as we seemed in control but allowed them back in but the points are on the board and that's what counts. In some respects this result was very helpful as Jacko and JK have seen their averages drop and we now have even more scope to strengthen up. Harry Moxon will be returning to Tipton and Jamie McNab coming back here. It is likely that the top 4 will keep their place. The rest are under scrutiny and no final decisions will be made until we know the new figures.'

Tuesday 15th April 2003.

REBUILDING.

Pirates have revealed a little of their rebuilding plans in the run up to the frenzy that is the transfer window re-opening. The main point is the fitness of Jamie Jackson and the clubs plan to deal with it.

Promoter George Seymour explained, 'Jacko was struggling last week as was evident by his low scores in our victory over Yeovil and the test match win for England over Denmark.'

'He is a vital part of our team but we can't just expect him to come back to fitness straight away and we will have to handle his recovery with kid gloves. As a result of this, and consultations with his doctor, we plan to give Jacko rest weeks. We will take advantage of the transfer window to, in effect, build 2 teams. One with Jacko in and one without. It's not an ideal situation but if we push him too hard we could ruin his career and we won't take that chance.'

'His doctor has told us that after a few matches he will be sore but a week off will help him and every time he has a rest period he'll come back stronger and fitter. That's the up side. Obviously the down side is that we will have to miss him out for some matches. This means we will be looking to bring in at least one rider, possibly two, on loan with an average somewhere between 6.00 and 7.00.'

'We are also concerned about Jan Kirsten. The bang on the head he got at Evesham last week seemed to have cleared up but a simple tumble in heat 15 of the league match last Friday left him dazed. The track doctor immediately ruled him out of Denmark's test side and told him not to get on a bike for a week. Fortunately our next match isn't until Friday so he will take his place at his own insistence. However, we have no idea how well he'll perform. JK is in a situation where he needs a rest to recover his fitness too.'

'As such both JK and Jacko have been withdrawn from any individuals they have entered between now and the end of the month. Both riders will remain available for selection for their country, should their respective team managers wish to select them, for the test match at Huntingdon on the 25th but, apart from that, they will only ride in the match at Boston on the 18th between now and the end of the month.'

'We have been hit hard with injuries over the last 3 months of last season, carrying over into this season. Jacko still isn't right and probably won't be for quite some time yet, JK is now carrying that knock and isn't 100% and Rickard Reiner is nursing a bruised back for another fortnight. Hopefully the matches in early May will see a rejuvenated JK and Jacko and Rickard will not take too long to get back to race fitness.'

'Once we get the guys fit I'm sure we have a team here who can challenge the best. In the meantime we will do our best to get away from the relegation zone and achieve our season aim of remaining a SL club.'

Team manager Kevin Tantrum, talking about transfer plans, said, 'I have made approaches to clubs about a number of riders. At this stage they are no more than letting clubs know we are interested in their riders and wouldn't expect anyone to commit further until they know their own teams average situation. The other big factor is the unattached list. We see it at the same time as everyone else but we have noted a few riders we could make an approach for if their name appears on the list. We have a rough idea of how we want to structure the team but plans have to remain fluid at the moment.'

Saturday 19th April 2003.

BIG DEFEAT.

Boston inflicted Pirates worst ever road defeat last night on a track described as 'one of the worst in the league'.

With the side already having Steve Drennan in as a guest and both Jan Kirsten and Jamie Jackson suffering from previous injuries Pirates always looked up against it. JK particularly took no risks, with the managements permission, as he has his Danish Final this Sunday. Jacko, in need of a rest, also failed to compete to his usual high standards.

Indeed, Martin Andersson had his worst match as a Pirate and Tomas Olsson was again disappointing. Dean Hart was also off the pace but Seth Latimer, a close season buy from Witham, made an encouraging debut winning heat 2 before finishing with 4+1 from 3.

Kevin Tantrum, team manager, said, 'It was a good start for Seth and he'll be in the team next month if we can fit him in. The new GSA's are out and we have a lot of points to play with.'

'Having said that, there are only 5 riders on the unattached list which is a bit disappointing. We had our eye on a few British riders who are unattached and feel it's a bit strange that they aren't available.'

'As for tonight's match. Well, I told the riders to take it easy. The track was truly appalling before the match so rather than risk even more injuries I told the guys to take it easy. Yes, it's a big defeat but I'm happy we came out of it unscathed.'

'On the team front, Harry Moxon has now returned to Tipton with Jamie McNab returning to Houston. He is another who has his name in the frame for next month.'

Monday 21st April 2003.

KIRSTEN TREBLE.

Pirates Jan Kirsten has taken his third Danish title in a row despite racing when not fully fit.

The 19 year old was forced to a run off by Kim Sorensen of Wisbech but beat the Warriors heat leader for the second time in the match. Both had finished on 13 points with Kirsten recording 3 wins and 2 seconds having been pipped by Tipton's Tobias Nielsen in heat 5 and form man in SL at the moment Jesper Kroger in heat 10.

Nielsen took the final step on the podium with 10 points.

There wasn't such good news for Martin Andersson who finished 12th in the Swedish Final, at Gothenburg, with 6 points. Seaton's Magnus Karlsson took the title with an immaculate 5 ride maximum.

Meanwhile, on the transfer front, Pirates are considering an offer for Tomas Olsson while continuing to look into how they can rebuild the squad with all of the points available. A number of options are being considered and Pirates management are awaiting answers on a couple of enquiries.

Thursday 24th April 2003.

STAN'S BACK, TOMAS LEAVES.

Houston Pirates have rebuilt their injury ravaged squad by making 2 changes to the original line up...without spending a single penny.

As previously reported, Harry Moxon returns to Tipton and Tomas Olsson, who has had a disappointing start to the campaign, moves to Yeovil Crusaders for a fee of �20,000. This pair are replaced by two Houston assets who were out on loan last month. Jamie McNab improved his 4.60 average by 0.10 during his spell at Tipton but this is a positive move as his 4.60 figure was from reserve while his new figure was gained at number 2. He now slots in at reserve again for Pirates.

The other returnee is, or rather was, the top averaged Division 1 rider Deon Standish. Stan went to Tayside with a 8.33 average but has upped that by 1.55 after requesting to stay in Division 1 for this campaign. However, he expressed a desire to come back and help the club he loves after seeing them struggle through injury in the early part of the season.

Stan said, 'I wanted to stay Division 1 so I could concentrate on my business in Houston and things have worked out really well. I must thank Tayside for their hospitality and they have a great club there. However, my form is good and when I see the trouble the Pirates are in I want to get back and help out. I contacted the promoter and said that if he needed me I'd come back and things progressed from there.'

George Seymour, Pirates' promoter said, 'Stan will bolster the team and he'll take up the captain's role again. We haven't been too worried about a club captain so far but Stan was terrific in the job last term and he'll be our club captain again. He's in the form of his life and long may it continue.'

Pirates are still looking at their options as they could tweak the current 1 to 7 to include a rider up to 7.40 in one circumstance or 6.18 in another.

Tuesday 29th April 2003.

CUP BUILD UP.

Pirates are eagerly anticipating this Friday's cup clash with old foes Aisha's Motor, a side who have only ever visited Craigburn Park once befire, in the Scottish Cup. That match finished 47-43 to the Pirates with the return leg ending in exactly the same winning margin for Aisha's. The sides have already met this season with Aisha's taking a 48-42 victory in the SL. All in all it looks like 2 hard fought matches with a close outcome.

With a return to the fold of Deon Standish and Jamie McNab, Pirates will track a septet of 'owned' riders and with both Jamie Jackson and Jan Kirsten refreshed after their mini break it's a match team manager Kevin Tantrum is keen to do well in.

'With the disappointing start we have made to the campaign we have to look to the cup to rejuvenate our season. A win on Friday may be the boost we need to turn our season round. However, the Motor are no pushovers and it will be a tough match.' he said.

'On the team front we are not finished rebuilding just yet. We need cover for Jacko and are still looking at the '2 team' scenario where we can rest Jacko and 1 other and bring in 2 riders. This would mean having 2 squad riders but it would allow us to build both teams up to the limit with the option of mixing the two if we go over the limit. As such we are looking for a rider in the 5.50 to 6.18 bracket but, as everyone knows, the transfer market is practically non existant at the moment due to so few riders being available and the vast majority of teams staying under the points limit.'