Houston Pirates - September 2003 News Archive

Jan Kirsten eased into his 3rd senior World Final yesterday finishing 6th in the Inter Continental Final at Rosenberg yesterday.

He went out in heat 20 knowing that a second was good enough for qualification and that is exactly what he achieved. His overall performance, by his own admission, was 'below average' but he did enough to ensure that World Final berth.

Lee Jarman of Broom won the event for the second season running with Mark Olsen (Huntingdon & USA) taking second and Craig Kimble (Yeovil & England) taking the final podium place.

His qualification means only he and Danny Capirossi have made all 3 World Finals although Billy Hicks could emulate that feat should he win through the Eliminator round at Paisley this coming Sunday. It also means that JK is the only rider to appear in all 6 World Finals (injury permitting) when he takes his place at Coventry on Sunday 19th of October.

Once again Pirates had Jan Kirsten to thank after he mounted another last heat rescue mission to take the vital heat win and put the club into the KOC Semi Final rather than a replay.

Pirates had led by 12 from the first leg but Hawks plugged away all night and had narrowed the overall gap to 2 with just that last race remaining. New World Under 21 champ Leigh Langley looked set to collect a paid maximum with Darren Edwards right behind Kirsten. A 4-2, a 51-39 home win and an aggregate draw looked to be on the cards before Kirsten went right round the boards to find the necessary grip to fly past his ex-Coventry team mate.

The heat win made the final score 50-40 but those vital points edged Pirates into the last four by a 91-89 margin. Pirates will meet either Evesham, London or Yeovil later in the season in the semi finals.

A relieved Kevin Tantrum said, 'That was very close but we are delighted to have made the next round having beaten, on aggregate, one of the best teams in the SL.'

'We didn't have our troubles to seek tonight with Augy having a nightmare and failing to score. Nik Mills didn't transform his YDL form onto the SL stage and also didn't get a point. However, JK was again magnificent with good backing from Stan and Rickard. Jacko also proved solid while Roughie continues his decent run at reserve.'

'Despite this fabulous result we are concerned about the number 5 position. Stan is averaging about 8 there and we could do with a bigger contribution from there. We are trying The Rocket there tonight and tomorrow but on today's evidence we lack the strength required of a second heat leader. The Rocket is immense at number 3 and Stan put in a good performance there but if we are to push for more trophies this season we may need to look at strengthening the number 5 slot.'

Jamie Jackson has suffered yet another major injury, his third in less than a year, after crashing out in heat 14 of last nights fanatastic 47-43 win at Walsall.

The youngster broke both legs last December and made a swift comeback in March when the season began. This appeared to be too early as he struggled for fitness and saw his average drop from 9.73 to 6.30. Just as he appeared to be regaining some form he rebroke his left leg at the British Final at London in May.

He returned recently and was rapidly getting back into the swing of racing again, upping his GSA to 6.72, before disaster befell him last night. He had just lost the lead to Jiri Jedek and attempted to power round the Swift when he picked up extra drive and clattered the fence heavily. The injury was caused more by the bike than the fall as it hit him after bouncing off the fence.

Jackson recently considered dropping to Div 1 in a bid to regain full form. He decided to stick with it in SL but will now, definitely, see out the season in the lower division when he returns from injury.

Walsall again proved a happy hunting ground for Pirates as they took all 3 points with a gritty showing in their third straight win at the track. The Bescot Stadium was the scene of Pirates 2001 Division 1 KO Cup Final win against Nottingham. Pirates defeated Swifts in the first round of the Cup a couple of weeks before.

The match was nip and tuck all the way with the lead changing hands on a regular basis. By heat 12 the sides were tied at 36 all but Pirates put themselves firmly in the driving seat as Rickard Reiner and Jan Kirsten thwarted all attempts by Tomas Tronde and Chris Moran to split them. The next saw Jackson's crash as Swifts pulled back a 4-2 to trail 41-43 but up stepped Pirates regular hero, Kirsten, to record yet another vital last heat win and seal all three points and his fourth maximum of the season.

Kevin Tantrum said, 'I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It was a great result but Jacko's injury has put a real dampener on it for us.'

'He had thought about Div 1 but felt he was getting back to something like his old self and he decided to stay with us in SL. It's very unfortunate and he will be going out on loan in October. We have already had contact with a club and a deal has been verbally agreed although nothing will be formalised till early next month. We will look carefully for a replacement. There is no rush as we can use guests, as a short term measure, to cover if we haven't found anyone. However, we have some spare cash and I have definite targets in mind' '

'There is also mounting speculation that Deon Standish may be heading for the exit. We cannot entirely refute these rumours. I have to say Stan is a very solid third heatleader and we have no complaints about how he is racing or his attitude but I believe we need more strength at number 5 and that Rickard is the man for the number 3 position.'

'I can't fault Stan at all as he has ridden brilliantly at times but he is only averaging 8.06 in SL compared to the 9.88 he recorded in Division 1 at the start of the season. With the right man at number 5 we can be even stronger.'

'As for the match. All 3 points, we can't complain. Nik Mills is struggling to get to grips with SL racing but the rest did their jobs well. Particularly JK who got another maximum. It's been a rewarding double header as we have made the Cup semi final and got our second away win in SL but Jacko's injury has been a real blow.'

Houston Pirates today announced the signing of World Finalist Magnus Karlsson from Division 1 promotion hopefuls Seaton Comets.

The deal, due to be announced on Saturday morning but put back to today after a last minute hitch, involves Deon Standish plus Ł30,000 leaving Craigburn Park to secure the services of the Swedish champion of the last 2 seasons. He will make his debut at Craigburn Park against Boston on Friday 26th of September.

Popular Kiwi Standish said of the move, 'I'm disappointed to be leaving but I realise I haven't been living up to my average.'

'I said during close season that I'd prefer to be in Division 1 and concentrate on my business and this is still true. Seaton are only a couple of hours away and I'm delighted to be going there.'

'My form has suffered in SL and I understand the reasoning behind the move. The promoter and the manager approached me about a permanent move away and I was happy to be looking at Division 1 again as I was going really well there when at Tayside. But I hope to sign off in style this Saturday at Yeovil. I only need 3 points to be the first ever Pirate to score 1,000 points.'

Kevin Tantrum said, 'We are sorry to lose Stan but we had to strengthen up. He was only averaging a little above 8 and we felt we needed a bit more. He's been excellent for the club and we wish him every success at Seaton.'

'We welcome Magnus Karlsson to the club and hope he has as good a time here as he had at Picklington Road.'

'He is a quality rider and we will shuffle the line up to accomodate him. Initially, he will be at number 1 with JK at 5. His quality is evidenced by his qualification for this years World Final, his second in a row, his two Swedish championship wins and his Scandinavian title of last season.'

'The addition of Magnus definitely boosts our strength but it won't be the last signing. The catalyst for the team changes was Jacko's latest injury and we have still to replace him. With Magnus' signing we now know what we have left to play with. We have already made enquiries about some riders from the very long list we have drawn up.'

Elsewhere, Houston Bucks won the third round of the YDL phase 2 4TT by a single point from both Huntingdon and Wisbech. Entering the final heat Huntingdon led but Darren Southwell finished last as Paul Clarke took the win pushing Wisbech on to the same 25 point total. However, Karl Sweeney took second place to secure the win.

Ally Borland made an impressive debut scoring 8 points from his 4 rides, all second places. Nik Mills managed the same total while Sweeney notched 7. Ben Astley picked up 3 third places.

The overall standings, with one round (at Huntingdon) to go, are Wisbech 78, Bucks 72, Huntingdon 72 and Yeovil 65.

More transfer activity was promised by Houston Pirates and the club today announced no less than 3 moves with another permanent signing and two loan moves ending.

The signing, a straight replacement for fractured wrist victim Jamie Jackson who will be loaned to a Division 1 side on his return, is 23 year old Englishman Darren Rice. Dazza had spent the majority of the last 2 seasons at Wombourne but was one of the many forced out when new broom Iain Brine took over the managership. He joined Boston in the SL on a 6.59 average which he has since upped to 6.86. Pirates have paid Ł65,000 to bring him to Craigburn Park.

At the press conference to announce his signing he said, 'I was quite settled at Wombourne but when the new management took over that was it. I never knew who was going to be in the pits for us on match days and took the Boston deal when it came up.'

'I have no complaints of my time there, I even got to learn the rough track and quite enjoyed it. But I knew changes were afoot at Boston and when this deal was offered I was delighted to take it. Pirates are a big club and I'm determined to do what I can to help them win more trophies.'

The other moves see Jamie McNab recalled from Glasgow and Ben Astley return to Kidlington.

Team manager Kevin Tantrum explained, 'We are recalling Macca simply because we need to free up a loan space to lend Jacko out next month. Ben goes back to Kidlington as we have recruited Ally Borland. Ben was only brought in as Millsy was on the injury list and Slatty was no longer eligible but with Millsy coming back and Ally joining we had 7 YDL members which is one too many.'

'As for Dazza, he's had some superb performances recently and is as solid a second string as you can find. He's upped his GSA since moving up a league and looks like a true SL rider. He's still young enough to improve and if he can should push for a place in the England set up.'

'He, initially, slots into the team at number 4 where he will partner Rickard Reiner with Augy staying at number 2.'

Pirates went down 49-41 at Yeovil today after suffering a collapse in the last 4 heats.

Trailing 34-32 with 4 races remaining confidence was high that Pirates could at least take the bonus point from Crusaders, one of the current form teams. However, the home side rattled in a 5-1 and a 4-2 to lead 43-35. Pirates recorded a 4-2 in the penultimate race which ensured Crusaders had both match points. The aggregate score sat at 86-86 with a crucial heat 15 to come. Greg Goss vanished into the distance pursued by Jan Kirsten but Deon Standish couldn't get past Craig Kimble and the home side took the third available point too.

It wasn't a great team performance with only the inimitable Jan Kirsten hitting the heights with a 14 point return. The remainder of the top 5 were solid if unspectacular with Rickard Reiner notching 7+1 from 4 and Deon Standish signing off with a disappointing 6+1 from 5 although he did become the first Pirate to score 1,000 points for the club with his second place in heat 5.

The second strings, Paul Augustine and Matty Oliver (guesting for Jamie Jackson) scored 5+2 and 5+1 and not much more can be expected from riders in this position in an away match. Lee Rough managed 4+1 but Nik Mills failed to score for the third match running. With the new additions to the side Karl Sweeney can slot back in from the next match.

A disappointed Kevin Tantrum said, 'Tonight's match was crucial for us. We are by no means out of the title race but we have slipped 6 points behind the leaders. If we are to challenge we will need to up our away performances. With Magnus Karlsson and Darren Rice due to join us we are hopeful we can do this while maintaining our good home form. Having said that, a couple of poor matches and we could find ourselves back in the relegation zone.'

'On tonight's match, I have no complaints. Yeovil are a good, solid side enjoying a decent run of form. Their guys performed well tonight and we were found wanting except for JK.'