BIG MOTORS ROAR AGAIN AT GOOD FRIDAY MEET

• Tuesday, 18 March 2008
• Keith Bingham
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The roar of the “Mighty Triumphs” will once more echo across the bankings of Herne Hill stadium in this weekend’s Good Friday International Meeting in London, promoted by the Southern Counties Cycling Union.

The 22-kilometre Dallmer International Motor-Paced Grand Prix features last year’s winner Timo Sholz, the German European Motor-Paced champion paced by Peter Baeurlein.

Aiming to prevent a double will be compatriot Florian Fernow paced by a former world champion Karsten Podlesch.

Plowman-Craven’s Simon Gaywood who had a cold damp work out in Sunday’s Peter Young Memorial road race at Chobham where he was seventh leads the home challenge.

Gaywood is paced by Derek Marloe and supported by James Holland-Leader who is paced by Colin Denman.

And the Dutch, Belgian and French will be looking for glory, too.

The Neovite Sprint will see Josh Hargreaves, Christian Lyte, Peter Mitchell, taking on Italians Andrea Prati and Giovanni Alaia, Slovakians Matej Sivovsky and Michal Rohon, plus South African Gadi Chait.

John Dennis, the White Hope winner 60 years ago, sponsors the popular White Hope sprint.
Look out for Jess Varnish, named in Britain’s World championship line up for Manchester the following week. She is an exciting prospect who was second in last year’s World Junior sprint championship in Mexico. Varnish and Janet Birkmyre are among the six women in the field of 30 riders.

Sadly, Britain’s elite World’s riders aren’t coming to play this year, says promoter Graham Bristow, because of the proximity of the World’s at Manchester. He’s not too worried about it really, because the Good Friday line-up never fails to deliver and with the Golden Wheel scratch as the finale, a nail-biting finish is on the cards.

Here the pressure will be on Plowmans who have won this trophy for the last two years. Their Olympian star Tony Gibb has his instructions. The trophy is expected back on the Plowman sideboard.

He may find that Germany’s Stefan Steinweg, a hungry bunch of Belgians, Dutch, French, South Africans, Italians and assortment of home men also have need of something for their respective sideboards. Expect fireworks.

Gates open at 10am. Heats start 11am, meeting proper at 1pm.
There will be trade stands, selling, old, retro and new stuff, plus famous name coffee and refreshments, and Real Ale.

Admission: adults £12. Children 11-16 £6. Aged 10 and under free by an adult. Family saver ticket for two adults and one or more child is £30.