"The worst day was probably the crash last year, on the last Sunday in March. That was the polar opposite, going from winning world titles to nearly being dead – you don't have anything more opposite than that. You only have five-and-a-half litres of blood, and you start dying when you lose two-and-a-half litres. The air ambulance got me there [hospital] quicker than the normal ambulance. If I went by road, it would have taken 40 minutes and I would have died with blood loss." Tai Woffinden talks to Peter Oakes ahead of his testimonial meeting at Northampton.
CAN ACES GO ALL THE WAY?
"We've had a lot of success over the last 10 years and that's down to the riders we've brought in. It's been a great transition over the period. The focus is always about winning, doing the job right, and in a fair manner, and these guys have excelled in that aspect. We're not getting carried away but with the opportunity to win the title at home, there's a little bit more on this one." Belle Vue cruised past Ipswich into the Premiership Grand Final – and boss Mark Lemon is eyeing the main prize.
SCORPIONS DEFY THE ODDS
"If you think where myself, Rob (Godfrey, promoter) and the club were 12 months ago, we didn't really know where to go to move forward. We were very down over the whole situation, so to be where we are a year later, it feels really good. The majority of people predicted us to finish bottom and that we had no chance of being a play-off team. I wouldn't bet against this group doing the unthinkable and going one step further." Can underdogs Scunthorpe and team manager David Howe go all the way against Poole in the Championship Grand Final?
ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S MAGAZINE
World Longtrack glory for Erik Riss • Off the Beaten Track • Polish Scene: Bartosz Jaworski • SGP 2027 calendar • BSN Series Final report and pictures • European U19 Pairs.
