Dream Team : Alison Cowe

I have supported the Edinburgh Monarchs since 1977 when mum and dad first took me along. They were fans from the Meadowbank days and in fact met through speedway. I also met my husband through speedway when I was 9 years old! All the riders in my team below were/are racers.

Hunter	Collins

Mark Loram
Loramski is my No.1. The guy is just fantastic to watch. His pure motorcycling ability is second to none. Exciting to watch. I remember when he broke the track record twice in the one night at Powderhall. He was just awesone. Well deserved World Champion in 2000.

Les Collins
Mr Edinburgh Speedway. You couldn't help but be a little disappointed when he made the gate because then you missed his fantastic overtakes from the back. He was a master round Powderhall. I still reckon we could have got a few points out of him had we held on to him for another couple of seasons.

Jason Crump
A lot of people don't seem to like him but I love him! He's got skill and determination. Good team man who is always there to help - especially the youngsters. Should have been World Champion more than once by now but unfortunately he doesn't all get the luck. His time will come again. Remember him when he was a 16 year old riding for Peterborough and you could tell he was a future World Champion then.

Tony Rickardsson
Ultimate professional. Makes it look so easy. The GP's will be a sad place without him after the end of this season. It's been a few years since I've seen Tony race but I can't wait for Cardiff. Can we have another Wall of Death again Tony??

George Hunter
The team riding King. Scored countless 5-1s with a very young Neil Collins. My most vivid memory of him is bringing the KO Cup trophy round the fans after beating Berwick in 1981. The match took place in November! I was honoured to be on the centre green at George's testimonial in 1983 to give a presentation to him and his wife (I was 10 years old and was joined by a young boy who is now my husband!).

Tomasz Gollob
I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Tomasz but he is amazing to watch. His race with Crumpie at Poole in the WTC was outstanding. He's just too inconsistent. If all the GP's were held in Poland then he'd be World Champion over and over again. Just a pity he can't produce the goods elsewhere.

Billy Hamill
Never say die attitude. Bionic man. Amazing the way he keeps coming back from injuries. Had the pleasure to see Billy race at Powderhall in the Scottish Open. Met him a few times - really nice guy and if anyone deserves an injury free 2006 then it's definitely Billy.

This article was first published on 30th March 2006