Soundbites: 7th June 2005

Wolff	Pedersen

"I think we have made a good step to go to the next round. I am pleased as I have had many problems with my machinery. I have had seven engines blow up this season, four of them in England and three in Czecho, and I am always looking for a new tuner. I also fell off with the French guy Tresarrieu and damaged a complete bike. That cost me a lot of money as if you want to race good you must buy the best parts for your engine."
Reading's Richard Wolff on their first leg cup win over Newport

"It was a tough race but I don't think Bjarne left any room for Antonio on the third bend. I saw Antonio was riding pretty wide. We went tight into the third turn and he ended up nowhere, in the dirt where it was really heavy and fell over. I didn't touch him. He went in too tight and couldn't hold it, so I think the referee's decision was right."
Nicki Pedersen on the last heat crash at Eastbourne v Poole on Saturday

"While it's good to have another comfortable home victory, there's also the frustration of knowing we should have won by at least 20 points. I said before last Wednesday's postponed leg at King's Lynn that we'd be upset to lose there by more than 16 and that's now become our exact target."
George English on Newcastle's cup prospects

"It was quite challenging to get everything dialled in for this track, it was trying conditions with the rain and the humidity. But all in all I got 13 points and you've got to be happy with that. I struggled in the first two, but I got some results with Seemond Stephens at the end. Sheffield gave us a good run and the scoreline didn't really reflect how close the meeting was. The track was difficult to ride, but when you're winning it doesn't matter."
Exeter's Mark Lemon on Monday's win

"This is the news everyone at the club, and throughout the sport, has been waiting for."
Ronnie Russell - Delighted to have Mark Loram back

"I would have ridden for Poole at Eastbourne if I could have got there. But I couldn't get a flight back to England to get there in time for the meeting after I had been told I couldn't ride for Hungary at Terenzano. I have a Hungarian licence. They are my country now and they told me I needed to do the meeting in Italy. That is why I went there to ride. In the end, though, I couldn't do it because they didn't organise my passport. I have been waiting one and half years for it and it should have been at the track ready for me on Saturday to ride in the meeting. I was there, but the passport didn't turn up like we had been told it would. Once that happened, I wanted to go to England, but couldn't get a flight. That is why I went to Germany after I'd been told they were one rider short for the meeting at Stralsund as there was no chance of getting to Eastbourne on time."
Matej Ferjan on the weekend kerfuffle over his activities abroad

"For starters there's Lee Smethills at reserve who used to ride for Vikings. Stephen Stephens can ride anywhere, Toni Svab is a Czech world cup rider, Ray Morton knows a quick way round and their number one Mark Lemon, on a 9.90 average, can race anywhere, anytime. You only need Pavel Ondrasik to get motoring and that's a dangerous team."
Hull boss Dave Peet - Wary of Exeter before they visit tomorrow

"This is a great achievement for such a young and relatively unknown rider, I hope this is a sign of things to come from him once he gets used to the grippy Lynn track."
Jonathan Chapman - Impressed after Tommy Stange top scored for Germany in their World Cup qualifier

"I strongly believe that Joonas has been the subject of an illegal approach from another Elite League club and that was a big factor in his decision not to ride against Ipswich. But, as far as I'm concerned, Joonas is our rider for this season and if he doesn't ride here, he won't be riding anywhere in England. I definitely won't make it easy for him to go elsewhere and I have had no official notification that he wants to go elsewhere."
Peterborough manager Trevor Swales on Joonas Kylmakorpi

"I think Ben is a very capable rider and he's also very young. He reminds me of Chris Harris. The way he rides with his heart on his sleeve is very impressive and Chris used to ride like that at that age. Ben had an eventful first meeting last week, but he looked quick enough and looked really good."
Seemond Stephens praises Ben Barker

"Ray knows all about the Smallbrook track and hopefully he will prove to be the ideal choice. I was impressed with his performance last night and, as we know from last season, it's impossible to replace Sean but I am sure Ray will do a good job for us."
Sheffield promoter Neil Machin books in Ray Morton for their trip to the Isle of Wight

"I don't think it's a secret that I was very disappointed when Adam joined Coventry in March after we had agreed a deal for him to come to Workington. He rode for me at Mildenhall last season when I thought he showed a lot of promise. But there is no way I will be interested in taking him now on loan because we don't have a policy at Workington of bringing on other people's assets. If Adam was a free agent, it would be a different story, for although he didn't score any points for us at Glasgow on Sunday, many of our supporters felt he looked the best number seven we have used this season."
Graham Drury on Adam Roynon

"Not good enough. It was a toothless display and we're just not prepared to put up with it any longer. It was the same old excuses from the same riders after the match about the state of the track. Shane Parker aside, the performance was unacceptable and changes will be made."
Glasgow manager Stewart Dickson after the home defeat from Workington

"It is always disappointing not to be able to stage a meeting, and after a defeat it is good to get back out on the track and put it right straight away. The lads wanted to do that. But with the injuries to Danny Norton and Benji Compton we are not too unhappy. It gives us a chance to get them fit to ride against Sittingbourne next Sunday."
Rob Godfrey on the rain off at Scunthorpe

"I've been shouting long and hard that I want to be given a chance in the Premier League and I always felt as long as I kept scoring for the Spitfires and making myself available, my chance might come. My mechanical knowledge is improving and my bikes are pretty quick in the Conference League."
Jack Hargreaves

This article was first published on 7th June 2005