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Soundbites: 25th September 2006
"This is just an awesome victory, not just for me personally, but for the Rebels as a whole and the fans at the Oak Tree Arena, the are just the best! To beat the League's best is just fantastic, it is just a superb feeling. After I won the Champions Chase last year, the team went on to collect its first silverware in the Premier League Fours, so I'd like to think that my win tonight can spur us on to even more titles before the season is out, and where better to start than back here in Sheffield on Thursday when the Rebels face Sheffield in the second leg of our Knock Out Cup Semi-Final tie."
"It was absolutely fantastic to win the meeting. I had some disappointing meetings earlier in the season but I completely changed the set-up before Latvia, and my engine has been flying ever since. I'm so pleased for everyone in my team. I knew I could do exactly what I wanted to with that bike, so I was just concentrating on making some good starts and riding the right lines - and beating Tomasz Gollob at Bydgoszcz is just awesome!"
"I'm really happy with the way the season has gone, I wanted to win on the night but I've got to take second again! The hard work has paid off and now we start again for next year. Winning the World Championship once was the best thing ever, and my next goal is to win it again, so we'll keep on going."
"I got off to a flying start with victory in my first heat, but it's such a cut-throat meeting and points were hard to come
by. Danny (Bird) was absolutely gutted to get so close and fail because of a tapes exclusion, but it happens, even though it's a sore one to take."
"I'm gutted, I've been starting so well all year, but it deserted me.
I only made two good starts all night and both races were stopped - the first time when Andre
Compton went down and then after Danny Bird touched the tapes in the semi-final.
Fair play to Magnus - he was the best rider. But you can't expect to win if you make seven bad
starts.
The track was heavy and there was a lot of spray coming off your back wheel so passing wasn't
easy."
"I was confident we would win, but I didn't expect it to be that easy. There again, how many
people would put money on Danny Bird and Shane Parker not getting a win between them for
Glasgow?
The thing is our boys are so determined at every meeting. They want to get the win and they
want to get all these extra matches."
"I really hope everyone had a good time.
Racing is much easier than organising and I'd like to say a big thank-you to the riders and
supporters.
It's been hard work, but it was all worthwhile. I just hope the supporters thought so too."
"It's crunch time in terms of our quest for the league title and every match from here on in is vital.
Our aim in this week's home leg is purely and simply to build up as big a lead as is possible to take with us to Scotland for the return.
We've qualified for the playoffs on merit and now we have it in our power to win this year's Premier League title and there's a belief in the camp we can do it but it won't be easy to defeat Glasgow over two legs.
Their top two of Shane Parker and our former rider Danny Bird ride our track well but I'm still very confident we can beat them handsomely on Tuesday."
"We just haven't been getting the GP luck this season.
It struck again tonight when something inside the engine gave out and that is frustrating.
But now we have to wait and see in the hope that I will be allocated a spot for next year."
"There was some very good racing, watched by a reasonable crowd and if we hadn't had one or two problems, we could have won.
You always want to win on your own track so that was disappointing. It is down to the riders if they want three extra meetings, rather than a early bath."
"Loram looked as though he had plenty of speed, so I just stuck my bum up and went flat out."
"I really like the setup at Eastbourne and everyone at the club wants to move forward and win things. Jon Cook feels the same as me and wants the best possible team for Eastbourne. Myself and Jon will sit down at some stage and discuss the future but I hope to be with the Eagles next year."
"If anyone thinks we have done well just to qualify for the play-offs they are wrong.
Of course we have achieved a hell of a lot to be up with the pacesetters in the Elite League
all season, but there are no prizes for that.
There is only one honour on offer in this country and that is being crowned league champions,
but we cannot afford to get ahead of ourselves."
This article was first published on 25th September 2006
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