Soundbites: 27th March 2006

Sullivan	Gafurov

"I asked the physiotherapist when I could ride again and he said: 'When you can stand the pain.' I've broken it twice before and they tell me it's stronger because of that."
Joe Screen on his broken collarbone

"Sponsorship is absolutely vital, because it will add stability to the club and help us build up our own assets. It would make the difference of being just a run-of-the-mill club, or one that is going places. Some Elite clubs already have sound financial backing and are much better placed than us at the moment. Any amount would help to take the pressure off, as I intend to be here a long time and I want to buy young riders like Ben Barker and Chris Mills and secure the future of the club."
Oxford promoter Aaron Lanney

"We've got to be patient with Ryan as he hasn't been on a bike for six months and you can't expect him to come in and get 15 points straight away. But take my word, he'll get there and will again be a huge favourite at the Showground
Peterborough manager Trevor Swales on Ryan Sullivan

"It was a real heartbreaker. Everyone expected us to get hammered by one of the fancied teams, especially without the injured Joe Screen, but we were 50 yards from a draw."
Ian Thomas on the Aces defeat at Peterborough on Thursday

"These people won't even realise what they have done. It can't do their cause much good to have caused such serious problems for Speedway and its supporters, who have done no harm to anyone. Our vehicles have been smashed, their tyres slashed, every electrical cable has been cut and the stadium has been covered in graffiti."
Alex Harkess on the vandalism of Armadale by animal activists

"It didn't look good, did it? We're going to be happy with that. Peter Adams said in the interval that we fight for every point. It's easy to forget that. It was close and we've got every chance now to take the bonus."
Peter Karlsson - The Wolves were 18 behind at Swindon but cut the gap to 10

"When you consider they put 67 on us last year it was an immense turnaround. It was a very good performance from the whole team at King's Lynn. It was a remarkable recovery and the whole squad showed great character."
Tim Stone - The Wasps lost 52-44 at the Norfolk Arena

"I'm just so happy to be back with Somerset. One minute I was at home organising things for the European season, and the next minute Pete Toogood is calling me and I'm a Rebel again!"
Stephan Katt on his return as an injury replacement for Pavel Ondrasik

"I saw Renat in action on three occasions last season and was very impressed, particularly with his showing at Poole. Then, in the World Cup, he was involved in several scraps and certainly wasn't afraid to mix it. I'm very excited about seeing him in action for us."
Alun Rossiter welcomes Renat Gafurov to Swindon

"Arena really put us up against it at the start. They have a tough little track here. If you are behind going into the first corner it is really difficult to pass on this track. The reserves struggled but they have done well up to now, so we can't be too upset with them. We can have no complaints with the result and the team are delighted to have got the bonus."
Neil Middleditch on Poole's 55-40 defeat at Purfleet

"I'm happy that people expect us to do well. Finishing third would guarantee us third pick when the top four get to choose their opponents from the teams who finish fifth to eighth. Finishing top would allow you to pick first but I don't want us to be a team who top the league and then loses our way when it comes down to the nitty-gritty. I want us to start well in the Premier Trophy, which is our first target, and then gradually improve over the season so that we are really flying when it matters."
Graham Drury plots the course for his Comets

"All the riders and officials from both teams were here, and we also had supporters waiting to come in. To be fair, the referee left making a decision as long as possible just in case the meeting could go ahead. As it turned out, it was absolutely the right decision because it hardly stopped raining all night. It's very frustrating, but there is nothing you can do about the weather."
Stoke's Dave Tattum on their rain-off on Saturday - just one of many cancellations across the country

"It was disappointing to have the meeting called off but the rain was pretty heavy and conditions were difficult. I made a good start in the race but when I got to the first bend I turned too much and got lost. The track had new shale on top and was very grippy and I liked the look of it."
Henrik Moller on the Monarchs' abandoned clash at Berwick

This article was first published on 27th March 2006