2003

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Monday 3 March 2003

Great news has been announced from Exeter today with the news that Lol will be Exeter's assistant Team Manager for the 2003 season. It is unlikely that he will be present at too many home meetings due to the lengthy travel distance but highly likely that he will be at many of the away meetings. I am sure everyone will agree that it is great news that Lol will stay involved in the sport.

In addition to this Lol will write a weekly column in the Ipswich Evening Star, the local newspaper that has supported him so well since his injury in addition to a regular monthly update in the Speedway Star.

2003 will also see Lol run his testimonial meeting at Oxford at some point during the year after Nigel Wagstaff supported the idea of the meeting going ahead. So its looks like being a busy year for Lol. 

Wednesday 22 January 2003

Lol will make his first visit to speedway in 2003 when he is the guest of honour at the 18th Annual Telford Ice meeting on Sunday 16 February. He will be present all day and present the trophies to the winning riders at the end of the event. A press relaease concerning the event is below

BILLY JANNIRO, Coventry Bees' popular American track ace, and new
Somerset signing Mark Lemon will make their Telford Indoor Ice
International debuts at the Shropshire rink next month.

Wolverhampton's hard-riding Polish international ADAM SKORNICKI, who
had his first taste of Telford's annual winter spectacular a year
ago, has also been added to the line-up for the 18th Indoor Ice
International on SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16th.

Telford co-promoter Graham Drury contacted Janniro after a tip-off
from a midlands journalist that the 22 year old Californian was going
to be back in the country ahead of schedule to look for new
accommodation before the start of the new outdoor season.

Janniro helped Coventry to reach the final of the Craven Shield last
year, in his second season with the Elite League outfit, and was only
narrowly pipped for the American National Championship by his
Coventry team mate Billy Hamill--for the second year in a row.

`Billy will be a terrific addition to our line-up,' said Graham
Drury. `We always look to bring new names to Telford every year and
have also snapped up Austalian Mark Lemon, who was with Oxford in the
Elite League last summer.

`Mark has just agreed to ride for Somerset in the Premier League this
year and I knew he was keen to do Telford but wasn't sure he would be
in the country.

`Then he rang me from Australia to say he would be back on the
Thursday before Telford and wanted to ride. He doesn't know anything
about the event but is going to look at a few videos and get some
advice on how to set up an engine for the ice.'

World Indoor Ice are also delighted to welcome back Wolves favourite
Adam Skornicki although he struggled to get to grips with the 110
metre circuit last year.

`He says he was a bit overawed the first time but enjoyed the day and
the unique atmosphere and has been on the phone to his Wolves team
mate David Howe, who made the top three in the British Championship.
I'm sure Adam will be much more competitive this time round'

ANDERS HENRIKSSON, who was with Reading Racers last year but looks
destined to miss out on a team place in British speedway this season,
makes a welcome return to Telford nevertheless.
Henriksson has signed for a fifth appearance in the ice international
and is keen to make the rostrum in the British Open Championship
after finishing joint fifth last time round. Henriksson will be
riding in the Swedish League for Gislaved along with two of his
Reading team mates from last season, Andrew Appleton and Phil Morris.
Telford co-promoter Graham Drury says: `Anders is so keen to do well
again at Telford that he got a snow plough to carve out a track the
size of Telford on a frozen lake near his home. It had a two-foot
high wall of snow for a safety fence.'

Danish international JESPER OLSEN, who recently signed for Elite
League track Belle Vue Aces after failing to agree a new deal with
Newcastle Diamonds, will be making his first competitive appearance
since a serious shoulder injury brought a premature end to the 2002
season for him.

ANDY SMITH, hard-riding Congleton-based track star, is also hoping
for better luck than he had last year when he didn't ride in British
speedway and also lost his Grand Prix place after battling to keep it
for a number of years. The former Belle Vue and Coventry rider will
be making his fourth Telford appearance and putting himself in the
shop window for a team place.

WORLD INDOOR ICE have come up with a WWF interval attraction! It's
not what you think...but prepare for plenty of laughs as your
favourite riders take part in what is being billed as the `World
Wheelbarrow Finals'.

LEICESTER referee JIM LAWRENCE will be in charge at Telford this year.
The SCB official follows GRAHAM FLINT, who refereed the 2002 event,
as part of the new policy of `sharing the job around'. Previously,
Preston's PAUL ACKROYD was officiated at 15 Telford ice
internationals, missing only the 1992 event when WILL HUNTER had his
finger on the button.

THIS WILL BE THE 18th TELFORD INDOOR ICE SPEEDWAY INTERNATIONAL and
comprises two separate meetings, at 3pm and 7.30pm

3pm: ENGLAND v REST OF THE WORLD International team match
         followed by SPEEDWAY STAR INTERNATIONAL BEST PAIRS KNOCK-OUT

7.30pm: 15th BRITISH OPEN ICE SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP
               20 heat individual competition with run-offs, if
necessary, to determine the first three overall.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16th
TELFORD ICE RINK, Shropshire