ALLEN HOPING FOR DEJA VU!
GREAT BRITAIN boss Olly Allen insists he has faith in his squad to regain the Speedway of Nations.
Image courtesy of Taylor Lanning Photography
The same three riders - Robert Lambert, Dan Bewley and Tom Brennan - which won Gold in Manchester in 2021 will represent GB again on Saturday night.
The national side have delivered an incredible recent record of three finals in five years of the SoN.
He said: “Now we arrive at Belle Vue with the same three riders who won in 2021 and on the same track. I know that means nothing this week, it’s a clean slate again.
“It’s a huge shame to lose Tai Woffinden, obviously. But Tom’s form in the British Final was really good and he’s got a lot of experience at Belle Vue. I’m gutted to lose Tai but the goal doesn’t change.
“It’s going to be tough again as always but I’m confident in our team.
“I’m proud of the job that everyone has done over the past few years.
“It’s come down to the last race in the last three championships for us.
“We won at Belle Vue, we were in the Final in Vojens and then we lost out in the final heat in Wroclaw last year in the World Cup.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. But in 10 years time when we look back, we’ll look at it as a very successful era for Great Britain.
“But I have to admit that it was heartbreak in Vojens and even more heartbreaking in Wroclaw.
“To see Robert overtaken like that in the final race was like hell.”
Allen insists that there is a massive hunger in the GB set-up from the riders and backroom team to keep up an excellent run and make it three successive finals.
He added: “The Gold in Manchester in 2021 was the biggest moment of my career, without a doubt.
“Winning anything as a sportsman or woman, you are always searching for that high again. It’s a drug that you need and you want.
“Everything we do between now and Saturday is about optimising the performance for the boys and that they have all their tools to deliver their best.
“It’s nice to get the track time. But if I had said to the boys, you have the chance to ride in a Semi-Final, they would say no.
“I think we’d all just rather go straight to the Final. Your week is a bit more planned out.
“It was very tight coming through the Semi-Final in Vojens two years ago. I remember thinking this is going to go to the wire and it did. I could do with less nights like that in my life!”