PRESS RELEASE No 5 – March 2nd
 
In a bid to get in some overdue practice Workington Comets reserve rider John Branney is making the long trek to Francethis week-end.
 
In company with his elder brother Craig, he’s due toset off after work on Thursday and drive to Portsmouthwhere they will catch the ferry to France.
 
Their destination is the speedway track at Lamothe Landerron, which is between Bordeauxand Toulouse, and once they clear the ferry port they face a seven hour drive.
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The Workington-based brothers are booked into practice on Saturday and Sunday before they face a drive through the night to catch the ferry back to Britain.
 
John said: “It’s getting on now with less than two weeks to press and practice and we have hardly had a chance to get on our bikes. I’ve been on the beach once and also at the Northside Training track on another occasion.
 
“But Northside, like other tracks around the country, has had problems with the weather – rain, snow and ice – and I think there will be more riders this year who are short of practice than there has been for some time.
 
“Scunthorpeusually runs from very early in the New Year and I think they will be lucky if they have run practices on three occasions.”
 
It was Craig, who is back with Berwick Bandits his year, who first heard of the track in Franceand who made arrangements for the brothers to travel over for practice.
 
“We made a few enquiries when Craig read about the French track and it seems a number of English riders have used it in the past, including Joe Screen.
 
“Craig has fixed up the practice sessions this week-end and we will be leaving as soon as we have finished work on Thursday.
 
“It will be just good to get on a bike again. I have a practice bike and two I am preparing for the new season. I am going to take one of my race bikes with me to Franceand hopefully have a blast on that after I’ve got used to the track on the practice bike.
 
“I had a set-back with an operation on my ankle so I have been behind in my training anyway but I have been in the gym and doing my own fitness work at home,” he says.
 
He picked-up an infection after the operation and wasn’t able to do the road-work that he put in a year ago.
 
It was an operation to tidy-up his ankle which had been mashed in a track accident five years ago.
 
“Basically there were some pins left in there which they were going to take-out but when they got down to it were unable to do anything with them.
 
“However they found some bone which had calcified and worked on that to lean-up an area which had been giving me a few problems. #
 
“My ankle had been locking-up and I found it hard wok sometimes putting weight on it. When I came home I got an infection so that held me back.
 
Branney, one of the most enthusiastic and determined riders on the Premier League circuit, is looking forward to the new campaign and believes the new-look Comets can make their mark.
 
“The team is a bit different to other years but I think we have a few riders in the team who can certainly improve and make an impression this season.
 
“My brother Craig was a team-mate at Oxfordwith Chris Schramm and is a good mate. He’s a smashing lad and a good, exciting rider who will fit in well at DerwentParkso I’m looking forward to being in the same team.
 
“Really the Danish rider Peter Kildemand is the only one we all don’t know but I’m sure he’ll soon settle in and be a part of the team,” he said.
 
Meanwhile Rusty Harrison is the latest rider to be invited to take part in the anniversary meeting at DerwentParkon Saturday, March 27.
 
The Australian lives in the town with his wife and two children and although he hasn’t been fixed up with a team for 2010 was always a popular performer in the Comets colours and will be keen to impress to prove he can still do a job for a Premier League team if a vacancy occurs.
 
Harrisonjoins Kauko Nieminen and James Wright, two former team-mates, in the meeting proper while the guest list for the old riders is growing by the day.
 
Bernie Hornby, another member of the Comets team from the 1970’s is the latest to confirm he will be attending on March 27. Manchester-born Bernie, now 62, is the brother-in-law of ex-Australian international John Titman