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Speedway: Sullivan can’t wait for Alwalton return
FLYIN’ Ryan Sullivan admits he couldn’t resist the chance to race at the East of England Showground one more time.
The Australian legend will lead a ‘Sullivan’s Seven’ select side into battle against the current crop of Panthers in a 2012 curtain-raiser on Monday, March 19.
Sullivan was a superstar around the Alwalton shale for more than a decade during a glittering Panthers career.
He is the club’s all-time leading points-scorer and played his part in two terrific Elite League title successes in 1999 and 2006.
And it is that latter triumph that ranks highest on his long list of happy Panthers memories.
Sullivan, who last rode for the club in the second half of the 2008 campaign, said: “I’ll never forget winning the title in that way in one of the greatest finals ever.
“I have to admit deep down that I thought we had lost out but the riders never gave up and it was an incredible feeling to pull it off with a maximum in the last race.
“That has to be the best of a lot of very good memories from my career at Peterborough and I guess that would have been the perfect way to end.
“But I was persuaded to come back for a short stint in 2008 and I really thought that would be the last time I got to ride the Showground.
“But the club got in touch recently and I was pretty pumped up after being asked to ride in their opening night.”
Sullivan admits the Showground ranks highly on his list of favourite tracks and hopes he can still shine in his fleeting return to spearhead a team also featuring world champion Greg Hancock and two Panthers doubling-up riders. The rest of the opposing line up is to be announced in due course.
Sullivan added: “It will be great to catch up with the Peterborough fans again.
“You never know what will happen in a meeting like this but hopefully I can still score a few points.
“Not only was I pretty dominant at the Showground, I also loved riding the place.
“It is not the sort of track where you can just rely on making a good start to win races. You can easily go from last to first in a race.
“I’ve been very pleased with my form in the last two years. I’m not racing as much as I used to and that is working nicely for me.”
The Panthers opener is Sullivan’s sole booking on a whistle-stop visit to these shores. He is committed to racing in the Polish and Russian leagues this year.
n PANTHERS are staging a series of open practice sessions at the East of England Showground ahead of the new season.
The Sunday events start on Feb 11 and run until March 3 from 10.30am to 2pm.
Any riders wishing to take part must be fully-licensed and need to book their place with Panthers club official Wendy Jedrzejakski on 07824 413002. Wendy is also the point of contact on practice day and also for weather updates.
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
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