Grand Prix the aim for Swindon Captain Nick Morris

Two weeks since the Swindon Robins were last in action has left fans of the club desperate for speedway to resume at the Abbey Stadium. And with the team back racing next Wednesday with Leicester the visitors, TotalSport Swindon’s Ryan Walker spoke to team skipper Nick Morris.

Two weeks of no Swindon speedway has left fans eagerly awaiting the return of the Robins, but even though he’s had no action in Wiltshire, Nick Morris admits he has been kept busy racing elsewhere.

“Even though we’ve not been racing at Swindon, I’ve still had a couple of other meetings elsewhere to keep me busy,” said Morris.

“I had the championship fours the other day, and tomorrow I’m down at Glasgow. 

“It’s been a little bit more quiet than usual, but luckily I’ve been able to keep myself busy and getting in track time,” he added.

News breaking this week that the Rye House Rockets have been removed from British peedway due to financial issues has left a sour taste for fans of the sport, and when asked on his thoughts, Morris admitted it was sad news to hear of the clubs collapse.

“It’s not good and no one wants to see a cub struggling,” said Morris.

“It’s tough in England, teams are struggling to get the crowds in and obviously that means money isn’t coming in.

“The crowds Rye House was getting is pretty worrying and maybe they were paying out more than was coming in.

“A big crowd gives a big atmosphere and that pumps riders up as well,” he said.

But when questioned on why this may be the case, the Swindon number one highlighted that British speedway has fallen behind the times in comparison to other sports.

“British speedway is a bit out-dated,” stated Morris.

“It’s the same now as what it was in the 80s and 90s. 

“Racing is not as good, bikes have moved forward but the tracks haven’t.

“Hopefully England can pick it up again,” he added.

Swindon have been keen to improve off-track experiences for fans, but on-track the Wiltshire club have been in superb form, currently sitting top of the table. And Morris expressed his delight at his side’s league position.

“We want to be at the top,” said Morris. 

“It’s not the most important thing but it’s nice to be up there.

“We have a really good team but we want to do better.

“A few of the guys have been inconsistent at times including myself,” he added.

“When we are all quick we are really good but we all need to perform on the same night. 

“Hopefully we can keep winning meetings and will be in the playoffs come the end of the season,” he said. 

On a personal level, Morris has seen himself promoted from reserve to Captain during his time at Swindon over the years, and he explained how he is happy with his performances so far this season.

“My season has been good,” said Morris.

“I’ve been riding in Poland as well and that’s been great.

“I’ve had a couple of bad meetings but everyone does.

“We tried new things with the bikes but it’s not worked out,” he added. 

“Sometimes new things work, other times it doesn’t, but that’s speedway.

"The Grand Prix has always been the aim and it still is. I’ve progressed well throughout different leagues and I feel the GP’s are a realistic target,” said Morris.