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Rosco: North Brings Balance To The Robins
Swindon Robins speedway last week finally added the final piece to their puzzle, completing the roster of riders ahead of the upcoming 2016 Elite League campaign. Total Sport's Ryan Walker caught up with manager Alun Rossiter to talk through the acquisition of Dakota North.
After signing for the Wiltshire club back in 2014, North endured a successful season before making the switch to arch rivals Poole Pirates where he won the 2015 Elite League title. However Swindon manager Alun Rossiter says he is delighted to have North back in red and believes his signing is a massive bonus for the team.
“I was thinking about signing Dak [Dakota North] for a while, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to bring him in,” Rossiter began.
“However if I’m truly honest, I don’t think Dak ever really wanted to leave us last year and when I gave him the call the deal was sorted in ten minutes.” He added.
North’s signing sees the Robins with competitive riders with high averages through the entirety of the team and Rossiter believes this depth in the squad is a crucial factor for a successful 2016 season.
“I believe the secret to being successful next year is to have solid riders throughout the spine of the team,” said Rossiter.
“The benefit of Dak signing is that it balances the team out more.
“If Zengi (Grzegors Zengota) was here then we would have his power and skill but we would have been severely weakened lower down in the team so it wouldn’t really have worked.”
The departure of high profile riders from British Speedway such as Niels-Kristian Iversen and Maciej Janowski means that there is a severe lack of top quality GP riders left in the Elite League. Rossiter believes this will make the league more competitive next season but is confident his riders are more than capable of beating any upcoming opposition.
“You look at the riders in the league for next season and there’s not many outstanding teams or riders so I think most teams are trying to go down the same route as we are.” Rossiter emphasised.
“I don’t think there are any teams in the league that people will look at and see as outright winners but I firmly believe that my boys can go out there and beat anyone.
“The potential my riders have is massive. And as long as they can fulfill that potential, with the exception of Doyley [Jason Doyle] because I cant really ask anymore of him, then I think we will be an incredibly tough team to beat," he added.
North’s signing means that the Swindon Robins have now completed their team before the Christmas period and Rossiter says that this is a massive positive.
“With Dak signed I can relax and get ready for Christmas,” Rossiter joked.
“The main positive is that it allows my riders time to prepare for next season as they know where they will be riding in 2016 and who their teammates will be.”
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