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Swindon Robin's start to the season analysed
With the 2016 Speedway Elite League soon entering its third month of action, Total Sport’s Ryan Walker analyses some of the positives and negatives of the Swindon Robins’ start to the season.
Six meetings gone, three defeats, three wins and in fifth place in the 2016 Speedway Elite League. This is the mixed start that the Swindon Robins have had to endure to their Elite League campaign. But after a turbulent opening to their year, what have we learnt about the Wiltshire club's title hopes and their revamped squad.
Consistency
When manager Alun Rossiter announced his full squad at the end of February, many eyebrows were raised, because even though there is undoubted talent and potential running throughout the entirety of the team, an average age of just 25 makes the Swindon Robins the youngest squad in the League.
A young squad means inconsistency in results is to be expected as admitted by Rossiter after the clubs first victory of the season against Wolverhampton at the start of April, and you only have to look at the start to their title campaign this year for the 2012 Elite League champions to see this.
Hunger, drive, and passion are all fantastic attributes that the Swindon Robins riders possess, and two fantastic victories in their last two outings, one over last year’s Grand Finalists the Belle Vue Aces and the other against the Coventry Bees on Monday night which saw the Robins clinch their first away win of the season, means that the Swindon Robins are now gaining momentum and starting to perform like we all know they can.
Jason Doyle
After finishing in fifth place of the FIM Speedway World Championships last year, there was a definite buzz around Swindon when it was announced that Jason Doyle would be returning to the Wiltshire outfit after his 2012 success to spearhead a strong Robins line-up as the team’s number one.
Since the departure of Speedway legend Leigh Adams back in 2010, the Swindon Robins have struggled to attract and sign any superstar riders to fill the void left by Adams, apart from the brief period when Darcy Ward led the team last year, and this is one of the reasons many believe the squad have struggled to reach the grand final in recent years.
However the signing of Australian ace Doyle has brought new hope to Blunsdon. His performances on the track and the work he has been doing in the pits as club Captain so far this season has been nothing short of sensational.
Scoring a minimum of 11 points for the Robins in any meeting, Doyle really has spearheaded the team onto victory and the benefit of having such an experienced and World-class rider within the squad has paid dividends in the pits as well.
Being made club Captain is a huge role to take on, but Jason Doyle has took to the role superbly, giving out advice to all of his teammates on topics such as what racing lines to take when out on track and even helping with their individual bike setups. Jason Doyle really is one of the best all-round riders in the sport and the Swindon Robins are certainly lucky to have him.
Team Unity
A familiar topic that has been raised before but the importance of team unity within the squad mustn’t be underestimated and is one of the major positives surrounding the Swindon Robins in their search for success. Five Australians and two British riders in the team have resulted in positive team unity and spirit being at an all-time high, even if some of the results haven’t been.
This is best illustrated in the pits where laughter, advice and a sense of community are all things that surround this Swindon team. In all the years gone by at the Abbey Stadium, I have never seen a better bond between riders than the one that is on show this year, something that will play a major factor for Alun Rossiter’s men if they are to front a serious title challenge this year.
Some positives and some negatives can be taken away from the Swindon Robins mixed start to the 2016 Speedway Elite League, but one for thing for sure is that Rossiter’s men will not give in and certainly race to the very end in their search for glory.
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