Could this be the earliest ever start to the racing season?

He would have raced earlier, but the last possibility was denied Andy Connington by the arctic conditions which brough the entire South East to a standstill on December the 18th.

well it was warm in the club house.....

Our newest recruit is also probably our most enthusiastic rider right now. Despite temperatures barely above zero, he finally made it to Hillingdon to race his first event on Bank Holiday Monday January 3rd.

"This was about familiarisation," he tells us afterwards. "The boys have been telling me I am going well, but that doesn't translate to results immediately. I tried not to get carried away and limited my efforts to a couple of selective attacks."

"His focus seems spot on," comments team stalwart Colin McDonnell. "Many people train hard but too many new riders don't take the time to learn the art of group riding which led to problems with entry level bunch racing last season."

Continues Andy: "I witnessed one crash and was pushed off the circuit at one point as well, but survived unscathed, so it was a positive experience and with plenty of time to play around, I am giving myself a better foundation to work with."