Briefing: Party lines

Best wishes to our popular Dane Bastian Borke who goes under the surgeon’s knife this week.

He is scheduled for an operation on the leg injury suffered at Poole which ended his season so dramatically and painfully. Since the crash in May the 22-year-old has been spending time in the gym as part of his rehabilitation.

“I’ve been telling the doctors that I’m ready to get back on the bike,” he told Scott Frame on the stage at Friday’s end of season party and presentation night. “They didn’t quite agree,” he added. So instead it’s surgery – from 7.30am to 3pm and then a recovery and physiotherapy programme.”

No question that Edinburgh’s loss was our gain last winter with Bastian’s ability to track down and pass his opponents, especially at Shielfield, making him a hugely popular Bandit.

Ironically at the time of his crash Bastian had found his gating gloves. “Better for me but not as much fun,” he admitted, picking out the two-lap stalk and pass of first Lasse Fredriksen and then, on the run to the line, Connor Coles against Edinburgh and his fourth to second last bend burst between Max Perry and old foe Tobias Thomsen against Poole as his favourite moments.

“When I signed I had only ridden Shielfield Park once before but I think the season went OK – at least up until the crash. It is just great fun to race here. It’s a tricky track but it rides big. I’m not so good on the big and slick tracks like you get in Poland, I like a little bit of grip and using the banking on the third and fourth turns.”

◊ While he’s no stranger to spending time on the road, Danyon Hume – another hugely popular 2024 Bandit – found that Friday traffic on the way north from his home in Buckinghamshire can be challenging to say the last, finally pulling into the Black and Gold car park seven hours after setting off on the 300-plus mile road trip.

After a steady first season in Bandits’ colours during which he was a regular heat one winner at Shielfield, the 28-year-old revealed that he was happy in his new home.

“A lot of clubs talk up the idea of being a family and don’t deliver,” he told Friday night’s audience. “But there was a good vibe around the Berwick team and like all good families you stick together even when things are not going so well.

“The fans and promotion was awesome and over the season I think all of us have had the odd blip but they stuck with us and gave positive help and support.”

◊ Berwick’s end of season bash was a new experience for many but Jye Etheridge is of course a veteran of the events – his first being in 2017.

A long-term resident of the town – in fact in contrast to Danyon he had the shortest journey to the venue of anyone in the room – the three-time Rider of the Year was typically frank about his season just gone.

“It was one of my worst,” he admitted. “It started good but then I lost a bit of form and then when I was trying to push things I was involved in a lot of crashes.

“Only racing in one league meant big gaps between meetings and I also had to try and juggle a full-time job with racing for pretty much the first time since I came over to the UK and that took a bit of getting used to.”

◊ At the other end of his Berwick career was teenage reserve Freddy Hodder who began and finished the season among the points but had a barren run when they were hard to come by. Victory in the Stars of Tomorrow, impressive guest performances in Glasgow colours and a points-filled end to the National League season in Belle Vue colours underlined the 18-year-old’s huge potential.

“It was tough but I still enjoyed it,” Freddy revealed. “I’ve only been racing speedway for about three years and it was a major step up.

“But it’s all about progression, progression and I think that I learned a lot and hopefully that will put me in a good position going forward.”

◊ Skipper Rory Schlein admits that he still cannot get his head around the Bandits’ bottom of the table finish.

“On paper the team was good, everyone pulling in the same direction and a really good camaraderie,” he said. “Even when we lost Lewi with a broken ankle we were able to get very good guests in but still had momentum and looked a good option from the play-offs.

“But when Bastian was ruled out after one of the nastiest crashes I have ever seen it was like watching a tower of cards tumbling down. The only thing the club can do is scratch it off and start afresh in 2025.”

Within eight days Rory was, like his Danish team-mate, confined to a hospital bed with season-ending injuries after scans on a broken scapula also revealed fractures to vertebrae in his neck.

Of the crash at Scunthorpe which caused the damage he admitted: “I’ve watched it back since and it’s not much of a crash but I can tell you that it hurt! I guess 40-year-olds don’t bounce as well as the younger ones. The scapula is one of the most difficult bones to break – and bloody painful – but it never occurred to me that there was anything wrong with the neck until I got the result of the scans back.

“It was a surprising result of such a simple crash but it just goes to show what a brutal game this is. Last year I burst through the fence at Oxford, wrapped myself around a light post and walked back to the pits and yet a simple first bend slide off causes a lot of damage.”

◊ Friday night was the last official function of Scott Courtney as co-owner of the Bandits following his decision to step back.

He was caught on the hop by moving tributes from, among others, co-owner and younger brother Jamie.

“It was a bit emotional,” he admitted. “We’ve done a lot together in the eight years since we bought the club. To be honest there wasn’t a lot of future, or interest, when John Anderson put it up for sale and I’m glad we decided to give it a go. Berwick Bandits is something unique and important both to the town and British speedway as a whole.

“The club is in a much better position on and off track than when we took over and there’s been some great times working alongside people who are good friends as well as tireless volunteers.

“I’ll still be behind the Bandits when I’m available but also looking forward to the extra time not being involved gives me.”

Pictures Taz McDougall