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GARY HAVELOCK Gary Havelock finally exorcises the gut-wrenching ghost of Glasgow. By PHIL LANNING. HE Power of Love was being belted out by Jennifer Rush at No. 1 in the charts, Charles and Di were in America to meet President Reagan and Wayne Rooney was just a week old. TGary Havelock, in his debut professional season, rolls into Glasgow’s Craighead Park track on November 1, 1985 hoping to end the night with a National League title medal with Middlesbrough. But it ended in misery. Without key man Mark Fiora, who had to travel back to Australia after the official season had ended a day before, the Teessiders lost 41-37 as Martin Dixon heartbreakingly crashed out of the last heat decider. The NL crown went to Ellesmere Port. Roll on 36 years, almost to the day, and the ghost of Glasgow for Gary Havelock was exorcised at last. Finally that bitterly cold night that has haunted him for over three decades was extinguished as Poole beat the Tigers over two legs to win the Championship. It was also Havelock’s first league and cup double success in a long career and, just for good measure, it was all clinched on his 53rd birthday. Havvy admits it was a special moment. He told me: “I bloody remember that night at the old Glasgow, it snowed. Really tricky track, the second bend fence jutted out. “It still hurts to this day. Obviously I’ve won a lot since then but it definitely hurt that night. “Ironically, it was the only time I’d ever been involved in a meeting in November until this season with Poole and Glasgow. “So it does feel like I’ve scratched that itch a bit. We went there in 1985 without Mark (Fiora) and it just got away from us at the end. I was 17 and spewing about it to be honest. We’d been brilliant all season but somehow came away with nothing. “Funnily enough it also meant my first-ever double. I’ve • Danny Ford and Gary 24 speedway star November 20, 2021 won the league and more KO Cups, but never in the same season. “I’d also come close to winning the league with Poole when I rode there but we just missed out in 1999 and 2001. So to finally win the league with the Pirates is very special to me. It’s taken a while but we got there and it was a sweet feeling.” No one would begrudge the 1992 World Champion something to smile about. His battered body has a total length of scars measuring eight feet. He’s had 14 operations lasting over 30 hours having broken 20 bones in as many years. Frankly, it looks as if Edward Scissorhands has given him a Swedish massage. His demeanour is at times unsurprisingly battle-worn. Havvy’s glorious career was ended abruptly after suffering serious injuries in a horrifying crash while racing for Redcar against Edinburgh in March 2012. He broke a staggering 14 bones in the fall and was left with severe nerve damage to his left arm, leaving him with no feeling from just above his elbow. Then he almost died after contracting sepsis following a complex op in a bid to regain use of his left arm in late 2016. He admits it’s a miracle he’s still alive. Down on his luck, Havelock is quick to show his admiration for Poole chief Matt Ford for giving him the HAVE
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losing and nor do I. Now Danny has come in and done a brilliant job. He’s similar in lots of ways but I’m so happy for him that he’s come in and won the double. “It’s not easy to follow in your dad’s footsteps. You get a lot of stick and doubters. But he has quietly gone about the job really well considering the difficulty of the pandemic and the stadium. “Middlo and I are like polar opposites. He paces up and down and gets nervous. I’ve been remarkably laid back this season, I don’t know why but I’ve always believed in that side. “All year the boys have been phenomenal. The spirit was good. In the final against Glasgow I could see it in their eyes, the belief. After the first leg, to a man, they all said ‘we have got this’. “Sometimes the mix is just right. There is a massive drive at Poole, they are the Manchester United of speedway. Matt eight times out of 10 builds a strong side, Middlo knows how to get the best out of riders. “There’s huge expectation that success brings but I think that’s a good thing. Pressure is good. You either fall apart or it makes you fight for more. I absolutely love that spirit at Wimborne Road. “I think I saw some key moments when I knew this was a good side. The wins at Leicester and Edinburgh were huge. That’s when I saw the mettle to fight right the way through the side. “I remember at Edinburgh that Benjamin Basso had just been signed. He came in and was bouncing off the fence at Armadale. He was furious in the pits that he couldn’t get the hang of the place. He also thought I was going to take him out of his last rides. • Gary congratulates Danyon Hume “But I sat him down, told him to figure it out, and fair play to him he did. I think he won his last ride. Then when we went back in the KO Cup final he scored paid 16. That epitomises a winning mentality. chance to re-invent his managerial career. He added: “Life’s not been easy, not at all. Trust me it’s tough at times. So it was a good feeling when Matt rang me in late 2019. “I just remember him chatting away and saying that Middlo (Neil Middleditch) had more commitments at Baillie House and travelling was a problem for him. Matt hadn’t even finished what he was saying and I just said ‘yes I’ll do it’. “He hadn’t even asked what he wanted me to do. But I would have done anything for Poole, Matt and Middlo. It was frustrating when the pandemic came along and I couldn’t wait for the season to finally start this year.” Havelock’s stand-out ability over his trophy-laden career, has been attention to detail. His tactical awareness of how gates, tracks and bikes change and perform during a meeting is quite sensational. That’s what made him a World Champion. And his quite ferocious will-to-win. “I think at Glasgow in the final they needed a bigger lead from the first leg. A big moment was us taking gates two and four. I knew that had been their choice for a while but we took it. They didn’t get an early lead because gate three was dreadful. “It felt like the final was always under our control. They pulled out a bit of a lead but none of us felt 10 would be enough for them. “I was obviously just meant to be the away manager but for the last month I did home and away. It was awesome to be back at Wimborne Road. I love the place. “The staff there are out of this world. You talk about the management and team. But every person in that stadium oozes class. They all know what the expectation is, every rider, every official. It’s about winning and that’s why they do. They all deserve huge credit, not just the riders.” Havelock admits the taste of champagne had rarely been sweeter. But there will be no trip to the States to celebrate. He added: “I still know everything about the sport. I study it, I know about riders, tracks, bikes. I watch the Grand Prix series, Poland and British leagues. “I see some of these top riders with huge teams of people making mistakes during big meetings. That’s frustrating because I know I have a lot of knowledge and a lot to offer. “But the Poole set-up works perfectly. Matt doesn’t like He added: “I seem to remember Matt promising us a holiday in Vegas if we won the league. I think he’s probably happy that the pandemic has put paid to that. Maybe we will get out to his Chateau La Briance again instead! “He sent me a really nice text the other day about winning the double. He also ended by saying ‘same again next year mate’. Too right, bring it on.” E-THE-LOT! November 20, 2021 speedway star 25

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losing and nor do I. Now Danny has come in and done a brilliant job. He’s similar in lots of ways but I’m so happy for him that he’s come in and won the double.

“It’s not easy to follow in your dad’s footsteps. You get a lot of stick and doubters. But he has quietly gone about the job really well considering the difficulty of the pandemic and the stadium.

“Middlo and I are like polar opposites. He paces up and down and gets nervous. I’ve been remarkably laid back this season, I don’t know why but I’ve always believed in that side.

“All year the boys have been phenomenal. The spirit was good. In the final against Glasgow I could see it in their eyes, the belief. After the first leg, to a man, they all said ‘we have got this’.

“Sometimes the mix is just right. There is a massive drive at Poole, they are the Manchester United of speedway. Matt eight times out of 10 builds a strong side, Middlo knows how to get the best out of riders.

“There’s huge expectation that success brings but I think that’s a good thing. Pressure is good. You either fall apart or it makes you fight for more. I absolutely love that spirit at Wimborne Road.

“I think I saw some key moments when I knew this was a good side. The wins at Leicester and Edinburgh were huge. That’s when I saw the mettle to fight right the way through the side.

“I remember at Edinburgh that Benjamin Basso had just been signed. He came in and was bouncing off the fence at Armadale. He was furious in the pits that he couldn’t get the hang of the place. He also thought I was going to take him out of his last rides.

• Gary congratulates Danyon Hume

“But I sat him down, told him to figure it out, and fair play to him he did. I think he won his last ride. Then when we went back in the KO Cup final he scored paid 16. That epitomises a winning mentality.

chance to re-invent his managerial career.

He added: “Life’s not been easy, not at all. Trust me it’s tough at times. So it was a good feeling when Matt rang me in late 2019.

“I just remember him chatting away and saying that Middlo (Neil Middleditch) had more commitments at Baillie House and travelling was a problem for him. Matt hadn’t even finished what he was saying and I just said ‘yes I’ll do it’.

“He hadn’t even asked what he wanted me to do. But I would have done anything for Poole, Matt and Middlo. It was frustrating when the pandemic came along and I couldn’t wait for the season to finally start this year.”

Havelock’s stand-out ability over his trophy-laden career, has been attention to detail. His tactical awareness of how gates, tracks and bikes change and perform during a meeting is quite sensational. That’s what made him a World Champion. And his quite ferocious will-to-win.

“I think at Glasgow in the final they needed a bigger lead from the first leg. A big moment was us taking gates two and four. I knew that had been their choice for a while but we took it. They didn’t get an early lead because gate three was dreadful.

“It felt like the final was always under our control. They pulled out a bit of a lead but none of us felt 10 would be enough for them.

“I was obviously just meant to be the away manager but for the last month I did home and away. It was awesome to be back at Wimborne Road. I love the place.

“The staff there are out of this world. You talk about the management and team. But every person in that stadium oozes class. They all know what the expectation is, every rider, every official. It’s about winning and that’s why they do. They all deserve huge credit, not just the riders.”

Havelock admits the taste of champagne had rarely been sweeter. But there will be no trip to the States to celebrate.

He added: “I still know everything about the sport. I study it, I know about riders, tracks, bikes. I watch the Grand Prix series, Poland and British leagues.

“I see some of these top riders with huge teams of people making mistakes during big meetings. That’s frustrating because I know I have a lot of knowledge and a lot to offer.

“But the Poole set-up works perfectly. Matt doesn’t like

He added: “I seem to remember Matt promising us a holiday in Vegas if we won the league. I think he’s probably happy that the pandemic has put paid to that. Maybe we will get out to his Chateau La Briance again instead!

“He sent me a really nice text the other day about winning the double. He also ended by saying ‘same again next year mate’. Too right, bring it on.”

E-THE-LOT!

November 20, 2021 speedway star 25

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