LYON QUITS TEAM GB
King’s Lynn boss Rob Lyon has parted company with Team Great Britain and admits he wanted more than just a “one-week job.”
Lyon took charge of the side for the 2009 season and was determined to bring the nation’s youngsters into the Speedway World Cup limelight. And despite reaching the Final at Vojens last year, he felt his project had gone backwards.
The likes of Tai Woffinden, Edward Kennett and Lewis Bridger all endured difficult campaigns, forcing him to rely on the experience of Chris Harris, Scott Nicholls and Lee Richardson to achieve the nation’s first final place since 2007.
Lyon’s departure comes as another blow to the national side, which was rocked by Richardson’s retirement from Team GB duty last week.
But the King’s Lynn team manager does not feel the BSPA gave him the support he needed to look after Britain’s leading riders and take the Lions to their first world team title since 1989.
Speaking exclusively to speedwaygp.com, he said: “We decided we were so far apart on what our aspirations are that it was going nowhere. They’re not really interested in taking it (Team GB) forward.
“It needs to go forward and I’ve got lots of good ideas, but they’re just not interested.
“They said it’s a one-week job. They want to spend as little financially as possible on it and they want a person for one week. But that’s not how I see the job.”
He added: “The first year I took the role, I felt we were making some progress and some of the things I wanted to do were happening. It was quite encouraging.
“But the way the BSPA is, an AGM happens each year and committees change. It changed last year and there are similar people again this year. They have a different approach to what the 2009 people had, or certain people who were on that committee.
“I feel that’s very sad because if we had gone down the road of making changes, there may have been a future for some of these kids.
“They want to do it their way. They want a senior team led by a senior person for one week. If they want someone to look after the senior team, it isn’t a one-week job. It’s a part-time, 12-month job to run it properly and make it work.”
As part of his grand plan, Lyon was keen to bring back test matches and give younger stars on the fringes of his squad a chance to experience racing at international level.
“We did a test match at Ipswich two years ago (against Australia) for the under-25s and trying to organise it turned into a nightmare,” Lyon admits. “If it wasn’t for Chris Louis, it wouldn’t have gone ahead.
“He pushed hard for it and it was a success. It gave us the opportunity to use some of the boys in that sort of environment.
“In my opinion, we should be going to Poland, Sweden and Denmark for those test matches as much as having them over here. But it all costs money to do that and they (the BSPA) are not prepared to invest in it unfortunately, which is very sad.”
From
speedwaygp.com/en/newsdetail/a2429?SID=8cdf9dd3e1978fb50a89499ba8b14758So...the BSPA didn't give him the support he needed....well, there's a surprise !
