HELLO and welcome to my first column for the Swindon Advertiser.

I wanted to write this column after seeing Mads Korneliussen do a really good one for the newspaper in King’s Lynn last season, and he got some really good points across and had a good debate out of it.

Hopefully I can get my point across on some things which will be really interesting for the fans to read about because normally you don’t get to hear certain stuff from within the speedway world. Hopefully I can tell a different side to the stories you all know about.

It’s also a good chance for me to let the fans get to know me, although you obviously all know me at Swindon from 2011 and other meetings. This should be a good chance to get closer to the fans and also businesses in Swindon who might be interested in getting involved in speedway.

I was back on the bike at Scunthorpe at the weekend...the only problem was it took me nearly two hours to get both my bikes started.

We found out it was because there is a screw you can adjust on the carburettor to make it meaner or weaker which gives it more or less fuel. The screw was out too much because it was a new part and I hadn’t checked it before putting it on the bikes, thinking it was right.

I didn’t have a mechanic to check it for me either on the day so we were pushing it around trying to get it started...until we found the screw was too far out and was letting the fuel right through the engine and out the exhaust pipe.

After that little game we did eventually get two runs in, one on each bike, so I made a start, did four laps and that was it. It was a little difficult to try too much or to race because the track was not like it would be because I was the last person on it.

It was good to get back on the bike, though, and to get a feel for things and test stuff out before the season starts. Everything wasn’t 100 per cent but I have to say it felt better than what I’ve been on before over here.

I was at Wolverhampton last night for their open press day and then on Sunday I’m in Mads’ testimonial meeting followed by the Banks’s Olympique at Wolves the day after that, so I have plenty of chances to get things going before the season starts.

It’s the Swindon press day next week too so it will be really good to get back there because it’s a track I like.

Hopefully see you there.