James Sarjeant can get up to speed by scoring well for Edinburgh Monarchs

James Sarjeant says he doesn't intend to stay at reserve for long as he prepares to go full throttle into the 2022 British speedway season.
James Sarjeant clips Sam Masters wheel during an Edinburgh v Redcar meeting in October last year.James Sarjeant clips Sam Masters wheel during an Edinburgh v Redcar meeting in October last year.
James Sarjeant clips Sam Masters wheel during an Edinburgh v Redcar meeting in October last year.

The Edinburgh Monarchs No.7 is no stranger to the Armadale shale having previously donned the blue and gold in 2019.

However, the 28-year-old Yorkshireman suffered a serious leg break on his last outing to the West Lothian circuit in October, then riding for the Redcar Bears.

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And although he admits he has had to work extra hard during the off-season in preparation for next month's Championship opener against the Berwick Bandits, Sarjeant is targeting a quick move into the main body of the team.

"I know I am starting at reserve but I certainly want to move into the main body of the team as soon as I can," he told the Edinburgh Evening News. "If I can do that then I know I'll have been scoring well. I'm my biggest critic.

"It's been pretty hard getting back to fitness but I've had a few shots on the bike recently and I am getting there again. I haven't been able to do the things that I'd normally do ahead of the new season.

"The injury healed pretty quickly but you always experience a few problems with things not feeling quite right, but the doctors are pretty confident everything will feel better in time.

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"I don't feel nervous about the injury, just when you race. You want to do well, personally, and for the team. Your job is to score points. Getting injured is part and parcel of speedway. We know the risks we take so you have all these things, nerves, excitement, the lot really. The sport is your passion so there's that adrenaline factor as well."

He added: "You have to spend a lot of money on your equipment in this league if you want to do well. There's no point in doing it if you're not willing to part with the cash. I wrote a bike off last season with the crash so it was costly. But I'm happy with what I've got this season so it's now about doing it on track."

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