Throttles at the the ready as Edinburgh Monarchs' new season revs into action
Edinburgh Monarchs co-promoter Alex Harkess has revealed there is "a different feel" about the team he and John Campbell have assembled for the 2025 season.
The action gets underway tonight when the Capital outfit host arch-rivals the Glasgow Tigers in the first leg of the Scottish Cup before the sides do it all again for the second leg at Ashfield next Friday.
It's the first time the competition has been staged since 2018 and the ideal precursor in preparation for the club's KO cup clash against the Workington Comets in a fortnight's time.
The Monachs league campaign doesn't begin until the middle of next month.
Gone is big-hitter Josh Pickering who has elected not to ride in the Championship this season with Justin Sedgmen taking over the responsibility of riding at No.1. The affable Australian along with compatriot Kye Thomson, skipper Paco Castagna and reserve Max James, are all returning Monarchs with Swedish duo Victor Palovaara, and Jonatan Grahn, and Polish star Oskar Polis, the newcomers to the team.
Harkess is confident they have the right blend with all riders capable of turning in big scores.
"There is a different feeling this year, there's no doubt about that," he explained. "Most Edinburgh teams have something, we hope, that's going to come good and sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. There's a definite will that this club will succeed this year and it's starting to rub off already.
"All these boys are here to do a job. For John and I when we put the team together, some things haven't changed in that we feel the riders are all capable of doing better. It's unfair to say that of the new ones who haven't been here before but, the ones who have, all they need to do is do it a bit more frequently. We really hope it comes good. There's a definite buzz. John and I have been here a long time and we know what success is. But equally we know what failure is and the disappointment it brings."
Campbell revealed the club were keen to explore a different avenue as soon as Pickering informed them he would be calling time on his eight-year stint with the Monarchs.
"Once we were aware that Josh was moving upwards, then we had to set out to change the nature of the team," he said. "We had a determination to have a reserve who can win races, and that's on top of Max winning of course. And if we say it's very likely that we'll have Victor starting at reserve, then you can see we've got a guy who can win races.
"The thing that is at the back of my mind is we have two Swedes who are riding in the equivalent league in Sweden and are averaging eight points per meeting. And now although the tracks are different, these guys are starting with us on five-point averages. But if they start hitting eight points then wow, we've got a team.
"I spoke to Paco during the winter and I said to him you've got to have the same determination as your dad had, so those who remember Armando, when that brick wall got in his way, he rode through it. Kye knows his time has come, it's now or never and all these things are mounting up so that gives you hope that this is the season. I'm very hopeful we'll have a great year."