WILLIAM LAWSON will throw caution to the wind in his bid to capture the British under-21 speedway crown at Lakeside tomorrow night.
The Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs star is upbeat about his chances. He is one of the most experienced riders in the field and, having already reached 21, knows this is his last chance of glory in the showpiece event. Having made a storming scoring sta
rt to the season, Lawson is certainly in the right frame of mind.
Crucially, he has also beaten most of his main challengers at one time or another.
Lawson said: "I'm quietly confident, my only worry is that Lakeside is one of the slowest and slickest tracks in the country. So I'm hoping to get a decent practice session in tomorrow afternoon".
The Auchterarder ace, who finished runner-up to Edward Kennett in the corresponding meeting a year ago, added: "The practice session on that occasion was a shambles. The local riders just jumped the queue to get on the track and no one bothered.
I wasn't happy about it, so I'm hoping the practice period will be properly conducted this time."
Although Lawson doesn't harbour any doubts over his own ability, he considers Eastbourne's talented Lewis Bridger and Rye House whizzkid Tai Woffinden as two possible dangers.
"Both Tai and Lewis race for clubs whose home circuits are very slick, so they could have an edge," he said. "Lewis is always on good equipment. I'm taking three bikes down with me to see which motor will be most suitable for the conditions. I wouldn't mind if the track was flooded until the tapes rise for the first race!"
Ensuring his engine set-up is 100 per cent on the button is an absolute priority for Lawson. "I've looked at how things have gone for me so far at Armadale this season and I'll be setting my bikes up as I would do for the heat 15 top scorers race.
"By that time a track normally has lost it's slickness and you know to cut the power on the engine a little."
Luck can very often play a big part in individual meetings and Lawson acknowledges he has often found it in short supply.
"I seem to get a few outside gates," he continued. "When I lost out to Edward in 2007 he had choice of gate positions and chose the inside trap which proved advantageous. But you also make your own luck."
Lakeside is a circuit Lawson likes, and he scored 13 points there for Wolverhampton in 2006.
"It's a decent track", said Lawson, "I was brought up on slick tracks. It's finding that extra bit of speed from the gate into the first turn that counts. And I need to make sure I have that horsepower." Although a top-six finish would guarantee Lawson a spot in the World under-21 rounds, he insists: "I'm going down to win the meeting. I won't be playing cautious either. Everyone else in the field will be aggressive to win and I need to match them.
"But the meeting is such a difficult one to succeed in. It only takes one wee thing to go wrong and that's it. But there is only one way I race and that's flat out. And all I can do is my best."
Lawson's teammate Andrew Tully is one of three reserves for the meeting.
The full article contains 573 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
