EDINBURGH Scotwaste Monarchs will be speedway workaholics over the next month as they face an exhausting schedule of home and away league fixtures.
At the end of it all, the results will go a long way towards determining whether they can fulfil their dream of winning back-to-back championships.
In addition, the Monarchs also face Scunthorpe Scorpions in the Premier Trophy semi-final with
the first leg at Scunthorpe on July 11 and the deciding leg at the Lothian Arena on July 24.
Redcar, who were scheduled to visit that evening have been pushed back to September 11.
With such a heavy programme, Monarchs need to resolve the difficulties surrounding the mystery rider they are in talks with to replace Thomas Jonasson.
Club director Mike Hunter said: "Given the number of meetings we face, we need to get someone in very quickly." Asked if the candidate was still keen to ride in the UK, Hunter replied: "Yes, but I suspect it's his club who might not be so keen."
Monarchs will continue to use the rider replacement facility to cover for Jonasson but this runs out on July 10.
Monarchs begin their slog against Newport Wasps tonight with the Welshmen now in stronger shape, having dumped No.1 Mark Lemon and his team-mate Brent Werner earlier this week. Their replacements are 31-year-old Englishman Leigh Lanham and teenage Swede Jonas Andersson.
The Wasps, currently second bottom of the league, have only won two matches so far and co-promoter Nick Mallet insisted changes had to be made.
He said: "We had to do something about the results we had been getting and these are the first major changes to our team.
"We have been impressed with Leigh for a number of years now and have been speaking to him over the last fortnight.
"He comes in as our new No.1 to replace Mark, who we are sorry to see go. Mark did a steady job for us but he didn't win as many Heat 13 and 15 races as we would have liked.
"We feel Leigh is more than capable of winning those heats now, both at home and away."
On Andersson, Mallett said: "His performance in our Welsh Open meeting on Sunday fully justifies his place in our side.
"We are not expecting double figures from Jonas in every match, although it would be nice if it happened. We just want him to take each meeting as it comes and, hopefully, he will return in 2010.
"He also becomes our asset after twelve matches and this is a big bonus for us.
"We are happy with both signings. We feel it makes us stronger, but only time will tell. Both will make their debuts tonight and I hope they do well for us."
While Hunter is still forecasting a Monarchs victory, he does concede Wasps now carry a bigger sting and feels Lemon, who guested for the Capital outfit several times last season, has been slightly hard done by.
Hunter said: "Werner has been appalling but it's tough on Lemon. His average is over seven and a half and you don't normally expect to get dropped with an average of that level.
"He would not have been dropped had he not been their No. 1. If Craig Watson, who broke his leg three months ago, wasn't injured and in good form, Lemon would be thought of as a good No.2. It all depends what riding position you're in, this dictates your fate.
"But Lanham is stronger than Lemon and anyone in the world is stronger then Werner, so it's going to be tougher when we visit Newport a week on Sunday."
Monarchs visit Rye House Rockets tomorrow night and are looking to collect their first away win of the campaign following disappointing reverses at Scunthorpe and Somerset.
Hunter said: "Nobody goes down there expecting to win but our result last year would have got us a point under this season's new scoring system.
"A win at Rye House would make speedway sit up and take notice and we do need to pick up some away points over the next few weeks."
One man who could swing it is Ryan Fisher, who continues to shine in both the Premier and Elite leagues.
Fisher, who finished runner-up in the Welsh Open, visited a sports psychologist along with his Swindon Robins team-mates recently and commented afterwards: "He gives you things to think about before each race to put you in a positive frame of mind. It's hard to explain but it seems to be working as I'm making better starts."
The full article contains 787 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
