Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:07:06 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/ Leigh Adams Racing en-gb http://www.leighadams.com/images/news.gif http://www.leighadams.com/ info@leighadams.com http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=191 Mildura’s Leigh Adams has taken a huge step toward winning his 10th Australian Speedway Championship by taking victory in round 1 of this year’s three round series at Newcastle Showground. Adams was untroubled as he roared to six consecutive victories to post 20 championship points ahead of South Australia’s Rory Schlein (18), reigning Champion Chris Holder (NSW - 17) and impressive fourth place finisher Jason Doyle (NSW - 16). It was an overcast night but thankfully the rain held off and the crowd were treated to a master class from the 37 year old 8 times Grand Prix winner, who is currently ranked number 6 in the world. Despite having only ridden once in the last 8 weeks, Adams was always confident; “I had a ride a couple of weeks back I felt very good,” he said. “I have been training very hard for this and I have some great people travelling with me and helping so we are all pleased with the result. “I have an engine specifically designed and built for Australian conditions and also another one we are experimenting with and developing so I think we have all bases covered. “I just have to do my job and hopefully we can get the result we are after.” The series now heads to Mildura this Wednesday night (Jan 7) and then across to Gillman in Adelaide for the finale on January 10. Rod Colquhoun - RC Media Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:07:06 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=190 A MASSIVE BOOST FOR WA BIKE SPEEDWAY Redmond Motorsports in conjunction the Speedway Motorcycle Club of WA is proud to announce the running of the inaugural Western Big One for bikes at Perth’s Pinjar Park on January 31, 2009. The event, which is the brain child of former international riders Lee Redmond (WA) and Rod Colquhoun (NSW) will see the pair use their significant contacts within the sport to assemble a world class field for the 20 heat plus semi final and final spectacular. In a massive coo for the organisers they have already secured the mercurial Victorian Leigh Adams, who will make his first appearance in the west for almost a decade. Adams is a 9 times Australian Champion, former World Under 21 Champion and was ranked Number 2 in the world in 2007. Upon signing Adams, Redmond was over the moon, saying; “I’m a massive fan of Leigh’s and this is a huge step forward for bike racing in the state. “It’s been a bit lean for us since the closure of Claremont and Bibra Lake but Pinjar has really surprised a lot of people with just how good a track it is and I have little doubt the Leigh will smash the track record – he is that good. “Rod has been part of Leigh’s team as a media liaison since 1999 and his influence was pivotal, but we are in this together and we both want the fans to leave wanting more because that’s the way we like to feel at the end of an event. “While the signing of Adams was critical it is also vital that the fans get to see some great racing, not just a Leigh Adams benefit and we believe we are well on our way to achieving that having now secured the signatures of internationals Steve Johnston (WA) and Jason Doyle (NSW) on contracts”. It is expected that upwards of 10 interstate riders will take part as well as the best half dozen home state riders and Colquhoun is very aware of the importance of embracing the locals. “There is nothing worse for a talented young rider than to have a major event conducted in his home town and not get a chance to shine. “There are three or four youngsters and several more experienced guys in the west who are entitled to a start and they will get it – we have no intention of alienating the locals, not at all. “There is also a good chance that we will bring in a European especially for the event, but negotiations are still underway in that regard.” Rod Colquhoun. Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:33:14 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=189 The Adams family have now arrived back in Australia having spent some time in the USA on route. They have finaly moved into their new home in Mildura. Leigh commented: "It's great to be back home again and our new house is spectacular but I need to establish my new workshop and to be ready for the Aussie Championship. It promises to be a tough challenge with some of the young guys around like Chris (Holder) all looking to take the win. In the meantime we will be soaking up some sun and kicking back for a while." Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:43:13 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=188 LEIGH Adams has agreed a deal to join new Elite League champions Lejonen. Adams had been a long-serving member of the MasarnaAvesta squad, but his former club were set to drop out of the Elite League even before their relegation was confirmed. Their future is now under serious threat as the club has been declared bankrupt with debts of over 1.5m kroner - with their crowds having fallen by over 50% in the last three years. Co-operation club Team DalaKraft are likely to take Masarna's place in the Allsvenskan League next season. Adams, meanwhile, will ride in around half of Lejonen's fixtures next season - and there is likely to be a further change in the Elite League with Hammarby also likely to drop down. The capital club have also sustained serious losses in 2008 and chairman Tommy Cederlund has said that they are 98% certain to be racing in the Allsvenskan League next season - which would drop the top flight from ten to nine teams. It also means that Scott Nicholls and Matej Zagar will be amongst the riders who will become available to other Elite League clubs. Two other Australian riders have exchanged tracks for next season, with Rory Schlein transferring from Smederna to Dackarna, and Troy Batchelor making the reverse move to Smederna. Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:26:54 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=187 AS REVEALED at a packed end-of-season Dinner and Dance at the Premier Club in Stratton, Robins’ skipper Leigh Adams has scooped the annual Rider of the Year Award, sponsored by the Swindon Advertiser. The Sultan of Slide already held the record for winning the award on the most number of occasions and this is now the seventh time he has polled the highest number of votes, following on from his previous successes in 1991, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. As always, the Swindon Speedway Dinner & Dance provided riders, management and supporters with a perfect opportunity to reflect on the 2008 campaign. Leigh Adams, James Wright, Mads Korneliussen, Travis McGowan, Troy Batchelor, Seb Alden, Cory Gathercole and Richard Sweetman were all in attendance. Meanwhile Jurica Pavlic, who was unable to travel, sent an audio message which was played during the course of the evening. The award ceremony got underway with Leigh Adams being presented with the Swindon Advertiser Rider Of the Season Award for a breathtaking fifth successive season. Fellow Aussie Troy Batchelor collected the 'Rattrap Award' for the most improved rider of the year whilst James Wright was presented with the 'Pit Crew Bonus King Award' for his unrivalled haul of bonus points. Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:39:59 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=186 TORUN are Extraleague Champions after a close battle with Leszno in Sunday's second leg of the Final. They took an eight-point lead into their home meeting and were therefore strong favourites to take the title - but Leszno fought all the way and went into an immediate six-point lead on the night with a 5-1 from Krzysztof Kasprzak and Damian Balinksi in Heat 3. However, the visitors could not quite force themselves level on aggregate and Torun regained control with 5-1s in Heats 5 and 9 to go 28-26 ahead on the day. They suffered a further scare when Jarek Hampel and Jurica Pavlic put Leszno 31-29 up in Heat 10, but Wieslaw Jagus and Adrian Miedzinski responded against Kasprzak and Troy Batchelor in Heat 11, and from then Torun were en route to the title. They picked up three consecutive 4-2s and it was the result of Heat 13 which ensured that Leszno could not fight back, with Chris Holder and Ryan Sullivan taking a 4-2 over Hampel and Balinski to make it 42-36. Leigh Adams and Hampel had the last word with a 5-1 to Leszno in the last race, but that was just a consolation result as Torun won 47-43 on the day and 96-84 on aggregate. The result saw Torun gain revenge for the 2007 outcome when Leszno finished as champions - and for top-scorer Holder, it completed a remarkable treble of team titles in Poland, Sweden and Great Britain. TORUN 47: Chris Holder 14+1, Ryan Sullivan 10, Adrian Miedzinski 8+3, Wieslaw Jagus 7+1, Hans Andersen 6, Robert Kosciecha 2+1, Damian Celmer 0. LESZNO 43: Jarek Hampel 10+1, Leigh Adams 9+1, Jurica Pavlic 8+1, Damian Balinski 7+1, Krzysztof Kasprzak 5, Troy Batchelor 3+1, Robert Kasprzak 1. Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:13:15 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=185 FIM FINAL GRAND PRIX RESULT: Tomasz Gollob (Pol) 21, Hans Andersen (Den) 17, Greg Hancock (USA) 15, Leigh Adams (Aus) 15, Nicki Pedersen (Den) 13, Andreas Jonsson (Swe) 12, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 9, Lukas Dryml (Cze) 8, Rune Holta (Pol) 7, Scott Nicholls (GB) 7, Jason Crump (Aus) 7, Krzysztof Kasprzak (Pol) 5, Chris Harris (GB) 4, Bjarne Pedersen (Den) 3, Maciej Janowski (Pol) 1, Martin Smolinski (Ger) 0, Grzegorz Zengota (Pol, res) 0. FINAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: Nicki Pedersen 174, Jason Crump 152, Tomasz Gollob 148, Greg Hancock 144, Hans Andersen 140, Leigh Adams 125, Andreas Jonsson 100, Rune Holta 80 (all qualify for GP 2009), Scott Nicholls 77, Fredrik Lindgren 73, Bjarne Pedersen 69, Niels-Kristian Iversen 59, Chris Harris 58, Krzysztof Kasprzak 57, Lukas Dryml 47. SUPERPRIX RESULT: Tomasz Gollob, Jason Crump, Rune Holta, Nicki Pedersen Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:50:06 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=184 After last weekend’s German Grand Prix was cancelled due to an overly wet track, Mildura’s Leigh Adams is readying himself for a surprise visit to Bydgoszcz in Poland this Saturday – venue for the re-staging of the German event. It’s a case of groundhog day for the competitors who only recently contested the annual round at the revered Polish circuit. “It’s a weird deal you know,” said Leigh. “This is unprecedented in the history of the Series and all the riders just have to get on with it. “It was a really difficult situation for the organisers and the competitors and the fans really took it hard, but we’ve now got to re-focus and aim for a strong finish to the campaign. “I don’t have too much to race for really, but I’m a racer at heart and I’ll be going all out to get myself some more points and possibly win my way into the super prix final. “I’ve said it many times before, but for some reason I’ve just never got the result I want at Bydgoszcz, so I suppose getting a second crack of the whip is a good thing.” Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:03:24 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=183 The 2009 Australian Speedway Championship has received a major boost with the announcement that 9 times Champion and reigning World Number 2, Leigh Adams, will take part. The Swindon Captain has long been considering taking part and has now committed to the three round championship that kicks off on January 3 at Newcastle. Adams said; "I feel I have some unfinished business in Australia. I have 9 titles and I'd really like to get a 10th, though I know that won't be easy. "Chris Holder is the reigning Champion and he's doing exceptionally well in Europe at the moment and there is also another group of riders nominated that have to be respected. "I'd be a fool to think it is going to be easy and I'm no fool. I made the mistake of riding sub standard equipment in 2003/04 and it cost me dearly. "I will be geared up for a big one and hope the fans come out and support us the way they usually do in Australia. "The way the points are structured makes it very hard for someone to skip ahead and there is no doubt that it will go down to the last race of the last round", he concluded. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:43:31 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=182 Swindon's 2008 Elite league campaign concluded in disappointing fashion as the Robins were comprehensively defeated by a fast starting Lakeside sextet on a characteristically eventful night of Play off speedway. Monday 29th September, Lakeside Hammers 56 - Swindon Robins 33 Sky Sports Elite League Play Off Semi Final Lakeside Hammers: 1. Adam Shields R/R 2. Tomasz Jedrzejak 3 2* 2* 2* 1 - - 12 (3) 3. Andreas Jonsson 3 3 3 3 3 - - 15 4. Leigh Lanham (C) 2* 1 3 2* 2 - - 10 (2) 5. Edward Kennett 1 3 3 2 1* - - 10 (1) 6. Ricky Kling 0 1 1* 1* - - - 3 (2) 7. Kauko Nieminen 2 1 3 X - - - 6 Team Manager: Jon Cook Swindon Robins 1.Leigh Adams (C) 2 2 1! 3 3 3 - 14 2. James Wright 0 0 0 - - - - 0 3.Jurica Pavlic 0 0 withdrawn 4. Troy Batchelor 1 2 0! 0 - - - 3 5. Mads Korneliussen X 1 1 F - - - 2 6. Cory Gathercole 1 0 0 R - - - 1 7. Travis McGowan 3 2 0 1 2 3 2* 13 (1) Team Manager: Alun Rossiter Referee: Mr P Griffin Ht 1: Jedrzejak, Adams, Kennett, Wright (4-2) Ht 2: McGowan, Nieminen, Gathercole, Kling (6-6) Ht 3: Jonsson, Lanham, Batchelor, Pavlic (11-7) Ht 4: Kennett, McGowan, Nieminen, Korneliussen f.ex (15-9) Ht 5: Jonsson, Adams, Lanham, Wright (20-10) Ht 6: Lanham, Jedrzejak, Korneliussen, Gathercole (24-12) Ht 7: Kennett, Batchelor, Kling, Pavlic (28-14) Ht 8: Nieminen, Jedrzejak, Adams TS!, McGowan (33-15) Ht 9: Jonsson, Lanham, Korneliussen, Gathercole (38-16) Ht 10: Jonsson, Jedrejak, McGowan, Batchelor! (43-17) Ht 11: Adams, Kennett, Kling, Wright (46-20) Ht 12: (re-run) Jonsson, McGowan, Gathercole ret (49-22) Ht 13: (re-run) Adams, Jedrzejak, Kennet, Korneliussen(ret) (52-25) Ht 14: McGowan, Lanham, Kling, Batchelor (55-28) Ht 15: Adams, McGowan, Jedrzejak, Lanham (56-33) Swindon's 2008 Elite league campaign concluded in disappointing fashion as the Robin s were comprehensively defeated by a fast starting Lakeside sextet on a characteristically eventful night of Play off action. Alun Rossiter’s side struggled to master the painfully slick Purfleet track and in truth never looked likely to overhaul the home side. The Hammers held the ascendancy throughout and limited Swindon to just five heat victories, all of which came from Leigh Adams and a resurgent Travis McGowan. Swindon were hampered by the withdrawal of Croatian starlet Jurica Pavlic who was forced to pull out of the meeting after just two rides due to sickness. Pavlic’s pointless return along with disappointing contributions from James Wright, Troy Batchelor and Mads Korneliussen meant Swindon’s middle order were ravaged by Lakeside all night long. The Hammers started the meeting well but really turned in the style in the middle sector by hitting Swindon with seven successive heat advantages for which the Robins simply had no response. A fifteen metre tactical substitution ride for Leigh Adams and they a conventional tactical ride for Troy Batchelor did little to halt the Lakeside charge as the home side roared into the Elite league playoffs for the first time in their history. Leigh Adams and Travis McGowan notched twenty seven of Swindon’s thirty three points but support was severely lacking for the Australian duo. The performance of the recalled McGowan was the only bright spot for Swindon, the twenty seven year old excelled from the reserve berth and contributed a superb haul. Elsewhere, Cory Gathercole deserved more than his eventual solitary point score and was certainly right amongst the action as the night progressed. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:58:43 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=181 LESZNO will face Torun in the Extraleague Play-Off Final after overcoming Czestochowa in the twice-postponed semi-final. Leszno took an 11-point lead into the meeting and managed to win the away leg too, coming through 50-40 with the home side not helped by an injury to Lee Richardson in Heat 3. Richardson took no further part after coming down on the first bend and he was taken to hospital with a hand injury. Nicki Pedersen did his best to keep Czestochowa in touch, winning his first four rides before being beaten in Heat 15 by Jarek Hampel. The home side actually led on the night after Heat 8 by 25 points to 23, but it was a strong finish from Leszno which secured their win. It was level at 33-33 after Heat 11, but Leigh Adams and Jurica Pavlic teamed up for maximum points in Heat 12, and in Heat 14 Krzysztof Kasprzak and Damian Balinski did likewise, with Sebastian Ulamek twice on the receiving end. Hampel's defeat of Pedersen was backed up by Adams' third place in Heat 15 giving the Bulls the 50-40 win. Kasprzak led the scoring with 12+1, supported by Hampel (12) and Adams (10), whilst Pedersen (14) and Hancock (12+1) were the dominant forces for beaten Czestochowa. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:51:20 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=180 Following the Lonigo GP this weekend, Leigh has admitted that he needs to sit down and do some talking with his family and Team about his involvement in the 2009 GP Series. "It has been a long year this year with inconsistency being my major problem. I have stood on the top box of the podium and also failed to make the semi's in some meetings,which has been hard to take." "I still feel very fit and I am still hungry for the top spot and at times, I am riding as well as I ever have throughout my career." " My plans are still very much up in the air for next year but the thought of a possible Aussie GP Round is a big temptation to me. It would allow some of the younger Aussie boys to showcase their talents on the biggest stage and the thought of an Aussie GP without me is unthinkable!" " Who knows at this stage? I will go back home for the summer and re-charge the batteries, re-group and see where we are." Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:43:28 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=179 Leigh Adams finished fourth in round nine of the Speedway Grand Prix at Lonigo, Italy. However, It was Hans Andersen had the final say on a night of drama at Lonigo as he took his first Grand Prix win for over two years. Andersen's victory, which moves him into contention for an overall top three place, was only achieved on the last half-lap of the meeting as an event which contained numerous twists and turns in the World title chase threw up one final surprise - and some relief for series leader Nicki Pedersen. Having failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time this season and with his great rival Jason Crump in top form, Pedersen was facing the prospect of a huge dent to his overall lead. Crump led the Final, which was running exactly according to the form of the evening, and the Australian was set to travel to Gelsenkirchen with his deficit to Crump cut from 28 points to just 12. However, on the last lap Crump's machine began losing power and Andersen seized his opportunity to move around the outside going into the third bend. As Crump lost all momentum, an in-form Bjarne Pedersen made it through on the inside too - and the four lost points for Crump means Nicki's margin is a more comfortable sixteen points. The two title contenders had endured a painful evening, both finding themselves involved in two major talking points. Pedersen was first to hit the deck, brought down on the second lap of Heat 2 by Fredrik Lindgren as the Swede became trapped between Pedersen and Andreas Jonsson as the three riders chased the same line. With machine damage, Pedersen was limited to one point in the re-run and was then excluded from his next ride when he hit the fence on turn three after colliding with Crump's machine as his rival moved through on the inside. That left Pedersen up against it, but Crump didn't emerge unscathed with a knock to his leg in the incident - not that it hampered his progress en route to 13 points as Pedersen eventually made his way to six, not enough to move on in the meeting. There was more action in the first semi-final when Crump and Tomasz Gollob contested the lead despite the pair being clear of Rune Holta and Leigh Adams. Crump went down under Gollob's challenge, with the Polish rider being excluded - and Adams also took a second opportunity to reach the Final. The second semi saw Andersen and Bjarne Pedersen come through at the expense of Greg Hancock and Jonsson - and that turned out to be the one-two outcome in the Final after Crump's late setback. Andersen said: "It's been a long time but we've been pushing hard and I was really disappointed when I gave it away in Sweden - fair play to Leigh for riding a good race but he shouldn't have passed me. "It's been a hard season, we changed to GMs halfway through and there have been other problems but the engines have been really good lately. "My ambition from the beginning of the season was to get onto the rostrum and it seemed to have been slipping away. Today was a good one, it's still going to be mighty tough but I'll be there doing my best." A distraught Crump said: "I think we had an ignition problem in the Final. Twelve points would have been do-able but 16 isn't really. It should have been a lot less." Once again, an eight-point score was not automatically enough to qualify for the semi-finals, and Scott Nicholls had particular cause to rue a first-race tapes exclusion, especially as the rest of his meeting included one of the rides of the season in Heat 7 when he breached Lukas Dryml's fierce defences. Nicholls goes into the last round of the series three points behind eighth-placed Rune Holta, although Bjarne Pedersen has moved into that particular battle too following his 17-point haul. Nicholls' fellow Brit Chris Harris was an unfortunate withdrawal from the meeting after suffering knee ligament, rib and lower back damage in a heavy practice crash on Friday - although he did remain at the track to watch the event and hopes to return for the series finale in a fortnight. OVERALL STANDINGS after Round 10: Nicki Pedersen 161, Jason Crump 145, Greg Hancock 129, Tomasz Gollob 127, Hans Andersen 123, Leigh Adams 110, Andreas Jonsson 88, Rune Holta 73, Scott Nicholls 70, Bjarne Pedersen 66, Fredrik Lindgren 64, Niels-Kristian Iversen 59, Chris Harris 54, Krzysztof Kasprzak 52, Lukas Dryml 39. Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:38:22 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=178 POLISH GRAND PRIX RESULT: Greg Hancock (USA) 18, Nicki Pedersen (Den) 21, Tomasz Gollob (Pol) 20, Scott Nicholls (GB) 10, Hans Andersen (Den) 11, Wieslaw Jagus (Pol) 9, Leigh Adams (Aus) 9, Jason Crump (Aus) 9, Andreas Jonsson (Swe) 8, Rune Holta (Pol) 6, Krzysztof Kasprzak (Pol) 6, Chris Harris (GB) 5, Niels-Kristian Iversen (Den) 4, Bjarne Pedersen (Den) 4, Lukas Dryml (Cze) 3, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 0. STANDINGS: Nicki Pedersen 155, Jason Crump 127, Greg Hancock 120, Tomasz Gollob 118, Hans Andersen 102, Leigh Adams 98, Andreas Jonsson 79, Rune Holta 63, Scott Nicholls 62, Fredrik Lindgren 59, Chris Harris 54, Niels-Kristian Iversen 53, Bjarne Pedersen 49, Krzysztof Kasprzak 44, Lukas Dryml 35. Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:50:52 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=177 Mildura born Leigh Adams goes into this weekend’s Polish Grand Prix at Bydgoszcz ready to climb out of his current sixth place championship ranking and surge toward an overall top three finish. Adams has won two rounds this year, but bouts of inconsistency have robbed him of a greater points tally, something he is keen to turn around on Saturday. “It’s been a bit of a strange year you know, I’ve ridden well in patches but probably not as well as last year on the whole,” he said. “The Bydgoszcz round is one of the most prestigious of the year and I have never won there, despite having a number of good runs at the place. “It’d be nice to take the win in front of all the Polish fanatics and it would certainly rank up there with my greatest wins if I could pull it off. “The Bydgoszcz track almost has a personality of its own and offers so many different racing lines that no race is over until the flag flies. “I’m up for it big time and I want that World Number 3 position. Sixth is not really on my radar that’s for sure,” he concluded. Current GP Points after 8 rounds N.Pedersen 134, J.Crump 118, G.Hancock 102, T.Gollob 98, H.Andersen 91, L.Adams 89, A.Jonsson 71, F.Lindgren 59, R.Holta 57, S.Nicholls 52, N-K.Iversen 49, C.Harris 49, B.Pedersen 45 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:01:45 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=176 SUPER skipper Leigh Adams has topped 500 points for the season in Swindon colours. The Aussie's remarkabale consistency has once again been evident in bundles in '08. In Thursday's big win over Wolverhampton, the wonder from Down Under took his tally for the season to 503 official points. His amazing stats this term read as follows: Meetings - 39 Rides - 190 Points - 503 Bonus - 26 Total - 529 Average - 11.14 Maximums - 1 full and 11 paid The figures are made up from 31 Elite League matches, plus 2 in the Knock-Out Cup, 4 Craven Shield and 2 Elite Shield. Adams' maximum on Thursday was the 103rd of his Swindon career (48 full and 55 paid). His official overall career tally in British racing currently stands at 9,907.5 points from 811 meetings - and he also totals 157 maximums (70 full and 87 paid). By Robert Bamford. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:28:31 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=175 It has been brought to our attention in the recent weeks that people are posing on social networking sites such as Bebo and Facebook etc as Leigh. We would respectfully like to point out that Leigh DOES NOT have any such web-pages in any 'Official' capacity on any social networking websites. Whilst we recognise the fun involved of creating such pages, we would like to remind people that the only official source of news and pictures is this website or specifically nominated media outlets. Thank you. Colin Stratford LAR Media Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:19:45 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=174 A pragmatic Leigh Adams returned to the UK following the GP in Latvia this weekend. "We started off hot in the first few races and the bikes were very quick on what was a slick surface. The set-up was good and we were going well." "After some grading the dirt was dragged back into the inside line which altered the lines and from then on we were chasing the set-up again. No excuses from me, I have been around long enough to know what to do and we should have reacted sharper but thats GP racing for you." "We are in the top six in the World and I have to take that but we will be chasing some more champagne moments on the top box for the last few GP's." RESULT: Jason Crump (Aus) 19, Nicki Pedersen (Den) 18, Tomasz Gollob (Pol) 16, Greg Hancock (USA) 13, Andreas Jonsson (Swe) 10, Chris Harris (GB) 9, Leigh Adams (Aus) 9, Bjarne Pedersen (Den) 7, Hans Andersen (Den) 7, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 7, Scott Nicholls (GB) 7, Krzysztof Kasprzak (Pol) 7, Lukas Dryml (Cze) 7, Rune Holta (Pol) 4, Grigory Laguta (Rus) 2, Niels-Kristian Iversen (Den) 1, Maxims Bogdanovs (Rus, res) 0. OVERALL STANDINGS: Nicki Pedersen 134, Jason Crump 118, Greg Hancock 102, Tomasz Gollob 98, Hans Andersen 91, Leigh Adams 89, Andreas Jonsson 71, Fredrik Lindgren 59, Rune Holta 57, Scott Nicholls 52, Niels-Kristian Iversen 49, Chris Harris 49, Bjarne Pedersen 45, Krzysztof Kasprzak 38, Lukas Dryml 32. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:40:35 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=173 Mildura’s Leigh Adams says he feels very confident he can continue his winning ways this weekend when he takes part in round 8 of the World Speedway Championship in Latvia. Still fresh from his victory in the previous round held in Sweden, Adams concedes he still has a mountain to climb to finish on the podium come season’s end. “I made up some ground in Sweden and now I’m a real tight battle for third, fourth, fifth and sixth. There are only 9 points between us and one more good meeting could see me jump as high as third. No doubt the other boys are keen to do well too, but I’m on a roll right now and really I think I’ll go close to winning it – I won there last year!” On the domestic front Adams has passed Swindon great Martin Ashby as the highest scorer in the club’s history and was rewarded with a crystal decanter for his efforts – from Ashby himself! Meanwhile, Leigh and riding partner Mads Korneliusen finished second in the Elite League Pairs last Sunday behind Coventry’s Chris Harris and Hans Andersen after a titanic struggle in the final. Adams is in great form and another top performance this weekend will do his chances of staging a late surge for the world title no harm at all. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:54:04 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=172 Pictures from the Scandinavian Grand Prix at Malilla . Thanks to Michal Szmyd.           Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:33:31 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=171 Australia's Leigh Adams has put a run of disappointing results behind him to win the Scandinavian Grand Prix at Malilla this morning. The classy Australian was superb as he hunted down and passed A Final leader Hans Andersen on the second lap, with Nicki Pedersen third and Aussie Jason Crump in fourth. Adams was understandably over the moon after the win, saying; "This is my 100th appearance in a Grand Prix and my eighth victory. Sweden has been good to me over the years and I always seem to shine here. It took me a few weeks to get over what happened in Cardiff (victim of poor refereeing) and now I'm back to my best and loving it. "I have a lot of good people who have helped me get to where I am and it takes a big effort to run 100 GPs - a very big effort. I have put a dent in the lead of Nicki and also moved nearer the other boys in the top five, so I suppose it's been a good day all round!" OVERALL STANDINGS after Round 7: Nicki Pedersen 116, Jason Crump 99, Greg Hancock 89, Hans Andersen 84, Tomasz Gollob 82, Leigh Adams 80, Andreas Jonsson 61, Rune Holta 53, Fredrik Lindgren 52,Niels-Kristian Iversen 48, Scott Nicholls 45, Chris Harris 40, Bjarne Pedersen 38, Krzysztof Kasprzak 31, Lukas Dryml 25. Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:42:16 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=169 This Saturday’s seventh round of the Speedway Grand Prix Series at Malilla, Sweden, offers Leigh Adams the perfect opportunity to make a serious dent in the championship lead of Denmark’s Nicki Pedersen. Adams has had plenty of success in Sweden in recent years including a victory at this very track and he knows it’s now or never. “I’m aware that things are getting a little desperate, but I feel good and I have sorted out a clutch problem that has been troubling me for a month or two. “Nicki hasn’t done particularly well at this track in the past and it’s up to me to capitalise on that. I’d say I’m a good chance of getting the job done, so if you’ve got a few spare dollars put them on me,” he laughed. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:06:03 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=168 RESULT: Nicki Pedersen (Den) 22, Hans Andersen (Den) 16, Jason Crump (Aus) 17, Greg Hancock (USA) 13, Tomasz Gollob (Pol) 12, Leigh Adams (Aus) 10, Rune Holta (Pol) 9, Andreas Jonsson (Swe) 9, Chris Harris (GB) 7, Niels-Kristian Iversen (Den) 7, Bjarne Pedersen (Den) 7, Scott Nicholls (GB) 6, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 4, Lukas Dryml (Cze) 4, Krzysztof Kasprzak (Pol) 1, Lubos Tomicek (Cze) 0. OVERALL STANDINGS: Nicki Pedersen 102, Jason Crump 87, Greg Hancock 77, Tomasz Gollob 74, Hans Andersen 64, Leigh Adams 59, Andreas Jonsson 55, Rune Holta 48, Fredrik Lindgren 45, Scott Nicholls 41, Niels-Kristian Iversen 39, Chris Harris 37, Bjarne Pedersen 32, Krzysztof Kasprzak 22, Lukas Dryml 20. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:58:22 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=167 The 2008 World Championship hopes of Leigh Adams hinge entirely on what happens this weekend in the Czech Republic. The meeting marks the half way stage of the championship race and whilst Adams is not where he’d hoped he’d be, he is by no means out of the running. “I usually do well in the Czech Republic – you need strong motors and line selection is crucial on those tracks. If you drift wide you can lose two places in one corner – there are just so many different racing lines. “The Prague track is a good one and I expect it to be one of the toughest meetings of the year. Emotions are still running high after what happened at Cardiff and also in the World Cup and I’d imagine things could get pretty exciting on Saturday. “I’m a pretty level headed person, but what happened in Cardiff pushed all the wrong buttons in me and I’m really pumped to have a big one this weekend. “I guess I’ve slipped back a bit further than I’d hoped but I’m convinced that a couple of successive podium finishes will get me right back in the race. “I’m not looking for sympathy from anyone, I’m just stating facts and I’m very keen to erase the bad memories and get myself back on top of the rostrum,” he concluded. 2008 GRAND PRIX STANDINGS (after Round 5) 1. Nicki Pedersen (Denmark) 80 2. Jason Crump (Australia) 70 3. Greg Hancock (USA) 64 4. Tomasz Gollob (Poland) 62 5. Leigh Adams (Australia) 49 6. Hans Andersen (Denmark) 48 7. Andreas Jonsson (Sweden) 46 8. Freddie Lindgren (Sweden) 41 9. Rune Holta (Poland) 39 10. Scott Nicholls (Great Britain) 35 Rod Colquhoun Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:13:59 +0000 http://www.leighadams.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=166   MARTIN ASHBY / LEIGH ADAMS – A COMPARISON GIVEN that the two riders represented Swindon in different eras, it is very difficult to make comparisons, not least because throughout much of Ashby’s career meetings were run over less heats and, as such, four programmed outings was the norm. Adams, meanwhile, has been used to receiving a regular five rides per meeting in modern times. One thing that is a fact, though, is that both men are true legends of Swindon Speedway. Ashby was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire on 5 February 1944 and made his debut for the Robins aged seventeen on 24 July 1961, when he failed to score from four rides in a challenge match at Exeter. After that inauspicious start, he went on to total 5,476.5 points from a whopping 641 appearances for the club in all team competitions, along with 92 maximums (77 full and 15 paid). And, if the Rider Control Committee hadn’t posted him to Exeter from 1968-1970 inclusive, it’s anyone’s guess as to what he would have taken those tallies to! It’s fair to say that they would have been pushed beyond the reach of any other rider. Breaking Martin’s record down to league matches alone gives a total of 3,980.5 points from 452 appearances, or, to be pedantic, with the removal of a guest appearance in 1969, it comes to 3,965.5 points from 451 meetings. A combined total from official matches (League, National Trophy, Knock-Out Cup, Britannia Shield and Inter-League Knock-Out Cup) works out at 4,468.5 points from 513 appearances, excluding those as a guest, from which 76 maximums (64 full and 12 paid) were garnered. Adams, meanwhile, entered this world on 28 April 1971 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. His Swindon debut came at the age of eighteen on 24 March 1990, when he netted 8+2 points from six rides in a Gold Cup fixture against old rivals Oxford at Blunsdon. Incredibly, having first ridden officially on these shores for Poole in 1989, Leigh is currently in his twentieth successive season of UK racing. He is already the highest scoring rider in British speedway history and recently, on 10 July, in the Robins’ home fixture versus Belle Vue, he made his 800th official appearance in the UK and took his overall tally of race points to an amazing 9,762.5. From these meetings, he also recorded a total of 153 maximums (70 full and 83 paid). For Swindon alone, including this week’s away and home encounters against Ipswich, Adams now totals 5,424.5 points from 463 appearances in all team competitions – leaving him just 52 points adrift of Ashby’s overall points tally for the club. Leigh’s number of maximums for the Robins currently stands at 99 (48 full and 51 paid), so he requires just one more to reach another landmark. In the league alone for the Robins, Adams has ridden in 310 matches, scoring 3,737.5 points. With the exclusion of a guest appearance in 1995, this adjusts to 3,726.5 points from 309 appearances. From official matches (League, Play-Offs, Knock-Out Cup, Gold Cup, BSPA Cup, Craven Shield and Elite Shield), the durable Aussie totals 4,908.5 points from 412 meetings in Swindon’s colours, excluding those as a guest, not forgetting 94 maximums (45 full and 49 paid). ARTICLE COURTESY OF ROBERT BAMFORD Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:31:55 +0000