'Team Bjerre’ aiming for more glory tonight

By Leandra Graves

As published in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph 22/5/10
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/speedway/team_bjerre_aiming_for_more_glory_tonight_1_637458

PANTHERS rider Kenneth Bjerre will be looking to repeat his Swedish GP success when he lines up for the third event of the season tonight.

Prague is the next meeting in the calendar and Bjerre and his team will be looking to increase their lead in the series.

A lot of effort goes into achieving a Grand Prix win as well as fighting for a World Championship and it’s the support of a strong team of people behind you that helps maximise your chances.

Neil and Barry Howlett, brothers from Crowland, have been working for ‘Team Bjerre’. Well known in speedway circles, there was as much joy for the two mechanics as there was for the rider.

Barry was working at his first GP for the Dane and was part of the team’s first victory. Bjerre said: “Barry had never worked at a GP before so he must have been a lucky charm for me! All riders need to have a good unit around them. You need people who can do the job and be trusted.”

Barry, who also works as a machinist at Perkins, was a happy man after being part of the pit-crew of the Huntingdon resident’s first victory.

He said: “My very first GP and we win! I was ecstatic. Once Kenneth reached the semis, I knew it was a meeting he could win. Once he picked gate one, nobody was going to beat him in the form he was in.”

The Panthers star clearly believes Barry can bring him some luck as he has asked him to be part of the team for this weekend in the Czech Republic!

Barry said: “I found working at a GP much more pressurised than a league match. I thrive under pressure so I enjoyed it. It’s hard work but it’s the same job as a league match, just with less sleep and more travelling.”

Older brother Neil has been working for 25 year-old Bjerre in the GPs since the start and has made the massive sacrifice of leaving his home in England to base himself in Denmark. Living in Esbjerg (Bjerre’s hometown) he works from April to October at Polish and Danish league matches, as well as the GPs.

It’s a busy schedule for him as he also mechanics for Lasse, Kenneth’s younger brother.

Neil said: “I first became a mechanic when one of my friends was riding for Peterborough Pumas in the Conference League and I offered to help him in the pits. That was around eight years ago.

“I then helped other riders in the Elite and Premier League. Soon after I began a partnership with ex-Panther Danny King and he asked me to work full-time for him in Poland for a season.

“Barry was then working for Kenneth as he was also letting him reside at his house in Crowland. The following season, Kenneth asked me if I would work full-time for him in Denmark.

“This is my life now. It’s something I am really happy to do. I get to see the world, it’s something I enjoy and know I’m good at. My aim is to help Kenneth become world champion and Lasse to become Under 19 champion.”

Working with a Danish rider, based in a Nordic country, you would think learning some basics in the language must be essential for the job.

Neil added: “I can certainly get by in Danish. I know some basics. It’s good to learn as it helps with the language barrier and of course helps within the team. It’s one of the hardest languages to learn though!

“It’s very easy to work for a rider like Kenneth and within the team. We all get on really well and pull together to work to our best. It’s perfect.”

After Bjerre finished eighth in his debut GP season, ambitions were high within the camp for more success this year. “I think he’s just riding with so much more confidence this season,” added Neil.

“He’s making excellent starts, the engine is working well and the whole package is just a great combination.

“A typical week for me in Denmark involves cleaning the bikes from Poland as well as building the bikes ready for the GPs. I mechanic for Lasse during the week. In the lead-up to Gothenburg, I spent Thursday washing the bikes and left home at 3am to make the trip to Sweden in the van with Kenneth’s dad Ivan. That was a six-hour drive from Esbjerg.

“GP practice is on Friday. On Saturday it’s team breakfast at 8am and then I am at the track by 9am. Myself, Barry and Ivan then clean the bikes and prepare for the GP. From 3.30pm, it’s machine examinations, tyre checks and warming up the bikes from 6.30pm.

“After the meeting in Sweden, there was no time to celebrate as we had a 12-hour drive to Poland for a Polish league match. The work never stops!”

Barry explained: “I don’t think people realise how tough the job of a mechanic really is. It takes four to five hours to clean one bike so I will spend a whole working day cleaning two bikes. With the fixtures in full flow, it’s extremely busy.”

The life of a mechanic is not always easy. However, this weekend ‘Team Bjerre’ will be looking to see if they can be top of the world, yet again!