NEWS: Veteran duo in fitness fight

Two of the sport’s top veteran racers are in a race to be match fit ahead of the opening round of the TLI hosted Eurovets GP series which starts later this month.

Both Paul Timms, of Birmingham, and Coventry`s Joe McLaughlin, have endured a winter of illness and injury and both look doubtful for round one of the Eurovets at Oxfordshire track Horspath on Saturday 26th April.

Timms, the current Eurovets Over 50s champion, broke his collarbone whilst practising for the indoor season in December, ruling him out of the indoor championships in January.

He returned to action in March but crashed spectacularly two weeks ago, damaging the ligaments in the same shoulder he injured in indoor racing. The 56-year-old is still struggling with the injury and also the effects of migraine.

Eurovets GP number 2 and current British Veterans Over 50s number 4 McLaughlin has been laid low all winter with a succession of health problems. Thankfully, he received the all clear last Friday on recurring severe headaches and the after effects of an operation.

However, he is now hampered by severe pains to his right shoulder and arm, which he broke in 2002 at Astley, and faces an ultrasound scan on 9th May. He bravely rode last Sunday after taking painkillers.

Ironically, the pair are lifelong Cycle Speedway friends and they started racing together on the same day in 1972 at Kingstanding Monarchs, the fore-runner of the present day Birmingham club.