HE MAY be a firm favourite to win the forthcoming sidecar speedway event in Coventry, but Rugby’s Mark Crossar will get no family favours when he comes against younger brother Tom in Brandon next month.
The Coventry Cracker brings sidecar speedway back to Brandon on October 2 and Tom is hoping to steal some of the spotlight away from his brother.
Now 23, Tom was just 17 when he partnered Mark as passenger in 2009 to become the youngest ever winners of grasstrack’s coveted British Masters. However a bad crash at Kings Lynn shortly afterwards thwarted his promising race career.
Back this season as a rider, Tom made a very last minute speedway debut at Brandon’s Sidecar Shootout in August, stepping up from reserve when Matt Fumarola blew his engine during warm-up.
Despite being hampered by his own bike problems when the air filters on his Suzuki GSXR caught fire, Tom won a heat in fine style from the back with a clever crowd-pleasing cut-back down the inside.
“I’ll be riding my grasstrack bike again, which is okay when conditions are grippy but not so great when its slick,” said Tom, who will have Rugby’s Gareth Williams as his passenger.
“I want to do much, much better than last time. Even if conditions are against me. It’d be nice to show all the sidecar speedway fans at Brandon that I’m more than just a reserve and deserve my place in the full line-up.”
Admission to the Coventry Cracker is just £10 (free to under-16s) and the first heat will begin at 7pm.
