Flying Dutchman signs for Scorpions

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS have brought in 35-year-old Dutchman Theo Pijper as a short-term replacement for injury victim Australian Ryan Douglas.

Douglas has snapped the tendons in his knee and is unlikely to be fit enough to ride until June.

Pijper is an accomplished all-round competitor, with success in both grasstrack and longtrack in addition to speedway, and has won Premier League titles with both of the sport’s Scottish sides, Edinburgh and Glasgow. He topped the 2014 Glasgow averages, and comes in on a 7.09 average.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It’s become obvious that Ryan will not be fit for the start of the season.

“He’s got a similar injury to the one that Niels-Kristian Iversen sustained in the Grand Prix last season.

“Footballers would take a year out with it. The recommended time out is around 9 months. We spoke with Ryan and thought he could recover enough in 3 or 4 months for the start of the season, but it’s taking more time than that. He is recovering from the injury, but not soon enough for the start of the season.

“Australian riders are now reliant on achieving certain averages, so neither Ryan nor us want him to come back too early and struggle.

“This is not a visa issue. We’ve been working closely with the authorities, towards achieving the visas for both Ryan and Alex Davies.”

Godfrey welcomes Pijper to the Scorpions’ line-up.

“Theo is obviously a quality rider”, he stated.

“You only need to look at the fact that he was riding at No 1 for Glasgow for a good chunk of last season and finished top of their averages.

“It was a big surprise to me that he was still available. This is a great opportunity for him to show that he should have had a team place within the Premier League all along.

“His inclusion could well make us stronger on some of the away tracks. He’s a very good replacement for Ryan, and a quality addition to what I see as a very strong top five.

“Ryan is expected to return at the start of June, so we’ve signed Theo up until the end of May.”

The revised start of season line-up for the 2015 Scunthorpe Scorpions (with starting averages for team building):

David Howe 7.50
Alex Davies 7.38
Josh Auty 7.16
Theo Pijper 7.09 (injury replacement for Ryan Douglas)
Carl Wilkinson 5.24
Nike Lunna 5.00
Ellis Perks 3.00