THE FASTEST MAN EVER AROUND LOOMER ROAD, ANDREW SILVER.

On Saturday August 8^th 1987, Arena Essex Hammers came to Loomer Road for a as then National League fixture, nothing too untoward there, a Potters victory on the night 43-35, however Heat 1 on this particular night would change things about the track for many a year because the visitors Andrew Silver totally obliterated the previous record of 61.1 seconds, which had been set by Potters riders Paul Thorp (31/8/86) and Daz Sumner (25/7/87) by a full 2 seconds!!!!

Here Andrew in his own words recalls that particular night;

*Stoke Track Record

"It was one of those rare moments when a number of things come together at once. My confidence was good and I was riding on the crest of a wave. The Stoke track also lends itself to the type I enjoyed riding. The sort I was brought up on, those with long straights and tight corners. Similar to the old Hackney and Rye House tracks only Stoke is bigger. I naturally got on with the track, but because of the size whenever I rode there I always felt underpowered.

I was considered a small track specialist and was regularly getting picked to ride for England when the circuit suited. The problem with riding smaller tracks all the time is you get lulled into a false sense of security on how fast your equipment is. I was getting more outings on bigger circuits riding in world championship rounds and doubling up for Swindon. I realised I needed some faster equipment if I was going to progress. I was unsure of what type of engine I liked best so I sent a used Godden and a practically new GM to a top tuner in Germany. Otto Lantenhammer and his wife had a reputation for making both the strongest engines and coffee in the world!

When I got these engines back they went like nothing else I ever rode before. They were extremely quick and in my experience at the time uncharacteristically easy to ride for a fast bike. I got a number of track records at the various second division tracks I visited throughout the rest of the season. I think I ended up with thirteen or fourteen in total. I was basically a skinny kid with a bit of talent on world class machinery. Both bikes went exceptionally well, but the GM never got much use because it span too much from the start.

It had been really wet weather all week, but on the day of the meeting it always looked like it was going to be on. The pre-meeting inspection of the track was like clay and it was going to be exceptionally grippy. The starts were deeper still and I had no doubt the GM was the best choice. I flew out from the gate in heat one and basically spent four laps trying to keep the thing turning. Each corner got harder to get sideways as the track ripped up under our own tracks. Being out in front I had the pickings of the smoothest line and even without looking back I could feel I was pulling away. With no part of the track left unturned I remember being grateful for the last bend. As I went over the line I knew it was quick. Normally when a track record is broke you feel smooth and not necessarily fast. On this occasion however it felt quick, blooming quick. So much so I thought it might not have been track record material, but it had to be close.

As I rode back I could tell by the response from people in the pits that I had either equalled it or broken it. I was surprised however when someone lent across and said I had knocked off 2.4 seconds. I knew from previous experience what two hundredth of a second felt like, what half a second was and even a whole second, but two and a half seconds was insane. I justified it by thinking how perfect everything felt and remember thinking that will not get beaten for a while.

They have since changed the rules on tyres so it is harder now to break track records by such a freakish amount. Although I have heard of another track record being broke by two seconds more recently I am unaware of those particular circumstances. I am often asked how comes it has not been beaten for such a long time. I guess the tyres coupled with the weather conditions played the biggest part. Engines are all short strokes nowadays and have nowhere near as much torque. If you rode the bikes of today in similar conditions they would not be able to handle the dirt, especially using the old deep tread tyres. Although an average engine revs harder nowadays this particular GM probably revved as high as anything round today. It certainly was awesome to ride that is for sure.

Stoke is the longest standing record as far as I am aware and unlike I hoped it was track records that became more my cup of tea rather than winning world championships. Pity they are worth not much more than a pat on the back. All the same I am honoured that it is still recognised in some way, and that the Stoke promotion have not simply given up with it.  I think about the race regularly, I think the sport psychologists call it anchoring. Naturally it has been a huge personal highlight, the best 59.1 seconds of my life".

 An interesting thing to note here is that back in 1987 there was no such thing as a laydown engine and also officially the Stoke track length was 336 metres, nowadays it is officially 312 metres in 2010, so longer tracks and supposedly slower bikes make track records last 23 years and counting!!

CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE

 With thanks to Andrew Silver 31/1/10. PS. PP.