7:44am Thursday 10th April 2008
By Gareth Moorhouse
ALUN Rossiter has leapt to the defence of Aussie duo Leigh Adams and Troy Batchelor, insisting his riders played no part in the decision to abandon Saturday's Elite League Pairs meeting at King's Lynn.
Rossiter was reacting to comments made in the Lynn News by Lynn Stars' co-promoter Jonathan Chapman, who labelled the Elite League riders "prima donnas," and singled Batchelor out for criticism.
Chapman said: "I was very disappointed with the attitude of Troy Batchelor, coming back to his home club, towards the track.
"Obviously his one year in the Elite League has made him into a world superstar already."
But Rossiter insists Batchelor had nothing to do with the decision to call the meeting off, and is backing his young rider to the hilt.
Speaking exclusively to the Advertiser, Rosco, pictured below, said: "I was disappointed with him having a pop because Troy wasn't even on the track when the decision to call the meeting off was made.
"To suggest they (the riders) got it called off is so far off the mark. I am angry and disappointed.
"It's not just my riders. To call the other Elite League riders prima donnas is disgraceful.
"I got chastised a couple of weeks ago for having an opinion about the bonus point, but to berate the Elite League riders in this way is 20 times worse in my opinion."
Chapman's father and King's Lynn co-promoter, Keith, also criticised "a minority" of Elite League riders for attempting to sway the referee's decision.
Chapman Snr claims the meeting should have gone ahead as scheduled, but Rosco insists it was the wet weather, and not the riders that was ultimately to blame.
He said: "The referee was not swayed in any shape or form. It was the big downpour that finished the meeting.
"Keith is a very passionate man just like myself, but to do what he did and blame the riders was totally unprofessional.
"I'm defending my riders on this one because I was the one who sat them down in the pits.
"I told them to let the referee make the decision."
Rossiter believes Chapman was also partly responsible for the state of the Saddlebow circuit, after taking the decision to harrow the sodden track against some of the riders' wishes.
He explained: "The riders asked Keith to blade the track but he said he knew best, and he wanted to harrow it.
"In the end he made it worse because there were big clumps of clay everywhere.
"Then he had the gall to go on the microphone and tell the fans it was the riders' fault. For me that's not on."
Blunsdon will host the rearranged Elite Pairs meeting on Sunday, June 29.
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