PIRATES CURSED AS BASSO TESTS POSITIVE

5/08/21

Poole co-promoter Dan Ford immediately checked the state of his mirrors after reading a text message from new recruit Benjamin Basso.

The Dane was notifying his new boss that he had just been Covid-19 tested positive, ahead of his scheduled Danish league meeting on Wednesday, and as a consequence was forced into self-isolation.

"I just could not believe what I was reading" claimed Ford. "My first thought was had I smashed a mirror, or run over a black cat, as it seems that if there is anything that can possibly go wrong then it hits us. I have to admit, since I have been promoting it has been a total baptism of fire.

"This news is particularly hard to take. After all the hard work that all parties had put in to make the deal possible, to then have this outcome is absolutely devastating. Of course, our first thoughts are with Benjamin and that he can make a swift recovery. As I understand it he has not had any symptoms and we can only hope that he will do the isolation and then get the necessary negative tests to allow him to realise his dream and come and race for us.

“As it is though, it means we embark on our northern tour still having to use riders with an average up to 3.75 to cover that spot, and therefore more headaches in looking for riders who meet the criteria and are available.

“It would just be nice to have a full seven riders to work with. By the time Benjamin completes his isolation then we will have ridden all bar three of our away league fixtures, provided we avoid the rain this weekend, so he isn't going to get a lot of experience other than here at Wimborne Road, which is a big shame for him as we know that he is so keen to learn the various different styles of British tracks. “