Berwick raised a few eyebrows by recruiting Victor Palovaara is ready to over the winter – and the fully fit again Swede believes his new team will continue to do just that in 2026.
The 32-year-old returned to British speedway last season after a six-year absence, catapulting himself from reserve to number one at Edinburgh with a string of huge scores, including 20 from seven rides against his new employers in the BSN Series at Armadale.
But since making his debut at debut in 2014 – under current Berwick boss Stewart Dickson – Palovaara has only raced six teams at his new Shielfield Park base, a track which can be notoriously difficult to master.
“I’ve have had the odd, good race there in the past,” he told host Greg Blair on the club’s Total Access podcast.
“It is a tough place to prepare for when you only visit once a year but it’s always easier when it’s your home track.
“I know the rest of the team apart from Reid (Battye) and I already get the feeling that I have joined a good group of guys and we will all be working together.
“It looks a solid team, one that will raise a lot of eyebrows home and away.”
After a winter in Sweden Palovaara has regained full fitness after the bout of pneumonia which blunted his late-season form with Edinburgh and Premiership Oxford.
“I don’t want to make excuses but looking back I shouldn’t have come back so quickly,” Palovaara admitted. “I should have taken at least three weeks off but I came back after one and I suffered a tough end of the season. But I just wanted to be back racing.”
Victor will be joining the rest of his R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS, team-mates at the season launch party at the Black and Gold on Friday 27 March.
Words by Berwick Speedway – Feature Image courtesy of Taylor Lanning
