COOK SEEKS MARGINAL GAINS

Great Britain racer Craig Cook hopes marginal gains will help him make the improvement he needs to star in 2019.

The Cumbrian star made his full-time FIM Speedway Grand Prix debut this season, but was unable to qualify for next year’s series after finishing 16th overall on 30 points.

Cook, who is recovering from wrist injuries sustained at the German SGP in Teterow, is determined to put in the work over the winter months to pick up his pace on the sport’s biggest stage.

FROM EVERY ANGLE, WE ARE LOOKING FOR SLIGHT MARGINS HERE AND THERE AND HOPING THEY WILL BE ADVANTAGES FOR ME GOING INTO NEXT YEAR. HOPEFULLY IF I FIND THEM, I WILL BE ONE OF THE STAND-OUT RIDERS IN 2019.

Craig Cook

The 2017 British champion insists there is more to come and believes the small differences make all the difference at SGP level.

He said: “I know there’s a lot of work to be done and I can achieve a lot more, which is sometimes very frustrating for me. I know I can achieve a lot more than I am. I just need to find that magic recipe and that little bit extra.

“I feel I have got to where I am because of my ability, skill and craftsmanship on the bike. But at this level, you’re just looking for that little bit extra here and there.

“It’s very small margins. We’re in the workshop looking for those small margins and I am working on my fitness as well.

“From every angle, we are looking for slight margins here and there and hoping they will be advantages for me going into next year. Hopefully if I find them, I will be one of the stand-out riders in 2019.”

Cook admits his SGP 2018 experience has only underlined what’s required to make it on the sport’s top stage.

He added: “Being in the Grand Prix has really opened my eyes to the amount of professionalism that goes into it at that level, the amount of testing that’s done and the amount of money that’s spent. It’s phenomenal.”