“There are no easy teams in the Championship this year. It will be very hard to get away wins, trust me.”
GLASGOW team boss Cami Brown is confident he has got the right mix of youth and experience for another Championship title assault.
The Tigers have reached the Play-Offs every season under the ownership of the Facenna family since late 2014.
However, despite three Grand Final appearances, the title has just eluded the stars in stripes.
Brown has spoken for the first time about his thinking behind the team building for the campaign which kicks off in the spring.
On the top three, he revealed: “It was always on the back burner that Chris (Harris) would come back if he proved to us that he wasn’t on the way down.
“He proved totally last year that he’s still a top-class rider in the Championship and an excellent No.1.
“We need a top man who can go to every track and lead the side. I also feel he’ll be outstanding at Ashfield.
“It was also a priority to keep Tom (Brennan) and Ben (Basso), both of them were highly sought after. I think Tom had about eight offers.
“I’m also delighted that he’s taken on the club captaincy. It’s probably a surprise choice but I felt last season he came out of himself when he was made captain. I also thought he rode better with more responsibility.
“Likewise to keep Ben was huge for the club. His improvement last season was sensational. He won’t be able to leap up in average like that again but we want him to add another point.
“Every individual rider has been given a target by the club. If they reach those aims, we will be a very successful side.”
This year will also see the return to Ashfield of Claus Vissing and Marcin Nowak, who have both featured in losing Grand Finals for the Tigers in 2019 and 2021.
Brown added: “I think the really interesting part of the team is the second strings, No.2 and No.4.
“We have brought back Claus (Vissing) and if he can recapture the form of 2019, we have an absolute steal on our hands on a five-point average.
“He’s so passionate for the club and people forget what a brilliant rider he was for us in 2019.
“Marcin (Nowak) told me the last time he raced for us in 2021, that he wanted to come back for a full season.
“He desperately wants to ride for Glasgow and wants to win trophies. He’s bringing his best equipment and can’t wait to get here. I’m blown away that he’s given up other commitments to be with us.
“Both Claus and Marcin are hugely-popular with the Tigers fans so it will be great to have them back.”
Perhaps the biggest shock signings came with a wonderful mix of youth and experience at reserve.
Brown continued: “Lee (Complin) came about because we changed the structure of the top end of the team.
“He jumped out at me straight away because of his attitude and performances last season. He’s lost another 10 kilos since he signed for us.
“He was a big powerful bodybuilder but he’s super-lean now, he has new engines and a full-time mechanic. He is 100 per cent committed to making this work at Glasgow.
“It’s a gamble but I’m confident that we will see him do better than the four-point rider he comes in as. Lee’s aim is to push himself into the main part of the team.
“To have an experienced guy like him alongside Ace (Pijper) is also important.
“Ace obviously has bags of talent. We agreed to his signing before the end of last season and I’m glad we did that before his last meeting at Redcar. So many teams wanted him.
“It’s great to have a Scottish rider in the team again. We would just like him to settle in with no pressure and hopefully pick up some points along the way.
“I think he’ll be a massive favourite with the fans, they will take him to their hearts.
“His dad Theo and family are familiar at Glasgow so Ace will be treated brilliantly by the fans, I’m sure. We want to see the lad flourish and improve in Tigers’ colours.”
There has been so much success for Glasgow since the start of 2015, including a KO Cup, Pairs and Championship Riders’ Champion
After so many near-misses in the league, Brown recognises that continues to be a No.1 priority.
He concluded: “The aim is always to win the league. We have come close. I think we would have won it in 2019 if Paul Starke hadn’t got injured.
“Poole were just too good for us over the past two seasons. We maybe need a slice of luck with no key injuries at crucial times. But we will keep pushing to win it.
“The main target straight away is to make the Play-Offs. There are no easy teams in the Championship this year. It will be very hard to get away wins, trust me.”
“But we have built a team that I feel can adapt and perform on all tracks and be competitive everywhere.”