THERE was something in the air the night Fernando ‘Coty’ Garcia got his first taste of the Scottish derby.
The 21-year-old was guesting for Edinburgh in both legs of the 2015 League Cup final, winning the Monarchs’ adulation by beating Glasgow No 1 Richard Lawson.
Now the Tigers’ Argentine reserve hopes his new side will be singing his praises instead when the teams meet in the first round of the same competition on Sunday – in a fixture he describes as “amazing”.
Garcia said: “I remember the final perfectly. It was a really nice meeting for myself.
“It was hard for Glasgow obviously because they lost. It was my first time at Edinburgh and I couldn’t believe that I rode so well.
“When I came for the second leg to Glasgow I realised how much competition there is between both teams. It’s really exciting for the riders and we want to see more clubs like that, battling each other with songs and everything – it was really amazing.
“It’s good for the sport, because it’s really exciting for the new people who are coming to the stadium for the first time. It would be better for all British speedway if you had more fans and teams like that.
“Now, I definitely want to beat Edinburgh. I think that both teams are strong, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens and see what I can do on the day.”
Garcia – who has just bought in a new engine – bagged paid six on Sunday in Glasgow’s season opener in a challenge match against Coventry, scoring in each of his four rides.
His next target is securing his first race win in the red and white.
He said: “We had a pretty good start with the team and this first match against Edinburgh should be great.
“Every time I go onto the track I do my best. Sunday was different – it wasn’t my engine and everything was brand new – so it’s hard to get everything right in one meeting.
“I will now go for my first win for Glasgow, and after that I want to improve myself and get my average higher – maybe five or six points.
“I’m excited about this season with the Tigers.”
Sunday’s meeting starts at 3pm with Nike Lunna moving to No 2 for the home side, Richie Worrall to 3 and Ben Barker to 4.
It’ll be the first time fans at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium will have seen the Monarchs’ Australian signing Jye Etheridge in action, while their new reserve Dan Bewley has been making plenty of waves in the National League in recent days. It also marks the return to the track of pantomime villains Ryan Fisher and Kevin Wolbert.