AARON Summers says Richard Lawson can be Glasgow’s trump card as they seek Pairs glory for the first time since 2011.
The duo take on the cream of the Championship at Somerset tomorrow night aiming to go one better than their semi-final finish from last season.
Lawson doubles-up with Somerset in the Premiership, meaning he has home track knowledge, and Summers hopes his partner can put that to good use against stars like Team GB caps Robert Lambert, Chris Harris and Steve Worrall.
He said: “Richard riding there most weeks, he’ll know the setups, so he can be a trump card.
“I’ve had quite a few experiences in the Pairs, and had some good successes there, so I can’t wait to do it.
“There isn’t a lot between us top three at Glasgow, so it’s a tough one. Richard is a no-brainer with it being on his home track and then it was between me and Richie Worrall.
“We need to not run any last places. Me and Richard ride really well together, we’ve done plenty of meetings with me at one and him at five, so we know how to look out for each other.”
Lawson is keen to exorcise the demons of last year’s contest, when Glasgow were put out by Edinburgh on the final bend of the semi.
He said: “I’ve enjoyed the meeting in the past and I’ve got to the semi-finals a couple of times. When me and Aaron rode for Redcar we made the semi and didn’t get through – and then again last year with Glasgow.
“Unfortunately we lost out to Edinburgh last year. I’d like to go there and redeem ourselves. It’s a big event, you get a lot of fans there, and it’s good to be a part of.”
He added: “There’s definitely home track advantage. When you look at Somerset’s record in the past, they’ve always been strong at home, and I think that’s part of the circuit. Once you get dialled in it can be really, really good as a home rider.
“There are lines out there that work to a certain point, and then that line is no good, and you’ll be back to the inside – and it’s finding these points in the meeting to use those lines and finding the right setups too.”
Glasgow are in Group A with Peterborough, Ipswich, Workington and Scunthorpe. Edinburgh line up in Group B against Newcastle, Sheffield, Redcar and Berwick.
The Tigers last won the competition in 2011 through Joe Screen and James Grieves.