IF IT wasn’t for Bob Kilby, current Swindon Robins team manager Alun Rossiter may never have graced the world of speedway.

As a young boy, ‘Rosco’ travelled the country’s railways week after week watching the Robins with his parents, where the legendary Kilby was often the star attraction.

It was on one such trip, this time to Hampden Park in Glasgow, where the seed for his speedway career was sewn.

“Bob got me in to speedway really, so I owe him a great deal,” he said.

“Because my dad worked on the railways we were able to get free train travel, and we used to go all over the country to watch the Robins,” Rossiter said.

“One of the longer trips was to Hampden Park when they used to run speedway there, and it was then that Bob saw us and said that we deserved a reward for travelling all that way to watch.

“In those days home meetings were on Saturday nights, and at the next meeting Bob invited me down to the pits and I was all dressed up in red and white kevlars.

“I spent the meeting sat on his tool box which was a great experience for me, and then after that he used to take me out on his bike which is where I really first got the bug.

“That progressed and I became the club’s mascot and travelled around the country with the team, which was a brilliant experience.

“Then, when I started riding myself he was a great influence on me and was a great friend, he was a superb gater so helped me a lot. His influence on me was vital.”

Following Kilby’s death in 2009, Rossiter helped organise the first memorial meeting, but was not able to be involved on the day itself after moving to Coventry.

He was also unable to attend the last meeting in September, so is looking forward to playing his part this time around.

“Both meetings so far have fallen on days where I have had other commitments with Coventry, but now I am back and I can’t wait to be involved. It should be a great day where Swindon can remember one of its greats.”

Now in its third year, the event has attracted a quality field including the likes of three-time world champion Nicki Pederson, past and present Grand Prix stars Chris Harris, Lee Richardson, Bjarne Pedersen, Sebastian Ulamek and Matej Zagar, and current Robins top two Troy Batchelor and Hans Andersen.

Rossiter believes the quality field is a fitting tribute to one of the Robin’s finest competitors.

“There will be some great racing, and it is a fitting tribute to Bob that so many top riders want to be involved. But it is not all about how many Grand Prix riders are there, though.

“Riders like Mads Korneliussen knew Bob well and it will be an emotional day for him for that reason, and invites have gone out to a host of other former Robins riders who will be there to remember him.”