Saturday 17th December 2011, 16:37

Team Great Britain skipper Chris Harris has backed Coventry team mate Edward Kennett to put last season’s silencer scandal in the past and get his career back on track in 2012.

Kennett has been handed a return to the Bees, despite leaving in disgrace after he was caught using an illegal silencer to score a 15-point maximum at Lakeside on August 6.

The Sussex star was banned for 12 months with six of those suspended, meaning he can resume his racing career in February.

Some critics, most notably his new Coventry colleague Scott Nicholls, claimed Kennett’s ban, along with his £2,500 fine, was too soft.

Although Harris admits the former Eastbourne man got off lightly, he hopes Kennett can put silencer-gate behind him and rack up the points at Brandon next year.

He said: “I saw Eddie recently. He was up in Coventry and we had a chat. He’s going away for a bit of a holiday, but then he is coming back raring to go.

“He’s looking forward to putting it all behind him. He has done his time and he has to move on. Eddie is the sort of guy who will just get on with it.”

Asked if he was concerned whether Nicholls and Kennett would be able to work together, Harris replied: “I don’t think him and Scott will have any problems.

“I’m one of the ones who felt Eddie should have had a bigger ban, but he got the ban he got, served it and that’s it. I don’t hold any grudges against Eddie.”

Harris and Nicholls also had their differences up until recently. But relations between Britain’s top two riders have become far better since Bomber revamped his pit crew over the summer.

Both riders admit the changes which saw Harris’ manager Norrie Allan and mechanic Ted Midgley depart have allowed them to build bridges.

Harris said: “We say ‘hello’ to each other now and we can hold a conversation. We’re getting on fine.

“We’ve both got older and wiser and as Scott said, it was more the people around us that were causing the problem. Those people have gone now and I just want to enjoy my racing again.

“I can’t be doing with all the aggro behind the scenes. I just want to ride my bikes and do well for Coventry this year.”

While Harris is glad the pair will be able to work together at Brandon, he is still determined to get one up on the British champion.

He said: “We’re still going to be rivals on the track – we both want to be Britain’s No.1. He has a title I want back.

“Obviously we both want to get into the Team GB squad too, so we’ll be fighting for that, and he’ll want to overtake me in the averages at Coventry.

“The competition is still fierce, but rivalry is something that can only do the club good.”

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