The rider they call "Floppy" has been handed the task of putting Eastbourne's season back on track.

David Norris will take over the No.1 race jacket against Peterborough Panthers at Arlington Stadium tonight. Norris is less than ecstatic about being given the spearhead role as promoter Jon Cook rings the changes in a bid to find a winning formula.

He said: "I'm not very happy about it, but I'll do it for the team. Cooky knows what he wants, so I hope it works out. I don't want to sound negative, but it will be a lot harder for me than riding at No. 3."

Norris won four races on the bounce and top scored with 13 points in last Sunday's TV clash with Poole, but he says that was the first time he had been happy with his form this season.

He explained: "I'd had problems in every meeting until then. I'm using a new motor, and the ignition timing was wrong. It was my fault, but we've just started to get it all sorted out."

Norris, who made his debut for Eagles a day after his 16th birthday back in 1988, has ridden at No. 1 before but, like Eastbourne's other heat leaders Martin Dugard and Joe Screen, he prefers another number.

When he skippered Eagles on the run-in to the Elite League championship last season, he said riding at No. 3 in the team had increased his confidence.

The lead role, meanwhile, has proved something of a poisoned chalice for Eastbourne riders in recent seasons. Stefan Andersson, Stefan Danno and Screen have all failed in the position, and Dugard recently revealed how he would rather line up lower down the order.

Now Dugard has got his wish and drops to five, while Screen will be at three, and Norris has drawn the short straw in the shake-up follow-ing Eastbourne's lacklustre start to the season which produced just one win out of six in the league.

To a large degree, Eagles are paying the price of their success last year, having been forced to release prolific scorers Paul Hurry and Petri Kokko to comply with restric-tions on team strengths.

Said Norris: "It was always going to be hard this season. The way the sport is structured, if you win the league, you have to get rid of key riders. I can't see anyone winning the league two years running."

Norris may not have to put up with the No. 1 spot for long. Screen was due to ride there in the away match against Peterborough last night.

Cook has made it clear he will reassess the position next week when the season's first set of new averages come out, and he is not ruling out bringing in a new rider.

He explained: "Our form, especially at home, has been grossly disappointing. Only one point out of four is not acceptable. Things have got to improve.

"We need a much better showing across the board. I would like to keep the present team, but changes may have to happen. We know we are not the worst team in the league, but that is not good enough. We want to be the best."