Speedway: Marcel Helfer back and keen to do a job for Monarchs Edinburgh Monarchs steely reserve rider Marcel Helfer doesn't do walking away. The 21-year-old German racer certainly did not stamp his mark on Armadale during his debut season with Monarchs in 2012 and, when he departed in ­October to fulfil a clutch of ­pre-arranged European fixtures, nobody was willing to wager big money that he would return to occupy the reserve berth this season. But that's exactly what Helfer has done making it clear that he has a multitude of points to prove and if there are concerns surrounding his scoring ability, he will do all he can to assuage those doubters who feel he might be found wanting again. Monarchs co-boss John Campbell says it's unfair to focus on Helfer's travails in the wet last season, saying: "At no stage did he ever say that he did not want to ride for us again. He was determined to come back for a second season and said if we couldn't use him could we find him somewhere else. "He pushed me during the close season to remind me he was available and wanted to return, yet it could have been so easy for him to say he'd had enough and wouldn't be back, but his attitude is: "I've done the difficult part and now I want to complete the job." Marcel has always been positive and never at any time did he suggest that anything he had done last season was a problem to him. And while Helfer would illicit groans from the terraces during home meetings as he toiled away at the back, away from the Lothian Arena he was to some degree a different performer ­altogether. Campbell said: "He had some extraordinary rides away from home, rides that were completely out of character. It was a case of he has some ability and those rides just happened to work for him. On other ­occasions, he would miss the gate and in the wet things were impossible for him. Helfer recalls: "So many things were new and strange to me when I joined Monarchs and at times I found the whole experience a bit of a struggle, but I always tried to remain cheerful even when I wasn't scoring. It wasn't always easy. Flippers would have been the order of the day for some of the conditions which greeted the Monarchs team in 2012, and Campbell acknowledges that Helfer is fully aware of the need to alter his approach this term. I think generally Marcel realises he has to make adjustments to the method he undertook last season. He is already talking about getting an engine ­specifically set-up for Armadale which he did not have in 2012. He knows Armadale is a different track from lots of others and he must have the best set-up to give him the best chance of winning races. Despite some National League riders being touted for the final reserve role, Campbell resisted such overtures, saying: "Our need for a rider with a lowish three-point average made Marcel our best option. At the end of the day, we want Marcel to score three points and he has shown at times that he is capable of doing that. The biggest criticism levelled at Helfer was he seemed to throw in the towel far too readily, and Campbell did concede: "He has the most annoying habit of giving up when he is at the back, but that wasn't just confined to Armadale - he did it in Germany as well and they tried to knock it out of him over there. On occasions in the wet Marcel knew he had no chance of making up lost ground and would tail off. I don't want to dwell on that because Marcel has shown he is determined to do better this year when he could easily have walked away, because last year was very tough for him in many ways. Helfer has also re-signed for Landshut, but Campbell says Germany is no longer his main focus: "Landshut actually dropped Marcel from one of their meetings in October. Marcel thought Germany was the most important thing at the time, but unfortunately his team actually proved that wasn't the case. He is still highly thought of by his own country, but he only gets about ten meetings over there compared to around 50 in the UK and knows this is where he needs to be to further his progress. Helfer added: "I'm so looking forward to riding for Edinburgh again and want to show the fans that I can do a better job this time. You have to remember it was just as frustrating for me not to score as it was for those watching. But with half a season now behind me I know what to expect and I think Jozsef [Tabaka] and myself will do a good job down at reserve. I know I must prove to people that I can do better and I'm determined to succeed, and if we get some dry weather that would be even better. I was never in any doubt that I wanted to be back at Edinburgh and they have given me a second chance to improve upon last year.