TOMORROW sees one of the biggest meetings in the recent history of Glasgow speedway taking place at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium.
Sixteen riders will begin their quest to make it to the British Championship Final – and not only compete for the prestigious title, but also get the chance to book their place as a wild card at the Grand Prix in Cardiff later this summer.
Here, we take a look – in no particular order – at the men who’ll be lining up at 3pm on Sunday for 20 action-packed races.
Photos are courtesy of Ian Adam, Dave Payne, Ron MacNeill, Ian Charles, Gavin Ellis, Steve Waller, Steve Brock, Trry Burns and Colin Burnett.
SCOTT NICHOLLS (Belle Vue)… Few men will have ever lined up in this competition with more experience than the 37-year-old former Grand Prix and World Cup star. He’s won this title a record seven times between 2002 and 2012. The absence of World Champion Tai Woffinden from this year’s event means he starts as one of the favourites. This will be his debut at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium.
BEN BARKER (Glasgow)… This competition hasn’t always been particularly good to the Cornishman. In last year’s final at Wolverhampton he took a horrifying spill and ended up with a broken neck. Still, he’s one of the most exciting British talents around – and with home-track advantage on his side, will be keen to lay down a marker – as well as prove that he’s still among the best this country has to offer.
CHARLES WRIGHT (Swindon/Somerset)… Brother of ex-Glasgow man James Wright, Charles is one of several in this field who have experience of the Ashfield circuit – he rode as a Tiger himself for part of the 2012 season and many felt he should have returned in 2013. Since leaving here, his career has been on a steady upward curve and he’s now among the most established Premier League riders.
CRAIG COOK (Belle Vue/Peterborough)… There’s rarely been an appearance by the former Edinburgh rider in Glasgow that hasn’t contained some drama, most of it ending well on his part. He’s been on the right end of some big team victories at Ashfield, as well as taking last year’s Peugeot International individual contest on the final bend with a breathtaking pass on home No 1 Richard Lawson. He came an agonising second in last year’s title, making Cardiff as the wild card, and many will predict seeing him on top of the rostrum at this meeting.
LEWIS ROSE (King’s Lynn/Newcastle)… In recent years there have been a raft of newcomers to speedway who’ve transferred over from motocross, and Lewis is one of those. He only started racing in the sport in 2013 when he kicked his career off with Somerset and King’s Lynn’s National League side. But he’s become more synonymous with Newcastle in recent seasons and on his day has been a very useful reserve.
JOE JACOBS (Belle Vue)… A late call-up to replace Danny King – who’s absent because of a Grand Prix qualifier – Joe is a familiar face in Glasgow having spent 2013 in Tigers colours. Although he hasn’t really kicked on since then, he showed plenty of promise at reserve that year and took the bold step to return after time out the sport to line up for Belle Vue in the Elite League as part of the draft system.
RICHIE WORRALL (Belle Vue/Glasgow)… Another of the home riders, Richie is unbeaten in nine heats at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium since returning from a cracked rib a few weeks ago. The former Newcastle man missed out on the British Final by a point last year so is looking to make amends here. He’s also in decent form for Elite League Belle Vue, which should stand him in good stead in this field.
MAX CLEGG (Wolverhampton/Edinburgh/Cradley)… The only man in the field to race in three leagues, Max certainly has his diary full these days. He’s making his Elite League debut this year after an impressive first season with Premier League Edinburgh in their all-conquering campaign in 2015. He may be among the outsiders here but he’s capable of an upset.
PAUL STARKE (Leicester/Somerset)… The progress of Paul in the last couple of seasons is such that he has to be taken seriously as a challenger in a meeting like this. Although he’s been racing in British speedway since 2007, he’s taken some pretty major leaps in his performances recently, becoming a key part of the Somerset sides that have challenged for honours in the past few campaigns and establishing himself in the top flight thanks to the fast-track system.
KYLE NEWMAN (Poole/Plymouth)… Kyle is another who’s been doing the rounds for nearly 10 years in the UK – but only in the last few years has he really made a name for himself. He’s only 24, but he already has a plethora of team titles to his name, in no small part thanks to his affiliation with Poole of late. He almost found himself on the Premier League scrapheap when Plymouth’s future was in doubt in March but they were saved and he took his place with the Devils.
JAMES SARJEANT (Coventry/Ipswich)… If it hadn’t been for the numbers game, he could have found himself a Glasgow rider again this season after a good season here in 2015. It wasn’t to be and he signed for Ipswich, where he’s had and up and down start to the campaign. The potential is there, though, as James has shown on numerous occasions in both leagues – and if he’s on form in this meeting he’s going to be a contender.
STEVE WORRALL (Belle Vue/Newcastle)… The twin brother of Richie, he’s started the season in scintillating form for both his Premier and Elite League teams. He has really kicked on in the sport since he started on a three-point average for Edinburgh in the 2014 campaign and ended it more than double that figure. He’s also established himself as one of the Elite League’s strongest reserves and biggest benefactors of the draft system.
ADAM ROYNON (Workington)… There are a few former Glasgow riders in this field and Adam is another one – albeit he didn’t spend long with the Tigers, who were one of his earliest clubs. He’s had more than his fair share of bad luck in his career but has always battled back to be a competent Premier League performer. Had it not been for some pretty serious injuries through the years, he’d no doubt have gone on to bigger and better things – though he’s still only 27 years old.
RICHARD LAWSON (Lakeside/Glasgow)… Glasgow’s No 1 is hard to beat around the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium and it would be a shock to see him fail to qualify from this meeting. The 30-year-old has caught the eye in 2016 more for his performances for Lakeside, where he’s started the season as one of their top scorers. A lightning-fast starter, Richard will be aiming to set the pace at this semi-final.
STEFAN NIELSEN (Swindon/Plymouth)… For a few years now, Stefan has been tipped for bigger things and although he’s not made swift moves up the speedway ladder, he’s been a steady improver in recent seasons. He’s been one of the benefactors of the Elite League draft system, gaining vital experience in the top tier, as well as being a sought-after reserve in the Premier League. He’s scored some massive points in the last couple of weeks for Plymouth.
LEWIS BRIDGER (Lakeside)… Given he’s spent most of his career in the Elite League in the UK, Lewis has rarely ventured north of the border – so he’ll be another who’s unfamiliar with the Ashfield surroundings. But on his day, he’s among the best British racers and will no doubt be a spectacular addition to this field. Lewis has been part of the GB World Cup squad in the past and will have ambitions to make it back to that level after spending some time out of the sport before this season.