TEAM boss Cami Brown has confirmed that four more of the Championship title-winning team will not return in 2024.
The Allied Vehicles Tigers management have been forced to make wholesale changes for their league defence.
It has already been revealed that Tom Brennan is not back at Ashfield. Benjamin Basso, Vadim Tarasenko, Claus Vissing and Marcin Nowak will also not be in Tigers colours next season as team building continues to take shape.
Brown admits it has been an emotional time to lose the riders who brought the title back to Glasgow.
He said: “I know this is a hard situation for everyone at the club. It has been difficult for the management and I know the fans will be as disappointed as us.
“It will be a challenging close season for all clubs in team building and we’ve had to make some difficult decisions.
“In truth, we didn’t want to lose any of our title-winning side. But speedway doesn’t work like that as we all know.
“Ben certainly didn’t want to leave. But he wants his career to progress in Poland and his team want him to practice on Saturday mornings, that was an impossible hurdle.
“He is heartbroken to leave. If it wasn’t for that situation, I’m sure he would still be here. He is like a brother to me and he will return to Ashfield one day.
“Ben promised to stay and win the title and he stuck to his word. He has had two sensational seasons of progress with us and has become one of the best riders in the Championship.
“It’s much the same situation with Vadim. He loved his time at Ashfield, he enjoyed the spirit of the club.
“He was outstanding with such great levels of professionalism. To turn up on his debut at Poole and do the job he did in the final was unforgettable.
“I think he was surprised by the passion by everyone. He sent us a lovely message in our WhatsApp group. He would have stayed if the circumstances were right.
“It was also such a hard decision to leave out Claus. He did his job and it was hugely frustrating not to have his scoring power in the Play-Offs.
“Until that point he had done a great job. He was just getting into his scoring stride at Ashfield and won races everywhere away from home. He is also a great friend of the club.
“Marcin naturally cannot return for the same reasons as how he had to leave with Polish commitments. That is the same situation for Ben and Vadim.
“We will never forget what these guys did for Glasgow Speedway. They are always welcome back to the club. They’ve written their names into history for the Tigers.”
Brown says that the new team will be revealed midway through next month following the British Speedway AGM as the management continue to finalise new riders.
He added: “The Championship teams will have a new look to them in 2024. It’s definitely going to be harder to assemble a side. But we want to build on our league title and bring more success to the club for the fans.”
Images by Taylor Lanning.