A very warm welcome to our newest subscribers who have responded in numbers to our recent drive to spread the Red Revolution.
Dear Tigers fan
As you will now have heard, following an objection raised by another club at the recent BSPA Conference, we have suffered the deep disappointment of losing a vote which prevents us from switching race night to our desired Friday.
We wish to assure you that every effort was made to present a sound case to support our aspirations, however whilst we were congratulated for acting professionally, the vote went against us.
Where does this leave us?
We have now reluctantly accepted the decision and are making plans to run on Sunday afternoons, although with a revised start time of 3pm, during 2013.
However, we remain convinced that a change of operation to Friday night is in the best long term interests of Glasgow Speedway, and we continue to work towards delivering on this for 2014 having been encouraged to do so by fellow BSPA member clubs.
With the benefit of accepting the immediate situation, we clearly have more time to plan and deliver the installation of floodlighting at Ashfield and this too will allow us to review, and potentially, bring forward other stadium work to enhance your own comfort and enjoyment.
Full steam ahead.
Having had to deal with our disappointments, we also felt we had to act quickly to try and create some sound foundations upon which to move forward into the season ahead and what better way to achieve this than making a start on team building!
To this end, we were delighted to be able to make an announcement on front of a huge crowd at Firhill on Saturday night, that we have moved to secure (subject to completing all necessary paperwork) the first FOUR names in next seasons starting line up.
Back in the Tigers fold for 2013 therefore are the skipper, Joe Screen who will start his third full season in Tigers colours and once again provide the club with a genuine No.1 to lead the charge.
Supporting Joe, at the top end of the side will be Glasgow favourite and long time Scotland No.1 James Grieves who remains a potent force around the PL circuits, and who alongside Mr Screen brings vast experience which delivers additional points as well as which helps our younger riders.
Tigers fans can also look forward to welcoming back to Ashfield the likeable and entertaining Dane Henning Bager, who earned his fans favourite tag last season having only arrived mid season. We are in discussions with Hennings parent club Lakeside about making him a full Glasgow asset.
The first new blood of the forthcoming campaign comes in the form of 21 year old Queenslander Harley Horwood, recommended to Tigers by former Ashfield favourite Trent Leverington. Harley has some experience of racing in the UK having ridden a few circuits back in August, however is delighted at the prospect of making his full time bow in Tigers colours in the new season.
So, all things being equal, that is just 4 places filled, with 3 more to go.
It is fair to say that we wish this years team (remember it is just Year 1 of the new era) to offer a true mix of youth, excitement, freshness, entertainment and experience.
As the door revolves at Ashfield there are several riders who, by their own stated preferences, are likely to move on to pastures new next year.
Already you will have read that Elite league champions Swindon are seeking to purchase Nick Morris, whilst we have also agreed a deal for Mason to move to Premier League rivals Workington (A very good financial deal for the Tigers). Josh Grajczonek too continues to attract attention and we have given permission for a club to speak with him.
We genuinely wish to extend our very best wishes to all these lads for past efforts on our behalf, and wish them every success in their futures.
So that was the week that was. We thank you very much for supporting the highly successful STARs event and thank you very much for your continued support as we embark on the Red Revolution!
As ever, we need you to help us spread the word and maintain the momentum as we work towards a very entertaining new season.
Please forward this newsletter to as many people as you feel would be interested in all things Glasgow Speedway (and do not hesitate to drop us a line to request their addresses being added to our distribution list) as well as sharing your ideas and suggestions for the future.
Please don’t be afraid of speaking out and telling us what you think, after all, this is not our speedway club, it’s yours!
Mon the Tigers
Alun, Gordon, Colin, Craig, Derek & Ian
P.S.: Next week we will announce the name of our 2013 team manager. We are VERY excited as they will be a fantastic addition to the club. See next weeks newsletter for the hot news.