The first-ever Peugeot International Speedway Championship, with a £10,000 prize fund, takes place in Glasgow on Sunday, August 16.
A stellar line-up is being put together for the event, which starts at 3pm, and here we give a run down – in order – of the riders that will take their place.
This meeting will showcase some of speedway’s rising stars – among them No 1 Nike Lunna (Finland). He arrived on these shores for the first time this year sporting an eye-catching blonde perm and has also caught the eye on the track in his performances for Scunthorpe. The 18-year-old is the 2014 Under-21 Finnish Champion and appeared at this year’s Finnish Grand Prix as a reserve.
A major player in Glasgow’s season so far, up-and-coming Yorkshireman No 2 James Sarjeant (Great Britain) will hope he can hit form at the right time to take his slice of the prize fund. The 21-year-old, who is in his first full season in the Premier League, has gone from a three-point average to more than six this campaign so far – thrusting himself into the main body of the Tigers’ team. He’s made significant progress in the last two seasons thanks to his selection as a fast-track reserve for Coventry in the Elite League.
No 3 Justin Sedgmen (Australia) is the second man hoping to send legions of Edinburgh fans home happy on the day. The Monarchs No 2, aged 23, started his UK career with Somerset in 2009 and caught the attention of Swindon in the top tier – racing for both them and Lakeside in subsequent seasons. His career fell away slightly at the end of 2012, but he returned refreshed and raring to go as a potent part of the Monarchs’ all-conquering 2014 team and has never looked back. He is one of many Edinburgh riders who relish the Ashfield circuit and will likely put pressure on the big boys all the way.
No 4 Richard Lawson (Great Britain) knows the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium better than most, having held the track record on more than one occasion. Now a fully-fledged Tigers asset, he rides at No 5 for Glasgow after his winter transfer – he rode on loan from Workington at Redcar in 2014. Lawson, 29, has proven to be a top acquisition for the Tigers, and his performances were rewarded with a place in the Great Britain preliminary squad for the World Cup. He also finished a creditable sixth in the British Final at Wolverhampton, an unfortunate exclusion the only thing preventing him from making the final.
He has been the top man in the Premier League for the last few seasons, and now No 5 Craig Cook (Great Britain) will hope to be at the top of the podium in the championship. The 28-year-old’s rise to the top has been so good that he’s appeared as the wild card in each of the last two British Grand Prix and cemented his place as a top performer in the Elite League. As well as numerous trophies, he’s proven to be the fastest man ever around several of the tracks in the second tier – and is almost certain to push for the new track record at Ashfield in this meeting.
Next up is one of the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium’s favourite riders, and a former Glasgow Tiger, No 6 Josh Grajczonek (Australia). Currently riding for Somerset in the Premier League and Belle Vue in the Elite League, the 25-year-old started his career in the red and white stripes – winning a league title with the club in 2011, despite his season being curtailed by a serious leg injury. He left in the winter of 2012 to join the Rebels and signed for Poole Pirates in the top tier, who bought his contract outright. In 2013 he won the Premier League and the PL Pairs with Somerset, before joining Workington Comets in 2014 – returning to the south-west of England for this campaign.
He’ll a relative unknown to home fans – but No 7 Jonas B Andersen (Denmark) will bring a bit of continental flair to the meeting. Andersen, 22, only joined Redcar Bears in June to begin his British career – but is one of a number of up-and-coming riders from Scandinavia with a bright future. He started on an assessed seven-point average but has already secured his heatleader status on Teeside and is an intriguing addition to the meeting.
He was winning titles in his home country nearly 10 years ago – and now No 8 Cameron Heeps (Australia) will hope to add the Peugeot International Speedway Championship to his trophy cabinet. Heeps is only 19 yet he’s been racing on these shores since 2011, when he began in the third tier at Mildenhall. In 2012 he made his first appearance for Ipswich Witches and has represented the club ever since – as one of a number of Aussies tipped for the top of the sport.
Few men have been going better round Ashfield lately than No 9 Aaron Summers (Australia) and the Glasgow captain will likely go into the meeting as one of the favourites. Summers, 27, was also a full transfer in the winter from his parent club Redcar, following a drawn-out battle to get his signature. He has gone on to become a valuable member of the Tigers’ push for silverware in 2015, edging up the averages and posting key double-figure scores. He began his UK career with rivals Edinburgh and has been a regular guest in the Elite League this year – having raced for Coventry at that level in seasons past.
No 10 Alex Davies (Australia) still seems like a relative newcomer to this country, but he’s actually been racing here since 2010. Although representing Australia, he was actually born in Northampton in England. He began his UK career with Newport but established his name in the Premier League with Somerset during their successful 2013 campaign. He missed out last year but Scunthorpe moved to bring him back to the UK this season. He raced at Ashfield earlier this year in the Peugeot Open.
The challenge from Down Under will be strong at the meeting, and one man fans will be keen to see in action again is 19-year-old No 11 Jack Holder (Australia). The younger brother of 2012 World Champion Chris, he came to UK shores for the first time this season to race for Plymouth, bringing with him a strong pedigree in the sport. He thrilled on his Ashfield debut on Monday night while racing for the Devils, scoring seven points.
There will be one unknown entity to British speedway fans at the meeting in the form of No 12 Ziga Kovacic (Slovenia) – but reports from other fans of the sport suggest he’ll be worth watching. Aged only 17, he is tipped to be the next big thing from the country that spawned Grand Prix star Matej Zagar. Kovacic recently took part in the joint championship of Slovenia and Croatia, finishing fifth overall in a field that included the likes of Zagar and Jurica Pavlic, the eventual winner.
The home country will be well represented in the championship – among them, Somerset rider No 13 Richie Worrall (Great Britain). The 23-year-old, whose twin Steve races for Newcastle, has guested for Glasgow on a couple of occasions this year – most recently on Monday night when he performed heroics at times for the home side as they hosted Plymouth. He’s certain to be a challenger based on that form.
He’s only 26 – but No 14 Matej Kus (Czech Republic) began racing in the UK back in 2007 when he joined Berwick. However, it was four years before he returned to these shores with Redcar, and it’s those two clubs from the north-east that he has represented since. He actually dropped down to reserve for a time with Berwick last season, but has returned to form and is now a potent participant at this level. His race with Richard Lawson will certainly be worth watching – the pair had a terrific battle last time out at Ashfield and there were even some afters for good measure.
Several riders will represent the Tigers at the event No 15 Nick Morris (Australia) could be the man to lead the way. The former Somerset ace, 21, made his debut for his country in the World Cup this season and proved to be a surprise package – beating more experienced riders including reigning World Champion Greg Hancock. He’s been forced onto the sidelines in recent weeks with a nasty elbow gash, but hopes to return soon for both Glasgow and his Elite League side Swindon – who bought Morris from Glasgow back in 2012, after he’d won the 2011 title with the Tigers.
It’s not often you get a rider who’s ridden in a Grand Prix and a World Cup racing at a British Premier League track, but No 16 Sam Simota (Czech Republic) can claim to have appeared in both competitions. In fact, the 30-year-old has scored 28 points from five matches for his country – a decent record considering the Czechs’ lack of success on the world stage in recent seasons. Simota’s been a familiar name for UK speedway fans since he came to race for Reading in 2005, and currently lines up for Plymouth Devils.
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