TOM Perry will be a Glasgow Tiger in 2017 – and insists he has signed for the biggest club in the SGB Championship.
The 23-year-old has joined as the side’s senior reserve, becoming their fifth signing for the new campaign on a 3.76 average.
Perry, who lives in Dudley, was pushing for a heatleader spot at Peterborough early last season – averaging more than five-and-a-half – before he suffered a broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder in a crash for National League side Birmingham.
He returned to action later in the season for Berwick, and believes he laid down a marker late in the campaign that showed how good he can be, with a paid-10 haul in the Bandits’ final meeting.
The former Leicester ace will be fondly remembered by Tigers fans for a couple of guest appearances at Ashfield in 2014 when he beat strong competition to win the reserves’ races.
And he’s now delighted to make the move permanent. He said: “I’m excited and looking forward to it.
“In the season just gone I had a really good year until I got hurt. I pushed on from No 7 for Peterborough into the main body and I was at No 3 for a bit, so it went really well.
“At Berwick it was good to get a couple of meetings under my belt and I finished there scoring 10 points for them from four rides, and left a marker down to show what I can do in the Championship.
“The last three years have been going really well but I’ve got hurt one way or another and it’s knocked me back. Hopefully that won’t happen next year – I just want to push on and look at doing full-time Championship and Premiership in 2018.
“If I have a good year in the Championship, hopefully the Tigers will stay with me. I want to push into the main body this year and try to stay with them the year after as well.
“I did a couple of guest bookings for Glasgow a few years back and I’ve had pretty decent meetings there, and I like the track. When I had the call I was really pleased because they’re probably the biggest club in the Championship.”
Perry will combine racing for the Tigers with his day job – banking!
He added: “I work in a bank 9-5 and do speedway at night. Me and my partner had a little boy two years ago and just before he was born I got smashed up and I thought, time to find a job just in case this happens again.
“I’ve been busy and it’s been tiring, but I’ve learned a lot over the last two years.
“It’s strange being a speedway rider – people don’t believe me when I tell them. I know what I’d prefer to do as a job but I’ve got family to think about as well.
“But when it comes to speedway numbers I leave that to the team managers.”
Perry’s signing means he joins up with Jack Smith again, after they rode together at Birmingham last season. Also signed so far are Aaron Summers, Richie Worrall and Richard Lawson.