AUSSIE WHIZ KID PEARSON ALIGNED WITH BELLE VUE

Belle Vue have added talented Australian whiz kid James Pearson to the club’s asset base and he will make his British Speedway debut on loan to Championship team Birmingham this year.

Despite his young age, the 16-year-old has already quite the CV with successful stints in Poland and Denmark prior to branching out into UK racing.

Consistently strong performances landed him a spot in the 2021 FIM World Under 16 Speedway Solo Title in Germany, where he finished a respectable sixth of sixteen.

He will no doubt be busy throughout 2022, having already signed a three-year contract to race for Polish club Unia Leszno as well as a two-year deal with Danish side Region Varde Elitesport.

A protégé of the legendary Leigh Adams, 16-year-old Pearson has now committed his British future to Belle Vue Speedway.

Pearson said: “Leigh Adams is my idol. Being able to stay at his house, use his workshop and to be under his wing is just an amazing feeling for me.

“When I was growing up, I wasn’t always into bikes; I was really into Brazilian Martial Arts before I saw a Motocross meeting on TV. 

“I asked my dad if I could get a bike, and from there I went from Motocross to Flat Track, and then when I turned 9, I wanted to try Speedway. 

“It’s such a unique sport. Not many people can do it and I think that’s what I really liked about it. It was something completely different and I really enjoy doing it.”

The Sydney-born racer took his first laps of Birmingham’s Perry Barr stadium in 2019 and has his eye on the prospect of a few laps at the National Speedway Stadium sooner rather than later.

Belle Vue CEO Mark Lemon said: “James has been progressing very nicely through the Australian Speedway scene and his performance in his state championship was sufficient for him to obtain a visa.

“There has been quite a lot of interest in him from British promoters and I’m sure he will be a credit to Birmingham’s league title efforts for the 2022 campaign.

“From a Belle Vue standpoint, we are of course delighted that James has committed his British future to our club. He is a very exciting prospect who has learned his craft from some true Aussie greats.

“Leigh Adams has been a fantastic mentor to him, as has Craig Watson, and we will be keeping a close eye on his progress throughout the course of the season.”