BRITISH SPEEDWAY DECEMBER 13, 2024

(SPEEDWAY 1)

BEARS GIVE THEIR SUPPORT

REDCAR boss Gavin Parr says the Bears’ younger riders will have all the support they need from one of the strongest-looking top ends in the Cab Direct Championship.
Charles Wright, Danny King and Erik Riss will spearhead the side at the ECCO Arena and Parr believes they can also play a big part beyond their on-track exploits.

He said: “I work very hard on man management, and I think the younger lads need an arm around them at times.
“I’ve told them that they can learn so much from the top three and we will work out a system where they can be mentored.
“There’s so much potential from Jason (Edwards) and Jake (Mulford), we know they can keep progressing.
“Ace (Pijper) had a tough 2024 but we believe he can improve in the family atmosphere at Redcar. Tom (Spencer) is also someone I’m surprised hasn’t been picked up before. I’m delighted with this side.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

LEICESTER have signed 16-year-old Sonny Springer for a second season as they plot their defence of the National Development League title.
Springer, who almost doubled his average in his debut NDL campaign and moved into the main body of the team, is the second member of the victorious Lion Cubs side to return, alongside new captain Max James.
He said: “I am comfortable with Leicester, I’ve dialled the track in now, and I’m more confident around the people and I know what to expect.

“I really thought I would have stayed at reserve for the whole season this year as we had a pretty strong team, but we were going in the right direction from the start and when I got moved to No.2 it definitely brought me on.
“My targets for 2025 are to get as many points as I can and set a better average than last season.
“I feel like we can win another title, Leicester have won a few now and it’s a great team, but we know anything can happen in speedway.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

KENT Eagles have added another familiar face to their team with Nathan Ablitt joining for their National Development Trophy bid. Ablitt has previously ridden for Kent, both at Central Park and their current Iwade base, as well as for Eastbourne, and he will form a strong spearhead with Ben Morley for the new team.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to joining the Eagles in 2025. There are some really good people in the right places behind the scenes to make this a success and they are already putting together a really strong team.
“On a personal note, it’s really important for me to keep riding and enjoying my racing in order to push back into the Championship and Premiership, and I couldn’t think of anywhere better to do that than with the Kent Eagles.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

BIRMINGHAM have made former club captain Darryl Ritchings their first signing for their entry into the 2025 National Development Trophy.
Ritchings was part of the club’s NDL winning side of 2016 before he called a halt to his racing career the following summer, with his comeback for next season confirmed earlier this week.

Bulls manager Laurence Rogers said: “I’ve known Darryl since he started racing and he attended my training schools at Newport initially.
“He then rode for me for the Hornets and later Coventry Storm and he’s always been great to work with.
“When we confirmed we were in the NDT, he was keen on coming back to Birmingham and it’s good to have him back.
“With Oxford giving him a team spot in the NDL, he will be getting more track time which is just what he needs.”