BRITISH SPEEDWAY DECEMBER 18, 2023
(SPEEDWAY 1)
AUSSIE RETURNS TO MONARCHS
EDINBURGH have announced the return of Australian star Kye Thomson for a fourth season with the club.
Thomson saw his scoring affected by illness in 2023 but believes with a trouble-free run he can resume his upward progress at Armadale next year.
He said: “It was a pretty easy decision to come back. Edinburgh are straightforward and don’t mess you about so, when I was asked it didn’t take long to get everything done.
“I had a good first two years with the Monarchs and then last year wasn’t as good. The way I look at it, no-one has three perfect years in a row so it is time to kick on again.
“Last year was strange in that I had nights that were the best of my career, like when I got the full maximum, and other times like when I was ill that were scary, but by the end of the season I felt I wasn’t far away from where I wanted to be.
“I would say I wasn’t happy with my season overall but still just about maintained my average, so it wasn’t all bad. It is time for everyone to put 2023 behind them and we all start again on zero come the start of the season.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
SHEFFIELD captain Kyle Howarth will celebrate his Testimonial in the opening fixture of the season at Owlerton.
The event will take place on Thursday, March 14 (7.30pm) as the 2024 Tru Plant Tigers take on a World Select.
Said Howarth: “It’s a great honour to be granted a Testimonial and I want to thank the Sheffield promotion for allowing me to host my meeting at Owlerton.“I’ve had a great time at Sheffield over the years and hopefully this season we can retain the league title for all the loyal Tigers fans.
“I have already started sorting details out for the meeting and I can promise you there will be some star names and lots of entertainment on the night.“I have a good team of people working with me behind the scenes and we will release more news as soon as we can. I’m hoping all the fans turn out in numbers and have a great night.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
BELLE Vue’s Rising Star Connor Bailey is targeting further progression in 2024 having signed up to remain with the club in the Sports Insure Premiership.
The British Under-21 Champion came into the Aces’ line-up in mid-season to replace the injured Jake Mulford, and after a spectacular crash on his debut at Wolverhampton he quickly adapted to life in the top-flight.
Bailey said: “It wasn’t exactly the flying start I was hoping to get off to!
“But I bounced back quite nicely, pun unintended, and I must’ve been doing something right for Mark [Lemon] to invite me back into the team next year.
“This is a huge opportunity. I had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies last year and I don’t see this season being any different. I want to be the best and having track time is what makes the difference.
“I feel like this could be my breakout year. I’ve established a level for myself now and I want to push those boundaries to further improve myself.”
NO PRESSURE ON ZMARZLIK AFTER LATVIAN GP WIN