SPEEDWAY POSTPONEMENTS
WEDNESDAY APRIL 4:
PREMIERSHIP
Somerset v Rye House - OFF
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg
King’s Lynn v Leicester - OFF
SPEEDWAY- BOLD NEW ERA FOR RE-ENERGISED GB
The Great Britain National Speedway Team is setting its sights sky-high under a brand new management structure.
The rebranded Great Britain Speedway Team has been taken over by VRX Motorsport, led by Rob Painter and Vicky Blackwell, who have set up a dedicated team focused solely on making the national side the most accomplished and professional outfit in World Speedway.
After months of negotiations, an agreement has been struck which will give VRX control of the national team set-up, and they have worked tirelessly for months to put together a team of people who will work towards the ultimate goal of re-establishing the Great Britain Team as a Speedway powerhouse.
Rob Painter, who also founded the highly-professional Revolution Speedway Team, is delighted to put pen to paper and can’t wait to get started.
He said: “This is something that VRX have been working on for over a year now and we are so excited to have the opportunity to elevate the Great Britain Speedway Team to a new level.
“We have put together a management team who we know have a lot to offer, from fitness and nutrition experts to PR and marketing professionals, and we are confident that together we can achieve something very special.
“We have visited some of the biggest national bodies in the UK, including the Team GB Olympics headquarters in London, and we know what is required to make our national team the best in the World, not only in terms of performance, but also in terms of professionalism.
“We want to create a culture of pride and unity, we want riders to be desperate to race for their country and to look forward to putting the Union Flag kevlars on, and we have so many things in the pipeline to achieve that. We are brimming with ideas and we really hope that everyone gets behind the team as we look to re-establish Great Britain as a real force in World Speedway.”
Keith Chapman, Chairman of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, is equally pleased to have struck a deal that will see the national team given a new lease of life, saying; “We are pleased to present the opportunity for the Great Britain national side to gain new ideas and a fresh approach.
“Everyone within the British Speedway Promoters’ Association would like to wish Great Britain well in the season ahead and we will be supporting the guys throughout.”
Further information regarding the Great Britain Speedway Team will be released in the coming weeks.
(SPEEDWAY 1)
SOMERSET promoter Debbie Hancock has been forced to further delay the start of the Rebels’ home season – due to flooding.
The condition of car parking fields and access routes to the Oaktree Arena have led to the early postponement of Wednesday’s clash with Rye House, meaning their first home meeting will now take place on April 18.
Hancock said: “The amount of rain that hit us over the Easter break has been incredible and the fields that we use for car-parking are under water.
“We owe a duty of care to our public and with conditions the way they are we really had no alternative.
“It is not just Somerset that has been hard hit though as there has been an unprecedented number of rain-offs recorded already this season. It is something like two-thirds of the planned meetings that have not been able to go ahead.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
KING’S Lynn and Leicester have moved quickly to re-arrange both legs of their KO Cup quarter-final.
The tie will now take place on dates previously set for Premiership matches between the clubs, with the first leg in the East Midlands on May 7 and the return at the Adrian Flux Arena on May 16.
Stars promoter Keith Chapman said: “It’s a major disappointment for us all to start the season like this but it’s not just us, every club seems to have been hit.
“We didn’t want to try and get Wednesday on with a serious risk it wouldn’t go ahead, we want to start the season on a good track with a big crowd and that wouldn’t happen this Wednesday.
“We made an early decision to minimise inconvenience for everyone and got the message out there quickly.”
(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY APRIL 4:
PREMIERSHIP: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30, Somerset v Rye House OFF
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: King’s Lynn v Leicester OFF (Now May 16)
EASTER CUP 1st leg: Birmingham v Kent 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 5:
CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle 7.30
JULIE LEWIS MEMORIAL: Redcar 7.30
VINCE MAPLEY MEMORIAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight 7pm
FRIDAY APRIL 6:
CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Glasgow v Workington 7.30, Lakeside v Peterborough 8pm, Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30
NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Kent 7.15
70TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE: Edinburgh v Monarchs Champions 7.30
