(SPEEDWAY 1)

REDCAR promoter Brian Havelock is expecting to plan ahead for the start of the new season without British Under-21 Champion Joe Haines.The Bears had earmarked Haines for a team place after he completed 2010 on loan with the club, but he then suffered serious injuries in a crash in Australia last month.Haines has now been discharged from hospital but Havelock concedes it is unlikely he will be fit enough to take his place in the line-up.Havelock said: "It's great news that Joe is out of hospital, but realistically I think we will have to look for another seven-point rider as a replacement, with the option of bringing Joe back when he's fit if it doesn't work out."

(SPEEDWAY 2)

CZECH Republic star Tomas Topinka has been handed the Workington captaincy in his first season with the club.Topinka is joining the Derwent Park club after the elevation of King's Lynn to the Elite League, although he will still line-up for the Stars in a doubling-up role.He said: "The owner Keith Denham has clearly put his trust in me as a rider and as a captain so I want to make sure I can repay that."Everybody has their own personal set-up for each track, but if one of our riders finds something that helps them during meetings I will expect them to pass that information to the rest of the team."