BRITISH Speedway is looking to the stars – by officially launching the sport’s first ever apprenticeship courses.Officials from the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, partners Poultec Training, the Speedway Control Bureau and Grand Prix rights-owners IMG as well as more than a dozen riders and their families, sponsors and potential backers, were all at the programme’s official launch.

The first trainees will be inducted after a taster track day at King’s Lynn and the opening course will begin next month (September) and run until the end of the year.

It is envisaged that the first apprenticeship course will get under way early next year and is part of the BSPA’s commitment to youth.

BSPA chairman Alex Harkess said: “This is a very exciting time for the BSPA.“It’s a new venture and like any new venture I hope it comes out great.“It’s no secret that in today’s climate we have got a shortage of British riders but we have a record number of youngsters participating in the British Youth Championship.“Poultec becomes an important part in keeping these youngsters in the sport and helping turn them into team members.“The BSPA will continue to be involved in all kinds of youth development and we could not have better partners than Poultec to ensure that, in future years, we have a never-ending supply of home-grown talent.“Anyone looking around Poultec’s premises will see why we are so enthusiastic to be part of this venture.“We believe it will be a great success for many, many years to come.”Poultec is one of the country’s most innovative and forward-thinking training companies with a purpose-built £3 million, 20-acre complex in Mattishall, Norfolk, as well as a two-unit engineering centre in the heart of Norwich.They are specialists in training apprentices for the food and hair and beauty sectors but their founder Ed Bales’ passion for speedway in particular, saw the new partnership forged.He said: “I have been working closely with the BSPA Management Committee since the beginning of the year.“Jointly we have a passion to encourage and develop more young speedway riders, also giving opportunities for beginners and riders from other motor cycle disciplines such as moto cross and grass track.”|Heading up the venture is Great Britain’s ex-World Cup Finalist Oliver Allen who began the season as Peterborough number one before being ruled out for the year with a dislocated ankle.He is Speedway Project Manager and will be lending the experience he has gained throughout a 19-year career that began in the equivalent of the National League when he was only 15 to the scheme.He added: “Towards the latter half of my career as I gained more and more experience I would look back at certain lessons I’d learnt and it really made me feel like when I retired I wanted to give something back to British speedway, to the youth of British speedway in particular. “I wanted to teach riders about certain aspects of the sport that I learnt through experience, trial and error, or sometimes luck! “I wanted to try and accelerate their learning by passing on some of those secrets that riders just don’t share. I certainly wouldn’t ever criticise any rider of keeping any part of their game secret, I never told anyone anything, I was as selfish as they come. Why would you share?“And this is a problem in England, because we had no training programme in place and because current riders don’t really give much away you have to figure it out for yourself. “This training programme gives me the perfect platform to share all that I can, and I will bring in other experts in things like riding, fitness and nutrition, and psychology to teach the learners on this programme what they need to know.”The 33-year-old Allen, who was Premier League Riders’ Champion in 2013 and won league titles at National League, Premier League and Elite League level as well as riding in the 2007 and 2008 World Cups, is bringing a team of experts on line.They include fitness guru Paul Sugitt, who runs his own personal fitness training company, and a sports psychologist.

Further information on how to apply to join the traineeship and apprenticeship programmes: Tel: 01362-850983. Website: www.poultec.co.uk/training-courses/speedway-training-programme