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ELITE League champions Poole have moved to hand Polish star Krzysztof Buczkowski a return to British speedway.Buczkowski, who had spent much of his career in this country with Peterborough, joins the Pirates on a 6.48 average having last ridden for Leicester in 2014.Poole promoter Matt Ford said: “I am happy to have him on board for next season. He has a style I like and whilst he loves to be racing on a large fast track he also has a great technique for the smaller circuits and it is those sort of riders that can make a great deal of difference to a team's fortunes. “I really believe that he will develop into an out and out heat leader which will give us that bit of extra depth to the side and I am sure the Poole fans will quickly make him feel very much at home.”Ford has also confirmed 2015 Pirates skipper Maciej Janowski will not be starting the new season in the UK, although he has not ruled out a return for the Pole in the future.
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COVENTRY have confirmed Great Britain international Danny King will return to the club next season.King helped the Bees to the Elite League play-offs in 2015 having spent the bulk of the previous four years with their local rivals Birmingham, and he also finished third in the British Final.Coventry promoter Mick Horton said: “We were very eager to bring Danny back, and he really wanted to come back - he’d wanted to ride for Coventry for a few years, and he loved being here.“What impressed me about Danny last season was the way he learnt the track in terms of the dirt on the outside - I knew he was a racer, but I didn’t think he’d be trying the ‘Bomber’ (Chris Harris) line!”
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SWINDON have handed Aussie ace Justin Sedgmen a return to the club for the 2016 campaign.Sedgmen, 23, was given his Elite League bow by the Robins in 2010 before being given a full-time team spot in 2011 - and boss Alun Rossiter feels his recent experience as part of successful Edinburgh sides in the Premier League will stand him in good stead.Rossiter said: “Justin has really come on over the last couple of years, and he’s certainly a much-improved rider from when he first rode for the club.“I think he found it tough to adapt when he first came over here, which isn’t surprising for a youngster, but now he’s got himself well established in the Premier League with two league titles for Edinburgh and an average of around eight.“I’m confident he’s ready to race in the Elite League now and although we won’t be setting him any targets it’s obvious that he has the potential to add to his average.”
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GLASGOW have secured the signing of GB international Ben Barker on a “bargain” average of 7.56.Barker completed the 2015 campaign with Peterborough after suffering serious injury in the British Final, but now heads north to Ashfield as the Tigers look to go one step further than their Premier League runners-up spot of this season.Barker said: “I contacted Glasgow about joining. It’s nice to be at a club where they’re not setting up to finish in the play-offs – they’re setting up to win the league.“It’s really nice to know you’re part of a team that’s going to do whatever it takes to be there at the end. I know we’re going to have race-winners in the team, and that’s what you need. You can’t win meetings without race-winners.”
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NEWCASTLE have named their first three signings for the 2016 Premier League season.Ludvig Lindgren, Steve Worrall and Tero Aarnio all return to Tyneside, Aarnio having impressed as a mid-season replacement this year, and Lindgren will retain the club captaincy.Co-promoter Alan Hedley said: “Ludvig has been a consistent performer for us since his arrival at the club and we were delighted to make him a club asset in 2015.“He will captain the side and he is keen to take an active role in the club on and off the track by helping to find sponsors for the club which is great news.”(SPEEDWAY 6)
BERWICK have moved for Dutch racer Theo Pijper for a second spell with the club.Edinburgh asset Pijper rode briefly for the Bandits eight years ago and made several guest appearances for the Shielfield Park side late last season having lined up throughout the campaign for Scunthorpe.Co-promoter Ryan Anderson said: “Theo has a great track record of winning championships with clubs. He won the title in 2003 with Edinburgh and 2011 with Glasgow. “We know he is involved in the FIM World Longtrack Championship but Theo normally only flies out on the days of the meetings and if we do get any clash we obtain a formal facility.”The Bandits have also appointed locally-based former rider Scott Courtney as their new team manager.Chairman John Anderson said: “Scott has really impressed us with his wealth of speedway knowledge, not only as a former racer but behind the scenes with his involvement with skipper Kevin Doolan these past couple of seasons. “We had thought seriously about filling the role late last season but for various reasons it never happened, but the timing is spot-on now.”
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ALEX Davies will return for a second season in Scunthorpe colours for the 2016 Premier League campaign.The Australian now has clearance to remain in the UK for three years, and promoter Rob Godfrey expects Davies to push on from his 6.26 average achieved after sitting out the 2014 season.Godfrey said: “Alex doesn't need to worry about his visa anymore; he can just concentrate on what we know he is capable of – knocking up the points for the Scorpions. I'm certain he's going to push his average in excess of 7.00 in any case.“I think he was a bit worried at one point that he was going to lose his team place (this year). But we never really even considered doing that, because we were fully aware that he was a quality act and that the scores would eventually come. We stuck by him, and now we should reap the rewards of that in the forthcoming season.”
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SHEFFIELD have handed a return to former Owlerton favourite Richard Hall ahead of the 2016 season.The experienced racer, who spent six seasons with the Tigers, re-joins the club after a two year absence, coming in on a modest 4.04 average.Hall said: “I’m really pleased to be back at Sheffield and it’s a great opportunity for me. I can’t wait to work with the new management for the first time, there are lots of positive vibes coming out of the club at the moment and I’m delighted to have the chance to be a part of that.“I’ve missed riding at Owlerton, it’s one of my favourite tracks and Sheffield is a club I’ve always enjoyed riding for so the chance to come back is a big boost.”
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MILDENHALL have confirmed the fast-improving Connor Mountain will remain with the club next year.Mountain added over 1.5 points to his starting average in 2015, which was only his second season in the National League, spending much of the campaign as a heat-leader.Fen Tigers promoter Kevin Jolly said: “Connor was always at the top of my list to return for the 2016 season. He had an exceptional year and was so consistent for us. His professionalism and maturity during a hard year marked him down as just the type of rider we want representing Mildenhall. “Some of the so-called big players in the NL were after Connor and it says a lot about him and us that he wanted to stay at Mildenhall for another year. I really feel he can push on again and we will support him all we can to see that he does.”
