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BRITISH duo Ben Barker and Simon Stead are confirmed starters for the Ben Fund Bonanza at King’s Lynn on March 12.Both riders called on the Fund after suffering serious injuries last season with Stead ruled out for almost the entire campaign after a crash at Rye House, whilst Barker – who has ridden in every Bonazna – was hurt in the British Final at Wolverhampton.Barker said: “I broke my back in the British Final and that was a bad one, but (the Ben Fund) supported me and my family and helped me to make a full recovery. It gave me time to concentrate on getting fit and coming back as early as I did.”SRBF Secretary Paul Ackroyd has also thanked all those who contributed to a collection during last weekend’s Nigel Boocock tribute event at Coventry, which raised £1367.06 for the Fund.

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BELLE Vue are close to completing the line-up for the opening meeting at the National Speedway Stadium.Polish duo Maciej Janowski and Krzysztof Buczkowski will race in the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy on March 19 meaning just one spot remains to be filled.Aces CEO David Gordon said: “The addition of Janowski and Buczkowski to an already high-calibre field not only creates an even more competitive meeting, it also adds to the international flavour of the whole event.“The line-up speaks for itself. We are bringing together some of the best riders in the world to usher in the new era of Belle Vue and we're very pleased with the group we've so far put together.”

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TEENAGE sensation Zach Wajtknecht is confident he can handle the pressure of being Birmingham's No.1 in 2016.The 17-year-old enjoyed a stunning debut season on the shale, adding just over six-and-a-half points onto his starting National League average last year, and is now also set to make his Premier League debut with Somerset.Wajtknecht said: “Last season was really a breakthrough year for me and it went really well. I established myself in the National League and enjoyed riding at Perry Barr and winning the league was a massive shot in the arm for everyone at the club.“2016 will see me back again but having the added pressure to score points in every meeting as my average puts me at the top of the side's averages, but it's a responsibility I know I can handle.“The Premier League is a tough league for sure and I will take each meeting at a time and have a lot to learn in terms of set-ups and getting to know the new tracks I will be facing.”(SPEEDWAY 4)

EIGHT clubs have been confirmed for the 2016 City Gearboxes Midland Development League – under a new ‘split’ format.There will be two groups of four clubs, who will meet each other in their section twice home and away with the table-topping side in each mini-league at the cut-off point fighting it out to be crowned the 2016 MDL champions.Section 1: Belle Vue, Buxton, Long Eaton (racing at Leicester) and Scunthorpe; Section 2: Coventry, King’s Lynn, Mildenhall, and Milton Keynes (racing at Peterborough). The Midland Development League Riders’ Championship will again take place at Scunthorpe on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29.The league’s AGM took place at BSPA headquarters on Wednesday, and joint co-ordinator Dale Allitt said: “There was a lot of constructive talk from all parties and the spirit of co-operation in ensuring the MDL continues to grow was very evident. We voted in several important changes that need ratifying but it was all very positive from one and all.”Colleague Laurence Rogers added: “It was one of the most constructive meetings I have ever been at. The split into two sections was unanimously agreed and will be good for one and all. “We have some ideas as to what each section of the league might be called but need to run these past the BSPA and SCB. It all looks very exciting.”