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PETERBOROUGH will again host the British 125cc Final this season with Sunday May 15 the date set for the event.The British youngsters will compete for the national title following the Premier League fixture between the Panthers and Rye House.GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “Peterborough is such a great venue, and it is fairly central for most people to travel to, and after the success of hosting this Final there in the last couple of seasons it has now become the home of the 125cc Final.“When we first staged this event at Peterborough, we were concerned that the track was too big - but contrary to those thoughts, the racing there has been a credit to everyone who has been involved and I am sure this year will be no different.“The format of the Final will be confirmed nearer the time, once the number of entries has been confirmed. Our thanks go to the Peterborough promotion for agreeing to host the event, and to the BSPA for supporting it, along with all our series sponsors.”

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THE Young Lions held their two-day training camp in France last weekend – with a great turn-out of 25 riders travelling to Macon for training prior to the new season.Along with Youth boss Neil Vatcher, also in attendance with the young British riders to pass on their vast knowledge were Stuart Robson and Simon Stead.Vatcher said: “Although the track was a bit tricky early on the first day due to the frost, all the riders coped well with the conditions, and although different from riding on the UK tracks, this experience will be valuable to their further education.“A mix of Under-21 riders which included the likes of Josh Bates, Zach Wajtknecht and Danny Phillips along with a host of Under-16 riders, and one as young as eight years old in the shape of Max Perry, all had plenty of track time over the two days, and it was great to see the development of British riders really making some progress.“The Macon track staff were very impressed with our development, which we are all proud of, and it’s not too far away now that the British riders coming through the Youth System will be competing at the highest level.”The Young Lions would like to thank the Macon track for hosting the training camp, and the British Youth Sponsors and the BSPA for supporting what is hoped to now become an annual event.

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GREAT Britain World Cup rider Simon Stead has given the Young Lions' training camp the thumbs up after a positive weekend in France.The 33-year-old, who won three consecutive British Under-21 titles, joined GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher and fellow racer Stuart Robson as 25 youngsters took to the track in Macon.Sheffield rider Stead says it was a huge success.“It was a huge pleasure to be invited along by Neil Vatcher and it was great to spend a couple of days with the younger guys,” he said.“The track was testing to say the least but it gave the boys some fantastic international experience riding on a surface that was different to what they're used to. “The opportunity to ride abroad and to be in a totally different environment is invaluable in my own personal opinion.“British riders of my age missed out on this sort of thing because we didn't have the necessary funding and backing at the time but it's fantastic to see something like this get up and running.“Every single rider who was there finished the weekend better than when they started in my opinion.“At their sorts of ages, progression is key and any time spent on track can only aid their development. “The fact that myself and Stuart Robson were able to spend some time with these guys and point them in the right direction was hopefully very beneficial to them all and I think every single one of them would have taken something positive out of the trip. “It was really encouraging to see how keen they all were and I'd describe the weekend as a huge success.”

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COVENTRY have added club asset Adam Roynon to their Elite League squad for the forthcoming season.The Bees selected James Sarjeant and Josh Bates in the reserve draft last November, and Roynon now also comes into the squad as cover.He previously rode for the club as a doubling-up rider in 2012-13, and has joined Premier League Workington for the 2016 campaign.(SPEEDWAY 5)

STOKE promoter Dave Tattum is delighted with the way track preparation work is going and is looking forward to the new season ahead.Extensive work has taken place at Loomer Road over the winter to improve the circuit, and Tattum feels the standard of racing will benefit as a result. He said: “We as a club have spent a lot of money getting the track to where we feel it should be. The work started at the end of last season and we have steadily made progress to give what we believe will be an excellent race strip for speedway once again, which we hope will give our supporters the racing they are used to around Loomer Road.“We have put new drainage in, and with the rain we had in January they stood up well and it has been worth all the money, time and effort put in by everyone that has been working down here over the winter months. I cannot thank those people enough.“We have had a huge roller on the track in order to iron out the track for a smoother ride and we have shale on order ready to put onto the track for the new season. I’m sure once everything has settled in the next few weeks, the riders will give the circuit a big thumbs-up for the coming campaign.”