(SPEEDWAY 1)
KENT have completed the signing of Ben Hopwood to finalise their team plans for the National League campaign.Hopwood arrives at Central Park on a 5.83 average after a 2016 season punctuated by changes of club, having represented Eastbourne, Buxton and Stoke.Kings boss Chris Hunt said: “With such a low average, it was a no-brainer to me to snap up Ben, and there were any number of other clubs who wanted to sign him up for the same reason.“Such figures are two points at least behind what one can expect immediately from such a tried and tested and reliable performer. I am delighted to welcome him to Kent.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
PETERBOROUGH boss Ged Rathbone believes his side’s early schedule will provide a pointer to their SGB Championship prospects.The Panthers’ first competitive meeting of 2017 will be a home date against Scunthorpe at the Showground on Friday, March 24. Their first away test will also be against the Scorpions, on Sunday, April 2, and they also face league clashes against highly-touted Ipswich and Sheffield in April, along with a KO Cup tie against a revamped Redcar outfit.Rathbone said: “The opening few weeks will give us a good idea of where we’re at. I’ve said all along that there is no such thing as an easy fixture – home or away.“Any one of the 10 teams at this level will be capable of getting a result against any other on any given day.“I think every single meeting will be unpredictable and exciting. It’s going to the best season for a long time for supporters.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
BERWICK skipper Kevin Doolan feels the club is well-placed to make a serious challenge in the SGB Championship this season.Doolan will lead a Bandits team who are under new ownership with Scott and Jamie Courtney along with Gary Havelock taking charge at Shielfield Park.Doolan said: “There's been a lot going on behind the scenes. There was a lot of hard work put in last season, and now the new promotion have stepped in to build on that and take things forward. “I'm really happy with the guys we've got in the team, and the talent we have means I have a good opportunity to do my job as captain. “I want to try and get everyone settled in and bring out the best in everyone, because if we get everyone riding to their potential I think we can do really well.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey is pleased to have achieved continuity of home fixtures as they prepare for the SGB Championship campaign.The Scorpions remain a Sunday track this season, having brought their start-time forward to 5.30pm, and five matches are scheduled at the Eddie Wright Raceway during a busy month of April.Godfrey said: “I think it’s going to be a great season of racing in the SGB Championship, while the Peterborough meeting (April 2) is a mouth-watering start to the season at the Eddie Wright Raceway.“But every fixture looks an attractive one. You could put forward a case this season for each and every one of the ten clubs in the Championship reaching the play-offs.“There’s much more continuity this season. We want the fans to get into the habit of coming to the Eddie Wright Raceway on a Sunday evening at 5.30pm. We’re running the vast majority of Sundays from the beginning of April to mid-September.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
BUXTON have confirmed a return to Hi-Edge for the experienced Lee Dicken in the upcoming National League season.Dicken made his comeback to the sport last year with the Hitmen and has agreed to continue after securing additional assistance for his 15-year-old son Kean, who will be racing for rivals Birmingham.Buxton boss Jason Pipe said: “I'm over the moon that Lee has agreed to come back to Buxton in 2017. “After personally talking Lee into a comeback to help us out in 2016, I could see by each week his enthusiasm coming back for the sport, so it came as no big surprise to me when we spoke about 2017 and him agreeing to return for his first full season in a number of years. “Lee is a great team player and I'm really looking forward to working with him in the season ahead. He could well be the rider who ups his average the most over the season. Lee starts on a 5.87 average, but I'm certain we'll see him put at least two points on that!”
