The Coventry Cycle Speedway club, currently enjoying a boom in new recruits, are chasing glory on multiple fronts this Bank Holiday weekend in the British Individual finals.
They track their biggest representation of riders in the annual national championships since racing was revived at Hearsall Common five years ago. Coventry riders will compete for medals at locations across the south west of England.
The first Coventry riders in action will be at the picturesque Oxford village track of Horspath at 12 midday today (Saturday, 27th August) will be James Morris and pint sized Ronni Wassall in the British Under 10s final.
Morris, the younger brother of Coventry first team rider Ollie, has made progress this year in a steady, if not spectacular, fashion. Wassall will start as one of the favorites and he will have his father Carl, an ex-Whitley star, in the pits to advise him.
The British Under 13s final then follows, also at Horspath, today. Coventry will be represented by two of their best most recent finds in stylist 12-year-old Jack Reynolds and the explosive 13-year-old Ben Wells.
Reynolds has now been racing for three years and is the grandson of former Brandon Bees and Bedworth Falcons 1960s star, John. Wells, who has drawn the favored number 16 starting position, is the reigning Midlands champion and could repeat that success this weekend on the national stage.
The action then swings further south with the staging of the British Under 19s final at Newport, Wales, also today. Once again, Coventry have two representatives in the dashing Newport, Wales, also today. Once again, Coventry have two representatives in the dashing form of Dan Drewett and Adam Watson.
Home grown star Drewett, one of the most popular riders on the national circuit, has steadily improved since entering the sport in 2012. Now a first choice first team rider, he often flatters to deceive but this year he has added a more robust approach and new found confidence to his racing.
Watson, who is registered for Sheffield in the Northern Regional League, has made several appearances for Coventry in their highly successful Elite League campaign this year. The tall in the saddle 18-year-old was recently in masterful form in the European Junior final – a repeat showing at Newport could land him the title.
One of Coventry`s highest hopes of landing a gold medal at this weekend’s championships will come tomorrow (Sunday 28th August), when Ray Oliver proudly lines-up for Coventry in the British Over 50s Veterans Final at Southampton.
Oliver, who has made a superb return to racing this year after 12 years, won the 1988 World Final in Adelaide, South Australia. His gating remains at its former pristine best and his increasing fitness levels mark him as one of the leading contenders for the ultimate podium position.
Attention will then switch along the south coast on Sunday, with glamour club Poole staging several events, including the British Under 16s Final where yet another two of Coventry`s emerging talents take to the track.
Jimmy Wassall and Ollie Morris have both made rapid progress this year and both are knocking on the door of first team places at Hearsall Common. Both riders have been in extra sustained training in the last month and should they negotiate the minefield of the qualifiers, they look set to trouble the leaderboard.
Three times British champion Andy Angell, the most decorated Coventry rider of the modern era, and former British Junior champion Jake Reed, both enter the fray on Sunday, also at Poole, in the semi-finals of the British senior championships. Both are chasing a prized place at Mondays British Final at Exeter.
Angell, who competes for home town club Hull in the Northern League, signed for Coventry on Elite League terms this term in a blaze of publicity back in March. He failed to find his best form early on but a majestic recent display against Poole showed the super fit northerner was back to his best.
Reed, registered to Stockport for local racing, has made the leap from junior and youth racing this year to fully fledged national star. He is among the sports most committed racers – he was an ever present at Coventry indoor practice sessions last winter.
Myke Grimes, who has made three British finals in the past four years, will be joined by Ben Higham, who also competes for Stockport in regional racing, in Sunday`s British senior semi-finals at Southampton.
Grimes, the 31-year-old Coventry hero who only got married last week, has run into top form recently. He came agonizingly close to a podium placing in last year’s final at Ipswich and many experts are suggesting this could be his year.
Grandson of one of the sport’s greatest ever riders (Derek Garnett), unsung Ben Higham has cast aside his unfashionable tag in brilliant style this year to become one of the Elite League`s top performers and another British Final appearance will cap a great season for him.
Coventry`s leading female racer, 15-year-old Sammi Marsh will have a hectic weekend. The Ash Green schoolgirl lines-up in the British Girls Final at Poole on Sunday – before dashing to Exeter for Monday`s British Woman’s Final.
Assessing the British Finals outlook, Coventry club spokesman Andy Drewett said: “Its
tremendous to see so many of our riders – across all the different age groups – representing our city at the highest level.
“It is amazing to think that just five years ago there was no racing in Coventry, now we are absolutely overrun with dozens and dozens of riders, and our potent representation in the years British Finals shows that we are on the right track”.
HISTORIC NIGHT AS LOCAL TEAMS CLASH
It was an historic night on Tuesday evening at Hearsall Common when Coventry juniors took on Brandon Bees in the first meeting between the teams since the revival of the Bees following the introduction of the `Dirt Bike Club` which has seen a huge influx of local
riders.
Staged at under 16s level, Brandon took to the steeply banked Hearsall Common track resplendent in their new yellow and black racing attire, with the famous old original Coventry Speedway `fighting bee` emblem to the fore.
Supported by numerous parents, the Brandon youngsters, made up for their in-experience by being more than competitive in a great night for the sport locally. The match justified the imagination of local Cycle Speedway officials in leading an astonishing revival at the Brandon venue.
Ronni Wassall won heat 1 for Coventry but wins to Brandon`s Cameron Gill and Tom Savage kept the scores close early on, with the home side leading 22-18 after heat 4.
Using their home track advantage, the Coventry youngsters gradually pulled away to take control. Time and again, the home riders came through from the back against the often faster starting Brandon riders.
Led by Jimmy Wassell and Sammi Marsh, Coventry finished strongly to win by 90-60 against the Bees, for whom Gill and Savage scored heavily in only their third ever match. Both the Gregory bothers – Owen and Lee – caught the eye whilst 11-year-old Jony Middleton is a
star of the future.
Coventry point scorers:
Jimmy Wassall 19, Ronni Wassall 18, Sammi Marsh 14, Sam Slatter 12, Wyatt Jacobs 11, Jacob Slezak 8 and James Morris 8.
Brandon point scorers:
Tom Savage 11, Cameron Gill 10, Owen Gregory 9, Jony Middleton 8, Lee Gregory 8, Joseph Augustus 4, Lewis Middleton 3 and Louis Westhead 3.
The very popular Dirt Bike Club, held at the Brandon Bees track in Bretford Playing Fields (CV23 0LA), continues next Saturday 4th September and every Saturday in September. Running times are 10am to 11.30am.
For more information on the Brandon Bees Cycle Speedway club and the Dirt Bike Club, please ring: 07400 993999.