SteveEvans

Team flies in over the weekend - we will be at Monmore Green Monday to watch the match with Poole, practicing at Buxton on Wednesday and ready for action. Here is the schedule; 7th April Vs Birmingham Bulls 9th April Vs Hackney Hawks at Rye House 10th April Vs Team Viking at Newcastle (Scand-American Cup) 12th April Vs Dudley Heathens at Wolves 15th April Vs Plymouth Devils (18 heats 9 a-side PL match) 16th April Vs Select team at Workington 17th April Vs Buxton Hitman See ya at the races!

Our race Vs Team Viking at Newcastle on April 10th will have a title to it - The Scand-American Cup. After the match went down to a one point USA victory in 2010, I'm sure another thriller is on the cards!

Looking forward to this one immensely - we helped relaunch one great club last year by racing and beating the Heathens in their first race since 1996. Now we have the privilige to race the Hackney Hawks - wow!

The Stoke promoter is aware that we are not coming as we had email correspondence in February. There is a chance of another date opening up which all should come clear on Wednesday of this week and the Stoke promoter (and now Malcolm) have been informed of this. We would certainly love to race The Potters. The date we had was tentatively made at the beginning of the year with a "we'll firm it up later" when Dave T and I spoke pre National League AGM. At one point Dave actually cancelled the date with me but then we very tentatively penciled it back in. Workington was chosen only for one reason - their promoter is thrilled with American riders and would like another at some point. Even though we feature youth and experience, the goal is still to get riders to British clubs and that is the single factor that put Workington on the schedule.

We are racing Workington on the 16th and the Stoke promotion were informed of this a few weeks back. Decision made simply on the fact Worky is a PL track and thus has more chance of employing our riders in the future. We'd like to do Stoke - no room at present but things can sometimes change with fixtures.

Ronnie Correy will be riding for the Touring Team Vs Hackney on April 9th and Dudley on April 12th. Kenny Ingalls will be #1 Vs Birmingham on April 7th. The rest of the matches top rider will be revealed later.

18 year old Dylan Black is the 7th rider on the 2011 squad. http://www.speedwaybikes.com/rw/udylanblack.htm Just one more spot to fill which will be a heatleader. There are two veteran riders, one not young not old superstar and one young hot shot in contention.

15 year old prospect Joey Holt is the latest addition to the 2011 USA Touring Team. Holt, who turns 16 on March 5th, has been mentored by Touring Team regulars Eddie Castro and Shawn McConnell and will be making the trip this April for the 7 race tour. The squad as it stands so far Eddie Castro Doug Nicol Mike Buman Joey Holt Jim Terchila Marvin Sonnier There are two former British League stars in the frame for the final team spots in the 7-8 man squad that leaves for the UK in 6 weeks.

A former British League rider got in touch over the weekend and is looking to being on the team- any guesses??

Done the drive more than once, under 3 hours last year!

It's being worked on. They want some local lads plus a few more I'm drumming up!

It's a hike yes but in reality every other club in the PL has to do the same during the season. The saving grace is Plymouth is a straight drive home on motorway and as we are 2nd on the bill at Worky we don't expect to be on track until 8:30pm. It will be tough be we can make it happen.

Our new website is up and running! http://usatouringteam.weebly.com/index.html To continue our theme of involving riders from all areas, Jim Terchila our of Indianapolis is our latest addition. He is the promoter of the track in Indy and an accomplished Flat Track and Speedway Rider. As far as those requesting some ex British League legends - watch this space! Have a very popular ex BL star who may be added to the squad! Schedule has been updated - and Plymouth is BACK! April 7 Birmingham April 9 Rye House (vs Hackney) April 10 Newcastle (Team Viking) April 12 Dudley April 15 Plymouth (PL match) April 16 Workington (15 heat 2nd Half NL match) April 17 Buxton

The American Touring Team, due to hit the UK in just over 8 weeks, has named 7 riders to its 2011 team. As usual it is a mixture of Young and Old with a squad that is likely to entertain like never before! It is no surprise that Eddie Castro returns as team captain for his 4th tour. Castro's popularity on the other side of the pond mirrors that in the States. At the age of 51 he came close to a Premier League contract this winter and he is thrilled to be leading the team. On the veteran side we add Doug Nicol. Uncle Doug was a hugely popular member of the Middlesboro Bears back in the 1990's and he his UK fan base will be delighted that he turns out for the team. In 2010 we had two great #1 riders in Kenny Ingalls and Tyson Burmeister who would be a hard act to follow. So, in looking for our #1 rider we decided to go for....Kenny Ingalls and Tyson Burmeister! Tyson made it clear to me several times this off season that if he was signed for a British club he would still like to ride for the Touring Team. Of course his schedule with Wolves would make him over busy if he did all 7 matches, so, he is sharing the #1 bib with Kenny, who is also delighted to ride for the team. The purpose of the Touring Team is to give its younger members (and Eddie!) the shot at a professional career. Getting signed is one thing, but having a long career is another game entirely. Racing for the Touring team will give Tyson much needed track time and confidence building as he works on the job in hand, and for Kenny, valuable track time as he returns from injury. Though not one of the 7 named, Ricky Wells is also willing to be on standby for the #1 bib should our other two need a night off. Our next rider is Mike Buman out of New York. So inspired with the chance of a Pro career, Mike is planning on spending over a month in the UK this Spring. He is hoping to race in events beyond the Touring Team tour and has a couple of leads to race in Germany and Poland while he is over. He will be in the UK for the entire month of April and part of May. A new tradition was hatched a year ago where the #8 bib on the squad is given to an older rider who is a mid to lower Division One rider who would otherwise never get the chance to ride in the UK. It's a spot that fulfills a dream for the rider. Last Spring Rick Valdez was due to get the call, but he got injured before the trip. In October Robbie Sauer got his dream trip. This time veteran rider Marvin Sonnier gets the chance of a lifetime to experience life as a pro speedway rider for 16 days. I'm sure his grin will last at least 17! The final spot on the squad goes to junior rider Broc Nicol. Broc will get to ride his Hagon Shocks junior bike at all tracks on the tour. He's gonna be a part of the team and will certainly have a great time. There are 2-3 more spots to add and they should be announced shortly. There are several riders in the frame and some really good names amongst them. It's not too late for riders to add their names to list - sometimes spots even open up last minute due to injuries or rider withdrawals. Our schedule has a couple of (very positive) changes, most likely including one race at Premier League level at one of our favorite venues. The first race is April 7th versus Birmingham, our last April 17th at Buxton. The showpiece event versus Dudley Heathens at Wolverhampton is on April 12th. Sponsor packages are available as previously stated - please PM with interest!

The legends tour has actually been an idea I've been kicking around for the best part of a year. It could happen but we'd need more sponsorship to get 7 riders. For the Touring Team the riders pay a lot of money to do it but when they are young and keen its the best money they could spend in speedway. Those riders who have been there and done that wouldn't be looking to profit from such a tour, but would need to at least break even. Right now with flight, bike rental or shipping, spares and a lil extra in your pocket it costs each rider $3,000 to make the trip and thats with sponsored transportation and petrol.

Plymouth is now PL, so we'll have to skip this time. The old Dream Team did Buxton twice but not in the modern era.

Rider news! Wanted to update you on how the team is coming along. Our recent graduates Tyson Burmeister and Kenny Ingalls want to show their support for the squad, so they will be sharing the #1 bib, doing 3 events each. Captain Eddie Castro will be back. Mike Buman out of New York, who impressed on the last tour, is planning to be in the UK for an extended period this Spring. He will take in the Touring Team matches but he is also looking at Open Meetings and whatever else he can do. Our #8 bib (reserved for an older rider who never raced in the Uk before) is going to Marvin Sonnier. More spots will be announced in the next week. There are plenty of options, including a former British League rider.

We will be at Buxton April 17th. Great to round the tour out versus the champs!

The real problem here is lack of British riders, lack of a development system and lack of anyone who takes on the task. In the USA Speedway has no formalized structure. The AMA governing body has one track of the eight venues in California, the others all operate independtly. Despite the lack of structure, there are individuals who have, on their own bat done things for Younger riders. Presently we have the Billy Hamill Academy, Touring Team, Under 21 World Cup Team. As a nation there is plenty of work to be done but at least someone is doing something. It would make a great hobby for a group of individuals who have the spare time and passion. It doesn't have to be up to the BSPA.

This is why we do what we do. So awesome to have been a part of this. Huge job ahead, but a great day for Tyson and American Speedway! http://www.wolverhamptonwolves.co/news.php?extend.1190

Wanted to officially announce that Romie Gallardo-Castro has been appointed as Assistant Manager to the American Touring Team. In reality its just making official the job she has been doing since last June, as she took on some vital work in the logistics of the tour. She has done an excellent job and its only correct that her appointment, perhaps long overdue, is made offical!

Correct. With races down for Birmingham, Wolves and Stoke our hard suffering van and bus drivers will have an easier time this time around!! Thanks to Graham Drury and Tony Mole for having us.

Brilliant news - the quality of racing in Octobers match versus the US Tourists was top drawer. I hope it is a success.

We can talk it over at Newcastle on April 10

Can you bring a team to California? :-)