Main Man

2015 MIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE FIXTURES Date Track . Opposition Comp.Result27-03-15 Castleford v Milton Keynes (at Peterborough) MDL-28-03-15 Long Eaton v Castleford (at Leicester) MDL-28-03-15 Stoke v Reserved .- 04-04-15 Long Eaton v Stoke (at Leicester) MDL 07-04-15 Wolves v Belle Vue MDL -11-04-15 Long Eaton v Belle Vue (at Leicester) MDL-12-04-15 Castleford v Scunthorpe (at Peterborough) MDL-12-04-15 Castleford v Scunthorpe (at Peterborough) MDL-12-04-15 Milton Keynes v King's Lynn (at Mildenhall) Vase-13-04-15 Belle Vue v Long Eaton MDL-14-04-15 Coventry v Belle Vue MDL-15-04-15 King's Lynn v Milton Keynes Vase-17-04-15 Scunthorpe v Stoke MDL-19-04-15 Coventry v Reserved .-19-04-15 Milton Keynes V Reserved .-19-04-15 Stoke v Long Eaton MDL-20-04-15 Belle Vue v Reserved .-24-04-15 Coventry v Belle Vue MDL-25-04-15 Long Eaton v Milton Keynes (at Leicester) MDL-26-04-15 Buxton v Coventry MDL-26-04-15 Castleford v Belle Vue (at Peterborough) MDL-26-04-15 Milton Keynes v Scunthorpe (at Mildenhall) MDL-29-04-15 King's Lynn v Castleford MDL-01-05-15 King's Lynn v Buxton MDL-02-05-15 Stoke v Wolverhampton MDL-03-05-15 Buxton v Castleford -03-05-15 Milton Keynes v Coventry (at Mildenhall) MDL-04-05-15 Coventry v Reserved .-04-05-15 Wolverhampton v Milton Keynes MDL-08-05-15 Coventry v Scunthorpe MDL-09-05-15 Long Eaton v Coventry (at Leicester) MDL-09-05-15 Stoke v Buxton MDL-10-05-15 Castleford v Reserved (at Peterborough) MDL-10-05-15 Milton Keynes v King's Lynn (at Mildenhall) MDL-11-05-15 Belle Vue v Reserved .-15-05-15 King's Lynn v Stoke MDL-16-05-15 Stoke v Reserved .-17-05-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved .-18-05-15 Belle Vue v Milton Keynes MDL-18-05-15 Wolverhampton v King's Lynn MDL-24-05-15 Buxton v Milton Keynes -24-05-15 Coventry v Castleford MDL-24-05-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved .-25-05-15 Coventry v Reserved .-25-05-15 Long Eaton v Reserved .-25-05-15 Wolverhampton v Stoke MDL-27-05-15 Stoke v Belle Vue MDL-29-05-15 Coventry v Milton Keynes MDL-30-05-15 Long Eaton v Wolverhampton (at Leicester) MDL-30-05-15 Stoke v Scunthorpe MDL-01-06-15 Belle Vue v Stoke MDL-01-06-15 Wolverhampton v Castleford MDL-03-06-15 King's Lynn v Coventry MDL-07-06-15 Buxton v Scunthorpe (TBC) MDL-07-06-15 Stoke v Milton Keynes MDL-12-06-15 Scunthorpe v King's Lynn MDL-17-06-15 King's Lynn v Milton Keynes MDL-19-06-15 Coventry v Reserved .-19-06-15 Scunthorpe v Long Eaton MDL-20-06-15 Long Eaton v Scunthorpe (at Leicester) MDL-21-06-15 Buxton v Stoke MDL-21-06-15 Milton Keynes v Castleford (at Mildenhall) MDL-22-06-15 Belle Vue v Coventry MDL-27-06-15 Stoke v Belle Vue MDL-28-06-15 Castleford v Coventry (at Peterborough) MDL-29-06-15 Wolverhampton v Coventry MDL-01-07-15 Belle Vue v Reserved .-05-07-15 Castleford v Buxton (at Peterborough) MDL-05-07-15 Milton Keynes v Belle Vue (at Mildenhall) MDL-05-07-15 Stoke v King's Lynn MDL-06-07-15 Belle Vue v Castleford MDL-06-07-15 Wolverhampton v Long Eaton MDL-08-07-15 King's Lynn v Reserved .-10-07-15 Coventry v Wolverhampton MDL-10-07-15 Coventry v Stoke MDL-10-07-15 Scunthorpe v Castleford MDL-11-07-15 Long Eaton v Reserved .-12-07-15 Buxton v Belle Vue MDL-12-07-15 Castleford v Long Eaton (at Peterborough) MDL-12-07-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved ,-13-07-15 Belle Vue v Reserved ,-15-07-15 King's Lynn v Wolverhampton MDL-17-07-15 Scunthorpe v Wolverhampton MDL-18-07-15 Stoke v Reserved .-19-07-15 Buxton v King's Lynn .-19-07-15 Milton Keynes v Long Eaton (at Mildenhall) MDL-20-07-15 Belle Vue v King's Lynn MDL-20-07-15 Wolverhampton v Scunthorpe MDL-22-07-15 King's Lynn v Belle Vue MDL-24-07-15 Coventry v Stoke MDL-24-07-15 Scunthorpe v Milton Keynes MDL-25-07-15 Stoke v Reserved .-29-07-15 King's Lynn v Long Eaton MDL-31-07-15 Scunthorpe v Buxton MDL-01-08-15 Long Eaton v Reserved .-02-08-15 Buxton v Reserved .-02-08-15 Milton Keynes v Wolverhampton (at Mildenhall) MDL-03-08-15 Belle Vue v Buxton MDL-07-08-15 Scunthorpe v Coventry MDL-08-08-15 Stoke v Coventry MDL-09-08-15 Castleford v Wolverhampton (at Peterborough) MDL-09-08-15 Coventry v King's Lynn MDL-09-08-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved .-10-08-15 Belle Vue v Reserved .-15-08-15 Long Eaton v King's Lynn (at Leicester) MDL-15-08-15 Stoke v Reserved .-16-08-15 Buxton v Long Eaton MDL-16-08-15 Milton Keynes v Stoke (at Mildenhall) MDL-17-08-15 Belle Vue v Scunthorpe MDL-17-08-15 Wolverhampton v Buxton MDL-19-08-15 King's Lynn v Scunthorpe MDL-21-08-15 Castleford v Stoke (at Peterborough) MDL-21-08-15 King's Lynn v Reserved .-21-08-15 Scunthorpe v Belle Vue MDL-22-08-15 Long Eaton v Buxton (at Leicester) MDL-22-08-15 Stoke v Castleford MDL-23-08-15 Buxton v Wolverhampton MDL-23-08-15 Castleford v Stoke (at Peterborough) MDL-23-08-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved .-24-08-15 Belle Vue v Wolverhampton MDL-28-08-15 Coventry v Long Eaton MDL-31-08-15 Scunthorpe v MDLRC Ind.-06-09-15 Milton Keynes v Buxton (at Mildenhall) MDL-07-09-15 Belle Vue v Reserved .-11-09-15 Coventry v Buxton MDL-12-09-15 Stoke v Reserved .-13-09-15 Buxton v Reserved .-13-09-15 Castleford v King's Lynn (at Peterborough) MDL-13-09-15 Milton Keynes v Reserved .- PLEASE NOTE: Fixtures subject to change as and when BSPA Press Office is advised by the staging club. Please check before travelling, especially long distances.

2015 CITY GEARBOXES MDL Fixture List Date Track . Opposition Comp. BELLE VUE MDL HOME 03-04-15 Colts v no 2nd half . 13-04-15 Colts v Long Eaton . 20-04-15 Colts v OPEN 27-04-15 Colts v no 2nd half 11-05-15 Colts v OPEN 18-05-15 Colts v Milton Keynes 01-06-15 Colts v Stoke 22-06-15 Colts v Coventry 01-07-15 Colts v OPEN 06-07-15 Colts v Castleford 13-07-15 Colts v OPEN 20-07-15 Colts v kings Lynn 03-08-15 Colts v Buxton 10-08-15 Colts v OPEN 17-08-15 Colts v Scunthorpe 24-08-15 Colts v Wolverhampton 07-09-15 Colts v OPEN AWAY 07-04-15 Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 11-04-15 Long Eaton v Belle Vue at Leicester 14-04-15 Coventry v Belle Vue 26-04-15 Castleford v Belle Vue at Peterborough 27-05-15 Stoke v Belle Vue 05-07-15 Milton Keynes v Belle Vue at Mildenhall 12-07-15 Buxton v Belle Vue 22-07-15 King's Lynn v Belle Vue 21-08-15 Scunthorpe v Belle Vue BUXTON MDL HOME 12+19/04/2015 Buxton v OPEN 26-04-15 Buxton v Coventry 03-05-15 Buxton v Castleford 10-05-15 Buxton v OPEN 24-05-15 Buxton v Milton Keynes 07-06-15 Buxton v Scunthorpe Tbc 21-06-15 Buxton v Stoke 12-07-15 Buxton v Belle Vue 19-07-15 Buxton v King's Lynn 02-08-15 Buxton v RESERVED 16-08-15 Buxton v Long Eaton 23-08-15 Buxton v Wolverhampton 13-09-15 Buxton v OPEN AWAY 01-05-15 King's Lynn v Buxton 09-05-15 Stoke v Buxton 05-07-15 Castleford v Buxton at Peterborough 31-07-15 Scunthorpe v Buxton 03-08-15 BELLE VUE v Buxton 17-08-15 Wolverhampton v Buxton 22-08-15 Long Eaton v Buxton at Leicester 06-09-15 Milton Keynes v Buxton at Mildenhall 11-09-15 Coventry v Buxton CASTLEFORD HOME MDL 15-03-15 Castleford v no 2nd half at Peterborough 27-03-15 Castleford v Milton Keynes at Peterborough 12-04-15 Castleford v Scunthorpe at Peterborough 26-04-15 Castleford v Belle Vue at Peterborough 10-05-15 Castleford v OPEN at Peterborough 28-06-15 Castleford v Coventry at Peterborough 05-07-15 Castleford v Buxton at Peterborough 12-07-15 Castleford v Long Eaton at Peterborough 09-08-15 Castleford v wolverhampton at Peterborough 23-08-15 Castleford v Stoke at Peterborough 13-09-15 Castleford v Kings Lynn at Peterborough AWAY 28-03-15 Long Eaton v Castleford at Leicester 29-04-15 King's Lynn v Castleford 03-05-15 Buxton v Castleford TBC 24-05-15 Coventry v Castleford 01-06-15 Wolverhampton v Castleford 21-06-15 Milton Keynes v Castleford at Mildenhall 06-07-15 BELLE VUE v Castleford 10-07-15 Scunthorpe v Castleford 22-08-15 Stoke v Castleford COVENTRY HOME MDL 19-04-15 Coventry v OPEN 24-04-15 Coventry v Belle Vue 04-05-15 Coventry v OPEN 08-05-15 Coventry v Scunthorpe 24-05-15 Coventry v Castleford 25-05-15 Coventry v OPEN 29-05-15 Coventry v Milton Keynes 19-06-15 Coventry v OPEN 10-07-15 Coventry v Wolverhampton 24-05-15 Coventry v Stoke 09-08-15 Coventry v King's Lynn 28-08-15 Coventry v Long Eaton 11-09-15 Coventry v Buxton AWAY 26-04-15 Buxton v Coventry 03-05-15 Milton Keynes v Coventry at Mildenhall 09-05-15 Long Eaton v Coventry at Leicester 03-06-15 King's Lynn v Coventry 22-06-15 BELLE VUE v Coventry 28-06-15 Castleford v Coventry at Peterborough 29-06-15 Wolverhampton v Coventry 07-08-15 Scunthorpe v Coventry 08-08-15 Stoke v Coventry KINGS LYNN MDL HOME 15-04-15 King's Lynn v Milton Keynes Vase 29-04-15 King's Lynn v Castleford 01-05-15 King's Lynn v Buxton 15-05-15 King's Lynn v Stoke 03-06-15 King's Lynn v Coventry 17-06-15 King's Lynn v Milton Keynes 08-07-15 King's Lynn v OPEN 15-07-15 King's Lynn v Wolverhampton 22-07-15 King's Lynn v Belle Vue 29-07-15 King's Lynn v Long Eaton 19-08-15 King's Lynn v Scunthorpe 21-08-15 King's Lynn v OPEN AWAY 12-04-15 Milton Keynes v King's Lynn VASE at Mildenhall 10-05-15 Milton Keynes v King's Lynn at Mildenhall 18-05-15 Wolverhampton v King's Lynn 12-06-15 Scunthorpe v King's Lynn 05-07-15 Stoke v King's Lynn 19-07-15 Buxton v King's Lynn 20-07-15 BELLE VUE v King's Lynn 09-08-15 Coventry v King's Lynn 15-08-15 Long Eaton v King's Lynn at Leicester 13-09-15 Castleford v King's Lynn at Peterborough LONG EATON HOME MDL 28-03-15 Long Eaton v Castleford 04-04-15 Long Eaton v Stoke 11-04-15 Long Eaton v Belle Vue 25-04-15 Long Eaton v Milton Keynes 04-05-15 Long Eaton v no 2nd half 09-05-15 Long Eaton v Coventry 25-05-15 Long Eaton v OPEN 30-05-15 Long Eaton v Wolverhampton 20-06-15 Long Eaton v Scunthorpe 11-07-15 Long Eaton v OPEN 01-08-15 Long Eaton v OPEN 15-08-15 Long Eaton v King's Lynn 22-08-15 Long Eaton v Buxton AWAY 13-04-15 BELLE VUE v Long Eaton 19-04-15 Stoke v Long Eaton 19-06-15 Scunthorpe v Long Eaton 06-07-15 Wolverhampton v Long Eaton 12-07-15 Castleford v Long Eaton at Peterborough 19-07-15 Milton Keynes v Long Eaton at Mildenhall 29-07-15 King's Lynn v Long Eaton 16-08-15 Buxton v Long Eaton 28-08-15 Coventry v Long Eaton MILTON KEYNES HOME MDL 12-04-15 Milton Keynes v Kings Lynn Vase 19-04-15 Milton Keynes V Open 26-04-15 Milton Keynes v Scunthorpe 03-05-15 Milton Keynes v Coventry 10-05-15 Milton Keynes v Kings Lynn 17-05-15 Milton Keynes v Open 24-05-15 Milton Keynes v Open 21-06-15 Milton Keynes v Castleford 05-07-15 Milton Keynes v Belle Vue 12-07-15 Milton Keynes v Open 19-07-15 Milton Keynes v Long Eaton 02-08-15 Milton Keynes v Wolverhampton 09-08-15 Milton Keynes v Open 16-08-15 Milton Keynes v Stoke 23-08-15 Milton Keynes v Open 06-09-15 Milton Keynes v Buxton 13-09-15 Milton Keynes v Open AWAY 27-03-15 Castleford v Milton Keynes at Peterborough 15-04-15 Kings Lynn v Milton Keynes VASE 25-04-15 Long Eaton v Milton Keynes at Leicester 04-05-15 Wolverhampton v Milton Keynes 18-05-15 Belle Vue v Milton Keynes 24-05-15 Buxton v Milton Keynes 29-05-15 Coventry v Milton Keynes 07-06-15 Stoke v Milton Keynes 17-06-15 Kings Lynn v Milton Keynes 24-07-15 Scunthorpe v Milton Keynes SCUNTHORPE HOME MDL 17-04-15 Scunthorpe v Stoke 12-06-15 Scunthorpe v Kings Lynn 19-06-15 Scunthorpe v Long Eaton 10-07-15 Scunthorpe v Castleford 17-07-15 Scunthorpe v Wolverhampton 24-07-15 Scunthorpe v Milton Keynes 31-07-15 Scunthorpe v Buxton 07-08-15 Scunthorpe v Coventry 21-08-15 Scunthorpe v Belle Vue AWAY 12-04-15 Castleford v Scunthorpe at Peterborough 26-04-15 Milton Keynes v Scunthorpe at Mildenhall 08-05-15 Coventry v Scunthorpe 30-05-15 Stoke v Scunthorpe 07-06-15 Buxton v Scunthorpe TBC 20-06-15 Long Eaton v Scunthorpe at Leicester 20-07-15 Wolverhampton v Scunthorpe 17-08-15 Belle Vue v Scunthorpe 19-08-15 Kings Lynn v Scunthorpe STOKE HOME MDL 28-03-15 Stoke v OPEN 19-04-15 Stoke v Long Eaton 02-05-15 Stoke v Wolverhampton 09-05-15 Stoke v Buxton 16-05-15 Stoke v OPEN 30-05-15 Stoke v Scunthorpe 07-06-15 Stoke v Milton Keynes 27-06-15 Stoke v Belle Vue 05-07-15 Stoke v Kings Lynn 18-07-15 Stoke v OPEN 25-07-15 Stoke v OPEN 08-08-15 Stoke v Coventry 15-08-15 Stoke v OPEN 22-08-15 Stoke v Castleford 12-09-15 Stoke v OPEN AWAY 04-04-15 Long Eaton v Stoke at Leicester 17-04-15 Scunthorpe v Stoke 15-05-15 Kings Lynn v Stoke 25-05-15 Wolverhampton v Stoke 01-06-15 Belle Vue v Stoke 21-06-15 Buxton v Stoke 10-07-15 Coventry v Stoke 16-08-15 Milton Keynes v Stoke at Mildenhall 21 or 23/08/2015 Castleford v Stoke at Peterborough WOLVERHAMPTON HOME MDL 30-03-15 Wolves A v Wolves B Chall 07-04-15 Wolves v Belle Vue 20-04-15 Wolves v No 2nd Half SKY 04-05-15 Wolves v Milton Keynes 18-05-15 Wolves v Kings Lynn 01-06-15 Wolves v Castleford 25-05-15 Wolves v Stoke 22-06-15 Wolves v OPEN 29-06-15 Wolves v Coventry 06-07-15 Wolves v Long Eaton 20-07-15 Wolves v Scunthorpe 03-08-15 Wolves v OPEN 10-08-15 Wolves v open 17-08-15 Wolves v Buxton AWAY 02-05-15 Stoke v Wolves 30-05-15 Long Eaton v Wolves at Leicester 10-07-15 Coventry v Wolves 15-07-15 Kings Lynn v Wolves 17-07-15 Scunthorpe v Wolves 02-08-15 Milton Keynes v Wolves at Mildenhall 09-08-15 Castleford v Wolves at Peterborough 23-08-15 Buxton v Wolves 24-08-15 Belle Vue v Wolves MONDAY 31st AUGUST 2015 -----MDLRC at Scunthorpe

CITY GEARBOXERS Mercia-Vikings add fourth new rider to 2015 squad With three riders named for their 2015 MDL side the Coventry Mercia-Vikings have added highly rated teenager Robert Parker to their squad for the new season. The 19 year old first rode speedway in April 2014 . A Coventry fan since he was young , hailing from Northampton he had several end of season MDL appearances for Long Eaton and Castleford in 2014 . He has ridden moto-cross since the age of 10 so is an accomplished rider. He commented , “ I have had several offers to go elsewhere but when Coventry showed an interest this was ideal for me to be in their squad. I want to ride as much as I can in order to progress and I have been told I am free to ride elsewhere as well as the more laps I get the better I will progress.” Team boss Laurence Rogers is pleased with adding Parker to the Vikings squad, “ I watched his progress last year and kept in contact with him. He has had several teams after him and he will be seen in a few team colours as he wants to get in as much racing as he can.” “ We have interest in a few other youngsters who could well feature in the Vikings side as the season progresses. We are trying to blood some new talent in our MDL side this year although when the National League fixtures allow local lad Conor Dwyer will also feature as he needs as much track action as he can get .”

Bad news that Saturday's Training School at Peterborough is OFF. The frost is still in the track and coming through making it very wet. They have tried to work on it but unfortunately they have had to admit defeat. Work will continue over the weekend ...so fingers crossed we will be ok for next Saturday (which is FULLY booked) and the 28th (few spaces remaining).

Bad news that Saturday's Training School at Peterborough is OFF. The frost is still in the track and coming through making it very wet. They have tried to work on it but unfortunately they have had to admit defeat. Work will continue over the weekend ...so fingers crossed we will be ok for next Saturday (which is FULLY booked) and the 28th (few spaces remaining).

No they are not in 1-7

Midland Development League Late entrant to Midland Development League makes it ten clubs for 2015 The 2015 Midland Development League has received a late application from Wolverhampton. The nine clubs already named to run in the CITY GEARBOXES sponsored league unanimously accepted the late application from the Wolf Cubs to bring the strength of the league back to ten clubs. So coming to the tapes come March will be Belle Vue , Buxton, Castleford, Coventry, Kings Lynn, Long Eaton, Milton Keynes, Scunthorpe, Stoke and Wolverhampton. The 2015 fixtures should be out soon as Joint League Co-ordinator Laurence Rogers reveals, “I spent the weekend looking at all the dates available for each club and have tried to ensure that in almost every instance when their senior clubs were at the various tracks the MDL match will run after those clashes.” Added to the 2015 fixture calendar is the MDL Vase pitting the reigning league champions Milton Keynes with KO Cup winners Kings Lynn with the clashes on Sunday 12th April at the MK Knights home track Mildenhall and the return at the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday April 15th.

Midland Development League Late entrant to Midland Development League makes it ten clubs for 2015 The 2015 Midland Development League has received a late application from Wolverhampton. The nine clubs already named to run in the CITY GEARBOXES sponsored league unanimously accepted the late application from the Wolf Cubs to bring the strength of the league back to ten clubs. So coming to the tapes come March will be Belle Vue , Buxton, Castleford, Coventry, Kings Lynn, Long Eaton, Milton Keynes, Scunthorpe, Stoke and Wolverhampton. The 2015 fixtures should be out soon as Joint League Co-ordinator Laurence Rogers reveals, “I spent the weekend looking at all the dates available for each club and have tried to ensure that in almost every instance when their senior clubs were at the various tracks the MDL match will run after those clashes.” Added to the 2015 fixture calendar is the MDL Vase pitting the reigning league champions Milton Keynes with KO Cup winners Kings Lynn with the clashes on Sunday 12th April at the MK Knights home track Mildenhall and the return at the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday April 15th.

COVENTRY “City Gearboxes” MERCIA-VIKINGS ANNOUNCE SECOND NEW RIDER FOR 2015 SEASON ….. Following on the announcement of 15 year old KYLE ROBERTS as a newcomer to the COVENTRY Midland Development side for 2015 the CITY GEARBOXES Vikings have added another talented teenager to their line-up. 16 year old CALLUM WALKER from Whitecroft, Gloucestershire has been snapped up by team boss Laurence Rogers as his second named squad member. An accomplished rider Walker is combining speedway with his grass and long track bookings in 2015. He has been racing since 2007 where he began on a 90cc semi-automatic in the cadet class. He was the 2012 British Intermediate Grass Track Champion and moved into the adult class in 2014. Rode in the Speedway British Under 15’s British Championships on a 250cc finishing runner-up in this class to his close friend, Zach Watjnecht, who has signed to ride in the National League for Birmingham this year. Team boss Rogers commented , “ I saw Callum ride at Newport several years ago and was quite impressed. Last time I saw him in action was at Leicester when he and Zach hired it for practice before they rode abroad.” “I know there will be times when he will be unavailable for MDL matches as he has grass and long track meetings both here and abroad but see him as an exciting prospect who we want at Coventry. He is another one for the future for us. ”

COVENTRY Mercia-Vikings announce local lad KYLE ROBERTS as first rider in 2015 squad With the news that the CITY GEARBOXES Mercia-Vikings will once again represent Coventry in the 2015 Midland Development League team boss Laurence Rogers has started to announce his squad members. First name on the team sheet is local lad KYLE ROBERTS, who has progressed from racing his 125cc bike in second halves last year to a full 500cc machine this winter in amateur meetings at Scunthorpe. His progress has been impressive with team boss Laurence Rogers and team sponsor Gary Drinkwater both watching him recently. Rogers commented , “ I had seen footage on Facebook of Kyle and been amazed at how quickly he had settled in on the 500cc bikes. So Gary and I went to watch him at a recent Amateur event with Gary taking along one of his machines he owns for Kyle to use. We were both highly impressed and we know he is a local Coventry lad who wants to ride for the club “ “I am pleased to announce him as the first name on the Vikings squad and believe he will learn a lot this year and be challenging for a National League spot with The Storm eventually.” Kyle has made quite a name for himself at cycle-speedway and has some titles to his name which make impressive reading. Kyle RobertsYears racing: 2011 – present Bike: Archie Wilkinson Series 5 Favourite tracks: Coventry, Newport Honours: Welsh Junior and Senior Champion (2014), Chris Allen Memorial Trophy Winner (2014), Welsh International, Coventry U17 Champion (2014) Other: Newport Elite League rider

AMENDED >>>> Midland Development League 2015 The Midland Development League held its 2015 AGM on Wednesday at the BSPA offices at Rugby with most clubs in attendance. The 2014 MDL champions Milton Keynes Knights were presented with the League winner’s trophy before the business of sorting out the new season commenced. From the 2014 ten club league both Sheffield and Rye House are non-starters for 2015 whilst Scunthorpe were welcomed back to the fold and a place for Birmingham reserved pending confirmation from the club that they are able to join the league. So nine tracks will come to the tapes for the 2015 campaign in Belle Vue Colts, Buxton JuniorHitmen , Castleford Kings (based at Peterborough), Coventry Mercia-Vikings, Kings Lynn Lightning Long Eaton Invaders (at Leicester), Milton Keynes Knights (at Mildenhall) , Scunthorpe Stags and Stoke Spitfires. Like the National League this year, the league champions will be the side finishing top of the table at the cut -off point of September 15th with no play-off finals. The league is being sponsored by CITY GEARBOXES (Coventry) Ltd who have kindly offered their backing in addition to their team sponsorship of Coventry Storm and the Mercia Vikings. In addition rider air vest manufacturers HELITE are offering their support to both the league and the MDLRC. HELITE have brought out a new lightweight air jacket especially for motor-cycle racers with discounted prices for riders and will put up a jacket as the main prize at the MDLRC. That meeting is set to be held at Scunthorpe on Bank Holiday Monday August 31st as the second part of the meeting following the PL clash between Scunthorpe and Sheffield. The success of the MDL and its counterpart the Northern Junior League is shown in the number of riders now riding on the Elite, Premier and National Leagues who progressed from these leagues. For 2015 teams will be able to include two National League riders in their sides at any time as long as they comply with the set of rules agreed. They must be British, not have a finishing NL average of over 5, have not been named in a Premier League 1-7 ever and have ridden less than 50 official National League meetings at the end of last season. Additionally one of the riders , if used, must start the 2015 season with a NL average of 3.00. Once a rider exceeds an average of 5.01 he will become ineligible to ride in the MDL although if their average drops below that figure again they will become eligible again. Commenting on the meeting Joint MDL Co-ordinator Dale Allitt said , “ It was a very productive meeting and we all look forward to a successful 2015 campaign.” Fellow Co-ordinator Laurence Rogers commented , “ There was a lot of constructive discussion and it is great that we are all in full agreement on how we want the league to be run and progress. I now have the task of sorting the 2015 fixture list out and hope to have this finalised as soon as I can.”

Midland Development League 2015 The Midland Development League held its 2015 AGM on Wednesday at the BSPA offices at Rugby with most clubs in attendance. The 2014 MDL champions Milton Keynes Knights were presented with the League winner’s trophy before the business of sorting out the new season commenced. From the 2014 ten club league both Sheffield and Rye House are non-starters for 2015 whilst Scunthorpe were welcomed back to the fold and a place for Birmingham reserved pending confirmation from the club that they are able to join the league. So nine tracks will come to the tapes for the 2015 campaign in Belle Vue Colts, Castleford Kings (based at Peterborough), Coventry Mercia-Vikings, Kings Lynn Lightning Long Eaton Invaders (at Leicester), Milton Keynes Knights (at Mildehall) , Scunthorpe Stags and Stoke Spitfires. Like the National League this year, the league champions will be the side finishing top of the table at the cut -off point of September 15th with no play-off finals. The league is being sponsored by CITY GEARBOXES (Coventry) Ltd who have kindly offered their backing in addition to their team sponsorship of Coventry Storm and the Mercia Vikings. In addition rider air vest manufacturers HELITE are offering their support to both the league and the MDLRC. HELITE have brought out a new lightweight air jacket especially for motor-cycle racers with discounted prices for riders and will pit up a jacket as the main prize at the MDLRC. That meeting is set to be held at Scunthorpe on Bank Holiday Monday August 31st as the second part of the meeting following the PL clash between Scunthorpe and Sheffield. The success of the MDL and its counterpart the Northern Junior League is shown in the number of riders now riding on the Elite, Premier and National Leagues who progressed from these leagues. For 2015 teams will be able to include two National League riders in their sides at any time as long as they comply with the set of rules agreed. They must be British, not have a finishing NL average of over 5, have not been named in a Premier League 1-7 ever and have ridden less than 50 official National League meetings at the end of last season. Additionally one of the riders , if used, must start the 2015 season with a NL average of 3.00. Once a rider exceeds an average of 5.01 he will become ineligible to ride in the MDL although if their average drops below that figure again they will become eligible again. Commenting on the meeting Joint MDL Co-ordinator Dale Allitt said , “ It was a very productive meeting and we all look forward to a successful 2015 campaign.” Fellow Co-ordinator Laurence Rogers commented , “ There was a lot of constructive discussion and it is great that we are all in full agreement on how we want the league to be run and progress. I now have the task of sorting the 2015 fixture list out and hope to have this finalised as soon as I can.”

Saturday 7th Feb now FULLY BOOKED. Spaces available on Feb 14, 21 , 28

Unfortunately the weather has won and the first Peterborough Training session is OFF Limited number of spaces left for next Sat Feb 7th. Also 14th, 21st and 28th . Txt 07801429304 or e-mail : laurencerogers@blueyonder.co.uk

Unfortunately the weather has won and the first Peterborough Training session is OFF Limited number of spaces left for next Sat Feb 7th. Also 14th, 21st and 28th . Txt 07801429304 or e-mail : laurencerogers@blueyonder.co.uk

LUKE Crang will take over as Coventry Storm captain and No.1 for the 2015 National League season. Crang completes a much-changed City Gearboxes Storm side and has the potential to be one of the top performers in the league based on his improvement throughout his relatively short time in the sport so far. He returns to Brandon on a 7.37 average which may well have been higher but for him missing the second half of last season with a shoulder injury, his performances in the early part of the campaign having helped the Storm to cement a play-off place. Manager Laurence Rogers said: “Luke is convinced he’s ready to make the step up, he’ll start as our No.1 and I also think he’s the most outspoken one in the team and will therefore also be the captain. “He’s pleased to take on that role and do what he can to help the younger riders. Although he still hasn’t got much experience in speedway, he does have quite a lot of experience in motorcycle sport as a whole, and he has good family behind him for help and support. “Luke had some bad luck with injuries last season when he was riding in the Premier League, but he posted a 7.37 average and he had some outstanding displays. “I also expect some friendly rivalry between himself and Dan (Greenwood) for that No.1 spot, they’ll both be going for it and it will all be good for the club.” Crang is one of three returning riders from 2014, along with fellow club assets Dan Greenwood and Martin Knuckey, as the Storm’s top-end trio from last season move on to the next stage in their careers. Former skipper James Sarjeant will be concentrating on his Elite League racing for the Buildbase Bees and a Premier League team place with Glasgow, and Stefan Nielsen and Ollie Greenwood will both be racing in the PL too. Nielsen is ineligible for the National League having signed for Ipswich and although Greenwood could still race in the NL, it was felt his 9.22 average would take up too big a portion of the 36-point overall limit. The British Under-19 Champion has subsequently joined fellow Friday track Peterborough in the PL. Rogers added: “It’s a great shame our top three from last year can’t be fitted in but with the lowering of the points limit, we knew it would be tough to have a rider with an average of much over eight, although some clubs have gone that way. “We had to let Ollie know what was happening early, and it’s a shame that at the age of 19 he’s really being penalised for his success. “But from our point of view we’ve got to rebuild and grow again, and we felt a line-up with more strength in depth was the way to go rather than one big-hitter with a load more three-pointers at the bottom end, and hopefully that will be a winning formula.” CITY GEARBOXES STORM 2015: Luke Crang ©, Dan Greenwood, Darryl Ritchings, Martin Knuckey, Rob Shuttleworth, Stefan Farnaby, Conor Dwyer.

COVENTRY Storm have made their sixth signing for the new National League season with Stefan Farnaby the latest arrival to the club. Berwick-based Farnaby, who turned 20 on Boxing Day, spent his debut campaign in the sport with Buxton in 2014 and is now looking forward to progressing with the City Gearboxes Storm. He started his career racing in the Northern Junior League before taking his first league outings with the Hitmen, and his move to Brandon will see him team up with Conor Dwyer in the Storm’s reserve berths. Manager Laurence Rogers said: “I was contacted by Scott Courtney, who looks after Stefan, and I also spoke with George Hepburn at Berwick who agreed that it would be okay for him to come to Coventry. “He’s a Berwick asset so although he doesn’t belong to us, it was a case of looking through the options available and having the opportunity to bring in a rider who has had a year’s experience and has good equipment and a good attitude. “We’re already running with Conor making his league debut so we didn’t really want to have two debut-makers at the bottom end. “(Bees manager) Gary Havelock saw Stefan ride towards the end of the year at Redcar and mentioned him, and I’ve watched him ride too and there’s definitely something there, so hopefully he will progress under our system. “Stefan has work commitments which meant he couldn’t go to a regular Sunday track, so he wouldn’t have been going back to Buxton, and our Friday race-night is good for him, so it’s onwards and upwards and we look forward to him joining us.” Farnaby’s arrival means the Storm are one rider away from completing their team, with an announcement on the No.1 expected shortly, and they also need to declare a stand-by No.8 as part of a new regulation for 2015.

COVENTRY Storm will welcome back Dan Greenwood in 2015 after an impressive debut campaign at Brandon. Greenwood, 21, made the switch last winter after winning the National League title with Dudley and played a big part in the City Gearboxes Storm reaching the Grand Final. He put over a point and a half on his starting average, finishing with a 7.27 figure which will see him start next season as a heat-leader. And his performances in the play-offs showed he is capable of riding at that level, as he scored 13+1 and 14+2 in the tense semi-final win over Kent, followed by a hugely impressive 12+2 in the second leg of the Final against Cradley. Storm manager Laurence Rogers said: “Dan ended last season on a big high with paid-14 at Leicester, getting his points from behind, and now it’s a step up for him next year where I really think he’ll be challenging for the No.1 position. “He can then aim to get himself a Premier League spot and Elite Draft bookings. He might find it harder with having regular Heat 13s and 15s, but if you look at his scores with bonuses last season his average was nigh-on nine anyway. “He needs to start the season like he ends it, and we’ll be getting him out training and doing amateur meetings over the winter.” Greenwood joins his 2014 team-mate Martin Knuckey along with new signings Darryl Ritchings, Rob Shuttleworth and Conor Dwyer in next season’s team, with more news expected to follow shortly after the festive period.

COVENTRY have announced Cornishman Martin Knuckey will return to their National League team next season. And in a double signing for the City Gearboxes Storm, locally-based former Bees mascot Conor Dwyer will step up to a team place for the first time at reserve. Knuckey made good progress in the second half of the 2014 season and also plans to re-locate to the area next year, which will be his third in Coventry colours. Dwyer has been a familiar face around Brandon for several years, and has recently been racing in the Midland Development League as well as making guest appearances at NL level. Storm boss Laurence Rogers said: “Martin was impressive towards the end of the season, scoring some good points and taking some good scalps. “He knows 2015 needs to be a big year for him, moving up into the main body of the team, and I feel he’s worth a lot more than his average. “He’s also going to be moving up to the area, and it will be a big help to him not having a four-and-a-half hour journey to every home meeting, and he’ll also gain from watching and learning from the Elite League riders. I know him inside-out and I know there’s a lot of ability there. “Conor has been unlucky with injuries in the last couple of years, but he’s packing in work to ride speedway in 2015, he’ll be full-time speedway and he’s committed himself completely. “That was an impressive element for us when we looked at him, he becomes another asset for our ever-growing list and he’s very determined to improve and do well for his local club.” The Storm now have three places to fill to complete their line-up, with news on the top end of the team expected in the near future.

COVENTRY Storm have made their second new signing for the 2015 campaign with Rob Shuttleworth joining the club. The 21-year-old from Cumbria is a former motocross rider who spent his debut National League season with Stoke this year after previously impressing in the Northern Junior League. He achieved a 3.75 average with the Potters and is now looking forward to continuing his development with the City Gearboxes Storm. Shuttleworth joins fellow newcomer Darryl Ritchings as a confirmed starter for the Storm, who like many of their rivals have had to make several changes due to rider progression and the reduced 36-point limit for team-building. Manager Laurence Rogers said: “With a more restrictive limit, there were certain riders who we’d flagged up who would possibly fit in, and as it was Rob actually contacted us about joining, and we took things from there. “Rob came to my training schools the previous year, which wasn’t a short journey for him from Barrow, and I felt back then that he had a lot of ability. “He lost points this year because of inexperience and one of the things that he’s asked for is to have some advice from a senior rider, because he’s never really had that, and we’ll be looking to put something in place. “I feel Rob is a rider who could blossom in the right atmosphere, and we will have that atmosphere for him. He’s looking forward to joining a top club, and from our point of view it’s another asset who wants to ride for the Storm and who will fit into our set-up.” Discussions with other riders are continuing and Rogers is hopeful of naming more members of his side in the near future. Meanwhile Ryan Terry-Daley, a member of the Storm squad for the last two seasons, is heading in the opposite direction for 2015 as he has agreed a deal to join Stoke.

COVENTRY Storm have made their first signing for the 2015 National League season – by handing Darryl Ritchings a return to the sport after almost a year out. The Swindon asset suffered serious injuries in an horrific smash at Blunsdon in early April, ironically when racing against the Buildbase Bees in the Elite League, but has been back on a bike for practice sessions and is also working hard on his overall fitness ahead of his competitive comeback. 20-year-old Ritchings joins the City Gearboxes Storm on a 5.94 average and has good National League experience from his time with Dudley and the Isle of Wight in particular. And there will be other new faces in the Storm team next season as the total average for team-building is likely to be reduced when the league holds its AGM on December 9. Manager Laurence Rogers said: “Darryl attended training schools with me at Newport, and he actually made his debut for the Hornets three days after his 15th birthday and got a paid win in his first race, although he unfortunately then ended up in hospital after he got T-boned! “Naturally last year was a very unlucky one for him but he’s desperate to bounce back, he’s practicing hard and he’s in the gym at 7am. He’s super-keen with a really supportive family, and I think in some people’s thinking he’s a forgotten man – but I’ve seen the videos of him when he hired the Isle of Wight and he looked back to his best. “Alun Rossiter (Swindon promoter) gave permission very quickly for us to talk to him, so our thanks to him for that, and then it was only a few minutes for him to agree to come and ride for the Storm. “Quite clearly the total average is going to come down for next season. We were over 50 at the end of this year with Luke Crang included in that, so some riders will be moving on to bigger things, which is the whole idea of the National League. “We have to re-build, and we have various teams worked out depending on what limit is agreed on December 9.”

COVENTRY’S home leg of the National League Grand Final against Cradley on Friday will now take place AT LEICESTER (7.30pm). The club have been informed that Brandon Stadium is no longer available as the staging venue for this meeting due to preparations for Saturday’s Stock Car event. An alternative venue has therefore been sourced as it was felt this was a far more preferable option than to simply concede the tie. Coventry Speedway wish to thank Leicester promoter David Hemsley and his staff for their co-operation in allowing the use of the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium for this important meeting, as well as the Cradley management for their agreement to the change. The City Gearboxes Storm trail the Heathens by just ten points going into the second leg of their National League title-deciding clash. We acknowledge the circumstances are far from ideal but we hope as many supporters as possible will be able to make the trip to Leicester to back the Storm on Friday. Admission: Adults £12, Children Free. Programme: £2.

COVENTRY’S home leg of the National League Grand Final against Cradley on Friday will now take place AT LEICESTER (7.30pm). The club have been informed that Brandon Stadium is no longer available as the staging venue for this meeting due to preparations for Saturday’s Stock Car event. An alternative venue has therefore been sourced as it was felt this was a far more preferable option than to simply concede the tie. Coventry Speedway wish to thank Leicester promoter David Hemsley and his staff for their co-operation in allowing the use of the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium for this important meeting, as well as the Cradley management for their agreement to the change. The City Gearboxes Storm trail the Heathens by just ten points going into the second leg of their National League title-deciding clash. We acknowledge the circumstances are far from ideal but we hope as many supporters as possible will be able to make the trip to Leicester to back the Storm on Friday. Admission: Adults £12, Children Free. Programme: £2.

COVENTRY Storm go into their biggest meeting yet on Wednesday as they host the second leg of the National League Grand Final (7.30pm). The City Gearboxes Storm are just ten points down from the first leg against powerhouse local rivals Cradley, having emerged from Monmore Green last week with the Championship still very much there to be won. Four riders from each team were in action at Brandon last weekend, in which the Storm finished ahead of the Heathens in the group stages of the National League Fours before missing out in the Final. It’s back to seven-man, 15-heat competition for the biggest prize, and Coventry remain the only team to have taken a win over Cradley over the regular format this season. With Oliver Greenwood ruled out for the final month of the campaign – he crashed in the KO Cup tie between the clubs in late-September – Kent’s Simon Lambert continues as a guest at No.1 for the Storm. Cradley are also without their top-averaged rider, as Steve Worrall broke a wrist in the first leg of the Final, and the Heathens will either use a guest or the rider-replacement facility to cover his rides. They still include several other potential No.1s, and there should be some fascinating battles at both top and bottom of each team before the destination of the silverware is decided. Coventry manager Laurence Rogers said: “This is the big one for our boys, up against our arch-rivals, and ten points is a margin we can pull back. “It’s the last chance to see some speedway this year and we want plenty of noise from the supporters. It’s a big Final, so if you haven’t been to watch the Storm boys before, please come along and cheer us on. “The lads have been a joy to work with this year, along with Adam Roynon as team coach, and they really want to do it on Wednesday.” Admission prices are £12 for adults with all children free. COVENTRY (from): Dan Greenwood, Martin Knuckey, Simon Lambert, Stefan Nielsen, Luke Priest, James Sarjeant, Ryan Terry-Daley. CRADLEY (from): Max Clegg, Nathan Greaves, Tom Perry, Danny Phillips, Paul Starke, Matt Williamson, Steve Worrall (guest or r/r).

The MDLRC will now not be run in 2014. Effort to arrange a venue after two highly successful stagings in 2012 and 2013 at Leicester have drawn a blank with cost being a major drawback with possible venues needing at least cover their costs. Joint league co-ordinator Laurence Rogers has tried various tracks but not been able to secure a venue , “ I looked at several options and came close but in the end we are a league that does not produce any revenue and the need for tracks to cover the cost of staging a meeting with no guarantee of a crowd being sufficient meant we have had to forget the championship this year.” “ We had sponsorship for body colours from former Newport promoter Nick Mallett, whilst Dave Roscoe was supplying the methanol for each rider and we have some superb hand-made trophies from Mick Chapman at Ashford. I also had race sponsors lined up so that we could provide each rider with a voucher to spend on the spares van.” “We are highly disappointed by not being able to run the event . I am not sure if I was able to secure a venue or sponsorship to cover the staging costs whether we would be allowed to run the 2014 title early in the 2015 season with the riders who would have contested it ?”