Main Man Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 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.” 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TesarRacing Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Thanks for that main man - i look forward to watching Darryl ride next season. I hope Martin Knuckey gets a shout - he was riding really well from reserve position the 2nd half of the season! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Delighted to see Darryl fixed up. Hopefully he will be fully recovered and will have a good run in the side. Best of luck to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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