All the above crews have already had track time this season after
representing GB in the 1000cc Sidecar World Cup in Australia where they went head-to-head
with the best on the planet. It wasn’t the most successful trip Down Under
results wise, beating the sidecar loving Aussies on home soil is a tough ask, but
the experience gained will be valuable to all concerned.
Back in the championship full-time this season are Kent aces Rob Wilson/Terry
Saunters. Wilson couldn’t commit to all four rounds last season so chose to sit
it out although he did make a reserve appearance at the final in Belle Vue.
Another to look for from the ‘Garden of England’ is Will Penfold/Ricky
Pay who, as with most of the crews on show, spend most Sunday’s throughout the
summer racing on the grass. They also made the trip to Australia earlier in the
year to the World Cup. After mixing it with the best in the world many fans will
be watching there progress with interest.
In fact many fans from both grasstrack and speedway will be watching how the
sport progresses over the next twelve months. Grasstrack outfits can be used,
but more and more are purchasing or having new speedway chassis built for the
shale. The crowds in 2017 were excellent at all rounds and it is hoped that
interest will grow even more this season. In past seasons sidecar speedway was
mainly followed by grasstrack fans, but over the past couple of seasons that has
changed. The majority of the crowd are now speedway fans wanting to be
entertained. With four monster 1000cc lined-up on the starting tapes waiting to
unleash 170bhp as the tapes rise who can fail to be entertained. Four sidecars
all charging into the first corner with no brakes is one of the most exciting
sights in motorsport. And after 20+ heats of wheel-to-wheel, fairing scraping
action the question from the fans was simply “When are the sidecars coming
back?” Well they’re back! With four Championship rounds and two open meetings
already organised the sport is ready for lift-off.
A new website has been set up and obviously social media also has a big
part to play, not just in the promotion but the organisation of the sport. This
year the sidecars can be seen in Leicester (May 5th) Somerset (June 1st and
29th), Kings Lynn (July 14th) and Belle Vue (October 13th). But keep an eye on
the website for all the latest sidecar speedway news.
The race action begins at 7pm on Saturday May 5th with 28 races lined-up
for only £10. Under 16’s are free with accompanied adults as the organisers
want to make it a night of entertainment for all the family. The main event is
supported by both 1000cc and 500cc sidecar action, a night of thrills and
spills on the shale.
If you can’t wait till Saturday, on Friday night some of the crews will
be in attendance putting in some practice time before the big event. Entrance
price for the Friday practice night is £3 for fans so why not come along and
meet the riders. Find out what 1000cc Sidecar Racing is all about at close
quarters. Practice begins at 6.30pm and ends at 9.30pm. The perfect
starter before the main course which is served up on Saturday night.
The rider draw for Leicester - Round 1
1.Mick Cave / Bradley Steer
2.Joe Mogg / Jake Cutler
3.Rob Wilson / Terry Saunters
4.Paul Whitelam/ Alan Elliott
5.Mick Stace/ Kizz Ivy
6.Neville Penfold/ Kev Jones
7.Tom Cossar/ Wayne Rickards
8.Philip Wynn/ Adam Cowper Smith
9.Simon Beaney / Gareth Bemister
10.Rod Winterburn / Billy Winterburn
11.Will Offen / Josh Little
12.George Penfold / Ryan Barker
13.Matt Fumarola / Gaz William
14.Will Penfold / Ricky Pay
15.Kevin Lapham / James Laurie
16.Mark Cossar/Carl Blyth