TRIO HOPING TO BE BORDERING ON SUCCESS IN GB U21 SEASON FINALE
Sunday 18 October 2020
The 2020 Speedway season in Britain has been bordering on a complete wipe out with none of the sport’s three leagues been allowed to function but it’s to the Borders themselves that a trio of Kent Speedway’s young talents are heading this Wednesday (October 21st) to compete in the concluding individual meeting of this much truncated campaign: the GB Under 21 Championship Final at Berwick Speedway.
After taking second place in the Under 19 version of the national championship last month, the TouchTec Kings’ Dan Gilkes will be quietly confident about his chances off more success on what is his GB U21 debut. It’s a first Final at this level too for Kent Iwade Garage Royals’ duo, Alex Spooner and Jordan Jenkins.
It’s perhaps a surprise that Jenkins who’s been one of the most highly-rated young stars of his particular generation hasn’t made this Final before but he certainly isn’t intending to make up the numbers now that he finally has his chance,
“Hopefully I can be amongst the leaders come the latter part of the night and get on the rostrum – but there’s no denying it’s a tough line up.”
Jenkins’ fellow Norwich-born rider Robert Lambert has taken the GB U21 an unprecedented three times in a row but has gone past the qualifying age threshold now and Jordan would love to keep the crown in his home city,
“I haven’t ridden as much in 2020 as some of the other lads in the field but considering that, I was pretty happy the way things went in the GB Under 19s at Scunthorpe and the aim is to build on that performance.”
“I won’t though be putting too much weight on my shoulders and I think it’s important to treat it as any other meeting. Obviously it would be great to top off a very difficult year by doing well but I won’t be beating myself up if things don’t go entirely my way on the night.”
Three of the most fancied competitors up at Shiefield Park on Wednesday are well known to Kent Speedway fans: third last year at the same venue, Jack Thomas, who began his career with the Kings and was due in 2020 to ride for rivals, Birmingham; the winner at Scunthorpe to retain the GB U19 title he won as a Kings rider last term, Drew Kemp; and another 2019 Kings star, Anders Rowe who has moved on from National League Riders Championship glory last season to foreign fields (well foreign tracks actually), having a far more productive 2020 than others by plying his racing trade in the 2 Liga Zuzlowa in Poland with the Rawicz club.
But the rider they all have to beat is another who’s been starring in Poland this season, GB Speedway of Nations rider (partnering Lambert in the world cup style event this weekend in his currently adopted racing home), Sparta Wroclaw’s Dan Bewley.
There are two riders in the 16 man field who call the re-shaped Berwick track their home circuit (albeit an unused home so far in 2020): former World Junior champion, Kyle Bickley (who trailed in a disappointing last in the U19s) and native Tweedsider, Leon Flint.
The meeting has backing from corporate travel and events specialists ATPI as title sponsors and also ‘Visit Berwick’, in association with Grant Henderson Tankers. Whether fans will be able to visit Berwick is still not confirmed as the situation with when fans can and can’t be allowed into Speedway meetings in the UK is still very much tied up with the ever changing national and local picture.
GB Speedway Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “There is certainly going to be lots of talent on show at Berwick for this prestige event.
“Anyone who witnessed Kemp’s performance at the British Under-19 Final a few weeks ago, and also his notable achievement along with Tom Brennan and the Thompson twins (remarkably completing a ‘grand slam’ of participation in the Youth, Under 19, Senior & now U21 Finals all in the same year) at Belle Vue in the recent British Final will certainly be keen to see if they can compete for the prestigious U21 national title.”
Riders (in draw order):
1) Alex Spooner (Kent Iwade Garage Royals); 2) Joe Thompson (Leicester Lions); 3) Jordan Jenkins (Kent Iwade Garage Royals); 4) Anders Rowe (Rawicz, Polska); 5) Jason Edwards (Eastbourne Eagles); 6) Dan Bewley (Sparta Wroclaw); 7 Joe Lawlor (Redcar Bears); 8 Jack Thomas (Birmingham Brummies); 9) Drew Kemp (Ipswich Witches); 10) Jordan Palin (Scunthorpe Scorpions); 11) Jamie Halder (unattached); 12) Dan Thompson (Leicester Lions); 13) Kyle Bickley (Berwick Bandits); 14 Tom Brennan (Eastbourne Eagles); 15 Leon Flint (Berwick Bandits); 16 Dan Gilkes (Kent TouchTec Kings).