The Kent ‘Crayford’ Kestrels take to flight again on Saturday (12/5) – and they begin their 2018 Southern Development League [SDL] campaign taking on the same opponents they ended 2017 against – the side who pipped them for the league title last term, the Reading Racers.
The action will take place at the Arlington Raceway, home track of the Eastbourne Eagles – the circuit in Sussex again being chosen by the Racers club (for whom their SDL exploits are intended as a catalyst to have a site for a return to their Berkshire town home) to ride their SDL fixtures.
The SDL meeting will follow the Eastbourne vs. Kent SLYDE Kings (National Trophy – Southern Group) match, with both Alex Spooner and NT-debutant James Laker having a busy night, riding for both Kent sides. The Kings’ reserve pairing will be joined in the first outing of the new race jackets denoting the Crayford Speedway Supporters’ group’s sponsorship of the 2018 Kestrels by Canterbury-based Andrew Palmer. With Kent’s Development Manager John Sampford currently looking an options to fill the final place in the quartet having lost Jacob Clouting to a broken foot.
Palmer has already ridden at Eastbourne this season with great success – winning the Chesil Radio Challenge individual title last month.
For Reading this is a second home match of their SDL campaign, having beaten Exeter Falcons 20-16 last time out and they use three of that same foursome this time around. 15-year-old Dan Gilkes scored a maximum that day and is indeed unbeaten this year in two Northern Junior and Midland Development League matches – the rider from Northampton who actually beat Drew Kemp in a round of the 500cc Youth Championship last season is certainly keeping himself busy as he looks to secure a Travel Plus Tours National League [TPTNL] team berth.
Already in a TPTNL side is Charlie Brooks – the Eastbourne Eagles’ new boy going Spooner and James Laker by riding in both matches on Saturday.
There’s another Laker in action and it’s someone extremely familiar to Kent fans – Herne Bay-born Rhys was of course the official mascot as Central Park and is now getting racing opportunities as a member of the Racers’ SDL squad this term. The Racers’ quartet is completed by their skipper Stephen Whitehouse, who recently gained some valuable experience at the GB Under 21 semi-final at Birmingham where he was named as reserve.
Teams [in alphabetical order]
Reading Racers: Charlie Brooks; Dan Gilkes; Rhys Laker; Stephen Whitehouse
Kent ‘Crayford’ Kestrels: James Laker; Andrew Palmer; Alex Spooner; TBA