BOWEN FAREWELL IN 2019 LAURELS AS FORMER WINNERS RETURN
Friday 20 September 2019
Three former winners of the Laurels individual event (being staged for a seventh time at Kent Speedway) return on Monday 23rd. September.
Jon Armstrong, then of Mildenhall, became the oldest ever winner of the iconic WJ Cearns Shield presented to the Laurels’ winner last year when he took the title and though side-lined all season, when frustratingly, the popular veteran failed to find himself a team slot in the National League [NL] the Mancunian who has won the lot in the NL is back in action seeking to defend the Laurels.
That is something that’s been achieved not once but twice by Simon Lambert – who completed a hat-trick of wins in the first three years the Laurels (first staged back in 1939 at its former home Wimbledon Stadium) was held at the Cearnsport-owned Central Park Stadium between 2013 and 2015, The much travelled Lincolnshire-born Lambert was a Rye House rider when he won the title in Kent Speedway’s opening year; was the home skipper when he made it a double the next year; and then was a Peterborough Panther when he completed a memorable trio of wins. The former Kent skipper now plies his racing trade with Scunthorpe in the SGB Championship and will be back on Monday looking to be the first rider in the event’s 80-year history to have his name added to the Laurels Roll of Honour for a fourth time.
The really BIG news concerns a third former winner and another ex-Kings’ captain and is that 2017 champion and Kent racing legend, Luke Bowen is back for one last hurrah. The hugely popular Luke (known throughout the sport by his memorable nickname of ‘Bowen 747’) missed his chance of mounting a defence last year due to injury and has been frustrated in recent attempts to re-appear at Central Park in this, his last season in the sport. In what will be hugely celebrated news by his many adoring fans among the Central Park faithful, Bowen has announced that the Laurels will see him back in action for one final time.
Talking of Kent captains, the current incumbent is making his Central Park comeback after being out of the saddle since June – that’s Rob Ledwith of course, back in time for the Play Offs which start the following weekend it’s appropriate that the Laurels should mark his return to the Kent circuit as it was the event last term when the 40-something rider made his Central Park bow and made such a huge impact that he was snapped up to lead the team for 2019.
That 2019 side stand on the brink of team glory and Monday represents a chance for some significant individual sparring between the squad members before the serious business of looking to secure the NL title gets underway. Drew Kemp who has won the GB U19 title this year and looks to add the NL Riders title to that the day before on Sunday will clearly be a main contender. Dan Gilkes became the youngest ever rostrum finisher in last year’s Laurels and his recent form at Central Park suggests he could go very close again.
In a talent-packed field, the Kent Rider-Coach Paul Hurry completes the field – the former GB U21 winner and multi-national and European champion at Grasstrack and Longtrack is a Kentish racing legend of course and as he showed in the SilverSki Fours event earlier this term still capable of giving all the riders in this event a run for their money.
Talking of which, a generous cash prize awaits the winner plus the iconic WJ Cearns Shield. 1939 (when the Laurels was first staged 80 years ago) was recently remembered as when hostilities began in Europe; and it'll be war out on track on Monday (23/9) with the parade at 6.15pm and tapes up at 6.30pm.
Line Up in alphabetical order:
Jon Armstrong; Luke Bowen; Jacob Clouting; Dan Gilkes; Paul Hurry; Jordan Jenkins; Drew Kemp; Simon Lambert; Rob Ledwith; Jake Mulford; Alex Spooner. 12th rider TBC