The biggest individual meeting in UK Speedway is being held this evening (Monday 16th. August) at the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester: the British Final (sponsored by Sports Insure).
And for a first ever time Kent TouchTec Kings have two competitors in the Final: the record seven-times winner, Kent’s skipper Scott Nicholls and one of the in-form man of British Speedway currently, Paul Starke.
For Starke this is now a third British Final in a row – in 2019 he suffered season ending injuries at this same venue and last year (technically by this stage a Kings’ rider albeit not having been able to make his debit for the team due to the pandemic restrictions) at Ipswich ‘behind closed doors’. So for Paul this is really a case of third time lucky and having been initially disappointed at missing out on the final 16 and named as reserve, the late withdrawal of Eastbourne’s Edward Kennett sees Starke back in the line up and right in the mix.
For Nicholls this is, of course, the most familiar of territories – having won the event in 2002, ’03, ’05, ’06, ’08, ’11 and ’12. The draw sees the Kent skipper riding in the no 1 berth and Kings’ fans will hope that will be a lucky omen! Nicholls will face the reigning champion, Rory Schlein in his opening ride.
There are two former Kent riders in the field. One of Nicholls’ predecessors as club captain, the three times Laurels’ champion Simon Lambert and a rider from the TouchTec Kings’ 2019 National Trophy winning side and reigning NL Riders’ Champion, Anders Rowe.
Maidstone’s former winner of this event and current Central Park track record holder Danny King provides other local Kentish interest and the rider King deposed as track record holder Adam Ellis is among the highly fancied riders for the title, alongside another former NLRC winner and home track rider Dan Bewley of Belle Vue..
The meeting is being broadcast live on Eurosport 2 with the coverage beginning at 7.15pm.
Riders (in draw order) 1. SCOTT NICHOLLS 2. Rory Schlein 3. Simon Lambert 4. Ben Barker 5. Craig Cook 6. Kyle Howarth 7. Danny King 8. Chris Harris 9. Dan Bewley 10. PAUL STARKE 11. Lewis Kerr 12. Adam Ellis 13. Charles Wright 14. Anders Rowe 15. Steve Worrall 16. Richard Lawson