Kent Kings Speedway is delighted to announce a two year sponsorship deal and innovative partnership with SLYDE (Street Life Young Driver Education).
The tie-up will see the company, which has won numerous road safety and driving school quality awards and accreditations since being set up in 2011, become the team sponsor for the City Gearboxes National League Speedway side based at Central Park in Sittingbourne; and will, in a partnership completely unique to the county mean that local youngsters setting out down the road as drivers face a far safer future.
SLYDE who provide a package of young driver education and driving practice for under 17 year olds will be bringing their innovative driving school to the large car park at the Central Park home of the Kent Kings as part of this new partnership.
SLYDE is a particularly apt acronym for the sponsors of the motorcycle dirt track racing sport of Speedway, known for its unique spectacle of riders broadsiding (i.e. sliding their bikes) into bends. And this is not lost on the company owner and founder, Karl Rushen who is a former Speedway rider himself!
“I’ve been involved with racing bikes almost as long as I can remember, racing grasstrack across the south-east and especially in Kent as a youngster and then moving onto Speedway at the Iwade circuit in Swale.”
Karl became a member of the Old Ferry Lane in Iwade-based Sittingbourne Crusaders team who rode in the Conference League (the predecessor to the City Gearboxes National League).
“It was great being part of a Speedway team and I’m really looking forward to being involved again – this time with Kent Kings based at the magnificent Central Park venue, as club sponsor. I certainly intend to be a real hands-on sponsor, getting involved with the riders and fans.”
Karl, who also rode for the King’s Lynn Starlets during his racing career on the shale, has retained a role in the sport over recent years helping to run the Ride’n’Slide days organised by former Wimbledon Dons’ rider Russell Paine.
“I believe very much in bringing forward new riders and in assisting youngsters in particular, to make their way in the sport and the set up is ideal at Kent for this with a young team and the growing importance of new locally-based racers”.
The future then looks very positive for both the Speedway club who will now be known as the Kent SLYDE Kings and for young drivers in the area thanks to this most innovative of partnerships.
For more information on SLYDE and their forthcoming Young Driver Education programmes at Central Park please check out the website: www.slyde.eu or call Karl on 01795 334353