SOME famous speedway names will be in action at Queensway Meadows on Sunday as the Newport Wasps take on the Redcar Bears in Premier League action while the Newport youth side the Mavericks take on Cradley Heath.
First up in the Hall of Fame is the Redcar skipper Gary Havelock who won the World Speedway Championship on his debut in the 1992 World Final in Poland and is one of only six Britons to achieve the sport’s ultimate prize since 1936.
A Teessider, Havelock made his career debut with the then Middlesbrough Bears as a 16-year-old in 1985. Despite passing his 40th birthday last November the former world champion shows no sign of slowing down and has a more than reasonable record at the Newport circuit since 2006 - the year that speedway was revived at the South Tees Motorsport Park and brought Havelock and Bears reserve Stuart Swales back home for the final phase of their careers.
The Bears top five have stayed consistent all season and are a great blend of youth and experience.
Two young riders very much on the up this season for the Bears are Aussie Ty Proctor and Englishman Ben Wilson.
Proctor has been a regular at Queensway Meadows this season in open meetings as he shares a base in Wolverhampton with the Wasps American Ace Chris Kerr and also supports his house-mate at Wasps fixtures when his own racing commitments allow.
There is keen rivalry however when the tapes rise. Wilson is on loan from Sheffield, but his move further north this season has seen the points flowing from his wheels and the Bears will be keen to try to re-sign him for 2010 even if it means moving into the transfer market.
Into the mix also comes former England international and Grand Prix star Carl Stonehewer and German veteran Robbie Kessler. Two of the most accomplished second strings in the division.
The Bears were concerned about their reserve strength earlier in the season and brought ex-Middlesbrough Bear Stuart Swales out of a seven year retirement in June.
A member of the Swales riding dynasty on Teesside, Swales has proved lively from day one. He is paired with Aussie-Italian Arlo Bugeja who won the reserves heat at Newport during the cup encounter in June.
The Wasps are encouraged by the earlier than expected return to action by Jordan Frampton who was in good form before his injury and the consistent points gathering of Chris Kerr this month. As predicted by non-riding club captain Craig Watson,- the Californian has benefited from being able to win the majority of heat twos where the reserves meet and carrying that momentum into the rest of the match.
Sunday has an added dimension for Kerr as he was a Redcar Bear from 2006 until 2008 and will want to remind the visiting Bears fans of what he is still capable of.
NEWPORT WASPS: 1. Leigh Lanham; 2. James Holder; 3. Jonas Andersson; 4. Jordan Frampton; 5. Paul Fry (C); 6. Marek Mroz; 7. Chris Kerr
REDCAR BEARS: 1. Ty Proctor; 2. Robbie Kessler; 3. Ben Wilson; 4. Carl Stonehewer; 5. Gary Havelock (C); 6. Arlo Bugeja; 7. Stuart Swales Second up in the Hall of Fame will be the name of Cradley Heath as they race the Newport Mavericks led by local lad Tom Young in an Academy League match.
Cradley sadly no longer have a track in the West Midlands but still retain an enthusiastic fan base. They were Newport Wasps’ first opponents at Somerton Park in April 1964 and in the 1980s and 1990s saw no less than five world champions in their ranks in the shape of Bruce Penhall, Erik Gundersen, Jan O’Pedersen, Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock.
They lost their stadium to redevelopment but it is appropriate their name has been revived. Certainly Cradley fans would tell Newport fans to get behind their club and make sure they don’t lose it!
* For club details log on to: www.newportwasps.co.uk with results available on club hotline: 09068 664676 (calls charged at 60p per minute)
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