Kent SLYDE Kings Speedway club has announced its full fixture listing for the forthcoming season.
It will be a campaign when the Sittingbourne-based club will carry the county’s hopes again in the dirt track motorcycle racing sport’s National League [NL].
The NL is going from strength to strength with two new clubs entering the fray for 2016. Belle Vue Colts will be based at the brand-new National Speedway stadium in Manchester, with the SLYDE Kings’ first ever visit to the country’s newest Speedway venue occurring over the August Bank Holiday weekend; before that, the first visit to Central Park of the Mancunian club (the most famous club name in the sport having competed in every season of league racing since 1929) will take place in June.
The other newcomers are the rebranded Isle of Wight Warriors – the track in Ryde on the holiday island in Hampshire returning after two years out of the sport. And the Smallbrook circuit will become something of an early season home from home for the SLYDE Kings, with visits scheduled across the Solent three times before the end of June in, respectively, the National Trophy (NT), the Knock-out Cup (in a two-legged tie) and the NL. 
The Warriors first (also of three, of course) visit to Central Pak on the Bank Holiday Monday, May 2nd. will be the first leg of that Cup tie and opens the home competitive season. Before that as previously announced, the SLYDE Kings will limber up with a two legged challenge versus local rivals Eastbourne and then take on highly-regarded King’s Lynn over a busy Easter weekend and then see the GB Under 21 semi-final staged at Central Park.
There’s an important change of date for fans’ calendars, with the GB semi now a week earlier than previously slated – the major individual event now being held on Monday April 4th.
The Fans Day including Supporters Forum moves now to April 11th with an Amateur meeting (details to follow) happening on April 18th.
The inaugural Invicta Pairs was such a success last year that it returns in 2016 and is again sponsored by fans of the former Crayford club – with as many ex-riders from the much-missed club from the north-west of the county hoping to be in attendance. That meeting on April 25th. will also include a first for Central Park: a ‘Development League’ style match pitching a Junior Kings outfit against the 2014 Midland Development League champions, the Milton Keynes Knights.
There are early challenges for the Kent side under the captaincy of new number one Luke Bowen in April though, with quick fire visits to Bowen’s old club Rye House in the NL, an early match-up with Eastbourne also in the NL (when the practice gained from the visit to Arlington on Good Friday will doubtless prove invaluable) and then getting their NT campaign underway the very next day at Mildenhall.
The Fen Tigers from Suffolk are the second Bank Holiday visitors in May (in the NL) and June opens with three away days to the Isle of Wight again, to Coventry and then the long journey into the Peak District to take on Buxton.
Kent Speedway is the only track in the NL with a full weekly programme of home fixtures and the action at Central Park is certainly thick and fast from May through to August, with the pursuit of a top four place (and therefore qualification into the restored end of season championship play offs – last reached by Kent in 2014) likely to be decided by the time September dawns.
August also sees the two set piece events the National Fours and the National Pairs (both back again at respectively, Coventry & King’s Lynn) – the Kings will go into both events with great confidence: last year only an injury to James Shanes prevented the SLYDE backed outfit taking the Fours’ crown and of course there was glorious triumph up in Norfolk in the Pairs.
In addition to the official events there’s time too for some enduringly popular events: the individual championship, the Laurels for the WJ Cearns Trophy, the annual clash with a side representing Wimbledon for the John Cearns Cup and the return after being defeated by the weather last term of the Tunnel Trophy.
KENT SLYDE KINGS FIXTURES 2016
Home fixtures in BOLD UPPER CASE Away fixtures in lower case
All HOME meetings 6.30pm start unless stated
Friday March 25 Away Eastbourne (GFC) [12 noon]
FRIDAY MARCH 25 HOME EASTBOURNE (GFC)
MONDAY MARCH 28 HOME KING’S LYNN (ET) [3.00pm]
Sunday April 3 Away Rye House (NL)
MONDAY APRIL 4 HOME GB UNDER 21 SEMI-FINAL (Ind)
Saturday April 9 Away Eastbourne (NL)
Sunday April 10 Away Mildenhall (NT)
MONDAY APRIL 11 HOME FANS DAY [6.00pm]
MONDAY APRIL 18 HOME AMATEUR EVENT
Thursday April 21 Away Isle of Wight (NT)
MONDAY APRIL 25 HOME CRAYFORD INVICTA PAIRS & vs. MILTON KEYNES
MONDAY. MAY 2 HOME ISLE OF WIGHT (KOC) [3.00pm]
Wednesday May 4 Away Birmingham (NL)
MONDAY MAY 9 HOME MILDENHALL (NT)
MONDAY MAY 16 HOME RYE HOUSE (NL)
MONDAY MAY 23 HOME RESERVED
MONDAY MAY 30 HOME MILDENHALL (NL) [3.00pm]
MONDAY JUNE 6 HOME ISLE OF WIGHT (NT)
Tuesday June 7 Away Isle of Wight (KOC)
Friday June 10 Away Coventry (NL)
Sunday June 12 Away Buxton (NL)
MONDAY JUNE 13 HOME RYE HOUSE (TT)
MONDAY JUNE 20 HOME COVENTRY (NL).
Thursday June 23 Away Isle of Wight (NL)
MONDAY JUNE 27 HOME BELLE VUE (NL).
MONDAY JULY 4 HOME BUXTON (NL)
MONDAY JULY 11 HOME WIMBLEDON (JCC)
MONDAY JULY 18 HOME BIRMINGHAM (NL)
MONDAY JULY 25 HOME STOKE (NL)
MONDAY AUG. 1 HOME ISLE of WIGHT (NL)
Sunday Aug 7 Away Mildenhall (NL)
MONDAY AUG 8 HOME KING’S LYNN (NL)
Sunday Aug 14 NL Fours – Coventry
MONDAY AUG 15 HOME RESERVED K.O.CUP HOME
MONDAY AUG 22 HOME KENT LAURELS (Ind)
Friday Aug 26 Away Belle Vue NL
Saturday Aug 27 NL Pairs – King’s Lynn
MONDAY AUG 29 HOME EASTBOURNE (NL) [3.00pm]
Saturday Sept 3 Away Stoke (NL)
MONDAY SEPT 5 HOME CRADLEY (NL)
MONDAY SEPT 12 HOME RESERVED PLAY/OFFS
Monday Sept 19 Away Cradley (NL)
MONDAY SEPT 19 HOME AMATEUR EVENT
To Be Arranged: KENT COUNTY FOURS
NL = National League
NT = National Trophy
KOC = Knock-out Cup
GFC+ Good Friday Chase
ET = Easter Trophy
Ind = Individual
TT = Tunnel Trophy
JCC = John Cearns Cup