The upturn in the weather after the loss to rain of this fixture as the ‘Easter Cup’ over the holiday week earlier in the month means that Speedway’s National League rivals Kent SLYDE Kings and Birmingham Brummies aim to reconvene at last this coming week.

The second leg of this two-legged challenge will be Kent’s opening Speedway fixture at Central Park Stadium on Monday 30th. April – and before that, the teams meet up at Perry Barr on this Wednesday (25th. April – 7,30pm start time).

Old rivalries (with some titanic struggles between the two sides over the previous three seasons) take on a new perspective with the recently-installed management at the famous Second City club being Kent’s first captain from their 2013 season, David Mason and his father Peter. Known throughout the sport as ‘Magic’, record points scorer during his long third tier racing career David will be seeking to cast a spell on his former club in this early season challenge event,

Leading the way for the hosts and captaining the West Midlanders in his third season at the Perry Barr club is Tom Bacon. The 25-year- old is a popular figure among Kent supporters who remember a starring role one time as a ‘Guest’ for the Kings in a match up at Birmingham in his debut season in the sport in 2015 – a performance which ironically put him firmly on the Brummies’ radar leading to him becoming a League title winning member of their side the following year.

Bacon’s heat leader partners in the Birmingham side are Aussie Mitchell Davey -the rider from Ayr breathing new life into the top end of the Brummies’ line up – and Danyon Hume. The one time Rye House Raiders’ man Hume is, like Bacon, starting his third season with the club but spent the majority of 2017 on the injured list – having sustained a badly broken arm in the British Under 21 Final at Poole in April last year.

Another returnee to the Brummies ranks in 2018 is the flamboyant Layne Cupitt, The 20-year-old from Notts is the brother-in-law of two-times World Champion Tai Woffinden.

A new member in the Perry Barr camp this year is Callum Walker. The Gloucester-born 19-year-old’s first career appearances came under his current team boss Laurence Rogers’ management for Coventry Storm. He spent two seasons with the now nomadic club before making the switch, again under Rogers’ stewardship, to Plymouth Devils for the 2017 campaign. .

Completing the line up for the visitors are the reserves, Leon Flint and Arran Butcher. Durham-born teenager, Flint made history in the 2017 season by becoming the first overseas rider to compete in the French Speedway League – under the 250cc reserve rule that they introduced to develop younger riders. Flint has recently turned 15 and has risen through the British Youth Championship ranks winning the 150cc class in 2015 and the 250cc in both 2016 and 2017. Flint’s progress on the shale has also been noted on the continent where he has been signed to the squad of Polish First Division side R.O.W Rybnik.

Butcher is far less of a known quantity; hailing from Leicester, the 17-year-old has been a champion in Beach Racing on the sand. He is ‘shore’ to want to bring that kind of success to the shale and has made a good start to his fledgling Speedway career by recording a paid win on his racing debut for his new team in their only home match so far against Coventry Bees.

For the largely action-starved SLYDE Kings, the two-legged Challenge is of huge importance as they prepare for their assault on the Travel Plus Tours National League [TPTNL].

For two of the septet the visit to Perry Barr on Wednesday is especially significant. Taylor Hampshire appears against his 2017 side hoping to put his hard-worn experience of the Perry Barr circuit to be good use for his new employers. The 16-year-old has had an excellent start to the campaign, qualifying for the GB Under 21 Final at the first time of asking in the semi-final at Birmingham last week.

And for new SLYDE Kings’ team mate Jacob Clouting, this will be his first racing appearance at the Perry Barr circuit as he continues his steep learning curve (or indeed eight curves per race!) – after his debut at Plymouth where he showed he was to be overawed by no-one, taking on one of the TPTNL’s top sides will be excellent experience.

For three of the Kings in action on Wednesday they’ll be fond memories of their last trip to Perry Barr – a hoodoo-ending 51-39 win last September. Both skipper Luke Bowen (paid 13) and Jack Thomas (paid 11) posted double figures tallies that memorable evening and Anders Rowe got a vital heat win too – all will be hoping to reprise that kind of showing collectively and as a team. For Thomas it’s a quick return to the scene of his career highlight of just last Wednesday when at the same track he beat all-comers to win the GB Under 21 semi-final.

The action gets underway at 7.30pm on Wednesday 25th. April at Birmingham Speedway, Perry Barr Stadium, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 2 ET

FIXTURES DETAIL

Weds April 25th. vs Birmingham (Challenge – first leg) AWAY 7.30pm

MON. APRIL 30TH. vs. BIRMINGHAM *CHALLENGE – SECOND LEG) HOME 6.30PM

Tues May 1st. British Under 21 Championship Final at Berwick Speedway 7.00pm