Local derby action on Good Friday (30th. March) is the order of the day as Kent Speedway opens its doors for the 2018 season, the Kent SLYDE Kings’ sixth season in the sport.
The visitors are the Eastbourne Eagles, wearing new colours (their sponsors Forman IT’s green, silver and black replacing the long time yellow and blue livery) but coming with a side with only a minimal from last term – when the Sussex seasiders took their third successive Knock-out Cup title.
At number one and captaining their septet is a face extremely familiar to Kent fans and the first of three Eagles who hail in fact from the Garden of England: Mark Baseby. From Sevenoaks and a Sittingbourne Crusader from all the way back in 2005, Mark is one of a select group of riders with a Central Park individual meeting title success on his racing CV – taking the SilverSki title in 2015.
Baseby’s heat leader partners are Georgie Wood and Tom Brennan, Wood is from Maidstone and has packed in plenty of experience of the Central Park circuit since turning from Grasstrack to carve out a Speedway racing career with the Eagles four seasons ago now. Brennan is actually beginning only his second full season at the senior level of the sport after a glittering youth career winning a title in every class – individually in the 125cc, 150cc and 250cc and the one and only staging of the Youth Pairs championship at 500cc standard.
The third Kent based rider is Orpington’s Charley Powell – a rider like his county compatriots Baseby & Wood, equally at home on the Grasstracks as on the shale. Powell’s career in Speedway has been something of a slow burner to date and the 25 year old (who competed with gusto in the winter Pit Bike Series at Iwade) will be looking to take a step up in 2018.
A rider who finished last season in the Eagles side and appeared in the Play Offs for them (including making his Central Park bow in the semis) is Essex teenager Jason Edwards. A rider with considerable potential, the Eastbourne management hope the rider from Billericay will be a real ace in the pack for the forthcoming campaign, A lesser known quantity is their 2018 debutant Charlie Brooks – riding for a first time at Central Park.
And making it six riders who were at one time or another Eagles from last term is Kelsey Dugard – back again with the club run by his family for decades and under the team managership currently of his brother Connor. Kelsey has had a chequered history with his home club having several times found himself replaced and last year that saw him end up ‘overseas’ with the Isle of Wight Warriors. Like Napoleon returning from Elba, the racing Dugard is back and hoping to be able to hold down a permanent slot this term.
For the hosts there’s a confirmed full line up, with Jack Thomas who has signed to double up with the Glasgow Tigers (winning two heats on a sensational debut for the SGB Championship side last week) able to appear for his parent club. Jacob Clouting makes a club debut in his first senior competitive rides.
The action gets underway at 1pm (gates opening at 11.30am). Those attending the Easter Chase first leg meeting are invited to stay behind afterwards for Central Park Stadium’s Friday evening Greyhound Racing – a meeting which includes the 85th. anniversary-staging of the Cearnsport-sponsored Silver Salver event.