The Kent CTA Fire Kings have been hit by a serious blow going into an important week for the Central Park, Sittingbourne-based Speedway side. 

The Kings face Stoke today in a vital National League home match against their closest current challengers for the all-important fourth place in the table (one which would mean a place in the championship play-offs).

Then next Sunday a quartet will represent Kent in the National Fours tournament at Coventry in one of the big afternoons of the year for Speedway’s third tier.

The CTA Fire Kings will have to do both without their inspirational and in-form skipper, the Laurels champion and current Bronze Helmet holder, Simon Lambert.  The Lincolnshire-based racer crashed on Friday, ironically when guesting for Stoke at Coventry and caught his hand in an opponent’s wheel causing serious damage.

Lambert said: “I have broken my hand in three places and have been told I’ll need an operation soon to wire it together.  Am totally gutted to end my recent great spell of form in this way”.

However the Kings’ captain remains confident he will be back in the Invicta race jacket before too long.

He added: “I hope I’ll be out for less than a month and shall be targeting our away match at Stoke at the end of August for my return if at all possible”.

The loss of Lambert will need to be covered by the Rider Replacement facility, though the blow is lessened by the fact that all of the remaining six riders in the Kings’ line-up will be entitled to cover their missing skipper’s rides.

Their opponents at Central Park on Monday (where the action gets underway at 6.30pm) have been able to draft in James Sarjeant (the rider involved in Lambert’s crash up at Coventry) as a ‘Guest’ for their former number one, Ben Wilson – the former GB Under 21 champion Wilson having moved permanently from the Potteries to represent his home city club Sheffield in the Premier League.

A second Guest for the visitors looks to be considerably strengthening their potency, as the rider felt by many to be the most exciting visitor to Central Park this term, Marc Owen lines up for the Potters replacing their Fast Track rider Lee Payne.

The Eastbourne-based rider Owen, who began his Speedway career down the road from Central Park as a 12 year old at the Iwade training track, has wowed the Sittingbourne crowds this year with a sequence of thrilling performances.

With fellow thrill-merchant Jon Armstrong leading the Potters’ charge there’s no question Monday’s meeting promises to deliver some excellent racing action.

Team line-ups (in alphabetical order) are:

CTA Fire Kings: Danny Ayres, Aaron Baseby, Benji Compton, Jason Garrad, David Mason, Ben Morley

Stoke: Armstrong, Ben Hopwood, Owen, Sarjeant, Rob Shuttleworth, Chris Widman and TBA

The Bronze Helmet will be contested – with the mantle of ‘holder’ passing to a nominated rider from within the home side’s ranks who’ll ‘defend’ the Match Race title against one of Stoke’s top scorers on the night.

Last week’s abandoned National Trophy match versus Leicester will now be restaged on Monday 8th. September.  That will be followed on Friday 12th. September by the rearrangement of the other fixture recently lost to the sudden spell of rainy weather, the much-anticipated away match at Lakeside Speedway in Thurrock to take on the Arena Essex Hammers.

Another fixture announced is September 15th which is the traditional end of season individual championship at Central Park for the Silver Ski Holidays Championship.

Picture supplied by Nick Truscott.