The meeting this year is sponsored by ATCL Property Services – who provide complete building solutions, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year all around the south east and London.
The ATCLPS Invicta Pairs 2017 will see four pairs in action racing each other twice over the unique 12 heats format to provide the ultimate test of team riding to establish ‘top dogs’ within the club (all seven of the current Kent SLYDE Kings squad being in action). The pairs are racing in team names representing the names of clubs from that long-established heritage of the sport of Speedway in the county – with special race jackets supplied by the individual team backers.
So in addition to the Kent SLYDE Kings themselves, of course – led by skipper Luke Bowen (looking to continue his remarkable run of 14 consecutive race wins at Central Park this season) – there’s a side representing ‘Crayford’ with race jackets provided by the Crayford Speedway Supporters [CSS] group; the ‘Crusaders’ once so famously of Canterbury are riding in the iconic crossed-swords body colours supplied by Central Park’s vociferous supporters, The Whistle Gang; and the meeting sponsors, ATCLPS are also backing the fourth pair in action, the ‘Roundels’.
The Roundels’ race jackets/team name reflects the one-time Rochester/Romford Bombers and is a suitable nickname for a company (ATCLPS) who provide locksmith and emergency building services on call-out literally ‘round the clock’.
The Roundels will have leading their pair a rider appropriately from Essex – the one-time home of the old ‘Bombers’ club when based in Romford and where our meeting sponsors, ATCLPS are based: Ben Morley.
Morley who rode for Kent Kings from 2013 to 2015 rides this season, of course, for the Lakeside Hammers – based at Arena Essex just a couple of miles from ATCLPS’ head office and will carry the ATCLPS Roundels’ colours on Monday.
The full line up of Pairs is:
Kent SLYDE Kings: Luke Bowen & Luke Clifton
CSS Crayford Kestrels/Highwaymen: Ben Hopwood & Alex Spooner
The Whistle Gang Crusaders: Nathan Stoneman & Jack Thomas
ATCLPS Roundels: Ben Morley & Bradley Andrews
It’s especially appropriate to be remembering the history of Speedway in the county this year, as 2017 is the 50th. season since the modern era of Speedway in Kent began with the opening of both Canterbury & Crayford tracks in 1968.
It is also this year, the 30th. anniversary of the untimely closure of Speedway in the Cathedral City at the much-missed Kingsmead Stadium in 1987.
They’ll be a special souvenir programme available on the day priced £2.00 – including pieces on Canterbury Speedway and some fascinating (and some exclusive for the programme) details of the panorama of tracks which have staged the sport over the past 90 years in the county of Kent.
The meeting is at Central Park Stadium, Church Road, Eurolink Business Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SB on Monday May 8th. – gates open at 5pm with tapes up for heat one at 6.30pm.
Admission is at a special reduced rate for this 12 heat meeting of £10 for adults; with teenagers aged 13 years to 17 years, £6.00 admission; and as ever children 12 years of age and under have free admission.