The sporting world may have been obsessed with Football’s so-called ‘Deadline Day’ as January closed, but Kent Speedway had its own piece of closing business to sort out with the news as February opens that the seventh (and final) place in the SLYDE Kings’ line up for the forthcoming 2018 season has been decided upon.

Co-promoter Len Silver explains, “Team Manager Chris Hunt and myself have been having a serious think over the past week or so about our options for the No.7 spot. We both felt that a decision must be made without further delay to enable the rider to get properly prepared well before the season starts. With no practice sessions to attend because of the weather, our decision came down to what we already know from looking at the form last season of riders vying for this final spot and reports from members of the Kings team. So, weighing all this up we have gone with the junior who we signed last season and who went on to gain such valuable experience on all sorts of tracks during the 2017 campaign. This is Alex Spooner and we are pleased to make him a full Kent King.”

The Essex-based racer certainly packed in a massive amount of experience in what was his first year in senior racing last term. After an initial spell in the Kent side the teenager took a conscious decision (turning down a number of offers of team places over the campaign) to ride as an unallocated three pointer and, remarkably, ended up getting outings in ten out of the 11 Travel Plus National League teams – with the only side he didn’t at one point represent being the Belle Vue Colts! He did get to ride at the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester though and also at all 10 other tracks. Such was the busy nature of his year that young Alex rode against every TPNL team except for Birmingham and rode in more League matches than any other rider. The experience is bound to hold him in good stead for the 2018 season as a full time Kent Kings man this time around.

Silver goes on,“Both Alex and his father Chris are over the moon about the appointment. Other clubs have approached them over the past three weeks or so, but they held back in the hope that a place at Central Park would be available.”

And the backup put in place by the 17-year-old is of the highest quality – running two engines, one looked after by Trevor Hedge, a one-time World Finalist and Internationale victor in a distinguished racing career and the other by 1980 World Speedway Champion, Michael Lee – both now engine tuners with top reputations.

Silver concludes,“My own personal thoughts are that Alex has a big heart, not frightened to turn the throttle full on and it will be my own task to see that he begins to get off the starting line at least alongside the others, if not in front. If I am successful, we will have a winner on our hands and I welcome him to the team.”

Picture supplied by Elizabeth Leslie.