The team building at Kent Kings for their 2019 assault on the National League [NL] title received another huge boost with the news that Jordan Jenkins has been added to the line-up.
Twice a National Trophy winner with his previous NL side, Mildenhall 17-year-old Jordan has rightly earned the reputation since he burst onto the scene immediately on turning 15 in August 2016 as one of the absolute top teenaged talents in British Speedway. And it was an instant impression made that the Kings’ management saw at close quarters – his debut for the Suffolk side just days after his 15th. birthday being against Kent when his first ever NL race wins won the day for the Fen Tigers.
Jenkins was eased into full time action by rationing appearances in the back end of that 2016 campaign, but Kent were already clearly expressing a keen interest in the prodigy, inviting him to the end of season Laurels event. Having grown up at what was one of his local tracks, it was no surprise that Mildenhall was the East Anglian’s staging post for 2017 and he had a sensational start to the campaign with an extraordinary paid 25 points as Mildenhall overcame the Kings in the Easter Chase. Jordan went on to double his starting average and feature in the Fen Tigers’ National Trophy [NT] victory over Plymouth in the Final.
Last season started with the teenager named as the youngest ever captain in the NL for Mildenhall and had become an established heat leader in the division. Unfortunately, 2018 turned out to be year plagued by injury set backs for young Jenkins – who missed a significant part of the campaign after breaking a bone in his back in a high speed crash. He returned in time to help his side retain the NT and confirm their top place in the NL table only to miss the league title-deciding Play Offs due to a broken ankle suffered in another on-track incident.
The upshot of that injury-hit season means that Jordan has an average of 7.04 which is extremely good value considering his recognised scoring prowess and racing pedigree. Kings’ team boss Chris Hunt has long coveted the talented teenager and is delighted at last to get his man – coming in to replace the departing fellow Norwich-born rider Jack Thomas, who has moved to Saturday night-track Leicester.
Jenkins enthused,
“’I’m really excited to be joining the Kent Kings for the 2019 season. I would like to thank Len [Silver] and Chris [Hunt] for bringing me to a fantastic club. I really cannot wait to get started and help what looks like a powerful team to lift some trophies at the end of the season. I hope to see the enthusiastic Kent fans and everyone associated with the club very soon as we push for glory!”