A change at the top at Kent Speedway sees experienced former rider & ex-Isle of Wight team boss Chris Hunt step up to the plate as the Kings’ new Team Manager.

After two years at the helm John Sampford is stepping aside from the Team Manager role and 50-year-old Chris Hunt, who acted as Sampford’s deputy last term, is assuming the mantle.  For Hunt it’s a return to a role he first held over at the Iwade track as Team Manager of the then Sittingbourne Crusaders.

Hunt began his racing career at his local track Reading in the 1980s before securing a team place at Milton Keynes but it was with the world-famous Wimbledon Dons in the early years of the 2000s he really made his name – as the ever-present skipper of the reformed London club in 2002 and 2003.Those leadership skills gained then have stood him in good stead when he made the move to management and after his spell in charge at Iwade, Chris moved onto a successful tenure as Team Manager with the Isle Of Wight, leading the Ryde-based Islanders to the National Trophy and to both the final of the Knock-out Cup and into the championship play-offs two years ago.With such racing and managerial pedigree Hunt is one of the most respected figures in Speedway’s National League and Len Silver, co-promoter at Central Park, is delighted to see Chris installed as the new man in charge of team affairs.

Silver said: “I’ve been delighted this past two years to have been at the forefront of our new club in Kent. I came in at the direct request of main promoter and stadium owner Roger Cearns, who is a long standing friend. In 2013 I was deeply involved in the track building and setting up of the team – with John Sampford who has served my club Rye House superbly over the years twice leading the Rockets to Premier League titles, was there to be our Team Manager.”

“John has done a great job with Kent and we are all massively indebted to him for his hard work and dedication. For my part I will remain as co-promoter but mainly responsible for track preparation and initial team building.”

“Once the season starts, new team manager Chris Hunt, who came in as assistant this year, will have full control of the team and its activities. I know that when it comes to coaching and motivating the riders and using his technical knowledge and Speedway acumen Chris will do a first class job and John and I know we are leaving the team in the best possible hands.”Hunt is relishing his new challenge, he said: “I was around the club last year of course and I know the riders and the whole set up at Kent really well. I’m delighted to be taking over as Team Manager in 2015.””We have made a great start thanks to Len’s hard work in laying down the most solid of foundations team wise with Ben Morley back as one of our principal heat leaders.”

“Ben is really ‘Mr. Kent Speedway’ as far as the fans are concerned – an ever-present feature since the sport opened at Central Park. This year really is the time for Ben to establish himself beyond question as a number one in this division – something his exploits riding Fast Track in the Elite in 2014 and finishing on the rostrum in the NLRC last year showed he is certainly capable of doing.”

A connection with Hunt’s previous tenure in the county as a Team Manager is there too, he added: “Back in 2008 I had Aaron Baseby in the Sittingbourne Crusaders team I managed – including in the quartet which ended the Crusaders’ league career on such a high-note, finishing on the rostrum in the Conference Fours championship.”

“So I know what a talented young rider he was then and have been delighted to see his progress in his career and especially how he came back last year so strongly when he hooked up with the Kings. As a local rider he is very important to the Kent club and he is dedicated to our success.

“Both Danny Ayres and James Shanes had great 2014s and I can only see both making a further level of improvement in the forthcoming campaign. Young James had a brilliant year riding Grasstrack last year, winning the national championship and qualifying for the European and World Championships in 2015.”

“He had a less busy time at Speedway because his 2014 side Devon struggled to complete its fixtures, so James will benefit immensely from the fact he’ll have regular weekly meetings at Kent.”

“He has shown how well he rides around Central Park recording double figures scores and man of the meeting displays when visiting with Devon and I know he’s raring to go to show the Kings fans what he can do.”

“Then there’s the fans’ established hero, Danny Ayres. I was massively impressed by Danny’s application and enthusiasm in what was amazingly his first season in the sport last year.”

“He is surely destined for an even more productive season points-scoring wise in 2015 and I really expect he shall be significantly upping his starting average.”

It’s averages and the doubt around team points limits which currently stymies any further team building though not for much longer as Hunt explains, he said:

“We’ve got our four riders named but can’t make any kind of decision on the next three until after the points limit is set.”

“Fortunately the meeting when this should happen is this coming Tuesday (9 December) when the National League Chairmen (promoters) meet to decide on the league composition (with it being mooted that at least three new teams are due to join the division), and on things like a maximum points limit and also possibly this year a minimum one too.”

“Those moves have the desired effect of spreading around the riders more and make for a very competitive season of league racing. As soon as we know what remaining points limit we have to play with we’ll be working on building a Kent Kings side intent on challenging for silverware in 2015 and I’m relishing the challenge ahead”.