Kent SLYDE Kings will have a new local derby challenge to face in the 2017 National League Speedway season with the arrival in the division of the Lakeside Hammers. 

Based at Thurrock just a few hundred yards away from the north side of the Dartford Crossing, the Hammers have followed the trend set in recent years by another long-established south-eastern based Speedway club, Eastbourne Eagles and the League champions in both of the last two seasons, Birmingham Brummies by moving from the Elite League into the National League [NL] – proof that this division is establishing a reputation as the most vibrant and thriving in British Speedway.

Joining the Essex club in the 12 side line up for the 2017 season which will start as far as the Sittingbourne-based side are concerned on Easter weekend in April, will be the Plymouth Devils – the club who race in the famous naval town having last sailed into view at Central Park when known as the Devon Demons, three seasons ago.

With Lakeside and Plymouth now joining the division as ‘stand-alone’ tracks it means there are a record high number of nine Speedway tracks competing solely in the third tier – Kent, Lakeside, Plymouth, Eastbourne & Birmingham plus Isle of Wight, Buxton, Mildenhall & Stoke.

These are joined by three teams who share a higher division club’s track or tracks: King’s Lynn Young Stars; Cradley Heathens (who because they’re unable to ride all their fixtures anymore at top division Wolverhampton’s track will split their time as tenants in their Black Country homeland with a track share too at neighbouring Birmingham); and a side which is going to split its NL fixtures between the oldest and newest tracks in the country: Coventry and Manchester’s Belle Vue in.  Herts-based club Rye House Raiders are then the one side from last term having no involvement in the 2017 NL.

Kent will, as they have done every year since opening at Central Park Greyhound Stadium in 2013, are to compete also in the NL’s ‘sister’ competition, the National Trophy [NT].  This comprises two Groups with the winners of each meeting in the Final.  Last season Kent won all their Group matches and lost eventually in the Final to ‘double’ winners Birmingham.  The Brummies will not be competing in the NT this coming campaign and Kent’s group will see the SLYDE-backed Kings take on fierce local rivals Eastbourne Eagles (NT winners in 2015) and the side who hold the record for the most number of NT victories, Mildenhall Fen Tigers.

Waiting in the Final, provided Kent can overcome this significant challenge in qualifying, will be the winner of the other Group – which comprises newcomers Plymouth Devils, the Isle of Wight Warriors and new to the competition, Swindon Sprockets.  The club from Wiltshire who are all systems go to open a brand new track in June, have decided to test the water of the third tier by competing in the NT in 2017

All these various comings and goings were among the outcomes of the annual conference of the NL clubs’ chairmen/promoters which took place at the sport’s headquarters in Rugby last week.  One decision which saw some far less welcome ‘goings’ was a controversial move agreed by majority vote to reduce the team points limit to 39 – an unexpected reduction which because of the averages gained last year by the most successful side in the club’s four year history, has hit the Kent SLYDE Kings management’s plans for the new campaign.

Representing the Sittingbourne-based club at the meeting in the midlands was veteran co-promoter Len Silver who said: “Before the meeting myself and team boss Chris Hunt were confident the points limit would remain unchanged from last year, so it was a shock when the reduced total was voted in.  This has thwarted our plan to combine James Shanes with our already announced retention of skipper Luke Bowen and young rising star Jack Thomas in the septet for 2017”.

The loss of the popular European Grasstrack champion James Shanes is a blow – though the youngster is poised to have an incredibly busy year having to combine a place with Elite League Poole Pirates in his native Dorset with his increased Grasstrack commitments as the number one competitor in Britain and on the Continent at one of Speedway’s sister sports and the place he has gained in another of the sport’s sister disciplines, the World Longtrack Championship Series.

Shanes was the hoped for pick in the side before the mathematical machinations of the points limit (based on 2016 averages) kicked in, after the news was confirmed that Danny Ayres – a Kings rider since starting up in the sport in 2014 – was moving on.  Ayres had been offered a new deal by Kent for the forthcoming campaign before last season was over but he declined at that time and then suffered a bad shoulder injury in one of the last meetings of what had been a hugely busy 2016 for the racer from Newmarket. Now recuperating from an operation, Ayres has announced that he is going to ride in 2017 for the nomadic Cradley club.

Silver was keen to accentuate the positives around what is now a major team re-building exercise,
“I love both Danny and James as we know do our very loyal fan base and of course I am gutted not to have at least one of them in the side for the forthcoming campaign; but we are now in the middle of conversations with alternative riders that both Chris and I are excited about – riders who have not only averages which fit but have averages below the potential we think is there.”

Though veteran David Mason (the Kings’ original skipper from 2013) and popular youngster Danno Verge also are moving on (Verge heading to Mildenhall), Silver was happy to confirm a third member of the side which finished runners-up in the NL table in 2016 will be back and raring to go.

“I’m pleased too that we can offer Luke Clifton a second season with us .  Luke had a difficult 2016, his first season back in the sport after a long time out, suffering several bad knocks to his knee. Both Chris and myself think Luke will really step up to the plate in 2017.”
Canterbury-born Clifton is undergoing an extensive period of physio with Speedway specialist  Brian Simpson and getting advice about a top range knee brace to avoid re-damaging the problem area once he starts riding again.

One aspect of team building very much in Silver & Hunt’s minds is the crucial need for a well-balanced side, so that there is not a ‘weak tail’. Team Manager Hunt explains,

“It’s been proven in recent seasons that no team gets anywhere in this league with too ‘top heavy’ a line up, as that by definition means the side has to field too weak a set of lower averaged bottom three riders.  This was our undoing in 2015, when we actually finished bottom of the division.  Rising from that to runners up the following year showed we learnt the lesson and that is the basis for our team building this year.  We are in negotiations right now to secure two reserves and we know how vital that part of our overall team building will be.”