LEICESTER will race into the 2024 season under new ownership.
A deal has been completed which sees Aylesbury-based entrepreneur Paul Cairns take over at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park, after the Bates family put the club up for sale earlier this summer following seven years at the helm.
As part of the arrangement, the existing backroom team will remain in place, including Stewart Dickson as co-promoter and team manager, and Jen Crossland as general manager.
Cairns is a lifelong speedway fan whose own son William is now making his way in the sport, having won the British Youth Championship at 250cc level this year.
And he admits he is hugely excited at the prospect of growing the club and building on the work done in recent years.
Cairns said: “I have long-term plans and a vision of what I want to do, but the main thing for now is that I’ve secured the future of the club.
“We have a long-term lease which is paid up for quite a period of time, so there are no financial or planning pressures, and keeping the existing team behind the scenes is also very important.
“I already have a great working relationship with Stewart, I think we fit together very well, and we both have the same vision and want to take the club forward.
“Leicester is already on a secure footing, the Bates family did a very good job with what they had, and they’ve been very public that their reason for selling the club was because they were under pressure with heir other businesses. I’m very pleased to take it on from them, and I do think there’s more to come.
“I’ve got to stress that this purchase isn’t about Will – he will be fine with or without Leicester. This is about the fact that I see Leicester as an under-utilised asset in British Speedway.
“I wouldn’t have been interested in purchasing any other club, because they have so many restrictions on what day they can run, timings, greyhounds and so on, whereas Leicester can literally run seven days a week.
“That was very attractive to me, and there’s so much potential to use it more for youth development, which is something I feel very passionately about.
“It’s also one of my local clubs – geographically I’m nearer to Oxford, but it’s certainly not a million miles away, so it fits in that respect. I’m delighted to take over and excited about the future.”
Cairns attended this week’s AGM of British Speedway Promoters’ Ltd alongside Dickson, who has already been hard at work securing riders for the 2024 season, with more news on that front expected in the near future.
Dickson said: “It’s a new era for Leicester and I’m delighted to be part of it. I was very pleased that Paul wanted me to remain involved, I think it’s really positive for the club and we can all look forward to next year.
“I’m sure everyone will be desperate to know about the team, and we’ll be releasing those details as soon as we can.”
