LEICESTER have swooped to bring Kyle Howarth to the club in a major signing for the 2020 season.
The former British Under-21 Champion joins the Watling JCB Lions after spending the last four years at Championship level with Sheffield.
Howarth, 25, will stay with the Tigers for their elevation to the top-flight having won the league title at Owlerton in 2017, along with two Pairs victories, and now heads to the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena for his racing in the second tier.
He made a number of guest appearances in Lions colours last season, and is always popular with supporters for his hard-riding, never-give-up style.
Howarth’s 2019 average for Sheffield was 7.15, which is discounted to 6.97 for the purposes of team-building.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “I liked what I saw from Kyle when he guested for us, and with Sheffield moving up to the Premiership there was a chance to speak to him, which I did very early.
“He showed his liking for our track when he raced against us, and also in his guest appearances, so he’ll take a heat-leader berth for us and I think he’ll also bring a wee bit more to the pits.
“That’s something I’m mindful of, especially with the fact that we’ve lost Scott Nicholls, so I had to counter-balance that and look to get the right personnel in.
“I’m very pleased to say that Kyle wanted to join us, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Howarth’s signing takes the Lions up to six confirmed starters for next season, and the final piece in the jigsaw – another newcomer to the club – should be announced imminently.
