Leicester Speedway’s premier individual meeting of the season takes place on Sunday when sixteen riders battle for the honour of winning the Pride of the Midlands competition.
The event has been dominated by the Danes, when first of all Patrick Hougaard was the recipient of the trophy two years ago and the destination of the silverware last season was only decided after a run-off between two Leicester riders, Lasse Bjerre and Kauko Nieminen, which was won by the Danish teenager.
There are some familiar names in the line-up that will add interest to the event as Sergey Darkin, the former Russian National Champion, is making a special visit to Leicester to ride in Sunday’s meeting. During his time at the club Sergey made twenty-five appearances, scoring a total of 195 points and was the first rider of the new era to piece together an unbeaten race-card when he scored fourteen and one bonus point against Rye House at home in April 2011. After leaving Leicester, Sergey moved up into the Elite League with Swindon and that was the last time that he was seen on British tracks. Nowadays Sergey rides in the Russian League for Salavat.
Adam Roynon, who was hailed as a major signing by the Lions at the start of the season, is also appearing at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium. His stay was one of the briefest on record having completed just one match for the Lions in their League Cup fixture at Scunthorpe. It has been a long process of convalescence for Adam who is on the way back to form having won the Young Guns meeting at Sheffield two weeks ago. Simon Nielsen who started the season at Leicester is included and so too is the former Lions rider Henning Bager who came third in last season’s event.
“Since we announced the draw for the event during the interval of last Saturday’s meeting against Newcastle there has been three withdrawals due to injury. Ashley Birks who was involved in the accident with Christian Henry during the first race against Newcastle whilst guesting for Leicester is out of the event due to a fractured scaphoid. So too is Jari Mäkinen who broke his leg on Tuesday and Kauko Nieminen has had to pull out as the knee he injured is still very swollen. Provided the swelling has subsided Kauko is booked in for a scan on Tuesday and we will know more about the extent of his injury during the week” reported the Lions co-promoter Alan Jones.
With three places to fill, Ricky Ashworth the number one in the averages at Berwick has agreed to ride and so too has Jake Anderson, who rides for Plymouth and did very well on his first visit to Leicester in May when the Australian scored eight points. Jones said: “We are currently in the process of looking for someone to replace Kauko and soon as that has been completed we will announce the name and the full line-up in draw order.”
Scunthorpe have two representatives in the meeting as Thomas Jorgensen, a heat leader with the Scorpions, who was a key person in their Premier League Championship title winning team last season makes an appearance and so too does new signing Nicolai Klindt. The Dane has bags of Elite League experience having ridden solely at the highest level since his debut for Wolverhampton in 2008. It will be the Dane’s second appearance in the Pride of the Midlands, having ridden in the first staging in 2011.
Making his debut in the competition on Sunday is the double Under-21 British Champion Joe Haines who was last here for the Kauko Nieminen Testimonial meeting. Joe reached the British Final this year after scoring eight points in the qualifier on his home track and is producing some of his best form of the season so far. Since we announced the draw we have heard that Kozza Smith, the Berwick heat leader, is unable to appear so this leaves another place to fill.
Jan Graversen, a match winner on his own track at Leicester, is in the line-up and so too is Kevin Doolan who has become a great favourite since joining the club in the winter. The two join Lasse Bjerre to make it three Lions riders who will compete for the title of the Harry Jordan sponsored Pride of the Midlands trophy.
The fifteenth rider to be added to the list is Roland Benko an eighteen year old Hungarian who is in the UK at present gaining as much riding experience as he can. The teenager top scored with fifteen points for his country in a challenge match win against Poland in June and a month earlier totalled seven whilst representing Hungary in a World Cup qualifying round against the USA, France and Italy.
