Magnus Karlsson’s Testimonial at Leicester on 17th March has gained a sponsor, and three more riders have been announced for the meeting.
The event which will launch the Lions’ second season will be sponsored by the Leicester Mercury, and every speedway promoter knows how vital the support of the local press is in keeping the sport in the public eye.
Leicester co-promoter Alan Jones says "Throughout the period of the campaign to bring speedway back, the Leicester Mercury sports writers, in particular Chris Finn, were very supportive towards the project. This special relationship has continued throughout the racing season and during the winter months. The coverage the Lions receive each week is much appreciated by everyone at Leicester Speedway and we are so pleased that they have come forward to give their backing to the testimonial meeting. Having the Leicester Mercury newspaper on board as the main headline sponsor means a great deal to Magnus".
Joining Magnus on his big day are two riders who finished first and second in Leicester’s Pride of the Midlands meeting last October, Patrick Hougaard and Rory Schlein, who both ride for Elite League club, the Belle Vue Aces.
Rory Schlein was one of Magnus’s team mates at Edinburgh when he first came to the UK in 2002, and although Rory has a very busy start to the season he will ride in the Rest of the World Select at Magnus’s testimonial. He says, “I have four meetings in four days to start the season but I’ve known Magnus for some time and it would be wrong if I didn’t do his meeting!
“We’ve come a long way since we rode together at Edinburgh in 2002 and 2003. It was a big turning point for both me and Magnus. Obviously winning the league in 2003 was the first time for Edinburgh and I think it was the whole plan from 2001 when the Edinburgh promotion brought me over and half way through that year Magnus arrived.
“It was a team full of characters with Frede Schott and Peter Carr and even though Edinburgh have had success since then I don’t think they’ve ever had a better side for characters and jokers.
“You could put Magnus in any heat and nothing seemed to faze him. If I was in heat 13 or 15 with him, I would probably put a bit more pressure on myself, but he was very laid back and I never saw him panic or spit the dummy. I recall many times he out-gated Frede Schott and that wasn’t easy to do back then!”
Along with Schlein and Hougaard, the testimonial meeting is further enhanced with the news that Daniel Nermark has accepted an invitation to support Magnus. Daniel, who rode for Birmingham in the Elite League last season is returning to King’s Lynn this year, the club he left six years ago after helping them win the league, cup and trophy competitions.
Peter Adams who manages the Wolverhampton Wolves joins Eric Boocock, Mats Olsson and Jason Attwood as a team manager for the evening.
Team line-ups:
LEICESTER SELECT: Kenneth Bjerre, Lasse Bjerre, Kauko Nieminen and Patrick Hougaard
SWEDISH SELECT: Freddie Lindgren, Ludvig Lindgren and Daniel Nermark
MAGNUS SELECT: Peter Karlsson, Mikael Max, Magnus Karlsson and Bjarne Pedersen
REST OF THE WORLD: Nicki Pedersen, Lee Richardson and Rory Schlein
