Birmingham Monarchs Cycle Speedway team are to take part in the World Championship Finals in Australia this winter.

It will be a history making trip for the inform team, currently riding high in the Midland League. It will be the first time ever in the clubs long history that they will have competed abroad.

The Perry Hall Playing Fields, Perry Barr, based club will be flying out from Heathrow Airport on February 6th. They will be competing in the World Club Championship Finals. Individual members will also be representing Great Britain in a seven match Test series against Australia.

Monarchs star man Marcus Wadhams will also be competing in the World Individual Championships. The 21 year old will start as one of the pre-tournament favourites to land the world championship crown.

It will cap a truly amazing up-turn in the club’s fortunes. They are presently challenging hard for the Midland League title, narrowly missed becoming British club champions, they signed their first ever foreign rider by capturing Polish ace Dominik Rycharski and dashing teenager Chris Timms became the British under 19s champion in a trail-blazing season.

The Monarchs will be proudly displaying the Birmingham colours at a number of venues, including several race-tracks in Adelaide, South Australia.

In addition to Wadhams, the Monarchs party will include heat leader Mark Winwood, his fast improving brother Carl, together with reserve Dean Sambrook and club stalwart Bob Prince.

The individual members of the Monarchs touring party are all funding the trip themselves, at a cost of £2,300 each. They are to mount an appeal shortly for local businesses in the Perry Barr and Great Barr area’s for sponsorship to help offset some of the costs.

Club spokesman Mark Winwood “This will be a `trip of a lifetime` for our club. We are all great friends and the chance to represent our team, and the City of Birmingham, in the World Finals `down under` is a dream come true for all of us”.

Winwood sees the team as ambassadors for Birmingham and he will shortly be approaching Birmingham City Council for a supply of Birmingham tourist DVD’s, literature, badges and pennants in order to present them to the international competitors in Australia.