Elite League
Belle Vue Speedway: Morton assesses young talent.
By Admin
Jul 20, 2010, 21:37

Belle Vue team boss Chris Morton will run the rule over some of speedway's brightest young talents at Kirkmanshulme Lane next week.

Elite League racing takes a week off for the World Cup, in which Autogate Aces captain Hans Andersen leads the highly-fancied Denmark team.

The Aces fill the void with the ATPi Belle Vue Junior championship next Wednesday, July 28, and the throttle happy kids have been making the phone lines red hot trying to get an invitation.

Morton said: “We couldn't fit the meeting in last season but feel it is important to give up and coming riders a significant event to ride in.

“We have worked very hard on attracting a good line-up and we have seen in the past that it is a meeting they very much want to win.

“There are some very good riders at this level and we want to encourage them. We have made a point of running the meeting this year and we have got the support of some very good sponsors.

“Supporters who have stayed at home in the past have missed some really entertaining racing so we hope they come along this time.

“It's important to have these kind of meetings and I'll be keeping a good eye on the talent taking part. This will sort out the young men from the boys.”

It is a meeting close to Morton's heart as he was a local boy who came through for stardom. The local challenge next Wednesday comes from Jason Garrity (Droylsden), Jack Hirst (Middleton), and Steve Worrall (St Helens). Garrity, who is racing for Buxton, is a former British U-15 champion and knows the Belle Vue circuit well.

Worrall has made huge progress after taking up the sport a year ago when he switched from moto-cross. His twin brother, Richie, has also taken up speedway now and is likely to be a meeting reserve.

The line-up also includes Scott Richardson, the Yorkshire-based son of former Ace Derek, while there is a strong international contingent of four Australians plus American whiz-kid Gino Manzares who turns 17 next month.

Manzares rode in a recent second half event at Belle Vue and raised eyebrows by clocking a fast time of 61.4 seconds, only a second or so slower than the seniors..

He came to Britain at Easter with the touring American Dream Team and decided to stay on to get as much experience of British tracks as possible. He has to go home in mid-August when his six- month visa expires, but he wants to come back to the UK as soon as possible.

The line-up, not in riding order, is: Jake Anderson (age 20, Australia, PL team Somerset, NL Dudley), Rob Branford (16, Australia, NL Buxton), Micky Dyer (19, Australia, NL Dudley), Richard Franklin (17, NL Dudley), Jason Garrity (16, NL Buxton), Jack Hirst (16, unattached), Gary Irving (21, NL Scunthorpe), Adam Lowe (21, NL King's Lynn), John MacPhail (22, Scotland, unattached), Gino Manzares (16, America, unattached), Ashley Morris (16, Dudley), Nick Morris (16, Australia, PL Glasgow, NL Buxton), Scott Richardson (21, NL Scunthorpe), James Sarjeant (16, unattached), Chris Widman (20 - NL King's Lynn), Steve Worrall (18, NL Scunthorpe).

The organisers are extremely grateful to Ian Sinderson, of ATPi, for agreeing to become the meeting main sponsor. Thanks also to Greggs the Bakers, who have paid for a complete new set of race jackets for the meeting and sponsored a heat.

Other heat sponsors are E Park and Sons, Weston Motorcycles, Speedway Star, and Warburtons. Two anonymous supporters have backed races, as has Jason Done from BBC1 TV show Waterloo Road.

Admission has been reduced to £5 for concessions and £10 for adults. Children will be admitted free of charge.

Members of the Junior Vue Supporters' Club have the chance to enter a free competition by contacting Karen Pollard, the Junior Vue Co-ordinator.

Of the children who enter, 16 will be drawn out at random and allocated to each of the competing riders. They will walk out onto the track with their rider for the pre-meeting parade.

At the end, the youngsters allocated to the top three finishers will be able to join their rider on the rostrum and will be presented with a trophy.

Belle Vue stage the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy the following Monday, August 2, and resume league racing a week later at home to Peterborough.


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