Coventry Cycle Speedway club have completed the signings of four riders to complete their squad for 2015.
The Godiva city side now have in excess of 30 riders as they look to compete at all levels of the sport in the coming season – an amazing transformation as three years ago this month the club was inactive and not in league racing.
Leading the quartet is one of Europe’s top riders, the ace gating Robert Bedra, who again links with Coventry after spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Hearsall Common. Bedra, who has appeared in several European finals, including last season at Torun, will only be available on a couple of occasions when his Polish fixtures allow.
Local youngster Matt Hambidge also joins the growing Hearsall Common ranks after the collapse of the now defunct Bretford club, where he starting racing six years ago. The Warwickshire based racer, who turned 17 on Friday 6th February, is thrilled to join Coventry to progress his racing, to benefit from challenging training sessions and to race against people of his own age.
The Coventry club management believe Hambidge is not far from joining the rapid progress of their array of upcoming younger stars, like Kyle Roberts, Josh Marsh, Mason Phillips, Dan Drewett and Charlie Barnett.
Brothers Jimmy and Ronnie Wassall have also confirmed their transfers to Coventry. Jimmy, aged 12, and Ronnie, aged 8, have both been racing 5 years and are the sons of ex Whitley rider Carl. Both the brothers have excelled at British Youth and Junior League level and have previously raced for Leicester and Bretford.
Hambidge and the Wassall brothers are expected to have additional rides this year in the expanded Coventry Junior League, which was revived last year to provide extra junior racing and to increase participation in Cycle Speedway racing in Coventry. The trio are also expected to spearhead a stronger Coventry challenge in regional and national junior events this year.
Coventry team manager Lee Marsh said: “We are delighted to welcome these four riders to Coventry. Robert has many friends here since he last rode for us and he is star quality. The three younger riders are very well known to us after being regulars at our booming Clubnight sessions on Wednesday evenings and we look forward to seeing them in our colours in March”.