Barry Briggs rides again at the Scottish Open!

NEWS Monday 8th March 2010, 10:28pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Four times World Speedway Champion Barry Briggs has accepted an invitation to ride in the Keyline Scottish Open Championship that opens the season at Armadale on Friday 19 March.

He won't actually compete in the event, of course, but Briggs (76) is still very much an action man, and he is undertaking to ride a bike all over Britain this summer, starting point being John O'Groats early next week and his first port of call Armadale on Friday for the Scottish Open ? a meeting he won at Old Meadowbank in 1967.

?Briggo' is riding for Sport Relief and for the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund, and rode last week at Wembley during the England v Egypt football international. Specifically he wants to raise a huge amount of money for the ex-speedway riders who now find themselves wheelchair-bound.

Monarchs have given permission for a collection to be held to assist this during the Scottish Open.

He will be visiting as many Speedway tracks as he can during the Ride, as he is calling it, and finishes up at the British Grand Prix at Cardiff on 10th July.

Barry Briggs will also be joining the Scotwaste Monarchs on their stand at the Scottish Motorcycle show over the weekend 20th-21st March. Monarchs would like to say thanks to Hilton Edinburgh Airport, who are sponsoring Briggo's accommodation for the weekend.

The Hilton will be the home of Monarchs' End of Season dance in November 2010.