Caledonian Riders' Championship
Friday 25th August 2017
Individual - Armadale Stadium

A break from league racing tonight as the re-staging of the Caledonian Riders Championship takes place at Armadale.

The original meeting which fell victim to the weather back at the end of June appeared to have caught the imagination of many and with an equally interesting line-up as last time tomorrow looks to be no different.

Of course one of the main aims of this meeting is to give the young Scottish riders a platform for which to build on and hopefully make some National League promoters take notice when they are thinking of potential team building equations for next season. With that in mind 4 of the most prevalent juniors on the scene just now take their place in the meeting and while it would be a major surprise if any of them were to win, the exposure and experience can only help them in their development.

That is not to say there are not some known quantities on show with plenty of Championship experience also and many of these names will be looking to take victory on the night.

With a specially devised race format ensuring competitive racing throughout an exciting evening is in store as we now take a look down the line-up

The young Scots take centre stage at the top end of the line-up with Ryan MacDonald at number 1. MacDonald did gain a team place with Lakeside in the National League earlier in the season but will perhaps feel a little aggrieved that he was not given more time. The Hammers deciding after a couple of challenge matches they were going to make team changes despite MacDonald doing well in those matches. MacDonald is perhaps the furthest forward of the Scots on the scene at the moment and will be looking to show he has what it takes for a consistent crack at the National League next season.

Number 2 in the line-up is Dale Lamb. Lamb is perhaps still best known at Armadale as the Monarchs mascot of a few years back and it’s hard to imagine the diminutive figure that used to do some demonstration laps prior to and after meetings back then is the same kid as will take to the tapes. Lamb has dipped in and out of the sport a little since then due to a lack of opportunity but he will be hopeful of a good performance on a track he has done hundreds if not thousands of laps on.

Third of the young Scots is Kieran Douglas. The 18 year old Melrose born racer is another who has suffered from a lack of opportunity with his racing experience being restricted to the odd Development League appearance. Time is still on Kieran’ side though and with a development track due to be completed at Duns in the not too distant future hopefully this will give him the track time needed to kick on.

Perhaps the most recognizable of quartet from an Edinburgh fans point of view anyway is Kev Whelan. Whelan is an almost ever present in the second half at the Dale and also made a couple of guest appearances in the Premier League last season. Another who will be hopeful a National League place is in the offing next season a strong performance against this field could help that case.

Shelby Rutherford is the first of the established National League stars in the line-up slotting in at number 5. Rutherford has appeared on these shores for a few years now since first coming over from Australia to join the Newport Wasps back in 2009. This season has been a little up and down for Rutherford as he started the season with Buxton before moving on to Cradley who then dropped him in a late season reshuffle. Rutherford is a likeable character though and is always willing to race when asked an attitude that will hold him in good stead going forward.

Tom Wooley is another new name to the Monarchs faithful

as he rides exclusively for Buxton in the National League. Wooley has enjoyed a promising season increasing his starting average and you would imagine he will undoubtedly be one of the first names on the Buxton team sheet next season should the Buxton promotion and fans get their way.

Moving onto some of the more familiar names and a man who many will be tipping to lift the trophy is at number 7 Workington’s James Sarjeant. 2017 has perhaps been a year of struggle for Sarjeant who appeared to have made the leap to solid second string with Ipswich last year. On his day though he can still mix it with the best and he will be looking for a confidence boosting performance in a field he should excel in.

Home hero and a man who would be a very popular winner Mitchell Davey comes in at number 8. Mitchell is relishing the chance of racing against this field in front of his home fans and wouldn’t it be nice to see him a top the podium come the evening’s end.

As the line-up moves on more and more of the riders expected to contend are named and this is the case again at number 9 where Glasgow man Tom Perry operates from. Perry has had a very consistent season at number 6 for the title challenging Tigers and is another who is always a joy to watch with his swashbuckling style.

A bit of an unknown quantity is Dane Jacob Bukhave at number 10. Bukhave is looking to get himself back into British speedway after a spell with Redcar last year and this will be his competitive debut at Armadale.

Many people’s favourite to win the meeting is Mason Campton who takes the number 11 race jacket. Campton has been a regular visitor at Armadale this year although in a non riding capacity as he regularly acts as mechanic for Ricky Wells. The popular Aussie is in fine form just now having raced to paid 13 guesting for Ipswich as recently as Thursday night and if he can translate this form into his performance on the night he will take some beating.

Completing the line-up is ex Glasgow and Redcar man Coty Garcia. The popular Argentinean had a fine spell with Redcar earlier in the season before the return from injury of Tobias Busch and had his best ever Armadale performance during this spell recording 2 heat wins as part of a 7 point score from the number 2 position in the Bears team. A repeat of this performance will almost certainly see Garcia among the contenders to take the title.

So an eclectic and interesting looking line-up has been set on what is sure to be a cracking night of racing. With the added bonus of reduced admission prices, face painting and a bouncy castle for the younger members in attendance and Mitchell doing a photo and autograph session before the match alongside a proposed talk in with the top 3 in the bar after the match a cracking night is in store for all. See you there!