Speedway: 2016 Team By Team Season Preview

With the engines of the 2016 Speedway Elite League getting ready to roar into action come the end of March, TotalSport’s Ryan Walker previews the eight teams involved in this prestigious competition.

 

Poole Pirates

 

What better a team to start with than the reigning Champions of the British Elite League. The Poole Pirates come into this year’s competition with the record of being the only team to have secured back-to-back title glory in three straight seasons, and with a strong line-up once again on show, the Dorset club are no doubt one of the teams to look out for this year. The departure of captain and crowd favourite Maciej Janowski is no doubt a big blow for the Pirates but in former Leicester rider Krzysztof Buczkowski, the club have found a more than suitable replacement. Team manager Neil Middleditch’s ability to convince star rider Chris Holder to stay at Wimbourne Road for the 2016 season, along with the signing of Hans Andersen who restarts his Pirates career with a respectable 6.45 average, will play a big role if the Pirates are to triumph once again for a fourth straight year. Victory is what Poole fans have come to expect over the years but with other teams in the League now appearing stronger than ever, the Poole Pirates will undoubtedly have their work cut out in the 2016 Elite League.

 

King’s Lynn Stars

 

An injury-hit 2015 Elite League campaign for the King’s Lynn Stars saw the Norfolk club once again miss out on the much desired play-off places, finishing in 5th place on 51 points. Coming into the season, the stars were one of the hot favourites to claim Elite League title glory with a star-studded line-up consisting of world number three at the time Niels-Kristian Iversen, Australian ace Rory Schlein, and up and coming British youngster Robert Lambert. However, just two months into the 2015 campaign Schlein suffered a horrific crash while racing in Poland which spelled the end of his season. Robert Lambert endured persistent injuries throughout the year as well meaning that the 17-year-old struggled to build up any momentum, and in August, Lynn lost another impact rider as Lewis Kerr’s season was ended prematurely after a crash while racing for the Newcastle Diamonds saw him put into an induced coma. Rob Lyon’s team will start the 2016 season with another strong outfit with Iversen once again returning, albeit on a temporary basis while new signing and former Swindon Robins skipper Troy Batchelor recovers from a broken arm. Rory Schlein returns with a respectable 6.2 average, along with the highly praised Lambert and reserve rider Lewis Rose. With strong point scoring riders throughout the entirety of the team Lynn present a serious threat to their competitors and the Elite League title, and as long as the team can avoid injuries then they are almost guaranteed a place in the play-offs.

 

Wolverhampton Wolves

 

A disappointing 2015 Elite League season for the Wolves, epitomised by achieving their third lowest points record with 28 points since the Speedway Elite League began back in 1997. The negative effect that the departure of two-time world champion Tai Woffinden had on the club was evident for all to see throughout the entirety of the season as Wolverhampton rarely looked capable of winning a meeting and won just one away meeting all season. However with young exciting riders such as Sam Masters, Kyle Howarth and Mikkel Bech being brought into the team, Wolves fans will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes. Unfortunately though the midland club’s lack of being able to attract a superstar rider to spearhead the team could prove disastrous, as Fredrik Lindgren is evidently past his glory days and coming up against teams with world class leaders may choose prove a step too far. One thing for sure is that the Wolverhampton Wolves look certain to bounce back from a devastating 2015 campaign.

 

Swindon Robins

 

A mixed 2015 Elite League season for the Swindon Robins marred by the career-ending paralysis of one of Speedway’s brightest stars in Darcy Ward. Reaching the playoffs was the aim for the Wiltshire club and thanks to Darcy Ward the team managed to finish the season in third position on 57 points. However the injuries that Ward sustained, while racing for Polish club Zielona Gora in August, proved to be too much of an emotional and mental burden on the Robins riders as they crashed out of the playoffs losing 97-79 on aggregate. Coming into the 2016 Speedway Elite League season, Swindon Robins' manager Alun Rossiter believes that reformation and team spirit are the key to success as he brings in five new signings with a top five consisting of one nationality, Australian. The most notable signing is the re-calling of world number five Jason Doyle from the Leicester Lions. A starting average of 9.44 for Doyle see’s the Swindon team with the best number one in the Elite League - something that other teams will be wary of. Other signings include, Josh Grajczonek, Justin Sedgmen, Rohan Tungate, and Stefan Nielsen. With so many riders of one nationality in the team it’s clear that Rossiter believes a great team spirit is one of the most important factors of a winning side and, with talent running throughout the entirety of a relatively young squad, an Elite League title won’t be out of reach for the Swindon Robins in their 2016 Elite League campaign.

 

Belle Vue Aces

 

The Belle Vue Aces come into the 2016 Speedway Elite League full of confidence after a fantastic 2015 season for the Manchester club which was capped off by reaching the Grand Final for the first time in ten years. With just two changes to the new squad as both Josh Grajczonek and Stefan Nielsen leave, with Richie Worrall and Joe Jacobs both being brought into the fray, the Aces aim to further the heights that they achieved last season. With high point scoring riders throughout the entirety of the team such as Craig Cook, Scott Nicholls and Max Fricke, the Aces will be a serious threat at both home and away meetings while teams will be cautious of such a dangerous and well established club. A change in venues for the Belle Vue Aces for the 2016 campaign from the regularly criticised Kirkmanshulme Lane to a new purpose built stadium in Gorton, will hopefully pay dividends for a Speedway club that appear to be on the rise. The Aces will be dreaming of christening their new home by winning their first ever Elite League title, a dream that could come true this year.

 

Coventry Bees

 

Chris Harris will once again lead a Coventry Bees team aiming to become champions of the Elite League. The 2015 season saw the Bees in familiar circumstances as they once again qualified for the play-offs but fell at the last after suffering a harrowing aggregate defeat of 103-76 at the hands of eventual champions Poole Pirates. One rider that Coventry fans will be hoping will propel them to success in this year's campaign is former world number two Krzysztof Kasprzak. An awkward 2015 for the Pole saw him endure a disastrous Grand Prix series, where after a career highlight second place in the 2014 world championships, Kasprzak slumped to 15th in 2015 with just 45 points to his name. Part of the team in 2013, Coventry will be hoping that Kasprzak can rediscover his fantastic racing form. Another rider who will be aiming to aid the Bees title challenge is former reserve rider Jason Garrity who now moves into the main body of the team. Garrity received well-deserved praise whilst racing at reserve for Gary Havelock’s team last year and with great structure in place at Coventry this is one rider who should continue to excel in the Speedway World. A top four finish is achievable for the Coventry Bees this year but their top riders will have to consistently perform to stand any chance of winning the League.

 

Leicester Lions

 

A sixth place finish for the Leicester Lions in the 2015 Elite League that would have been a lot worse but for the consistent performances of star-rider Jason Doyle. Unfortunately for Leicester fans though it's hard to see any significant improvement on last years performances. Over the winter break team manager Norrie Allan has had the opportunity to try and bring in big name riders who would help push on the Lions in 2016, but instead it appears he has settled for average riders such as Sebastian Ulamek and Nicolai Klindt who on their day can ride to big scores but regularly lack consistency. No rider in the Leicester Lions squad will strike fear into other teams competing in the Elite League and that is a major problem. The 2016 Speedway Elite League will be full of excitement, hard racing and tough competition but for the Leicester Lions it will likely be a season to forget.

 

Lakeside Hammers

 

The Lakeside Hammers are the final team to feature in our preview and, after a bottom of the table finish in 2015, the Hammers will be look to smash their way back into those play-off places. The retention of the 2015 Sweden World Cup winner and Grand Prix rider Andreas Jonsson is great for Lakeside and will be play a big role if the club are to get back to winning ways. While his 2015 performances in both the Grand Prix’s and Elite League meetings may have been below par, Jonsson will be looking to spearhead the Hammers' playoff charge and will start this years Elite League with a respectable 7.84 average. Another positive of Lakeside’s 2016 squad is the great depth in strength which the team possesses, with reliable point scoring riders such as Edward Kennett and Kim Nilsson, while in reserve is hot prospect and former King’s Lynn rider Lewis Kerr. A tough 2016 Elite League awaits the Lakeside Hammers but an improvement from last year is definitely on the cards.

 

 

There you have it, TotalSport Swindon’s 2016 Elite League preview giving you everything you need to know on the teams taking place in this years competition. An exciting and competitive year of racing awaits both riders and fans alike where anything can happen, but one thing for sure is that it will be a race to the finish line.

 

What are your predictions for the 2016 Elite League season? Let us know in the comments below or on social media: Facebook and Twitter. 

 

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