PREMIERSHIP PAIRS PRE-MEETING VIEWS
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins believes his Premiership Pairs combination of Jason Doyle (pictured) and Danny King should be perfect for tonight’s venue of Peterborough.
Hawkins said: “It’s a new competition so it will be interesting and exciting to be involved in. Looking at our pairing, we are going in confident as we will have a strong pairing in each round.
“We have certainly got a strong pair for Peterborough, and I know Doyley, Danny and Danyon (Hume) are going there to win the meeting.
“Doyley is the best rider in the league, so he is an obvious pick and Danny is the current track record holder there, which is quite something, so he is very good around the Showground. For this round it was quite an easy choice.”
Wolverhampton skipper Sam Masters, who is paired with Ryan Douglas, said: “Just to get the spot at Peterborough was cool for me because it’s one of those tracks we all enjoy going to.
“We’ve seen Dougy fly around there and score plenty of points there before, and we’ve got a good chance.
“We’ll go and give it a good crack, that’s for sure, but we know it will be tough because there’s some top riders back in the league this year.”
King’s Lynn will be represented by Josh Pickering and Richard Lawson, who have already impressed at the East of England Arena this season.
Boss Alex Brady said: “This is one we are looking forward to. We are lucky to have some really strong riders to pick from and we will go with Josh and Richard.
“It is an interesting concept and a good idea. It gives everyone extra meetings to look forward to and brings together some of the best talent British speedway has to offer.”
Sheffield co-promoter Damien Bates is optimistic of success with Jack Holder and Adam Ellis selected by team boss Simon Stead.
Bates said: “I think it’s great to see the Pairs back this year and it’s even better to have it with this new format.
“All the line-ups look really strong and it’s hard to predict a winner, but with Jack, Adam and Connor (Mountain) as the Rising Star, I’d like to think Sheffield can go close in Round 1.”
Meanwhile Belle Vue are represented by Max Fricke and Brady Kurtz, three weeks after an emphatic league match win at Alwalton in which Kurtz scored a paid maximum.
Boss Mark Lemon said: “We are spoilt for choice with our top four riders but given their form the last time we were at Peterborough, Max and Brady were the obvious choices.
“It’s great to see the pairs competition back on the calendar. There’s no doubt it will be an interesting night and one we are very much looking forward to.
“This will be a tough meeting for all involved given the calibre of rider each club will be bringing to the table, and no doubt will be another fantastic advert for British Speedway.”
*LIVE STREAMING: https://watch.britishspeedway.co.uk .
