PREMIERSHIP PREVIEW: LEICESTER

LEICESTER enjoyed their best-ever Premiership season in 2024 and it’s been a case of ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ when it comes to their team building for ’25.

The Lions were inconsistent for the first half of last year but when they got on a winning roll during the summer they charged up the league table – and having initially seemed to be battling Oxford for the final play-off place, they came close to finishing top overall, with just a defeat at King’s Lynn in their final away match causing them to end up second behind Sheffield.

A dramatic play-off semi-final against Ipswich followed with the Lions edging their way into the Grand Final courtesy of a 5-1 in the last race, but their run came to an end in the decisive fixtures with a heavy defeat at Belle Vue in the first leg all but wiping out their chances.

Manager Stewart Dickson has kept faith with the bulk of the side to come back and do it again with just one change from last season as Richard Lawson departs for King’s Lynn, and in his place the Lions bring in KYLE HOWARTH from Sheffield, having previously raced for them at Championship level.

Elsewhere it’s more of the same with GP star MAX FRICKE going into his third season with the club and firmly established as one of the Premiership’s top performers with an average in excess of nine.

The remainder of the top five is made up of three riders who made the move to the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park last winter from Midlands rivals Wolverhampton after their forced exit from Monmore Green.

SAM MASTERS actually had a spell with the Lions as a doubling-up rider much earlier in his career, whilst fellow Australian RYAN DOUGLAS returned to UK speedway with the East Midlands side in 2019 in the Championship, and he celebrates his Testimonial this year.

There were mixed fortunes in 2024 for top American LUKE BECKER who hit an incredible run of form in mid-season which coincided with Leicester’s superb run, and he is back for a second year with the club.

At reserve, CRAIG COOK returns after coming into the team last May, although he was forced to sit out the play-offs after picking up an injury in the final regular league fixture.

There is also continuity in the Rising Star berth with British Under-21 Champion SAM HAGON going into his first full top-flight season having joined the Lions around a third of the way through 2024.

2025 STARTING LINE-UP:

Max Fricke 9.14

Sam Masters 7.32

Ryan Douglas 7.30

Luke Becker 6.57

Kyle Howarth 5.05

Craig Cook 4.55

Sam Hagon (RS)

*Line-up subject to approval