Speedway chiefs are eyeing up a bonanza of great motorsport as the tapes go up on the British season on Sunday.
The Peugeot Ashfield Stadium hosts the Ben Fund Bonanza, the traditional season curtain-raiser for the sport in the UK, at 2pm.
An international field will take to the re-laid track, with English legend Chris Harris, fresh off the Grand Prix circuit, among the favourites to take the title, along with Glasgow’s 2016 KO Cup heroes Richard Lawson, Richie Worrall, Aaron Summers and Nike Lunna.
Also making the line-up are former Team GB riders Lewis Bridger, David Howe, Steve Worrall and Ben Barker.
It will be the first chance that fans have to sample the changes made to the Ashfield arena during the winter – including the introduction of new terracing.
Stewart Dickson, Glasgow co-promoter and track curator, believes the event will give fans their best-ever opening to a speedway season in the city.
He said: “The Ben Fund Bonanza is always a top sporting occasion. It is the first chance for fans to see the stars in action ahead of the new campaign and it is great to have an international field full of spectacular racers.
“Home fans will have plenty to shout about as any one of the four Glasgow riders could take the title, but they’ll face stiff competition, not least from past Grand Prix winner Chris Harris, who loves to wind it round the fence at our place.
“We’ve done a lot of work during the winter to make the stadium bigger and better – and this will be the first test for our new state-of-the-art polyfoam fence.
“We’ve also worked hard on the track to improve the surface and give the riders the best chance they have to showcase themselves – we hope that’ll give us the best racing we’ve had since our 2014 revamp in one of the best speedway arenas in the country.
“It’s been a long winter and I can’t wait for the meeting to start, and to get that smell of methanol in my nostrils again – there really is nothing better if you’re a fan of speedway and motorsport.”
Riders taking part in the meeting will race free of charge, with thousands of pounds expected to be raised for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund – which supports injured riders.
The line-up is: Claus Vissing, Thomas Jorgensen, Lewis Bridger, Aaron Summers, Kevin Doolan, James Sarjeant, Steve Worrall, David Howe, Richard Lawson, Ben Barker, Ricky Wells, Richie Worrall, Stuart Robson, Chris Harris, Max Clegg and Nike Lunna.
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