Last updated at 12:05, Friday, 15 June 2012

The Northside speedway training track in Workington will host the British Youth Championships on Sunday.

Kyle Bickley

The third round of the Under-16 championship will start at 2pm and the Northside track is one of only six venues across the country that will stage different rounds of the championship.

There will be three classes; 125cc, 250cc and 500cc, with 10 to 15 riders from all the over country in each class.

Former Workington Comets rider Craig Branney, who runs the training track, said: “It is a good opportunity for people to come and see the future stars of tomorrow.

“I hope the local fans can come down and show people what west Cumbria is all about.”

He added that Comets star Kyle Howarth learnt his trade racing at Northside and he has high hopes for Kyle Bickley, from Westfield, who will race in the 125cc class.

Tickets cost £5 for adults, free for children with an adult and £2 for children not accompanied by an adult.

Tickets can be bought on the door and gates will open from 1pm.

Workington Comets mascot Bickley will be looking to make home advantage count as he searches for victory in the third round tomorrow.

Ten-year-old Bickley will be riding in the 125cc class and in his two previous rounds has been unlucky not to taste victory already.

In the first round at Leicester he scored a 12 point maximum in his heats but in the final he missed the start but fought his way up to second and missed out on taking victory by around half a wheel.

Then in the second round at Mildenhall he was on eight points with two wins and a second but in his last race his dad Tony forgot to put the fuel in which meant he retired and missed out on a place in the final.

Tony said: “If Kyle gets out the starts he should be all right because it is a short run to the first corner.

“He is on the pace as he only a couple of seconds slower than some of the 500cc bikes and I don’t think there is anybody faster than him. He knows the Northside track inside out and I think he is the only local rider competing so he knows the track best.”

Bickley came second in the championship back in 2010 when he was just eight years old but missed out last year when he fractured his leg only two weeks before the final.

Tony believes that Kyle’s experience of riding three different tracks, Redcar’s South Tess Motrosport Park as well as the training track and Derwent Park, will prepare him well for the meeting on Sunday.

He added: “It is giving him that experience that you cannot buy and not everybody gets the chance to ride three different tracks every week which has played a massive part in his development.”

Tony said he wanted to thank everybody who had helped Kyle including his sponsors as well as the people at the training track.

First published at 11:30, Friday, 15 June 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk