Bears bring in two
The Redcar Ecco Finishing Bears have made 2 further changes ahead of their Championship League encounter with Berwick at the Media Prima Arena this Thursday, subject to BSPA approval.
Making their debuts for the Bears alongside Thomas Jorgensen will be talented young French prospect Dimitri Bergé and rising British star Nathan Greaves.
Bergé comes in to replace Matej Kus, who has struggled to recapture the form he showed when last racing in the UK whilst Greaves replaces Tobias Busch, who has a hand injury, on a 28 day contract.
Team manager and co-promoter Jitendra Duffill added, “Results so far this season have been very disappointing and we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to strengthen. I knew that we would have a few points to play with from June 1st and I have considered every option available to us. Bringing in Thomas and Dimitri gives us the 2 heat leaders that we have been missing so far this year and our side now has a much better balance to it. We have a lot of work to do from here and although it will be very difficult for us to push for a play off place, that doesn’t mean that we should give up and I hope this proves to our supporters that we are doing our best to put things right.”
Duffill was also keen to express his thanks to Matej Kus for his efforts this year. “I’m quite upset to be honest at having to let Matej go. He has made every effort possible to put things right and I still think that he will come good very soon. He is much better than he has shown so far this year, but both the rider and club are under extreme pressure to perform so I believe this is now the best move for both parties. Everyone here at Redcar wish him well and I’m sure he will be snapped up quickly by another club.”
Bergé is known to Bears supporters after a short spell with Redcar in 2015. He arrives on an average of 6.91 which he achieved riding for Sheffield in 2016. Duffill added, “Dimitri is very excited to be back racing in the UK and the Media Prima Arena will suit him well. He is a rider who thrives on big/fast tracks and I am sure he will be very quick around our circuit. His signing will give us extra strength at the top end of our team and with current rider availability poor, I think we have done well to tempt him back to Redcar.”
Tobias Busch sustained nasty burns to his left hand last week after a freak accident at home. With no definite timescale on his recovery and the only facility available to the Bears being rider replacement, Duffill doesn’t want to take any risks and has opted for a 28 day replacement in Nathan Greaves. Greaves is currently racing for Wolverhampton in the SGB Premiership and comes in on a converted average of 3.89, well over half a point lower than the 4.51 he achieved racing for Ipswich last year. “Nathan was very impressive last week when guesting for us against Sheffield. He is a rider that never gives up and I am sure he will do a good job for us at reserve. He is a rider I rate highly and he is very keen to make an impression. It gives Tobias time to recover from his injuries as I am reluctant to use a rider unless they are at 100%. We must perform well over the next few weeks as we aim to climb the league table and restore supporter confidence.”
Bears fans will be able to watch Dimitri Bergé race before Thursday as he will be riding for France in the FIM Speedway Of Nations in Manchester tomorrow night. The meeting will be screened live from the National Speedway Stadium on BT Sports at 6.30pm.