Parr: We’ve come a long way!
Redcar boss has reminded the Redcar faithful how far the “Agilia” Bears have come in recent years ahead of Redcar’s final regular Cab Direct Championship fixture against Plymouth this Friday.
Supporters are reminded that British Youth Championships is another added bonus with the 125cc class taking to the shale at 7pm whilst the 250cc class will compete straight after the Cab Direct Championship match. Additionally, Charles Wright and Danny King will parade the pairs trophy at 7:30 with tapes up at 7:35 at the ECCO Arena.
Parr, who managed the Bears duo to another success, is keen to build on last Friday’s historic evening, “ It’s important we win against Plymouth to continue to build some key momentum ahead of our cup semi-final against Oxford.”
Although Parr is jubilant after last Friday’s success, he knows the Gladiators cannot be underestimated, “ Ben Barker rides our place really well and Joe Thompson rode really well here two weeks ago in the National Development League. Also, Plymouth have Jacob Hook at reserve and he knows his way around the ECCO Arena. Taking all that into account, we will have to be on our A game to ensure we take all 3 points on offer.”
Parr was especially pleased that the pairs victory gave the club the chance to give something back to the fans who travelled to Oxford, “ We’ve had a tough time in 2024, some of it our own doing but a lot of it we have had no control over. The pairs has served us well, we’ve had two wins and a runners-up berth and it was great to give something back to the fans who had travelled. Parading the trophy before the match will give us another chance to say thank you to the fans who have stuck by us.”
The ecstatic Geordie believes the Pairs win shows just how far the club have come in recent seasons, “ We have come a long way in recent times. Kevin Keay took over and started the ball rolling, Ben Duffill kept improving things during his tenure which then built a platform for the current promotion to help us build even further. Some people do forget that the club would not have been securing this silverware in previous eras.”
Parr also offered an update on the fitness of Dan Gilkes, “ Dan missed Sheffield’s match on Monday with an eye infection and he is back at hospital this Friday so he will miss the Plymouth match. We already have Danyon Hume coming in for Connor Bailey and with the other fixtures on Friday night, we will be running rider replacement to cover for Dan at number 2 unless other fixtures fall victim to the weather.”
The Bears once again bring in Danyon Hume to cover for Connor Bailey whilst rider replacement is likely to cover for the aforementioned Dan Gilkes. Meanwhile, the Gladiators hand a guest booking to the in-form Drew Kemp at number 1 whilst their boss Garry May will be looking to his skipper, Ben Barker to lead from the front with the former Bear scoring paid 10 as a guest for Redcar earlier this season.
Supporters are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed by Tapes Up Productions at www.redcar-speedway.tv. Additionally, fans attending the clash are encouraged to bring along their scarves with the Bears Supporters Group having a themed scarf night.
Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1 – Charles Wright (C) 8.54
2 – Rider Replacement for Dan Gilkes
3 – Danyon Hume (G) 5.10
4 – Jason Edwards 6.00
5 – Danny King 7.66
6 – Ben Trigger 2.95
7 – Jake Mulford 4.10
™: Gavin Parr
Plymouth Gladiators
1 Drew Kemp (G) 7.82
2 Alfie Bowtell 4.91
3 Dan Thompson 6.51
4 Patrick Baek 5.00
5 Ben barker 6.45
6 Joe Thompson 4.70
7 Jacob Hook 4.00
™: Garry May