Speedway: Reade has final spot in his sights
STOKE Eazy Rider Potters reserve Ben Reade says reaching the British Under-21 final would stand him in good stead for the season.
Reade lines-up in a 16-strong field for the semi-finals at Loomer Road tomorrow (7.30pm), with the top six qualifying for the final on April 24.
Reade is optimistic he can deliver the goods in his five rides to book his place among the elite youngsters at Dudley later this month.
"Consistency will be the key on Saturday," said Reade.
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"There will be some room for error with six riders going through, but I don't think that you can afford to think along those lines.
"Most of us are going to drop some points, but if I can hold my nerve and get a bit of luck on the night I feel reasonably confident that I can make it through.
"I qualified as a reserve from this stage last year, but feel a better and more confident rider this time around.
"There is no point in not turning up if you don't believe in yourself either.
"It's a big test this early in the season, but the same goes for most of us.
"I just want to do myself, the club and the supporters justice and if I qualify it will give my confidence a boost."
Reade has already raced at Dudley and scored a paid 11 as Stoke lost 47-43 in the first leg of the Staffordshire Cup.
But he says he must take care of business at Loomer Road before setting his sights on challenging for the title.
"I don't want to get too ahead of myself – I have to get through this round first," he added.
"It's nice to think that the final is on a track where you know you can score points, but speedway is rarely that simple or straightforward. It's one step at a time for me."
Some of the riders expected to make an impact tomorrow are Shane Hazelden, Jake Knight, James Sarjeant, Tom Perry, Joe Jacobs and Marc Owen.
Hazelden has already racked up a paid maximum and Sarjeant knows his way around Loomer Road after a solid season with the Potters last year.
Owen raced at the Potteries venue a couple of weeks back as part of the Isle of Wight side and scored consistently.
The qualifiers will meet up with the 10 seeded riders in the final – Jerran Hart, Kyle Newman, Kyle Howarth, Joe Haines, Richie Worrall, Steve Worrall, Jason Garrity, Robert Branford, Ben Morley and Ashley Morris.
Semi-final line-up: Jake Knight, James Sarjeant, Shane Hazelden, Joe Jacobs, Ben Hopwood, Tom Perry, Brendan Johnson, Marc Owen, Stefan Nielsen, Richard Franklin, Adam Wrathall, Ben Reade, Darryl Ritchings, Tom Stokes, Richard Andrews and Tom Young.
STOKE Eazy Rider Potters will entertain Dudley in the second leg of the Staffordshire Cup on Saturday, April 21.
The National League meeting against Isle of Wight, which was scheduled for that date, will be rearranged for later in the season.
Meanwhile, Hartshill Cycles have sponsored the Stoke Spitfires race jackets in the Midland Development League.
The Spitfires's first meeting is at Belle Vue on Monday.
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