The newly formed Plymouth “Southwest Tyre Recycling” Centurions are pleased to announce their seventh and final signing for the coming 2022 National Development League season. 

Suffolk based Connor King will be making the move to Devon after previously having spells with the Isle of Wight and Eastbourne during the 2019 and 2021 seasons. 

Plymouth owner Mark Phillips said “I am thrilled to have completed the line-up for the Centurions so early into the new year. Connor comes in on a 3.67 average but, while that might seem a little low, I believe he is a rider far better than that average suggests”. 

23-year-old king, who has shown great consistency and promise around the Coliseum circuit in past visits, will join Adam Extance in the middle order of the team and on paper making the National League newcomers a strong looking outfit, especially at home. 

Centurions team manager Mattie Bates added “I’m extremely happy Connor has agreed to come ride for Plymouth this coming season. 

I’ve always been impressed with his progression and his form around the Coliseum in the past. He’s still young and still learning his trade so to speak, I think Plymouth is the perfect place for him to have a breakthrough season and I’m excited to be working with him.”

King completes the Centurions alongside the six previously announced team members Dan Gilkes, Henry Atkins, Richard Andrews, Ben Trigger, Adam Extance and Eli Meadows.

The newly formed Plymouth SWTR Centurions National Development League Team have announced 6 of the 7 Riders for their 2022 NDL season

Heading up the sextet will be Dan Gilkes and Henry Atkins from the higher Championship level Plymouth Gladiators Team.

Northampton based Dan Gilkes is a former NDL League winner with Kent in 2019 and headed the Kent Royals NDL Averages in 2021 with his 10.24 match average making him the highest rated NDL Rider.

He will form a formidable spearhead with Devon's own emerging star Henry Atkins. 

Henry missed almost all of the 2021 season due to a serious shoulder injury suffered on just the 10th lap of his 2021 NDL season, after comfortably winning his first two races. 

Widely recognised as one of the best British born prospects of his age group he will be seeking to battle with Dan for the no 1 spot in the SWTR Centurions Team.

The SWTR Centurions are also delighted to announce the return of two of the most popular NDL Riders from the club's most recent NDL seasons prior to joining the Championship league in 2021.

Adam Extance who was enjoying the most productive spell of his speedway career before suffering serious injuries in the late summer of the 2019 season whilst riding at Kent and widely regarded as one of the leading all-round motorcyclists in many forms of motorcycling sport, will return fully fit and raring to go.

Joining him in the engine room of the SWTR Centurions side will be the most popular Plymouth rider of his generation and one of the most popular NDL riders of all time across the sport in Richard Andrews. 

Mr Entertainment on and off the track and a superb team member, Richard will combine a return to The Coliseum with his increasing interest in 4 wheel Stock Car action, in which he made excellent progress in 2021.  

Next up is local lad Ben Trigger, a regular at The Coliseum as a both mascot and in pre and post meeting demonstration rides for several seasons and the current British Youth 500cc Champion and a regular Podium finisher in age groups at 125cc and 250cc in recent years.

Ben made his NDL debut immediately following his 15th birthday last season for the Leicester Lion Cubs and enjoyed a solid debut season in the sport at team level and will seek to build and consolidate on that on his return home to join the SWTR Centurions.

The Club has also agreed terms with another exciting young prospect in Eli Meadows. 

The former Somerset Rebels Mascot enjoyed a successful season at MSDL level in 2021 primarily with the Eastbourne Seagulls and also made an eye-catching NDL cameo performance being paid for 7 points for the NDL level Seagulls against Leicester. 

Eli will start in the reserve berth and his smooth style just needs to be allied to a bit more speed to make a big impact.

The final member of the Centurions 2022 Team will be named in a few weeks with several riders being considered and the Club will also invite any young rider wishing to stake a claim to the regular Training Schools once they recommence in February

The SWTR Centurions will be  managed by the highly popular Co-Promoter Mattie Bates, who will be looking for the Team to be challenging for League honours and  to become a key conveyor belt of emerging talent for the Club in the coming seasons.

Promoter and Director Mark Phillips commented

“In Dan and Henry I feel sure that we have 2 riders who can beat anyone at this level, both will be key members too of the Championship Gladiators Team and the added track time gained at NDL level can only help them, especially Henry who was so unlucky last season. 

Richard and Adam are both highly competent at this level and very popular with our fans and both will be great mentors for the younger riders and it is great to see Ben getting a chance to show us what he can do at this level as he builds his career after a solid start in Team Racing in 2021 and we have high hopes for Eli too; who has been a regular visitor to our Training sessions for a few years..

2022 Season tickets are now on sale via the online ticket store.  Click here to launch.

To learn more about South West Tyre Recycling, click on the image below.

Plymouth Speedway are delighted to announce the launch of their 2022 Season Tickets for their Championship Plymouth Gladiators and National Development League (NDL) Plymouth SWTR Centurions Teams.

Supporters have the choice to purchase Season Tickets for all areas of the Stadium either for  ALL Gladiators and Centurion Fixtures (Championship and NDL combined) or just Championship (CL) Fixtures.

In a further enhancement, specific seats are now bookable in the All-Seater NHS Home Straight stand.

To simplify ease of access; each of the 400 NHS Stand Seats has been individually numbered.

There will be 6 Sections (from left to right in the picture above) 5 Rows (top Row is Row 1 and bottom Row is Row 5) and Seats will be numbered from left to right (Seats 1-80 top row / 81 to 160 second row etc,down to seats 321 to 400 (Bottom Row).

To give a specific example, the 5th Section (The "S" of the NHS Stand) is the one closest to the Starting Gate / Finish Line with Seat Ranges of 54-66 (top row) 134 to 146 (second row) 214 to 226 (third row); 294 to 306 (fourth row) and 374 to 386 (bottom row).

Season Tickets can also be booked for Area 2 which is the Back Straight stands and Top Bend (Flyover Bend) Standing Areas and there are unreserved seats available to in the First Bend Stand (top row only).  To reserve spaces in the Disabled Stand, which is situated adjacent to the entry to the back straight of the Track, please contact us once you have purchased a ticket.

To purchase Season Tickets please click here to visit the online ticket store, where a full explanation of the pricing structure for Adults and Children, and the cost of individual meetings  is available.

Once the number of tickets have been selected, fans purchasing NHS Stand Tickets need to scroll down to select the specific Seat(s) before paying and checking out, whilst for all other Areas simply decide which type of ticket you require and then proceed to payment and checking out.

Please ensure that you use the correct email address.  Once payment is made you will receive an email receipt (please check your spam box too)

Along with the electronic receipt, all Season Tickets holders will be sent a Season Ticket in the post efore the start of the 2022 season ( which is anticipated to be in late March 2022).

Season Tickets will be posted from Tuesday 1st March or can be collected from the Stadium from that date or at the first Match. All Season Ticket Holders will be e-mailed with full collection / delivery options on 15th February 2022.

All queries should be referred to admin@plymouth-speedway.com (please note this email address should be used and not any old ones) PLEASE allow 24 hours for a response. Queries cannot be answered from any of the Official or Unofficial Social Media Channels (Facebook; Twitter etc) 

Main image credit: Jon Spoard

Click on the image below, to visit the online store

Following the recent announcement that Plymouth Speedway will also be running a National Development League team, The Centurions,  the club are delighted to announce that South West Tyre Recycling Ltd will be the Centurions team sponsor for 2022.

To learn more about South West Tyre Recycling Ltd, please click here.

Our huge thanks for their support.  

Plymouth Speedway have announced that they will be running two Speedway Teams in 2022; with the newly formed Plymouth Centurions entering the third tier National Development League (NDL).

They will join the Plymouth Gladiators; who have already announced their full 7 man Team to participate in the Championship League, the second Tier of British Speedway for a second season after a hugely successful return to that Level in 2021.

Club Director and Promoter Mark Phillips is delighted that the Clubs application has been approved and explained the opportunities it will create for the Club.

"We enjoyed a very successful season in The Championship in 2021 with both excellent Crowds, which grew week by week and some very exciting Racing with a succession of last Heat deciders and some of the most fast and furious competitive action for our wonderful support to enjoy every week.

With the Championship League being 11 strong in 2022 with the exciting addition of Oxford who return to the Sport after more than two decades we will feature a minimum of 14 matches including League, Knock Out Cup and Summer Shield Fixtures, and we genuinely believe that we can reach the Play Offs and be in contention for all Competitions.

The increased focus on Youth and Development in British Speedway gives us the opportunity to re-enter the NDL as a far more vibrant Club in a more competitive Development League format than we left; and we are excited about the opportunities it will give us to develop young new talent from both Devon and Cornwall and the wider South West Areas and also from other forms of two-wheel Sport like Grass Track and MX both of which are well established in the area, via our regular and very well attended Practice and Training Programme.

The increased activity will also open up numerous new Marketing and Advertising Opportunities and will also be a boost to our plans to reach out to wider Communities and Community and Youth sectors in the South West who may not yet be aware of how exciting our Sport is.

We want to develop the next Chris Harris and Ben Barker and to find more exciting talent like our own Henry Atkins who is one of the most exciting young talents in British Speedway; and also local riders like Ben Trigger the current British 500cc Youth Champion.

We will be announcing our Season Ticket Pricing in the next couple of days and putting Season Tickets on sale by the weekend with options for the first time to book specific seats in The NHS Stand for the season.

Plymouth Gladiators are delighted to welcome Ben Barker back to The Coliseum for a third spell as a Plymouth rider for the 2022 season and complete their line up.

The Cornish born star has had previous spells with Plymouth in 2013 and 2015 and also enjoyed seasons with Trelawney and Exeter earlier in his career, and will be a popular addition with fans across the South West who love his all action style.

Barker will start in the number 4 berth giving the team an incredibly strong looking top 4 alongside Hans Andersen, Michael Palm Toft and Edward Kennett, and the Cornishman has proven time and time again, his expertise around the Plymouth track, most recently scoring 18 points and a bonus for Newcastle in the final League Meeting of the 2021 season at the end of August.

Club Director and Promoter Mark Phillips said 'To win the League and the KO Cup you have to be incredibly strong at home and have a team that can be competitive and pick up wins and bonus points away.

We believe that our septet ticks all the right boxes of experience and youth with scope to improve their averages in some cases and to more than consolidate in others.

With Ben and Edward being probably the best two riders in the UK on our home track and with Hans and Michael both world class internationals in tandem, it will be great to see them help and mentor Alfie, Dan and Henry to progress.

I'm delighted with our magnificent 7 and can't wait to start the 2022 season'.

The Club will be announcing some exciting Sponsorship deals and opportunities in the coming weeks and anticipate putting season tickets ON SALE from the 8th of December.

Main image credit: George Mutch

Highly promising 19-year-old Dan Gilkes is the latest rider to commit to the Plymouth Gladiators for the 2022 season.

The Northampton based youngster has already caught the eye of the GB Youth set up and impressed everyone with his ability whilst riding for the Kent Kings in the 2021 Championship where he averaged over 4 points a meeting and in the National League for the Kent Royals, easily finishing as their number one rider in the National League.

With Kent declaring that they will not run a Championship side in 2022, Gladiators’ owner and promoter, Mark Phillips quickly swooped to sign Gilkes stating

“Dan has great ability and promise. He has already had experience of the Plymouth track, having ridden here competitively and in closed practice sessions. I am sure he will benefit enormously by riding alongside the experienced riders we have already signed”.

Gilkes himself is delighted to have his 2022 plans already in place.

“I’m really pleased and excited to be riding for Plymouth in 2022” he declared.

“As soon as it became apparent that Kent would not be riding in the Championship, Plymouth were one of the first teams to get in contact with me. This was a massive positive as they were definitely a club that I had been interested in riding for.

I have always enjoyed riding at Plymouth. The track preparation and support I receive there has been great so to be riding there as a home rider next season is fantastic. I am looking forward to continuing my development and progression as a Gladiator in 2022.”

Gilkes’ signing leaves one more rider to be declared in the Gladiators line-up and details will be announced in the very near future.

Action shot credit: Mark Lee-Sing

Plymouth Gladiators are delighted to announce the signing of former Speedway Grand Prix Star and Danish international, Hans Andersen for the 2022 season.

Hans brings with him a wealth of title winning experience; both as an individual, including four Grand Prix wins, and in team competitions in the UK and across Europe.

He has previously been a member of two World Cup winning sides with Denmark and was most recently a member of the GB Premier League winning Peterborough Panthers team this season.

Together with another recent signing Michael Palm Toft, the two Danes look sure to form a potent spearhead at the top end of the Gladiators line-up in 2022.

The signing of Andersen follows the decision of Richard Lawson, who had verbally committed to The Gladiators for 2022, to focus more on his Premiership commitments with Kings Lynn next season and to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The club thanks Richard for his efforts both as a short term team member and as a regular guest rider during 2021.

Promoter and Director Mark Phillips said, "We are delighted to announce the arrival of another speedway superstar to spearhead our team in 2022 following on from Bjarne Pedersen and Jason Crump in 2021.

Hans, together with Michael Palm Toft and Edward Kennett, will give us formidable top end strength and experience and we can't wait to see them in action"

Phillips also confirmed that the Club will announce the final two pieces in the team jigsaw in the coming week with announcements on Wednesday and Friday and is convinced that the final 1-7 will have an outstanding balance of youth and experience and be capable of challenging for honours in 2022.

Image: Jeff Davies

The Plymouth Gladiators are delighted to confirm their heat leader trio for the 2022 season, joining the previously announced Henry Atkins and Alfie Bowtell.

Richard Lawson, who raced on a short term agreement for The Gladiators towards the end of the 2021 season, officially comes on board for 2022, and as top level rider over the past decade, brings a wealth of Premiership and Championship experience.

He is joined by Danish International Michael Palm Toft, a key member of the 2021 Premiership Champions, the Peterborough Panthers, and who has also ridden for the 2019 Cup winning Redcar Bears in the Championship for the past few seasons.

Completing the new heat leader trio is Edward Kennett, a widely experienced ex-British International, whose arrival will be warmly welcomed by Plymouth supporters, based on past performances at The Coliseum, where he was an almost unbeatable and always popular visitor.

Gladiators Promoter and Director Mark Phillips is delighted with the way his team is taking shape.

"With Richard, Michael and Edward joining the team to give us top end strength and to support and mentor the outstanding potential of young Henry Atkins and the very progressive and popular Alfie Bowtell, I feel we have made a great start towards a successful 2022 season.

Gary May made a huge impact when he arrived at the club as Team Manager last summer.

Having inherited a 2021 team that had to be built very quickly to meet BSPL approval, he is now moulding a terrific looking team of his choice, using all of his trophy winning experience, excellent contacts, and knowledge of the sport.

We can't wait to get started"

Image credits Richard Lawson: Jon Spoard

Edward Kennett: Mike Hinves

Michael Palm Toft:  Jeff Davies

The Plymouth Gladiators are delighted to confirm the return of local superstar Henry Atkins for the 2022 season.

Image: Blumonkey Media