Scorpions complete for 2015

SCUNTHORPE Scorpions have completed their line-up for the 2015 season, announcing their final five riders to take on the rest of the Premier League, with an exciting mix of riders old and new.

In addition to the already announced Nike Lunna and Ryan Douglas, Scunthorpe will also track the following riders in 2015: David Howe, Josh Auty, Alex Davies, Carl Wilkinson and Ellis Perks.

DAVID HOWE and JOSH AUTY need no introduction to the Scunthorpe public, as the top two scoring riders in the club’s history. One or the other has finished top of the Scunthorpe averages in every season since 2009.

32-year-old Howe put a couple of injury-hit years behind him to reclaim the No 1 spot in the Scorpions’ line-up in 2014. The former British Under-21 Champion, who has twice competed in the British Grand Prix in Cardiff, joined Scunthorpe in 2009, and David will spend a seventh successive season in Scorpions’ colours in 2015.

Auty, aged 24, has featured in three Scunthorpe championship winning teams, the all-conquering Conference League sides of 2006 and 2007, and the Premier League championship winning side of 2012. A hugely popular rider, due to his trademark swoops from behind, ‘Mr Entertainment’ returns for a fourth successive season with the Scorpions in 2015, and his seventh season with the club in total. Scunthorpe bought Josh’s contract from Coventry during the 2014 season.

The Scorpions are also pleased to welcome back CARL WILKINSON, 33, who along with Howe & Auty, is also a Scunthorpe club legend. In his previous spell with the Scorpions, which lasted from 2008 to 2011, ‘Wilko’ knocked up more than 1200 points for the club.

Then there’s the newcomers. Australian ALEX DAVIES first rode for Newport, and then spent a couple of years riding for the Somerset Rebels in 2012 and 2013. He increased his average to 7.38 in 2013 and he helped the Rebels to the Premier League championship. He was due to ride for Plymouth in 2014, but unable to take his place due to visa issues. The 22-year-old will return to British shores in 2015 with the Scorpions.

17-year-old ELLIS PERKS is the son of former referee Robbie Perks and the great nephew of former Cradley Heath, Long Eaton and Oxford rider Dave Perks. His family emigrated to Australia when he was ten, and he lives on the Gold Coast of Queensland. Ellis has rose up the junior ranks in Australia, and rode a number of meetings in late 2014 while on a visit to the UK, including two meetings for the Scunthorpe Stags National League side, top scoring in both those meetings. He has signed a contract with Elite League champions, the Poole Pirates, and has been loaned out to Scunthorpe for the year.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “I don’t think I really need to say that much about David or Josh, simply to say that I’m delighted to have them back. They were always in our plans for this season. They are both a huge part of this club, and I hope that continues for many years to come.

“As for Carl Wilkinson, when we wanted a guest for Somerset at the end of last season in the play-offs, he was only too happy to oblige and he ended up top scoring. We had him here at Scunny for the play-off against Ipswich and he was pretty good again, winning a couple of races, so you can easily forget how dependable he is.

“He is Mr Reliable and every team needs a rider like Wilko.

“Carl’s going to go to some places where some people will be struggling and he’ll be wiping the floor with everyone. That’s what Carl’s about and his average (5.24) is not going to go down.”

Alex Davies will start the season in the second heat-leader position, behind Howe.

Godfrey is delighted to welcome a rider who is a quality performer around the Eddie Wright Raceway.

“He sent me an e-mail recently, and I put him on the backburner for a while I saw where our team planning was heading. As it is, he fits in perfectly.

“Alex has been one of the best away scorers around our track. Every time he came to Scunny in the past with whoever he was riding for at the time, be it Newport or Somerset, he always filled his boots.

“I’m very pleased with the signing. He was stuffed last season by the visa troubles, but he’s had a year out already, so there will be no problems on the visa front this time and he’s chomping at the bit to come back. He was all set up for it last year with four new bikes and everything else but it just didn’t happen for him, so he can’t wait to get back here.”

Perks will line-up at reserve on an assessed 3.00 average.

Godfrey said: “It’s another extension of our excellent relationship with Poole which has developed out of our link-up last season in the National League. We’ve got to thank Poole for their help but we’ll hopefully be giving Ellis the training he needs to go onto bigger and better things, so it all works well for both clubs.

“He came to our place at the end of last season to guest for the Stags and he would have scored 21 out of 21 had he not been harshly excluded in one race.”

Perks will link with Finland’s Nike Lunna at reserve.

“Primarily, we need to win at home, but we’re going to set off with two very inexperienced reserves”, admitted Godfrey. “But that doesn’t faze me because by the time they’ve had half a dozen meetings, they’re going to be pretty good.

“We have a habit of giving young lads a go, sticking with them and hopefully making them good riders.”

The complete 2015 Scunthorpe Scorpions (with starting averages for team building):

David Howe 7.50
Alex Davies 7.38
Josh Auty 7.16
Ryan Douglas 6.73
Carl Wilkinson 5.24
Nike Lunna 5.00
Ellis Perks 3.00