Hometown boy becomes second reserve

SCUNTHORPE schoolboy Liam Sanderson will join fellow 15-year old Reece Downes in one of the Scunthorpe Stags’ reserve berths when they the club start their National League season at the end of the month. The youngster has made strong progress since starting out on the club’s training track with Wayne Carter last May and worked his way up through the amateur meeting classes to deserve his opportunity.

Talking about signing for his hometown club, Sanderson said: “I can’t believe I was just watching from the terraces just a few months and now I’m going to be riding for the Stags.

“I’ve got to thank Wayne Carter for this because he has helped me so much. He is fantastic with everyone who comes to his mini track sessions and training schools and has been brilliant with me since my first ever go on the mini track. I’d also like to thank Rob (Godfrey) and Richard (Hollingsworth) for this opportunity. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Stags’ Chairman Richard Hollingsworth certainly feels sure Sanderson is a star in the making.

Hollingsworth said: “Liam is a brave young man who has done so well under the tutelage of Wayne Carter.

“I remember his dad finding me at a home meeting only last May and asking to book him in for a mini track session. He’d done some Motocross and was planning to follow his dad into road racing, but as soon as he came along to watch the Scorpions he said he wanted to have a go.

“He immediately became a regular on the mini track and after about his first four goes on the mini track and a training school with Wayne on the main track, he entered his first amateur meeting.”

Sanderson scored 9 points out of 15 in the qualifying rides of that first meeting, won the ‘B’ Final and finished fourth in the ‘A’ Final.

Four more Novice Class entries saw four more ‘A’ Finals including two victories before he top scored in both legs of the inter-club meetings against the Southern Track Riders’ Club.

From November Liam competed in the Support Class, and three class victories and a tapes exclusion in the other ‘A’ Final, secured the Winter Series title with one meeting to go before he made his debut in the Open Class at the beginning of March.

A crash in his second ride saw him sit out the rest of the meeting but Hollingsworth knows it is just part of the learning process.

“It wasn’t the first mistake Liam has made since he’s been riding. He’s had crashes and tapes exclusions but with Wayne Carter in his corner he is learning from them all the time. He takes all the opportunities he can to ride and the progress he has made in such a relatively short space of time is quite incredible.”

Hollingsworth added: “Four winters ago we had Steve Worrall and Ashley Birks winning the Support Class in our amateur meetings and they have been Premier League regulars for three seasons so that is why we have to get this type of rider into the National League early and give them the experience that the Steve and Ash received in 2010.

“Of course, Liam is much younger and has far less Motocross experience than that pair but he has so time on his side. It will be tough to start with but that is why we have put the two fifteen year olds at reserve.

“We have decided who the last two riders are going to be and they will be announced over the next two weeks. However, I must stress that the selection process never comes to an end. Riders are coming to every amateur meeting and impressing us and it is those who we will look to when we need short or long-term injury replacements or as the team evolves for future seasons.

“Our strategy of developing riders is not a one-season wonder but a long-term commitment and we will continue to look out for riders with potential over the Summer Championship which starts on Saturday 5th April.”

The Stags first meeting, at home to the Kent Kings, is on Sunday 30th March, following the Scunthorpe Scorpions first meeting of the season against the Sheffield Tigers, whilst anyone wanting information on club’s amateur meetings should contact Hollingsworth via richard@scunthorpespeedway.com or 07832-402167.

2014 SCUNTHORPE STAGS (first five signings):
Steve Jones
Arron Mogridge
Ryan MacDonald
Reece Downes
Liam Sanderson