Berwick Bandits continue their preparations for the new speedway season, the club currently overhauling the circuit at their Shielfield Park home.
The Polyfoam safety barrier surrounding both bends – installed in 2012 – has been removed and renovated over the winter with new posts and a mesh fence installed last weekend.
The starting line at Shielfield Park is also being moved around five metres back from its current position, a switch designed to make the frantic race from the tapes to the first bend more even – and safer.
Having significantly widened the track during the pre-covid winter of 2019/20 it is the latest in a series of circuit improvements by the Berwick promotion.
Promoter Steve Dews, who was one a crew of volunteers undertaking the work at Shielfield Park last weekend, said: “It’s a relatively small alteration which probably won’t register with many fans in the stadium, but will subtly change things for the riders, make for more even starts and increasing the quality of racing.”
The new configuration will be on display for the first time when the 2024 Bandits assemble for Press and Practice on 23 March with the opening meeting against Workington seven days later.
Words by George Dodds – Images by Berwick Speedway
