Team manager Stewart Dickson had to be at his persuasive best to secure the signature of Berwick Bandits’ newest recruit.
In an interview with Scott Frame for the club’s Total Access! podcast Drew Kemp reveals that he had been all set to give the British Championship a miss in 2024 to concentrate on his burgeoning Polish career after signing for Lodz in the Ekstraliga.
But Dickson, who has also retained Kemp in Leicester’s Premiership team had other ideas.
“I planned to concentrate on the Premiership and Poland,” the 21-year-old admitted, “but Stewart was adamant he wanted me at Berwick and the deal was quickly done.
“In addition to Stewart one of the attractions of Berwick is the opportunity to ride a big, fast track on a regular basis. As far as my career development is concerned, I know I ride the small tracks well but I’m really looking forward to the new challenge which I think will benefit me away from Britain.”
The Bandits will be Kemp’s 11th club in his six-year career. He was a member of Poole’s 2023 double winning side , one in which he has never been afraid of bucking the trend when it comes to his career path.
That included initially sitting out of British speedway in the opening stages of 2023 before joining Scunthorpe and Leicester.
“I still believe that was the right thing to do,” Kemp said. “British speedway can be quite a toxic environment to be in at times and removing myself from that was the best thing for me at the start of the season. I understand the frustrations of fans , as riders we get equally frustrated, but the criticism often goes well over the top.
“One of the things about joining a club like Berwick is that from what I have seen as a visiting rider as long as you put the effort in, they will back you. In the past teams have travelled there expecting to get something and I know that is something that Stewart is very keen to change.”
Words by Berwick Speedway – Images courtesy of Ian Rispin
