Scunthorpe speedway are delighted to announce their intention to run in the 2026 championship league and in doing so also unveil their new number one, Josh Pickering.
Team manager David Howe says “I said in August that the sport would be facing a turbulent time and so it has proven. After last year, as a club we had to take a long hard look at things and decide what was best for the future. It has been a stressful period and both myself and Rob in particular have been working hard to get to where we feel excited about the sport again, we are there and signing Josh is a statement of intent from us”
Pickering, who last rode in the championship for Edinburgh but more recently Sheffield in the premiership joins the club on an 11 plus average but Howe feels he is worth it and that he is worth more than points on track.
“The last time we had a rider with an average over 10, we won the ko cup. Ok, I accept that dougy gained that improvement over the year but he was high to start with. What he did give us was points in those big races and set the tone for a meeting and Josh will do just the same. On top of that Josh’s personality mirrors his riding style, he wants to win and the help and knowledge he will bring to pits is what we need after quite a flat year in that regard.“
The signing of Pickering shows that the club are not content to be a club that just participates, David continues “none of us want another year like last season, it was depressing and hard work for everyone and you could see it wore everyone down. Josh comes in on a high average so we have had to look at riders who we feel will improve their own average and I am quite happy with the balance of youth and experience in the team. It’s big day for the club and I hope the fans can see that we want to provide a winning team but also an enjoyable, entertaining night out at speedway, we are looking behind the scenes on lots of ways to improve their own product.“
More team and club announcements to follow but welcome to the club Josh! 🦂
Words and Feature Image courtesy of Scunthorpe Speedway
