The decision of World Under-21 Champion Lee Richardson to compete in the British Under-21 Final is a major boost to the event to be held at Armadale on Friday.
This constitutes a round of the World Under-21 Championship for which Lee Richardson, as holder, is no longer eligible. Despite not being able to procede, he has a burning ambition to add the British Under-21 to his World title having finished second in each of the last three years.
Lee Richardson commented:
"Winning the World Under-21 at Vojens (Denmark) obviously was the pinnacle of my career, it's what I've been aiming for and the biggest thing I've ever won, a hell of a feeling."
"It's going to make it hard for me at the British Under-21 because I'm the World Under-21 Champion, and everyone's going to want to beat me. I'm not allowed to progress in the World stages because you can't ride in them again after you've won it.
"But I'm desperate to win the British title as well after three years of being second, and being my last year at this level."
Richardson will be riding one of the six Masek bikes with which he has been sponsored this season.
Richardson has had a mixed time at Armadale. He has visted on four ocassions, three times with Reading and once with the England Under-21 side. In 1997 he scored four points from four rides for Reading in the Cup Semi-final, but fared better in the subsequent League encounter with nine plus two bonus points from six rides. This included one paid win, three second places and one paid second plus a last place. He fared better in 1998 scoring ten points in the Premiership for Reading including three wins one third place a fall and an exclusion. His best score was eleven points from six rides and came in the Test Match for England Under-21. He won one heat ahead of Scott Lamb, and finished second four times, three of them behind James Grieves and one behind Blair Scott. His other ride was a last place after falling.
Lee will probably start favourite for the event but will face competition from David Howe, Simon Stead and the home riders Ross Brady and Blair Scott. With Lee unable to progress to the Continental Quarter-final, this means that it is likely that a top-eight position will be sufficient for the other riders to make progress.