Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Gary Havelock thanks supporters after Farewell Meet reprieve

5 Feb 2014 14:10

BSPA announced ERC at Coventry will now take place two days later, leaving former Redcar Bears captain Havvy to enjoy his big night



Picture by Peter Reimann


Gary Havelock


Teesside speedway legend Gary Havelock has thanked everyone who supported him after a clash of dates between his Farewell Meeting and the Elite Riders’ Championship was averted.


The Eaglescliffe-born former world champion was left with the prospect of having a much lower crowd and fewer top riders to invite after the prestige Elite Riders’ Championship was switched to Friday, March 21 – the night his own big night is taking place at Poole.


But the British Speedway Riders’ Association decision to move their meeting so it could be shown live on TV provoked a massive internet backlash from fans, which was reflected in the mainstream press.


Now the BSPA has announced the ERC at Coventry will now take place two days later, leaving former Redcar Bears captain Havvy to enjoy his big night as planned.


The BSPA statement read: “We have agreed to move the ERC to this slot (March 23) which leaves the March 21 date clear for Gary Havelock’s Farewell at Poole.”


Havvy, who still lives in Marton, was naturally overjoyed.


He said: “I’m delighted. I was getting ready for a massive fight which now isn’t going to happen, so the next six weeks are going to be much more stress-free.


“Now I can get down to planning again instead of fighting a fight we didn’t want to have.


“The support I’ve had has been fantastic and I’m so grateful to yourselves (the Gazette), the Bournemouth Echo and the online bloggers who highlighted my plight. But first and foremost I want to thank the fans who have shown their support - it’s been overwhelming.


“I’ve even had people telling me that they were never my biggest fan and weren’t going to attend my meeting, but because of what I’ve had to put up with this week, they’re going to be there!”



No comments:

Post a Comment