LATEST NEWS ~ JANUARY 2006

JACK’S THE LAD
Tuesday 31st January 2006
17-year-old Jack Hargreaves has been confirmed as the Redcar Bear's latest signing. Jack , a portage of former Middlesbrough Bear Graham Jones, was a heat leader with Conference League side the Stoke Spitfires in 2005. The Shropshire lad started his career as a 15-year-old with the Wolverhampton Wolf Cubs under the promotion of Redcar boss Chris Van Straaten. Both parties are obviously pleased to link up again as the promising youngster takes his opportunity in the Premier League at the South Tees Motorsport Park, Dormor Way, Middlesbrough.

Jack joins Gary Havelock, Matt Tresarrieu and fellow grade B reserve Daniel Giffard in the Bears ranks. With the ink dry on that contract, Chris Van Straaten has been in negotiation with an exciting young continental star and his capture may be announced from mid-week.
 

DAD’S THE WAY TO DO IT FOR BEARS!
Saturday 28th January 2006 by Speedway, Evening Gazette
Havvy No 2 has joined the Redcar Bears! For Brian Havelock - a member of the Middlesbrough Tigers' 1981 National League championship-winning side has agreed to become manager of speedway's newest team. Havvy senior now joins son Gary, the 1992 world champion, who will captain the Bears in their debut season which begins in April.

Brian, who also rode for Sunderland, Newcastle, Berwick, Workington and Stoke, managed Middlesbrough in 1985. He has also managed Newcastle and Hull and is looking forward to his new challenge. A contract has yet to actually be signed, but neither party expects any problems and the new team boss said: "I'm looking forward to it.

"It's been a long time since Middlesbrough had speedway or greyhounds and it's great that speedway is coming back to Teesside." It will be the second time Havvy senior has been manager of a team containing his son - Gary was a 16-year-old rookie in the 1985 Tigers side. "He's grown up now - he can take a telling off," said Brian. When he was 16 he used to tell me to get of his back! I'm quite a taskmaster - I was even when he was coming through as a teenager. Second or third place is no good to me."

Bears co-promoter Gareth Rogers welcomed Havelock's decision to accept their offer and said: "We are delighted to have him on board. He is a Teessider and he has experience of management - he has good man-management skills."

Meanwhile Glasgow Tigers have now been confirmed as members of Redcar's Premier Trophy group which also includes Newcastle, Berwick, Edinburgh, Stoke, Workington and Sheffield.
 

HAVVY SENIOR TO MANAGE BEARS
Friday 27th January 2006
BRIAN Havelock has accepted the role of team manager with Premier League newcomers Redcar. Havelock is a former captain and team boss of the Bears' local rivals Newcastle and now takes charge of the team for the re-launch of League speedway on Teesside.

Redcar will stage their first meeting at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday April 13 with Sheffield pencilled in as opponents.
 

HAVVY IN SEAN CRACKER
Wednesday 25th January 2006
FORMER world champion Gary Havelock is the latest big name to be confirmed in Sean Wilson’s 20th anniversary celebration event. Havelock, who will ride for the sport’s newest club Redcar next season, takes his place in the Sean Cracker at Sheffield on March 12. Wilson said: “I’m really grateful to him for agreeing to ride as we have been friends for longer than I want to remember!”
 

HAVVY's HOMECOMING!
Friday 20th January 2006
Former World Speedway Champion Gary Havelock has agreed terms with the Redcar Bears management and will spearhead the new Premier League campaign in 2006.

That's the great news that will be greeted with delight by Teeside speedway fans who witnessed the local boy break into the sport at Cleveland Park, Middlesbrough as a 16-year-old reserve and go on to become British Champion, British League Champion, a multi-capped England international, England Captain, and to take the sports ultimate prize on his debut in a World Final. Now the greatest 'Bear' of all time is back where it all began in his native North-East.

Club owner Chris Van Straaten commented: 'This is even more than just a major signing. Gary will exert such a positive influence in the pits on the younger team members who can learn so much from a rider who has been World.Number One Also, any youngster on Teeside who aspires to a professional career can attend our training sessions and know that they have an opportunity to receive the benefit of his advice and experience. This makes the relaunch of Premier League racing so creditable whilst providing a platform for the development and recruitment of talent for many years ahead.'

This does ensure that the Bears will be box-office at home and away as Gary becomes the first former World Champion to race at Premier League level.

He commented: 'I had various offers for the new season but I talked it over with my wife and we felt that coming home after all those years on the road was just the right thing to do for myself and the club. I was so pleased when I heard the sport was returning. Now I am thrilled to be a Bear again and look forward to the challenge of visiting a series of new tracks next season.'

Havvy at new Redcar site

HAVVY ROARS HOME
20th January 2006 by Martin Neal, Evening Gazette
Teesside's new speedway team have landed a major coup by snapping up former world champion and England skipper Gary Havelock. Havvy agreed terms with the Redcar Bears yesterday and will join as No 1, captain and rider/coach. The 38-year-old Eaglescliffe- born star, who has remained living on Teesside throughout his career, began with the old Middlesbrough Tigers as a teenager and embarked on a glittering top-flight career at the start of 1986 when he joined Bradford.

For the past 20 years he has been one of world speedway's biggest names. He has a list of honours as long as your arm and was elevated to national hero in 1992 when he became the first Englishman for 12 years to win the sport's biggest prize in Wroclaw, Poland. Now he becomes the first ever former world champion to ride in the Premier League.

Havvy, who rode last year for Arena Essex in the Elite League, was on the verge of rejoining Peterborough until the new points limit scuppered those plans. "After that went pear-shaped it went quiet for a while," revealed Havvy. "I thought I might have to look for a job! "Then I started getting quite a few calls. I had the option of riding for another Elite League team and I always said that I would finish riding at the top. But the more I thought about riding for Redcar, the more it made sense. The fact that speedway is coming back to Teesside is a big thing for me - I am a local lad and it means a great deal to me. I'm really excited about it."
 

REDCAR SIGN UP ‘STYLISH’ GIFFARD
Thursday 19th January 2006 Evening Gazette
Redcar Bears have continued their team-building with the signing of Daniel Giffard. The 21-year-old Sussex-based rider joins Frenchman Matt Tresarrieu, whose signing was revealed in the Gazette yesterday. A product of the famous Eastbourne Academy, he steps back up into the Premier League having ridden as a heat leader with Weymouth Wildcats in the Conference League last year.

Giffard will be determined to make up for lost time after an horrific crash at Stoke in 2003 in which he was lucky to only suffer two badly broken ankles. He joins speedway's newest track as a Grade B reserve as part of the league's policy that all teams must track two young Brits at the bottom end. Promoters Gareth Rogers and Chris van Straaten expect to announce further signings soon.

"It is actually Chris van Straaten who is putting the team jigsaw together," explained Rogers, "but ironically Matt and Daniel have joined us from my previous two clubs - the Isle of Wight Islanders and the Eastbourne Eagles respectively. I know a fair amount about both, especially Daniel whose family and support team I know personally. Daniel is stylish, brave and quite a character. I look forward to working with him."

Rogers and van Straaten also expect to reveal their fixture list shortly. The opening meeting at South Tees Motorsports Park is pencilled in for Thursday, April 13 - but the new Bears team are certain to be in away action before then.
 

PETER HARRISON MEMORIAL TROPHY
Wednesday 18th January 2006 By Evening Gazette
A memorial trophy is being launched in tribute to a lifelong speedway enthusiast. A purpose-built speedway track is due to open at South Tees Motorsports Park, South Bank, around March. And promoters have announced plans to launch the Peter Harrison Memorial Trophy, which will be presented to the most promising or improved young rider in the new Redcar team.

Mr Harrison died aged 58 in April last year from cancer. He was well known at Cleveland Park, Middlesbrough, the area's former home of speedway.
 

BEARS SIGN FRENCH ACE
Wednesday 18th January 2006 Speedway, Martin Neal Evening Gazette
Teesside's new speedway team have made their first signing. The Redcar Bears, who will be based at South Tees Motorsports Park in South Bank, have snapped up 19-year-old French starlet Matt Tresarrieu on loan from the Isle of Wight. Tresarrieu is the youngest of three brothers introduced to British speedway by Islanders, and is widely regarded as the most talented of the trio.

The Evening Gazette exclusively revealed this week that the Bears would be entering the Premier League in their debut season. Teams in that league must track a seven-man team whose top five have a combined match average of no more than 33 points (without bonus points).

Tresarrieu arrives on a match average of 4.96 which means he will take up a second string berth, in support of the three heat leaders. He has already confirmed he will leave his native Bordeaux and live on Teesside for the season.

Bears promoters Gareth Rogers and Chris Van Straaten expect the remainder of their team to be put together soon. Former world champion and England skipper Gary Havelock has emerged as a prime target to lead his local side. The Bears management are in negotiations with the Marton-based star about a contract, and are also hoping to entice his dad, Brian, to South Tees Motorsports Park as team manager.

And they have unveiled the design of their racejacket, which is pictured above.
 

REDCAR IN DOUBLE SWOOP
REDCAR have made their first two signings with youngsters Matthew Tresarrieu and Daniel Giffard joining the sport’s newest club. The Bears will race at Premier League level when the tapes rise on their first season in April.

Redcar co-boss Gareth Rogers said: “Chris Van Straaten is actually putting the team together but I know plenty about these two riders and I believe they can do a great job for the club.”
 

HEADING FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Tuesday 17th January 2006 by Jason Pipe
The Redcar Bears will take their place in the Premier League in their debut season, starting in March. According to the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, the Redcar Bears announced their intentions after the promoting team visited the site of the stadium which is currently being constructed at the South Tees Motorsport Park in South Bank. Their other option was to race in the Conference League, the bottom level of British speedway's three-tier hierarchy.
 
Speaking to the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, co-promoter Gareth Rogers explained: "We needed to go on site and see how the work was progressing before we could make a decision on which league to run in.
 
"It wasn't just about putting a track in - we are building this up from scratch. So costs and time scale come in to it as well as electricity and water supplies, catering. health and safety and things like that. But we were delighted with the progress being made - Glyn Taylor, who is building the circuit, expects to have the track marked out within two weeks of our visit and testing it out on a bike by the end of February.” The provisional date for the first Bears match of 2006 is Thursday 13th April.
 
Promoters Rogers and Chris Van Straaten have been working feverishly behind the scenes on team plans throughout the winter and the seven-man line-up will soon take shape.
 
Negotiations are also taking place between the club, Brian Havelock and Gary Havelock, and a favourable outcome is hoped for in the very near future.
 

REDCAR GO PREMIER
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
REDCAR are to apply for Premier League membership as work on their new track is progressing well. The Bears will race on Thursday nights at the South Tees Motorsport Park, close to Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium, taking the league up to 14 clubs.

Co-promoter Gareth Rogers explained: "We needed to go on site and see how the work was progressing before we could make a decision on which league to run in.”

Redcar Speedway Co Promoter, Gareth Rogers, also confirmed this evening that a new club call phone line has been set up to bring all the fans up to date news from within the BEARS camp. The club call number is 09068 555801 This is already up and running and will confirm which league we will be running in , from midday on Monday 16th January. It has also been confirmed that we will be known as the REDCAR BEARS
 

FULL INTERVIEW WITH REDCAR OWNER
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on 09068 555 801 - calls 60p/min.
 

MONARCHS BID FOR HAVELOCK
Gary Havelock is going to be the first British World Champion to ride in the Premier League. Middlesbrough born Havvy has three offers on the table from clubs. Edinburgh Monarchs have tabled an offer to sign former world champion Gary Havelock - but admit they have little chance of landing the 37-year-old Englishman.

"Gary has received three offers including one from Elite League Arena Essex who initially released him this year," said Harkess. "However, it is my belief Gary is odds-on to link up with Redcar which is virtually on his doorstep, if Redcar launch he could be the rider to help launch it.

Middlesbrough-based Havelock is virtually certain to join new entrants Redcar Bears, who were expected to confirm today their intention to race in the Premier League this season.

It is believed Redcar co-promotor Chris Van Straaten wants Havelock, who lifted the world title in 1992, to skipper his side - and Monarchs chairman Alex Harkess confessed this is the likely outcome.

"Although I had great international success during my time at Bradford, the four years at Poole were without doubt my most enjoyable. I have gone on record many times and have probably bored the pants off people, but the whole atmosphere riding for Poole is something very special. The town revs up for speedway on a Wednesday night like most sporting towns do for football.

"It’s odd that when I travel back to Poole as a visiting rider over the last 3 seasons from Middlesbrough, the journey seems to take forever and I have sometimes thought, did I really used to make this journey every week? But at the time it never bothered me because you arrive in the whole racing atmosphere kicked in.

Havvy considered quitting. "After a good start at Arena I finished pretty poorly. I have nothing but praise for the Hammers and the fans in particular. I thought I was heading back to Peterborough for 2006. CH is a sponsor, but the conference put paid to that. Redcar asked me to help launch, but there was no indication at the time I could be part of the set up. I was happy to assist. Then CVS asked me how I would feel about heading the new club. I should know in the next 48 hours. But two other clubs also want my services."
 

REDCAR TO DECIDE
Saturday, January 14, 2006
REDCAR owner Chris Van Straaten will reveal which league the sport’s newest club will race in on Monday. Van Straaten has confirmed the Teesside club, based close to Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium, will be in the Conference or Premier League.

He said: “The media interest has been spectacular and I realise I cannot hold back any longer, a decision has to be made and we will make an announcement on Monday.”
 

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