British Cycle Speedway Championship to be held in Newport

The club is one of the smallest in the UK, but is excited to host two legs of the men’s semi-finals, the junior championship (under 18s) and the under 16s girls championship.

East Newport has one member, Dan Wright, competing in the junior championships.

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Speedway cycling is a contact sport that involves cycling for four laps around an outdoor shale speedway track, which has to be between 64m and 90m.

The bikes used are specialised and have no brakes and no gears.

This will be the first national event held at East Newport for more than 10 years.

The club were due to host the event last year, but Covid restrictions meant that the championships had to be postponed.

Chris Wright, the club secretary for East Newport, said: “It's very nice to be involved with this because we're only a small club.

“To host a prestigious event like this is something special.

“Hopefully this will raise awareness of us in the area and show people what we actually do, because like I said we're only a small club and at the moment we only have 20 people on our books.

“The pandemic did hit us quite badly and we lost quite a few riders.

“I’m hoping this event will raise the profile of the club, not just from the Underwood area but from surrounding areas as well.”

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The club has one of the shortest tracks in the UK at just 64.5m, which is predicted to lead to a more tactical race instead of just flat out speed.

East Newport Cycle Speedway Club is based at Larch Grove playing fields in Underwood.

To get in touch with the club, visit their Facebook page and leave a message.