REDCAR boss Gavin Parr says he is “quietly confident” with the new Bears side for 2025.
The Teesside club revealed their new team on Saturday night with Charles Wright, Danny King, Jason Edwards and Jake Mulford returning to the Ecco Arena.
They are joined by new faces Erik Riss, Ace Pijper and Tom Spencer.
Parr said: “We are really happy with the new team. We look very competitive compared to other clubs which have been revealed in the Cab Direct Championship.
“We have a terrific top three which, we believe, are a match for anyone else in the league.
“Redcar are a small club, we don’t go shouting from the rooftops about we are going to win this or that.
“But over the years we have brought back silverware with a couple of Pairs wins in recent years and the KO Cup.”
It’s a potent top three with Wright and King both former British Champions while Riss is a double World Longtrack champion.
He added: “We know what we will get from Charles. I believe there’s better to come from Danny, people forget he rode with an injury issue for most of last season.
“Erik can really be very special in this league at a club like Redcar. We were eager to get him here which was hard because he’s a very busy rider. We are delighted to get him.”
Parr is eager for the younger brigade of the team to learn from, arguably, the most decorated top three in the league.
He added: “I work very hard on man management and I think the younger lads need an arm around them at times.
“I’ve told them that they can learn so much from the top three and we will work out a system where they can be mentored.
“There’s so much potential from Jason and Jake, we know they can keep progressing.
“Ace had a tough 2024 but we believe he can improve in the family atmosphere at Redcar. Tom is also someone I’m surprised hasn’t been picked up before.
“He’s a level-headed lad who really has a great opportunity to establish himself in the Championship.
“I’m delighted with this side. We’ve been dealt blows with injury issues over the past couple of seasons. If we can steer clear of problems, this team has real potential.”
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.