BELLE VUE COLTS boss Steve Williams reckons his new-look team has a "good balance" for 2025.
The Manchester side finished runners-up in the National Development League last season but faced a tough selection to get under the points limit.
In 2024 the Cool Running Colts finished with the league’s highest combined team average of 48.97, leaving bosses Williams and Graham Goodwin with a major headache to get back below the 38-point limit for 2025.
But despite that hurdle, five riders will return including new British sensation William Cairns.
The flying 15-year-old is the headline signing and was announced as coming back by club CEO Mark Lemon in last year’s Christmas Cracker event at the National Speedway Stadium.
Cairns came into the side on an 18-month contract after turning 15 at the end of June, and was an instant hit, racking up a string of huge scores to finish on an incredible 10.22 average.
The good news is that the rest of the squad includes a lot of local emerging talent.
Cains will be joined by Freddy Hodder, who has been with the Colts since 2022 having been spotted at the Experience Day at the NSS.
Also returning from last season are 21-year-old Chad Wirtzfeld and 20-year-old Harry McGurk, whilst Oldham-born local lad Jack Shimelt is another returnee.
New faces come in the shape of Mason Watson who joins from Edinburgh, and Ellesmere Port-based teenager Billy Budd who will be making his NDL debut.
Colts co-team manager Williams said: “It was quite a challenge to get back down below the 38-point limit, but we think we’ve got a young team with a good balance.
“Will Cairns and Freddy Hodder will give us one of the strongest spearheads in the league, and with Chad Wirtzfeld, Harry McGurk and Mason Watson, we have three riders who will be pushing each other for the third heat leader spot.
“Harry had a torrid time in 2023, but there were real signs of him getting his mojo back last year, and we know from previous seasons the level he is capable of getting back to.
“Injury meant we didn’t see enough of Chad last season, but we saw enough to see his potential. We wanted him back, and thankfully he was just as keen to come back.
“Mason has been in touch practically every day since the end of the season, wanting to come to us.
“He made a good impression the way he battled in a guest booking last season, and we feel he fits in very well with the balance of the side.”
“We’re pleased to have two relatively-local, young lads at reserve, and again we can see them having their own private battle to establish who will be the senior reserve.”
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.