CHARLES Wright admits the “fire is still burning” and wants to be a double British Champion on the eve of his testimonial.
The Stockport star has assembled an incredible line-up for his 10-year celebration at Redcar on Sunday.
But Wright, 35, is certainly not planning on winding down his career after the biggest meeting of his career on Teesside.
He revealed: “I’m still very passionate. I still want to get a team place in Europe but there's a lot going on with the testimonial coming up.
“The fire's still burning and age is only a number, I think a lot of people know that I'm a bit like a fine wine!
“You get out what you put in. I've achieved everything that I wanted to in Speedway. I've been British Champion and Championship Riders’ Champion, I've won the Pairs and the fours as well as picking up league titles with Leicester and Belle Vue.
“That being said I still would like another crack at being British Champion. I believe I still can do it. We'll just see what happens, but from now on, everything's a bonus.”
Dan Bewley is a wonderful late addition to the line-up alongside other top stars Brady Kurtz, Freddie Lindgren, Jaimon Lidsey, Chris Harris, Jason Edwards, Norick Blodorn, Lewis Kerr, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Steve Worrall, Ben Cook, Jye Etheridge, Jake Allen, Erik Riss and Jonas Knudsen.
Wright also believes Redcar is the perfect place to hold his Testimonial meeting as he prepares for his big day on Sunday.
The former British Champion has had three spells with the club during his career and has been a mainstay of the Bears since 2019.
Wright, who walked away from an awkward crash when racing for Oxford on Thursday, has also confirmed he had never intended to race in his own meeting.
He said: “It was a very easy decision to host the meeting at Redcar, I have been with the club a long time so Redcar was the obvious choice.
“I decided not to ride so I could enjoy the day, spend time with the family and interact with the fans as much as possible.
“If I was racing I would’ve been focused on winning so this was the best way for me to ensure I could enjoy the day as much as possible.”
Wright's testimonial goes live on BSN from 2.30pm tomorrow (Sunday 17th March) and will feature a 22 heat individual. Each of the 16 stars on show will take 5 programmed rides each, with the top 2 scorers progressing directly to the grand final and riders placing 3rd to 6th qualifying for the one 'last chance' semi-final.
The meeting will also feature 4 youth races, plus the 'STS Dash for Cash', where all 16 riders will each compete to clock the fastest lap before the main event gets underway.
EVENT DETAILS:
Charles Wright Testimonial
Redcar Speedway
Sunday 17th March, live on BSN @ 2.30pm.
Stream here
LINEUP:
Jason Edwards, Brady Kurtz, Norick Blodorn, Lewis Kerr, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Fredrik Lindgren, Steve Worrall, Ben Cook, Jye Etheridge, Dan Bewley, Jaimon Lidesy, Jake Allen, Erik Riss, Jonas Knudsen, Chris Harris, Jake Mulford (Res).
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.