The unstoppable Australian speedway talent machine has been in full swing in recent years, producing riders of tthe calibre of World U21 champion Darcy Ward and new Grand Prix recruits Chris Holder and Tai Woffinden. Although Tai has chosen to ride wearing the Union Jack, he is still very much a product of the Australian system.
The latest name to add to that list is fourteen year old Arthur Sissis, but by the looks of it he may well be lost to the shale sport, as he has made the recent switch to tarmac, having won a place in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies cup which aims to unearth the future stars of Moto GP. He raced in the competition in 2009 and is on the provisional entry list for 2010.
Sissis wouldn't be the first Aussie to make such a switch, as Casey Stoner raced junior speedway and dirt-track, and Gary McCoy also started out in speedway.
Meanwhile in good old Blighty, we struggle to produce riders who can compete at the highest level in both speedway and circuit racing. There are the occasional talents who still emerge through but it is more a case of despite the system rather than because of it. Dorna, the organisers of Moto GP, have resorted to developing young British racers in the highly successful Spanish system and riders such as Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb are starting to prove the worth of such an initiative.
The ACU and BSPA really need to study how other countries seem to consistently produce a conveyor belt of young riders who posses the ability to race on the world stage on both shale and tarmac. They need to learn from these countries and have the resolve to put in place youth development schemes that will produce the British World Champions of the future.
Photos:
Red Bull Rookies - http://www.redbullrookiescup.com/riders_detail_2010.php?id=47
Doug McFarlane - http://community.webshots.com/user/maccattack
No comments:
Post a Comment