Former Workington Comets star Simon Stead is enjoying a blossoming follow-up career as a team manager with home town club Sheffield Tigers.
Stead feels former World Champion Chris Holder could prove to be one of the bargains of the season.
Holder, who joined the Owlerton club in the latter stages of 2023, became a title hero for the Tigers back in October in a dramatic finale to the Sports Insure Premiership campaign.
Now he’s signed on for a full year with the defending champions where he is set to provide top-end support for younger brother Jack and another ex-World Champion Tai Woffinden.
Stead rode for the Comets in 2003 and 2004, and formed an exciting spearhead with Comets legend Carl Stonehewer in his racing days at Derwent Park, is proving equally successful in his role as ream manager.
Talking of Holder’s recruitment, he said: “We asked him to go out there and help get the job done in that last-heat decider against Ipswich, and for him to race at that level and finish on a real high note when under immense pressure deserves so much credit.
“So if he can do things like that after only a couple of months then I really am excited to see just how he can perform if he’s racing competitively consistently, and he could prove to be an absolute bargain on a 7.16 starting average.”
Stead was British Under-21’s champion three times in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 the last time as a Workington rider and he also won the Premier League Best Pairs Championship with Stonehewer in 2003.[
Stead reached the final of the 2004 Premier League Riders Championship won by Andre Compton. Going into the final, Stead was unbeaten and was involved in a crash with Compton, which caused multiple injuries to both riders. Compton was awarded the title.
Also in 2004, he was part of the Workington four that won the Premier League Four Team Championship, which was held at Derwent Park.
