Workington Comets have announced they have released Craig Cook with the former British Champion having been absent from their side in recent weeks.
The club are making no further comment on the circumstances and have thanked Cook for his service, including high scores when he raced this season, but they do not wish to proceed with the rider replacement facility and have struggled to source appropriate guests.
In a statement, Workington Comets said: “The promotion firmly believes that supporters, who spend their hard-earned money following the Comets, deserve to see a complete one-to-seven line-up every week.
“Unfortunately, due to injuries and other circumstances, we have been unable to provide that consistency since our opening meeting at Redcar.
“With a substantial portion of the season still remaining, the promotion has taken the difficult decision to make a change in order to give the team the best possible opportunity to achieve its objectives.
“While there have been encouraging signs, recent close results has highlighted that the team has not yet been able to fulfil its potential.
“This was a tough decision to make by the promotion.
“Craig’s performances during his time have been excellent and that’s evident in his scores, but we need a consistent team – so we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Craig for all of his efforts in Comets colours.”
The news comes just after Cook had been named in one of the four teams taking part in the Jay Cartmell Memorial meeting on June 27.
Workington Comets have today announced the the signing of Drew Kemp for the remainder of the 2026 season.
The 23-year-old arrives at the GT Tyres Arena with a wealth of experience despite his age.
A former British Youth Champion and three-time British Under-19 Champion, Kemp has competed at the highest levels of British Speedway and brings proven race-winning ability to the GT Tyres Comets’ side.
Supporters will be well aware of Drew’s capabilities around the GT Tyres Arena.
Riding for the Berwick Bandits in 2025, he produced an impressive 12-point performance at Northside in September and finished the campaign as the Bandits’ number one.
In 2026, Kemp has been competing in the Premiership with Leicester Lions, and the Comets promotion believe he has all the attributes required to strengthen the side as the season enters a crucial period.
GT Tyres Comets Team manager James Denham said: “Drew is a rider we feel can make an immediate impact.
“He’s shown over the last couple of seasons what he is capable of, and importantly he already knows the GT Tyres Arena well and has produced some excellent performances here.
“We’ve looked carefully at the options available and we believe Drew gives us the best opportunity to move forward.
“There’s still a lot of racing left this season and we feel the team has not yet reached its full potential. Drew is hungry to prove himself and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the club.”
Workington Speedway promoter Andrew Bain added: “This was an important decision for the club. We felt we needed to make a change if we were to give ourselves the best possible chance of achieving our objectives this season, and Drew was a rider we identified as someone capable of making a real difference.
“He’s still young, but he already has a tremendous amount of experience and we’re pleased to bring him to Workington and we’re excited to see him in action on Saturday.”
Drew joins the GT Tyres Comets with immediate effect on a 8.07 average, and will make his HOME debut this Saturday against Glasgow subject to BSPL approval.
