Scandinavian riders will seek to put themselves firmly in the UK speedway shop window when they line up at Workington Comets’ Northside track tomorrow.
The GT Tyres Arena is staging the special Jay Cartmell Memorial meeting, sponsored by Team TK, Forth Engineering, MPL Motor Factors and Haig Motors.
It is the second year running that Comets have staged an event in memory of eight-year-old Jay, who died in September 2024.
The Frizington youngster was an avid speedway fan. His parents, James and Leigha, continue to work with the West Cumbrian club, who compete in the Cab Direct Championship.
Four teams will do battle on Saturday and as was the case at last year’s inaugural event, each is named after characters from Jay’s favourite video game Fortnite.
Workington’s promotion, members of the supporters club and the Cartmell family have pulled together a strong and intriguing line-up of riders, including five Scandinavians: Rasmus Pedersen, Ludvig Selvin, Viktor Larsen, Patrick Kruse and Anton Karlsson are all making their debut on UK shale at the meeting.
Larsen — younger brother of popular Dane and former rider Kenni — is one member of Midas’ Meteors, who also boast former Berwick Bandits rider Bastian Borke, West Cumbria-based former British speedway champion Craig Cook and another ex-Comet, Adam Roynon, who is dusting off his kevlars and returning to the track for this special occasion.
Karlsson will appear for Blaze’s Bandits in a familiar looking line-up for Comets supporters.
Also in the side are recently signed Workington heat leader Drew Kemp, another current Comet, Vinnie Foord, and Dayle Wood, of the Championship club Oxford Cheetahs.
Ragnarok’s Racers have Swedish youngster Selvin, 22; another young UK debutant in the form of Kruse, from Denmark; along with recent British under-21 final runner-up Jody Scott, of Redcar Bears; and Tom Spencer.
Finally, Deadfire’s Demons have the exciting Dane Rasmus Pedersen in their ranks; along with Kevin Juul Pedersen, of Glasgow Tigers, who made his debut at Jay’s memorial last year.
Dan Gilkes, of Scunthorpe, and former Workington rider Kyle Bickley — a member of the 2018 treble winning team — complete the line-up.
Spectators are in for an absolute treat when the meeting starts at 3pm.
Workington Comets team manager James Denham said: “It’s special meeting for a special family. Full of unknowns and talent. Everyone will have eyes on this one.”
Workington Speedway promoter Andrew Bain added: “There are some interesting riders from Scandinavia — all of whom I’ve been keeping an eye on. In fact, Anton and Ludwig were both keen to join the Comets this season, but we opted for Niklas Holm Jakobsen, who was signed for 2026.
“They are all very keen to put themselves in the shop window for next season so we should see some good, competitive racing.”
- There is also a youth pairs team competition taking place on Saturday. The riders involved in that are Jack Shimelt and Owen Booth; Harry Fletcher and Jack Franklin; Patrik Daniszewski and Joe Crewe; and also Laylen Richardson and Max Broadhurst.
Line-ups
Midas’ Meteors
Team manager: Tracey Benson
- Craig Cook – Sponsored by: Les & Michelle Cartmell (Mascot: Harper Casson)
- Bastian Borke – Sponsored by: Ashley Rudd Construction (Mascot: Lee Robinson)
- Victor Larsen – Sponsored by: Roy Clarke (Mascot: Olivia Mae Donaldson)
- Adam Roynon – Sponsored by: Lynne Murray (Mascot: Isla Wren)
Blazes’ Bandits
Team manager: Stuart Anderson
- Drew Kemp – Sponsored by: Bryan Wilcock (Mascot: Jude Collins)
- Anton Karlsson – Sponsored by: Lakes Electrical (Mascot: Luca Johnston)
- Vinnie Foord – Sponsored by: Paul Tremble (Mascot: Samuel Stamper)
- Dayle Wood – Sponsored by: Bunters Boogie Bus (Mascot: Isobel Miller)
Ragnarok’s Racers
Team manager: Graeme Hill
- Patrick Kruse – Sponsored by: Beef (Mascot: Brooke Casson)
- Jody Scott – Sponsored by: Sam Sewell (Mascot: Liam Dryden)
- Ludvig Selvin – Sponsored by: Ian & Carrie Anderson (Mascot: Alice Bain)
- Tom Spencer – Sponsored by: Graeme, Jason & Jordan Hill (Mascot: Lee Robinson)
Deadfire’s Demons
Team manager: Teddy Donaldson
- Kevin Juhl Pedersen – Sponsored by: Andy & Amanda Stalker (Mascot: Teddy Donaldson)
- Rasmus Pedersen – Sponsored by: JMH Motors (Mascot: Lee Robinson)
- Dan Gilkes – Sponsored by: The Slone Family (Mascot: Lee Robinson)
- Kyle Bickley – Sponsored by: Car Vault, Lillyhall (Mascot: Leon Sergeant)
There’s even more good speedway craic at night when the Comets are hosting a very special talk-show style event in the Waverley Hotel.
Comets legen and former number one Carl Stonehewer and his former mechanic Nick Sharples are going to be telling fans stories and reminiscenes from their time together at Derwent Park with the Comets.
The pair are embarking on the Skinflint Rally in September to Nice and are raising money for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund.
