SKIPPER HOWARTH BECOMES TIGERS ASSET

Sheffield chief Damien Bates insists there’s more to come from British racer Kyle Howarth after making him a full Tigers asset.

The Mancunian racer has extended his stay at Owlerton into 2023, having first joined the Tigers in 2016. He became an asset of British Speedway Promoters Ltd following the closure of parent club Workington, but Tigers have now bought his contract from the governing body.

Howarth serves as club captain and has established himself as a rock-solid performer for Sheffield. But Bates believes his best is yet to come from the Tigers stalwart.

“You can’t go wrong with Kyle,” BSPL vice-chairman Bates said. “He’s a fully committed rider with a great attitude, he’s fantastic to watch around Sheffield, he’s a good team man both on and off the track and he’s hugely popular with our supporters.

“He’s part of the furniture at Sheffield now and it’s hard to imagine a Sheffield side without him in it.

“We’ve been looking at adding him to our assets list for a couple of years now, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened. But investing in assets is vital for any club’s future and so it made sense to get a firmer hold of someone like Kyle.

“He had what I’d say was another solid enough season in the Premiership in 2022. Having said that, I still think there’s even more to come from him.

“The way the team is being built, I actually think it will help Kyle over the course of the season and I think we’ll get even more out of him in 2023.”

Howarth joins the likes of Speedway GP rider Jack Holder, French racer David Bellego, Poland’s Tobiasz Musielak and fellow Brit Lewis Kerr in the Sheffield squad, with two more team spots left to fill.

Photo: Taylor Lanning