Highbridge’s Somerset Rebels speedway team celebrated their 2012 season on Friday night (November 2nd) with their annual End of Season Presentation Night.
The team agonisingly just missed out by a single race point from being crowned Premier League Champions, but did win the Premier League Cup to bring some silverware to the Oaktree Arena.
Not unexpectedly, it was the Rebels’ number one rider and captain, Jason Doyle, who was voted by the fans as their Rider of the Year, while Alex Davies scooped the awards for the Most Improved Rider and Most Entertaining Rider of the Year.
Kyle Newman was presented with the Fred Fountain Memorial Trophy, whilst Alex Davies picked up his third award of the night when he was announced as the Somerset Riders’ Equipment Fund’s (SREF) Rider of the Year.
Looking back on the season, Rebels promoter Debbie Hancock feels it was one that everyone associated with the club could feel justifiably proud of.
She told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Whilst losing out on the League title by just a single point at Scunthorpe in the last race of the season was, and to some degree still is, difficult to come to terms with, if you had said back in March when the season was just getting underway that we would be ending it with our name on the Premier League Cup and making it through to the Championship Final, then I think we would have seen that as an excellent year.”
“As ever, it has been a bit of a roller-coaster of a season, but the highs have very much outweighed the lows over the course of the year, as well as being up there challenging for honours, we have seen some fantastic racing at the Oaktree Arena, the track being back to its very best once again, and the fans, as always, have been great.”
“We are also blessed here at Somerset with a great team sponsor in Cases Ltd and team partners, Salt Express, Whitepack Network Services Ltd, MCS Ltd and Harris Bros. Without them and our other associate sponsors we would not be here today, they are the life-blood of our sport and we are extremely grateful for their support of the Rebels.”
“So, while we might now be heading into the winter break, there’ll be no time for any ‘hibernation’ as far as the promotional and management team here are concerned, planning for 2013 starting almost immediately.”
Puctured: Top, Jason Doyle receiving his Rider of the Year Award from Ian & Rob of Cases Ltd, and, above, Alex Davies receiving his awards from Elliott Withers of Salt Express Ltd. Pictures courtesy of Colin Burnett
