BMF continental showdown

East meets Wild West when the flat-trackers of the Short Track UK series take centre-stage at this weekend’s BMF Show. 

Making their British racing debut at Peterborough’s East of England Showground will be the South Dakotan brothers, Sheldon and Devin Wenz: who, having honed their power-sliding skills on the frozen lakes in their home deep within Sioux territory, finished fourth and ninth respectively in last year’s AMA’s Hot Shoe competition. 

Short Track, firmly established now on the British motorcycling sports scene, takes its lead from the hugely popular American discipline of Flattrack. And as well as the up-and-coming Wenz boys, taking to the Peterborough Panthers Speedway circuit will be the experienced Mike Gilkey: a distinguished dirttracker who claimed the 1999 American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association’s national championship.

The trio are in town to experience the unique atmosphere of the BMF Show; and specifically to make history representing the USA in the first-ever staging of an international ‘World Cup’ style event: the QD Exhausts sponsored Short Track of Nations competition. 

They’ll be facing an England side led by Elite League Speedway star, and one-time British Grasstrack champion, Andrew Moore and Supermoto expert, Darren Pearson.

The continental challenge comes from Italy boasting current STUK series leader Marco Belli and the exciting Jacopo Monti; the highly fancied Netherlands featuring last year’s solo winner at the BMF, Sytze Hilleger and Switzerland. 

A Rest of Europe side features German one-time World Long Track finalist, Robbie Kessler.

The Nations Cup action on Sunday gets underway at 2.15pm and follows a full programme of Short Track action at a similar time on the Saturday with the international guests lining up in Round Two of this year’s Silkolene STUK championship. 

The support programme on Saturday includes round two of the CCM Youth Cup for riders aged between 12 and 15 years of age and on Sunday it’s the Harley-Davidson Thunderbikes event where the real monster bikes are unleashed onto the 336 metre circuit in the Showground’s main stadium arena. 

At last May’s BMF Show, the Thunderbikes race between Belli and Series organiser, former Isle of Man TT rider and World Ice Racing rostrum-man, Pete Boast had the whole crowd on its feet, so a reprise of that battle for supremacy will be eagerly anticipated this weekend.

And at the STUK stall, there’s perhaps the must-enter competition of the whole BMF Show – with a Harley-Davidson H-D Sportster up for grabs!

The competition runs throughout this year’s 2007 series with entrants asked to answer a couple of simple questions.

All correct entries will go in the Grand Draw on the September 22, 2007 at the final round of the STUK ’07 Championship at Mildenhall Stadium in Suffolk.

Entry for the Grand Draw costs just £1 a ticket.