by Adam Summers - Dorset Echo

Weymouth Doonan Wildcats’ chairman Phil Bartlett has described the dawn of National League speedway as an exciting new prospect for the town. The newly-formed competition, which will replace the Conference League in 2009, will form the third tier of British Speedway and be run in a professional light with rules and regulations falling into line with the Premier and Elite League, including the use of rider averages.

A statement released at the British speedway AGM said: “One of the most exciting and positive moves for British Speedway this decade is the formation of the new National League, which is aimed at producing young and talented riders that want to pledge their future to British speedway. The league will boast the inclusion of at least ten teams including former Premier League KOC champions, the Isle of Wight, plus Conference League champions, the Weymouth Wildcats and Conference League KO Champions, the Plymouth Devils.”

Former management committee member Dave Pavitt has been given the job of overseeing and managing the formation of the new league and he added: “This is great news for British Speedway, I have been chasing this dream for the last few seasons and it has finally been delivered. Fans will see a good value league that will produce some of the world’s top speedway stars. It will be run in a more professional manner then has ever been seen in the third tier of British speedway before, and I look forward to being able to confirm the teams that will be competing in 2009 and publishing more detailed rules and regulations in January.”

After leading the Wildcats to the Conference crown this year, Bartlett is delighted by this latest development and is confident it will be met with huge approval. He said: “The new National League will be a lot more professional than the Conference and with the rules being brought into line with the Premier League and Elite League it means we will be able to retain assets. The declaration of the make-up of the league will be made in January but it is certainly going to give us more competitive meetings which will make the club a lot more viable. It is great news for British speedway and it is also fantastic news for Weymouth. We enjoyed great success on the track this year and hopefully we can continue to build on that in this new format.”