Somerset Rebels rider Sam Masters wins Riders' Championship (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Somerset Rebels rider Sam Masters wins Riders' Championship

3:00pm Monday 26th September 2011 in Speedway

SOMERSET Rebels rider Sam Masters dramatically won speedway’s Premier League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield’s Owlerton Stadium on Sunday night - the highest individual rider accolade open to those competing in the sport’s second tier of racing.

Masters claimed two vital second places in his opening two rides when coming off the less favoured outside gates before then streaking to three consecutive heat victories to head the individual rider score-chart at the end of the 20 qualifying heats with 13 points.

Masters said: “This is just awesome, you always come into a meeting like this hoping that it will be your night, but I just can’t believe that I am the champion - it hasn’t sunk in yet.

“There are so many people I should thank for helping to get me here, but for fear of missing anyone out, I will just say a big thank you to everyone that has helped me since I started out riding speedway, but I would like to say a special thanks to my mum and dad for all their sacrifices, this one’s for them.”

Masters cruised through to the grand final, where he was joined by Ben Barker (Plymouth), Kauko Nieminen (Leicester), Jason Doyle (Newport), Ricky Ashworth (Sheffield) and Sebastian Alden (Berwick)- Barker and Nieminen duly securing those places.

Vitally, Masters had first choice of gate positions by virtue of being the highest point’s scorer in the qualifying heats, the 20 year old Australian, who is only in his second season of racing in the UK, chose the favoured gate one position and made it count as he sped from the start and was never seriously troubled as he raced away to claim the Championship Crown.

“To think that he came to Somerset at the start of last season as a complete rookie as far as racing in the UK was concerned, and here he is now, the Premier League Riders’ Champion, that’s some story, it is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Garry May

Somerset co-promoter and assistant team-manager, Garry May, who was in Masters’ pit corner acting as his meeting advisor, had nothing but praise for his young charge.

He said: “To think that he came to Somerset at the start of last season as a complete rookie as far as racing in the UK was concerned, and here he is now, the Premier League Riders’ Champion, that’s some story, it is the stuff that dreams are made of.

“Gating was going to be all-important tonight, and Sam was supreme in that category and fully deserved his Championship crown. Sam is totally dedicated to the sport and is always willing to learn, and he put all that into practice tonight, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

Masters is the second Somerset rider to be crowned Premier League Riders' Champion, following on from Magnus Zetterstrom’s victory in the event in 2006.