AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SPEEDWAY WORLD OF DREW KEMP 2 INTRODUCING DREW KEMP, SPEEDWAY RIDER Drew Kemp is about to embark on a new prodigious talent of fieen-year-old Drew and adventure, making his league debut in British you have the recipe for some exciting Speedway for the 2018 season. There is speedway action in the 2018 season. Drew nothing more thrilling than the spectacle of will be racing for the Mildenhall Fen Tigers in Speedway - four riders racing around an oval the National Development League - the third shale track on 500cc motorbikes with one tier of British Speedway racing. fixed gear and no brakes, add into the mix the Drew made some guest appearances for the Fen Tigers during the latter part of the season when he reached the required age of 15, but 2018 will be his first full season of racing. “Hopefully I can do well racing my first season in the National League for Mildenhall, said Drew ”and the experience I will gain from doing a full season will be so valuable.” Drew, who rode motocross before taking up speedway, lives in Great Blakenham, Suffolk and is currently combining his preparation for the 2018 speedway season with studying at Claydon High School, working towards his GCSEs including Business Studies, Design & Technology, Geography and PE. ■ 3 4 GRANDAD’S GIFT MAKES TWO WHEELS A LOT MORE FUN Drew Kemp doesn’t remember a time when In 2013 Drew had moved on to a KTM 65 he wasn’t having fun on two wheels, “I always and he became Eastern Centre Champion, loved riding my pushbike” said Drew, “and Norfolk and Suffolk Champion and was 5th when I was four my grandad surprised me with overall in the British Youth Nationals. He was a Yamaha PW 50. We took it to a field near on a KTM 85 for the 2014 season where he where he lived and that was it. My grandad was again Norfolk and Suffolk Champion and used to do scrambling when he was younger 8th overall in the British Youth Nationals. ■ in the 1960s, so he knows how much fun there is to be had on two wheels!” Drew’s grandad is James Gant who rode at Rendlesham and District Scramble Club on a Greeves. Drew continues “When I was five he bought me a small wheel KTM 50 which I used to practice on at a few local tracks near to me.” In March 2009, at six-years-old Drew used the KTM 50 in his first ever race at the Norfolk and Suffolk Junior Motorcycle Club in Hockham. He finished 5th in that first race but it wasn’t long before he found his winning ways, and he was eight when he won his first race at motocross on the KTM 50. 5 6 THE FIRST LAPS ON A SPEEDWAY BIKE “I just loved the speed of it” says Drew when Drew was excited to have a go. “John remembering his first few laps on a 500cc Carpenter knew my Grandad and he speedway bike in October 2015. Although suggested I should have a go at speedway, so Drew had limited his racing to motocross, he I went to Iwade to see what I thought of it” said was a regular visitor to see Ipswich Witches Drew. “John let me have a go on his 500cc that speedway team race at Foxhall Stadium, so day and I’ll never forget how it felt to have that when the chance to try the sport came up speed for the first time. I just loved it, although I do think I scared John a bit!” Drew immediately had the bug for speedway and continued to practice at every opportunity while continuing his motocross season. “Aer I had finished the 2015 motocross season I began to do speedway properly on a 250cc with the intention of entering the Young Lions 250cc British Youth Speedway Championship in 2016.” Drew was soon excited by the challenges ahead, “Everything changed when I was given the opportunity to try speedway and if I keep my head down and work hard, who knows where this journey will take me.” ■ 7 8 250cc BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP 2016 Drew Kemp began his competitive Speedway The Young Lions Youth Championships racing in the Young Lions 250cc British has become a breeding ground for emerging Championship at Glasgow on 10th April 2016 talent, with riders like Zach Wajtknecht, Jack where he scored 3 points from two starts. Parkinson-Blackburn and Robert Lambert “There was a massive difference from coming through the ranks and riding at the top practicing to suddenly having 3 guys next to level. Aer his 2016 debut, Drew was out to me heading for the same line and going all out make an impact in championship in 2017. ■ to beat me” remembers Drew, “but I learnt so much, so quickly.” It didn’t take him long to find his feet and in the second round at Scunthorpe Drew scored 7 points and recorded his first competitive win. Drew was placed either second or third in the remaining six rounds of the championship finishing the competition in third place overall, but it was the experience he gained that benefited him most, “Riding in the 250cc championship gave me so much” said Drew, “to suddenly have people like Neil Vatcher encouraging me was priceless, and I was soon planning for my assault on the 500cc in 2017.” 9 10 500cc BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 “I had always wanted to be a British Champion Drew began his championship attempt at when I was doing motocross” reveals Drew Peterborough and although mechanical Kemp, “so to end up as the British Youth problems limited his score to 6 points, he won 500cc Champion in speedway is quite the final. “I had some bad luck with a couple of amazing really. I always felt capable of winning crashes and an engine failure in the early it, but until it happens I just had to keep rounds but the rest of the year was good for working hard.” me.’ Drew explained, “I won all the rounds apart from the ones I had engine failures in. I had my first win at Peterborough and my first maximum at Redcar so I enjoyed that round. I dropped a point at Scunthorpe but I liked the track because it’s quick and Belle Vue is just an awesome place to ride.” At Belle Vue Drew enjoyed a spectacular duel with Kyle Bickley, with the lead changing several times before engine failure ended Drew’s race while he was leading. Drew secured the championship with a win at Glasgow with the final round still to be held at Leicester, where he finally got his hands on his first British championship trophy. ■ 11 12 DREW MAKES HIS COMPETITVE LEAGUE RACING DEBUT On Friday August 25th 2017 - just two weeks Becoming the Young Lions British Youth aer his fieenth birthday, Drew Kemp made 500cc champion and winning his first ever his National League Speedway debut racing National League race are Drew’s highlights of for Mildenhall Fen Tigers against Lakeside his first season along with his National Trophy Hammers at The Arena Essex Raceway. Final appearance for Mildenhall, ”to help the Drew remembers, “It was a big step up Fen Tigers claw back from 18 points down to from youth racing, I really enjoyed it but it was win the trophy was amazing!” he said. ■ tough compared to racing people of my own age. Starts are so important at Lakeside because its such a tricky track. It was a great experience and I managed to win my first ever race which I am so proud of.” Drew also raced several times for Eastbourne Eagles. “Eastbourne is another tricky track but it was great fun and there was an amazing team atmosphere there, which really helped. I was gaining more confidence as the season went on and it showed in the final meeting of the season where I scored 15 +1 in the Knockout Cup Final for Mildenhall, that has really set me up for next season.” 13 14 DREW’S HOPES FOR HIS FUTURE IN SPEEDWAY “My initial aim is to gain experience and Looking further ahead Drew hopes to hopefully do well in my first full season in the progress to the Championship and eventually National League for Mildenhall Fen Tigers.” the top Premiership league, “it would be nice says Drew Kemp when asked about his to ride abroad too” Drew explained, “ and at speedway ambitions. 2017 was certainly the some point - maybe during the winter one year British Speedway took notice of the year, I would love to have the experience of 15-year-old following his 500cc BritishYouth some practicing and racing in Australia. ■ Championship success. There was a host of clubs vying for his signature but joing Mildenhall made sense. “ I like the track, which is fast and suits my style. A Sunday track suits us as well and it’s only 45 minutes from home. Then the people like Rob Henry, James Easter, Phil Kirk and Kevin Jolly are just great. It seems as though they planned out what they are going to let me do and they were absolutely fine about me not being around when I do my exams. I do want to do well in those so I can have something to fall back on but there is no doubt in my mind that I’d like to make a career in speedway.” 15 16 SUPPORTING DREW KEMP ON HIS RACING ADVENTURE Speedway is an expensive sport and aiming to engagements and social media.