Edward Kennett has had a
fantastic start to his career
at Elite League champions
Swindon. The winter move may
have come as a shock to a lot
of people but the Great Britain
international has settled in
perfectly at Blunsdon.
“Since moving to Swindon in the winter things
have been going well. It is a track I have always
wanted to go to and I’ve finally had the chance
to go there and things have worked out well.
Working with Alun Rossiter has been great and I
can’t complain about the move I’ve made.
“I got a good welcome straight from the off at
Swindon and all the boys got behind me right
from the start. The team was still buzzing from
the previous year so it is always good to come
into a side with that kind of atmosphere. It
made the switch from Coventry very easy.
Kennett made the surprise move earlier in the
season to double-up with Premier League side
Berwick. The Bandits were looking for cover for
the injured Ricky Ashworth and Kennett was
looking for more track time and it has worked
out perfectly for both parties.
“The reason I wanted to double-up with Berwick
was because I wanted to have more meetings. In
the Elite League there are big gaps in the fixtures
and sometimes I would only be racing once
every two weeks which just isn’t enough for me.
I want to keep on my toes and keep riding the
bike.
“I spoke to Stuart Robson after the British semifinal up at Edinburgh and asked him if he knew
of any Premier League clubs who were looking
for riders. He came back to me just after Ricky
Ashworth got injured and said Berwick were
looking for someone.
“I obviously had a long think about it because it
is a lot of travelling and I said I would help them
out until Ricky is fit and ready to come back. I
really enjoy the Berwick track. You have to make
some good starts around there, it’s a big old
place but it’s a track I enjoy. It’s a fast track and
it suits my style of racing.
Edward has missed a few home meetings for
the Bandits due to Grand Prix qualification
commitments but Kennett admits this is
something that is very important to him.
“I wanted to give the Grand Prix qualification a
big go this year, it would be nice to get to the
final and race at Poole but we will see what
happens. If I don’t make it I know I have given
it my best shot. Poole is a track I would be
confident of racing well on. I did a couple of
years there and it is a track I am comfortable
with but it’s all about taking one step at a time.
“We had the first round out in St Johann in
Austria, a place I had never been to before. The
track cut up quite a lot and it wasn’t the best
to ride but it was the same for everyone. I was
lucky I made some good starts and kept picking
up points and managed to get through.
Kennett was named in Team GB’s ten man squad
for this season’s World Cup. After impressive
displays in the British Final, GP qualification
meetings and in the Elite League he is confident
of making the final four but is conscious of the
talent the other riders in the squad have.
“There are some guys who have gone really
well in the early part of the season. Craig Cook,
Richie Worrall and Danny King have all been
flying so there is a fight on for team places. If I
can keep going the way I am and keep scoring
the points, I feel as though I can be a vital
member of that Great Britain team.
“It would mean everything to me to make the
World Cup side. Every year I want to be a part of
the team. Last year I wasn’t actually in the team
but I still went there and did my practice. Ever
British rider wants to race for team GB at some
point in their career and it’s something I really
want to do.”