| February 3, 2025
For a season opener, the newly renamed Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway Park, in Kern County, California, hosted the best that Britain has to offer in a test match against the home crowd.
Max Ruml (left) and Broc Nichol (center, blue helmet) lead Dan Bewley and Dan Thompson during the USA versus Great Britain Speedway match in California.
Story and Photo by Richard Haight
Many times, California AMA National and International Team riders Broc Nicol, Max Ruml, Billy Janniro, Slater Lightcap and Team Captain Gino Manzares squared off against seven of England’s finest. Dan Bewley, British Champion in 2022, ’23 and ’24, brought 2021 British champ Adam Ellis, Tom Brennan, Leon Flint, Jordan Jenkins, Dan Thompson and Ashton Boughen to the fight from across the pond.
Although Speedway is usually a 20-heat series of races with riders scoring points of three, two or one point, with the rider scoring the most points taking the victory, we Yanks prefer a final or main event. So, Saturday’s match used a slightly hybrid program of 15 heats, with the eight top points scorers meeting in four winner-goes-to-the-final matches to determine the top rider of the event.
While last year’s USA versus the World was a close match, this year, the Brits were on it. After the first half, the invaders were up by over 50 percent.
Although the track was prepped often, there were more than the usual numbers of crashes, none too serious, thanks to the air fence obtained by British ex-pat promoter Steve Evans. But Ashton Boughen got his bell rung two-thirds of the way through the program and was done for the day.
The Yanks are normally able to hold their own, but by the end of the heats, the score was GB 55 and Team USA 35. From there, it went to the four winner-take-all heat races. Britain won the first three races, and only Luke Becker made it to the final. And then, only because Britain pulled their last rider to ensure that there was at least one Yank in the final.
In the end, Adam Ellis, the British champ in 2021, ran away with the final to seal the deal for the UK Team.
FINAL (Top 5)
- Adam Ellis (UK)
- Tom Brennan (UK)
- Dan Thompson (UK)
- Luke Becker (USA)