BIKE TIME IMPORTANT FOR DETERMINED SAM

In preparation for his 2024 season which will see Sam Hagon make his official club debut for the Pirates, the Sussex based teenager has been putting in the miles to get bike time.

Sam enjoyed the earlier part of the winter in the warmer climes of Australia where he rode in numerous meetings.

He admitted "it has been really good to get these meetings under my belt this winter. It definitely makes a huge difference when you haven't been off the bike. It keeps you fit and is good preparation for the season."
He won't be the first member of the Hagon dynasty to ride as a Pirate, for his grandfather, Alf, made his Poole debut a little matter of some fifty-nine years ago, at Oxford on April 22nd 1965 when he netted eight points at Oxford. Sam is due to make his debut, also against Oxford, but at Wimborne Road, on Good Friday (March 29th), so how proud is he to follow in his grandfather's footsteps?

"Well I would love to make my own path and score as many points as I possibly can and hopefully it will be better than him" quipped the easy-going youngster, who besides riding for Poole this year will also continue his racing development at the National Speedway Stadium, Manchester for the Belle Vue Colts.

Having represented them last season, Sam admits, "I think it is definitely an advantage to have one of the best tracks in the country. It is a fun track to race and so I am very excited to be able to call that my home track for the second season. But I am really keen to build up my experience and learn as much as I can, especially with the more experienced riders at Poole. I know most of the boys really well and and so that is important to me and it will certainly help and I believe that I will fit in well at Poole."
As far as being sorted for the 2024 season, Sam remained a little coy about his set-ups for the year ahead but it determined to make the absolute most of the forthcoming Press and Practice Day, revealing "I am going to test a few things at Poole at the Press Day as I am really determined to be dialled in for the upcoming meetings"

Sam has quite a support team behind him, which is testimony to the promise that he has shown on his relatively infant career to date, and is grateful to the backing he has been give by Hagon Shocks, Sprint Engineering, ATPI, H Engineering, Wessex Marine, MD Cables, Esteemed Fitness, 151, Lindsey Marie Udall and Cath Poonwaise. He is determined to get the Poole fans fully behind him too as he sets out on the next phase of that racing career.