2015 ELRC DRAW

TROY Batchelor faces a tough start to the defence of his Elite League Riders’ Championship title at Leicester on Saturday, March 21.

The Swindon man faces 2012 World Champion Chris Holder, former Grand Prix ace Freddie Lindgren and top British star Chris Harris in a stunning line-up after he was drawn at No.11.

Leicester’s Jason Doyle also faces a tough opener against Grand Prix duo Matej Zagar and Andreas Jonsson and Belle Vue star Scott Nicholls.

The meeting features no less than seven of the 2015 Grand Prix field and six former SGP stars in one of the strongest line-ups the meeting has seen for years.

Alex Harkess, British Speedway Promoters’ Association Chairman, said: “It only seems like two minutes since we were at the end of last season and, here we are, looking ahead to the first BSPA shared event of the year.

“I’d like to thank Leicester Speedway for hosting the meeting, the return of the sport to this city has been a major success and a huge positive for British Speedway.

“They have shown great ambition in their move into the Elite League and I am delighted they have made a success of that move.

“Leicester is ideally located for a meeting of this stature and I’m sure we will see a bumper crowd with fans from throughout the country travelling to see some of the top stars in world speedway in action.”

Mikkel Bech (Lakeside), Niels-Kristian Iversen (King’s Lynn), Bjarne Pedersen (Leicester), Kenneth Bjerre (King’s Lynn), Matej Zagar (Belle Vue), Scott Nicholls (Belle Vue), Andreas Jonsson (Lakeside), Jason Doyle (Leicester), Chris Holder (Poole), Freddie Lindgren (Wolverhampton), Troy Batchelor (Swindon), Chris Harris (Coventry), TBC (Poole), Nick Morris (Swindon), Hans Andersen (Coventry), Jacob Thorssell (Wolverhampton).