Last updated 19:32, Thursday, 21 February 2008

WORKINGTON Comets are sure to shine in 2008 after £4,000-worth of repairs to the Derwent Park floodlights.

Work being done on the track lights at Derwent Park

A total of 33 new bulbs have been fitted in the lights around the playing arena after complaints of poor visibility in certain areas.

New owner Keith Denham has been working on a long list of improvements to the facilities at the 50-year-old stadium and refurbishing the lights was high on the agenda.

He said: “We are involved with a dangerous sport and if the light is poor going into certain parts of the track it needs to be rectified.

“Getting the lights back to what they were like when first installed has been a priority and I think it will also add to the whole speedway spectacle after dark.

“We’ve covered a lot of stuff over the last two months in particular and we still have more work to be done before our supporters see the finished product in a little over three week’s time.”

Workington supporters will get an opportunity to see the new-look track, lights and stadium improvements when they meet the 2008 team at a public practice on Saturday, March 15.

Denham said: “We have a new starting gate coming and hopefully there will be no more hitches at the tapes as we’ve experienced in the past.

“A new electrical system will be in place, all of which should add to the professional way the sport is run on a Saturday night.

“I’m pleased at how the track is coming along and we are just waiting for planning permission before starting work on corporate boxes at the second turn which will add another dimension to watching the sport at Workington.”

The improvement work being carried out at Derwent Park, although principally for the speedway, has been well received by the Town rugby league club board who invited Denham and his staff to Sunday’s Northern Rail Cup game with Keighley.

Denham said: “I’m not really a rugby league fan but I enjoyed the day.”

“The hospitality was excellent and clearly the board is working hard to take their sport forward. “I must say I was gratified to hear comments from board members saying that the Comets deserved to get good crowds because of the amount of work which was going into the place. “I am sure both clubs will be able to work alongside each other for mutual benefit when we are both up and running during the summer,” said Denham.

Comets start their season on Easter Saturday and Easter Monday (March 22 and 24), away and then at home to Berwick Bandits in the Premier Trophy.

Berwick have made Adam McKinna their fifth signing for the new season.McKinna, son of Scottish legend Kenny, joins Czech Republic duo Michal Makovsky and Adrian Rymel; Finn Tero Aarnio and Hungarian Norbert Magosi.Berwick Promoter Peter Waite said: “Adam has never really had a chance to shine as yet and last year with Newcastle was another punctuated with nasty injuries, but I believe he has massive potential.”

Comets team boss Ian Thomas has described his team as ‘tasty’ ahead of the new season.

The Derwent Park side are sure to be one of the more strongly fancied for Premier League honours after snapping up the league’s top man Daniel Nermark and teenage sensation Joe Haines.

Thomas said: “I believe the Premier League looks very competitive and very exciting, now with 17 teams in the league. There are several attractive teams and a higher points limit, so bring it on.”

Thomas is already on record as pinpointing league newcomers Reading, including former Comet Ulrich Ostergaard, as a major threat. The Comets open the 2008 season next month in the Premier Trophy and will be lining up against the Edinburgh Monarchs, Glasgow Tigers and Berwick Bandits. But looking at the respective line-ups the shrewd Workington boss reckons Edinburgh will provide the greatest threat to Comets’ progress. He said: “We can’t really say for certain about Berwick because they only have four riders signed at the moment, and two of those are virtual rookies to British speedway. That team, when it is completed, is going to need a lot of knitting together. “Glasgow have Shane Parker back again to lead a few familiar faces but have recruited two young Aussies Mitchell Davey and Josh Grajczonek who are going to take a little bit of bedding into British speedway. “But of the three other teams I believe Edinburgh look a bit stronger - a solid bottom five with a lot resting on how their top two perform.“They appear to have a good mix but the performances of Ryan Fisher and Thomas Jonasson will be the key.” The Monarchs’ promotion believe they have made one of their best-ever signings in securing the services of the young Swedish Elite League rider Jonasson who finished sixth in last season’s World U21 Championship.He scored 10 points in the U21 final at Ostrow, Poland last year, finishing ahead of such riders as Elite Leaguers Lewis Bridger and Edward Kennett and the Czech Filip Sitera who was so impressive in his brief UK tour at the end of last year. He is certainly one of Sweden’s finest prospects for some time, and still has two years left in the U21 title chase. He has his sights set firmly on an eventual place in the World Championship Grand Prix series.American Fisher will start the season as their highest average rider (8.00) but the 24 year old from Riverside, California has already known some ups and downs in his career. He has previously been successful at Elite level with Coventry and Oxford, but struggled with Belle Vue in 2007 despite being given a good run in the side. Thomas says: “If Fisher can produce his best then he will be one of the top riders in the Premier League and will prove to be a very good signing for them. “Then if Jonasson does as well as everyone thinks he will they will have two very sharp lads at the firing end of the team. With some steady, solid riders in support I believe they will give us a real test over two legs.”

The Workington riders have all been gearing-up for the new season, several undertaking special fitness regimes.

One of them, Charles Wright, has been staying in Finland with team captain Kauko Nieminen and working on his stamina with some daunting cross-country skiing.

With them in Finland has been Charles’ elder brother James, now with Swindon Robins in the Elite League, and another ex-Workington rider Chris Collins.

Thomas said: “I’ve been very impressed with how the boys are approaching the new campaign.”