Rising star Leon Flint was nearly forced out of Wolves’ team

The young Brit has made some significant progress since linking up with the Parrys International Wolves part way through the 2021 campaign and successfully raced his way to the British under-21 and under-19 individual titles earlier this year.

But he almost became a victim of his own success and was initially left off the sport’s ‘rising star’ list which aims to give youngsters a chance at this highest level of British Speedway.

And Van Straaten told a packed out Cleveland Arms crowd at Monday night’s annual Winter Talk-In how the club actually had to appeal to get him retained on the list and ultimately remain in their team plans for next term. “From day one, Leon only wanted to be back at Wolverhampton in the top division,” Van Straaten said.

“Yet at one point, the scheme that was brought in to help develop young British riders like Leon was threatening to put his Premiership team place in jeopardy when he was left off.

“We didn’t feel this was right at all and when we looked at the figures, Tom Brennan, who was classed as the top rising star this time last year, his average at the beginning of 2022 was almost identical to what Leon’s would be at the start of 2023.

“So we put an appeal in and that was overwhelmingly accepted with no opposition.

“So we got Leon back on the rising star list, that enabled us to include him in our team plans again and I think now we are in the driving seat in terms of rising stars because I think if you look at the others on next season’s list, I think we’ve got the best of the bunch.

“By his own admission, Wolverhampton isn’t the easiest of tracks for Leon to ride, but in the time he’s been with us already, we’ve seen that he is learning it all the time and there’s no doubt he’s got the potential to crack it, hopefully over the course of this season.”

Meanwhile, the club have confirmed Sam Masters will stay on as Wolverhampton skipper in 2023 – despite the news that former captain Rory Schlein is coming out of retirement to be a part of next year’s team.

Manager Peter Adams said: “I think Sam has done a sterling job as captain both on track as well as off it.

“So I wouldn’t want to disrupt that and that’s why he’ll be continuing as club captain in 2023.

“The personality that Rory is though, he won’t be able to help himself and I’m sure it will be like having two captains in the pits.

“Rory will still be parading up and down those pits I can assure you and with the rest of the team having both him and Sam to go and talk to and discuss things with, as well as ride with out on the track, I think something like that stands us in very good stead.”