Payne back into the fold at Colts and takes on role of captain

LEE Payne will return to the National Speedway Stadium for a second consecutive season with the Belle Vue Colts – and has also been handed the honour of team captaincy for the 2017 campaign.

The 30-year old, Wigan-born rider spent much of his early speedway career with Stoke, completing three years with the club between 2013 to 2015 before joining Belle Vue’s National League side last year.

Team manager Graham Goodwin said there was no question of whether to bring Payne back into the revamped Colts side and is delighted to see him return.

He said: “We’re very happy with the way this year’s team is coming together. We’ve tried to bring back as many of the riders from last year as we can and Lee was someone we really wanted.

“It was a tricky decision, picking out our captain for the year. It could quite easily have been Rob Shuttleworth or Andy Mellish but as we thought about it more, it just made sense for it to be Lee.

“He’s available for all our fixtures this season, he’s got a wealth of experience and he’s someone whom all our riders get along with very well. I think he will do an excellent job as our skipper.

“He’s a solid performer. The National League has such a wide variety of tracks, with two new tracks on the fixture list this year, and Lee is the kind of rider who can quickly adapt to anything.”

On the subject of his almostcomplete 2017 side, Goodwin added: “There’s a healthy mix of experience alongside the incorporation of younger individuals into the side. It’s what we wanted.

“You’ve got to remember that while every other National League club has been building their teams since before Christmas, we’ve had to tell our lads to be patient. Don’t worry, it will come together.”

Payne has also confirmed his services for the reserve berth in the upcoming Peter Craven Memorial on Saturday, April 1.