Somerset Rebels star Jason Doyle looks ahead to 2013 season (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Somerset Rebels star Jason Doyle looks ahead to 2013 season

12:00pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in Sport Latest

THE Somerset Rebels have finalised their plans for their season-opening Press and Practice Day, which will be held at the Oaktree Arena on Friday, March 22.

And having had his 2012 season curtailed having suffered a broken bone in his neck following a fall in the Premier League Riders' Championship, Jason Doyle is back to full fitness and raring to go for the new campaign, as his Australian season proved.

He said: “You are always a bit nervous as to how things might go after suffering what turned out to be quite a major injury, together with the time I'd been off a bike, but all went well in that meeting which set me up nicely for the Aussie Championships.”

Doyle said he is excited by the side that the Somerset promotion has put together for the season ahead.

He added: “There is a good mix of continuity in the team with four of last year's side returning with some 'new blood' in the side. Of those returnees, Tom (Perry) should now be kick-on as he puts into practice what he learnt last year, while Kyle Newman will also benefit from being with same club for two consecutive years and Alex showed in Oz just what he is capable of with some great performances.”

“I think that both Josh (Grajczonek) and Nick Morris can bring something different to the team and while I've not seen a lot of Stefan Nielsen, he won a National Championship last season and you don't do something like that unless you have something about you as a rider.”

“I'm really looking forward to seeing and meeting up everyone at Press Day, in fact it'll give me an opportunity to see what I Somerset Press Day is all about given that I've managed to avoid them up to now!”

Whilst the main part of the day will get underway at 3.30pm with the rider introductions and interviews, attendance to which is restricted to members of the media, team sponsors, season ticket holders and specially invited guests, in a departure from previous years the official team and rider pictures will be taken prior to commencement of the afternoon session.

Gates to the general public open at 5pm with the riders taking to the track at 7pm for the 'practice' part of the day, with there being a minimum £1 donation towards the club's air-fence fund payable upon entry for those fans who wish to attend the evening practice session.

Co-promoter, Garry May, said: “I would like to point out that the evening practice session is expressly for the 2013 Somerset team and not a 'free for all' when riders just turn up out of the blue expecting to make use of the track facilities unless they have made prior arrangements with us.”