Motorsport: German champion signs for Monarchs

Aug 20 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THERE is a new rider at the Armadale Stadium this week after the West Lothian-based Scotwaste Monarchs announced the signing of German Champion Kevin Wolbert.

Just a couple of weeks after signing their first ever rider from that part of the world in Max Dilger, they have now added a second German in 20-year-old Kevin.

He had been scheduled to make his West Lothian debut at the Scottish Open at the end of July, but the event was rained off.

Wolbert showed his worth when he was crowned German Champion last September, after beating ex-Coventry rider Martin Smolinski in a run-off.

One of his best results so far was a first place (14 points) in the Mseno qualifying round of the World Under-21 Championship. Monarchs’ promoter John Campbell said: “We previously thought that Kevin had too many commitments to be a possible signing, but since we started to discuss coming to the UK he has been willing to give up most of these in order to take this opportunity. He is extremely keen to ride for us.”

Kevin mentioned on his own website his coming to ride for Monarchs, before even the arrangements had been completed.

So Monarchs return to seven riders from Friday with a line-up considerably different from the one that started the season.

The line-up has been shaped by events rather than intentions and it is a team which lacks experience of UK racing, but the hope that everyone will get behind the riders as they try to capitalise on what was a very good first half of the season with the original septet.