Drew Kemp unveiled as the latest rider to join Berwick Bandits for 2024

Berwick Bandits' newest signing Drew Kemp. Picture: Steve Dixon.

The 21-year-old made his professional debut with Mildenhall, aged 15, in 2018, the year after he had been crowned British 500cc Youth Champion.

He added a hat-trick of British under-19 titles between 2019 and 2021, and was a member of the Great Britain under-21 team which won silver in the World Team Championship at Belle Vue in 2019 and bronze the following year.

His first appearance at Shielfield Park in 2019 was an 11-point haul in Sheffield Tigers’ colours and Kemp was a key component in Poole’s 2022 double winning side. Having started 2023 without a British club, he returned to Wimborne Road in Scunthorpe colours in October to win his second successive cup winners’ medal.

Having previously ridden at Ipswich and Wolverhampton in the Premiership, Kemp ended 2023 as Leicester’s rising star after boss Stewart Dickson rang the changes to bolster his team in the second half of the season.

The pair will now be reunited at Berwick, with the Bandits’ newly appointed manager delighted to announce Kemp alongside Rory Schlein, Lewis Kerr, and Danyon Hume as confirmed signings for the Bandits.

“For someone still only 21, Drew has packed a lot into his career already both in Britain and on the continent where he has regularly ridden in both world championship qualifying events and the Polish Ekstraliga,” said Dickson.

“In building Berwick’s team I’ve targeted riders who not only are naturally competitive but also have the ability to improve their averages significantly. Drew has the ability to do both.”

Kemp’s appearances at the pacy Borders’ racetrack have been limited – but successful.

He looked set for a podium place in the behind-closed doors 2020 British Under-21 Final with three race wins going into what turned out to be the decisive heat 16 – only to fall challenging then Berwick rider Leon Flint for second place behind eventual champion Dan Bewley.

There was also a match-winning guest appearance for Edinburgh back in 2021.

Club bosses are currently putting the finishing touches to the fixture list for the new season with March 30 pencilled in for a season-opening challenge fixture before they embark on the British Speedway Network Series group featuring Edinburgh and Glasgow.