TOP LINE-UP FOR PARKS'

Thursday February 02, 2012
A LINE-UP fit for a Grand Prix... that's Shane Parker's farewell meeting at Sheffield next month.

The Australian legend is determined to bow out of the sport at the end of a distinguished career in spectacular style and judging by the high-class field being assembled for the showpiece event at Owlerton Stadium on Sunday, March 18, he will be true to his word.

Parker has announced the latest confirmed starters for the meeting and they form a quartet who would not look out of place in this year's GP series.

* Wolverhampton and Team Great Britain star Tai Woffinden, who was a GP regular in 2010.

* Denmark's Niels-Kristian Iversen, a World Cup winner in 2007 who will again race for King's Lynn in Britain's Elite League next season. He has ridden in 26 Grands Prix.

* Veteran Swede Peter Karlsson of Lakeside, who has 49 GP appearances and two World Cup gold medals to his name.

* Rory Schlein, the Belle Vue star who is the current Elite League Riders' Champion and a rider with four World Cup campaigns under his belt with his native Australia.

A delighted Parker said this week: "I'm over the moon with the line-up so far and the way things are going. There's not a lot I can say about the latest four because quite simply everyone already knows they are four world-class riders.

"Woffy is one of Britain's up and coming boys who has ridden at Grand Prix level and I very much rate Niels too. He's been unlucky with injuries to his shoulder and I don't think it will be too long before he's back in the GP.

"Me and PK are old team-mates, we've ridden together in Sweden for a few years and there's not many riders riding today who are older than me, but PK's one!

"He can still cut it though. He's been up there in the same calibre as Greg (Hancock, World Champion) when you look at what he's done in Poland, Sweden and at Wolverhampton. He's a really class act and he's still going strong now.

"Schleiny is the riders' champion and another rider of international calibre who has been in the World Cup, so that seems to be the standard of rider we've got for the meeting, which is fantastic.

"Initially, I thought the New Zealand Grand Prix at the end of March might work against me in terms of putting a good field together but it's actually working in my favour because everyone I ask seems keen to have a ride."

Woffinden, Iversen, Karlsson and Schlein join World Champion Greg Hancock, World Under-21 Champion Maciej Janowski, Chris Holder, Darcy Ward, Davey Watt, Freddie Lindgren and Scott Nicholls as confirmed entrants in the meeting, which will have a 5 pm start.

Parker has also confirmed that the event will be contested over the traditional 20 heats, five-rides-each format.

"It will be the old World Final format, a straight 20 heats with no final, top scorer wins. We're going to be very 'old school'!" he said.

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