Italian racer Paco Castagna is set for his full-time Rowe Motor Oil Premiership debut after agreeing terms with Birmingham Brummies.
Son of former Speedway GP star and current FIM Track Racing Commission director Armando Castagna, Paco has impressed with the Edinburgh Monarchs in the Cab Direct Championship – Britain’s second tier – in recent seasons. He is joined in making the move to Perry Barr by British rider Danyon Hume, with Slovenian international Matej Zagar dropped due to his ongoing visa saga along with Finnish prospect Antti Vuolas.
The duo come into the Brummies side for their Bank Holiday Monday hiome and away double-header against Oxford.
Birmingham CEO Nigel Tolley said: “We had some long conversations after Monday’s defeat to Leicester and, as a management team, we were all in agreement that Antti’s performances haven’t been good enough and we couldn’t let that continue sadly.
“I think he would agree that he hasn’t hit anywhere near the form we expected him to, but I do think a big part of that is to do with the fact that his Championship campaign hasn’t got going as Workington’s season has started so late. It’s a real shame, and we do wish Antti all the very best and hope he regains some confidence whilst racing for the Comets in the second division.
“Because of the ongoing situation with Matej and his visa, and because he is effectively ineligible to race at this moment in time, we couldn’t redeclare a team that then had him in it.
“So until that is resolved, we’ve had to make two changes and we welcome both Paco and Danyon back to Birmingham.
“There’s a lot to be said about the lack of rider availability right now - but that’s another story for another day.
“In Paco and Danyon we’ve got two riders who we know will come straight into the team and give it their all from the get go.
“Paco has been keen for a Premiership place for a while now and he’s desperate to grab it with both hands. And Danyon is a really nice fit for the No.6 position right now with the way things stand and he’s hungry to prove a point almost after being let go by Sheffield.
“They’re the sort of characters who will fit into our team straight away, and hopefully they can both play their part was we look to pick up our first league points against Oxford on Monday.”