Royal Wootton Bassett youngster Anders Rowe signs up to Somerset Rebels' Championship campaign

Rowe, 16, moved up to Wiltshire in the hope of using the county as a launchpad to starting a successful speedway career having lived his younger years in Weymouth, Dorset.

His family’s decision to relocate paid off last year when Rowe was snapped up by National League outfit Kent Kings and was confirmed as Swindon Robins’ number eight by Team GB and Robins boss Alun Rossiter,

The 16-year-old proved a leading figure in Kings’ line-up last season, ending the year with 7.26 average.

He also finished 10th in the British Under 19s Championship at Ipswich and missed out on qualification to the British Under 21 final by a single point after scoring eight in his semi-final at Birmingham.

In addition, Rowe also made his Premiership debut when lining up in place of Jack Smith during Swindon’s home meeting against Rye House.

His performances caught the eye of Somerset boss Garry May, who has since made Rowe his fourth signing of the winter following the club’s decision to drop back down to Championship racing for the 2019 season.

Rowe will race in one of the two reserve berths, and May is hoping the Wiltshire teenager can build on his success from last season when lining up for the Burnham-on-Sea based club next year.

He said: “With only a 38 points limit to work with this year, most teams will be setting their stalls out with youngsters at reserve and that should make it fascinating to see how Anders adapts in his first season in the Championship.

“He is really keen to come and being a fairly local lad as he lives in Wiltshire, hopefully that will attract a bit of interest too.”

Rowe will not be short of world-class advice when linking up with the Rebels as the teenager joins former Great Britain and Australia World Cup stars Chris Harris and Rory Schlein.

Former Italian Speedway Grand Prix wildcard Nico Covatti has also been confirmed as a starter for Rebels.