Rapha and Motorpoint join Revolution line-up

Two more top British trade teams have announced they will be entering squads in the upcoming Revolution Championship.

Rapha Condor Sharp and Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta riders will line up alongside Team Sky in Revolution's team-based championship, which kicks off on October 23 at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester.

For Season 8, riders will follow the same points-based system which saw last season's Slicks team take the championship over Forza. However, the composite teams will now race under the trade team banners, allowing youth and elite riders to be easily identified and supported. The trade teams will be headed up by their leading professional riders.

Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta will field three of their professional riders. They will be captained by Ed Clancy who will be joined by Andy Tennant and Steven Burke. All three riders have recently been named in the men's endurance squad for November's European Track Championships, and each will be looking to hone their form at the opening event.

Captaining the Rapha Condor Sharp team throughout the Series will be Dean Downing, who is looking forward to leading his regular team mates on the Revolution track.

"It's going to be great competing in our own teams at Revolution," commented Downing. "I've ridden in every series of the Revolution to date and this is the first time I've ridden with my team mates. I think it will really up the competition levels and allow for rivalries from the road season to play out on the track. It should make the Series even more exciting for the crowd to watch. I can't wait to rip it up."

Joining Downing at the first event will be Chris Newton and track newcomer Graham Briggs who has already shown great promise in the Points race at the recent National Track Championships.

Season eight will be a bittersweet occasion for series regular Newton, as it will be his final track event before his retirement. "I always look forward to Revolution," said Newton. "It's an important part of the track racing season - a unique programme of short, sharp races. It's useful to sharpen your form and a good atmosphere. All in all, it's an entertaining evening of racing."

"I've only not raced in one Revolution event in its whole history so it'll be sad for me. It's great to race in front of crowds of that size; I'll miss that as it's a unique experience."

The teams will race at Revolution in their familiar team kit giving the Future Stars a taste of racing for a professional squad.

Season tickets sales have now closed but standard tickets for the individual events are still available from www.cyclingrevolution.com.