PIC OF THE WEEK...
Eastbourne’s Josh Bailey seen here leading James Cockle (red) and Adam Portwood (blue) during Thursday’s 51-39 win at the Isle of Wight. The result sees the Eagles keep up their chase for top spot in the Travel Plus National League.
Picture: IAN GROVES
SGB PREMIERSHIP
BELLE VUE – “It’s a real confidence-booster to be performing like this with play offs on the horizon. All the boys have been testing things and making changes to get the best out of the bikes and ourselves.” Skipper Craig Cook felt the Aces’ 54-39 win over King’s Lynn was a perfect warm-up for the all-important play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 18 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, KO Cup S/F, Thur Sept 14 (7.30)
KING’S LYNN – “Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong in recent weeks and, I’ll be honest, I can’t wait for the season to end now!” Stars’ owner Keith Chapman admits he will be keen to see the back of 2017 ahead of their final fixture against Rye House next week.
NEXT HOME: Rye House, Championship, Weds Sept 13 (7.30)
LEICESTER – “It was a good time for him to do it, because obviously we’re looking at what we’re going to do next season, and I think we saw a rider there who we’d love to come back.” Lions’ boss Jim Lynch felt reserve Kyle Newman put himself in contention for a 2018 team place with his excellent performance in a home defeat to Wolverhampton last week.
NEXT HOME: Coventry + British Youth Championship, Sun Sept 17 (2pm).
POOLE – “Speedway is about form, and a great slice of luck, plus of course riders other commitments. I can assure everyone that we are a different team to that of a month ago.” Promoter Matt Ford says the Pirates are in with a chance heading into the Premiership paly-offs.
NEXT HOME: Swindon, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 18 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 25 (7.30)
RYE HOUSE – “We really wanted to go out with a bang and win our last home one. All the boys rode well, the track was great and produced some good racing, and we all really enjoyed it.” Rockets’ racer Chris Harris was delighted to end their home programme in style against Leicester on Monday.
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Championship, Weds Sept 13 (7.30)
SOMERSET – “It’s been a tough year with some highs and lows, but we’ve enjoyed ourselves.” No.1 Josh Grajczonek says the Rebels have enjoyed their debut top flight campaign.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, KO Cup, Fri Sept 22 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, KO Cup, Weds Sept 20 (7.30)
SWINDON – “We were outgated in the main but when we did get out in front we were fine. We move on to the play-offs now and it's a fresh start for us all.” Robins’ boss Alun Rossiter says they will regroup and go again in the play-offs after a disappointing defeat at Wolverhampton on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 25 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 11 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON – “In all honesty I think there is more to come from every department of our team, but I’m just happy with where we are and now we know our opposition for the play-offs we can start to focus on preparing for that.” Wolves boss Peter Adams believes they still have room for improvement heading into the play-offs despite two comfortable home wins on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Somerset, KO Cup, Weds Sept 20 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final, Mon Sept 18 (7.30)
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BERWICK – “I think this was the best and most complete performance from a Berwick side this season where there was almost no feeling we were going to take a loss.” Bandits’ manager Gary Havelock felt their home win over Newcastle was their best showing this season.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Championship, Sat Sept 9 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Championship, Thurs Sept 7 (7.30)
EDINBURGH – “It was a hard line-up tonight and it will be a boost to my confidence with some big matches coming up.” Young gun Max Clegg hopes his win in the Caledonian Riders’ Championship will give him a timely boost heading into the closing stages of the season.
NEXT HOME: Workington + Ipswich, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Championship, Sat Sept 9 (7pm)
GLASGOW – “It’s another collapse, the first time it’s happened at home. I don’t really know what to say.” Stewart Dickson was lost for words after the Tigers’ shock home defeat against Sheffield on Saturday night.
NEXT HOME: Workington, Championship, Thurs Sept 7 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Championship, Fri Sept 15 (7.30)
IPSWICH – “As always, we can’t take them lightly and we need to get the job done.” Witches’ boss Ritchie Hawkins insists they can’t rest on their laurels against basement club Berwick this week.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Championship, Thurs Sept 7 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (approx. 8.30)
NEWCASTLE – “What a superb local derby that was with both sides really putting in maximum effort to take the match to a superb climax in Heat 15.” Diamonds’ chief George English felt speedway was the real winner in their last-gasp 46-44 victory over Redcar on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: TBC, Sun Sept 17 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Workington, Championship, Sat Sept 9 (7pm)
PETERBOROUGH – “This win has been a long time coming - and it's one we really needed.” Team manager Carl Johnson was relieved to see the Panthers finally claim their first league win since July on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, KO Cup, Fri Sept 22 (7.30)
REDCAR – Redcar suffered two away defeats, losing out 51-39 at Ipswich last week before picking up a hard-earned point in a narrow 46-44 loss at Newcastle. They are two points clear of Edinburgh in fourth having ridden four more meetings.
NEXT HOME: Teesside Silver Helmet, Thurs Sept 14 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Championship, Sun Sept 10 (5.30)
SCUNTHORPE – “Our meetings against Edinburgh at the Eddie Wright Raceway are often thrilling affairs, and I don’t see this Sunday’s encounter being any different.” Promoter Rob Godfrey is anticipating plenty of excitement when they return to home action against Edinburgh this weekend.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Championship, Sun Sept 10 (5.30)
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD – “I always believed we could get something out of the meeting, but to get the win was an incredible effort from the team.” Team boss Simon Stead was delighted to see his patched-up side defy the odds to pull off an extraordinary away win at Glasgow on Saturday.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich + Redcar, Championship, Sun Sept 10 (3.30)
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
WORKINGTON – “It was great to get a confidence boosting big win under our belts, with everyone chipping in with vital points and having something positive to take away from the meeting.” Comets’ boss Tony Jackson was pleased to emerge with a convincing win over Peterborough on Saturday.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Championship, Sat Sept 9 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Championship, Thurs Sept 7 (7.30)
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE COLTS – “There’s still so much to do and so much to play for in the coming weeks. Everyone is thrilled to have made it into the play offs this year but we’ve still a job to do until then.” Rob Shuttleworth says the Colts can’t wait for the business end of the season to get going.
NEXT HOME: Cradley, KO Cup, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM – “There's no shame in losing to this Belle Vue side; they're in form, they're top of the league for a reason and for me they're by far the best team in the division by a country mile.” Experienced team manager Graham Drury was philosophical after losing their unbeaten home record at the hands of Belle Vue in their last home outing.
NEXT HOME: Kent, National League, Wed Sept 6 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, National League, Fri Sept 15 (7.15)
BUXTON – “It wasn't a result many people in Speedway were expecting. I myself wasn't surprised at all. We are a good side when we have our full team together.” Hitmen boss Jason Pipe insisted he was not shocked by their 45-45 draw away at Mildenhall on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Kent, National League, Sun Sept 10 (3pm)
CRADLEY – “They’re all important matches at this stage of the season, and these three are certainly no different.” Heathens’ boss Will Pottinger knows they are facing a crucial few days. Read more in this week’s Speedway Star.
NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, National League, Mon Sept 11 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, KO Cup, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE – “It's a credit to the boys that they didn't lose their focus and put in a fine all-round performance.” Eagles’ manager Connor Dugard praised his side for a professional home performance against struggling Isle of Wight.
NEXT HOME: Lakeside, National League, Sat Sept 9 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Cradley, National League, Mon Sept 11 (7.30)
ISLE OF WIGHT – “The last time we won a league match was July 27 and it’s high time we added three more points to the league table.” Warriors’ team manager Jackie Vatcher feels a victory is long overdue as they prepare to host Mildenhall this week.
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, National League, Thurs Sept 7 (7.15)
NEXT AWAY: Stoke, National League, Sat Sept 23 (7.30)
KENT – Kent moved up to fifth in the table, just one point off the play-off places, with a 46-32 win over Belle Vue on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, National League, Mon Sept 11 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, National League, Wed Sept 6 (7.30)
LAKESIDE – “We’ve now got two away meetings left and if we could win one of those at either Eastbourne or Buxton then that would boost our hopes of a play-off place.” Hammers’ boss Kelvin Tatum hopes they can edge into the play-offs with two away fixtures remaining.
NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, National League, Sat Sept 9 (7.30)
MILDENHALL – “We really didn’t want to drop another point at home but in all honesty we could have easily come away with nothing from today.” Chairman Kevin Jolly had mixed feelings after the Fen Tigers were held to a 45-45 draw by Buxton on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Cradley, National League, Sun Sept 10 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, National League, Thurs Sept 7 (7.15)
PLYMOUTH – “The boys worked hard to get to the Final and we have sat patiently awaiting finding out who we would meet. Now we know it’s full steam ahead to bring some silverware to the St Boniface Arena.” Devils’ boss Laurence Rogers says they are determined to earn some silverware with the dates set for the National Trophy Final in early October.
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, National League, Fri Sept 8 (7.15)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, National League, Mon Sept 11 (6.30)
STOKE – “We still have some important matches to come at home, we want to finish as high up the table as we can, and the performance against Mildenhall on Saturday shows we can beat good sides around our own track.” Assistant boss Adam Isherwood says the Potters are determined to end their season with a flourish.
NEXT HOME: Kent, National League, Sat Sept 9 (7.30)
MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…
THE line-up has been confirmed for the SGB Premiership Riders’ Championship at Belle Vue on September 16.
All eight top-flight clubs have two representatives in the meeting, with Wolverhampton skipper Fredrik Lindgren defending the title he won under the former Elite League banner at Coventry last season.
It was the Swede’s second triumph in the event as he was also victorious at Peterborough in 2010.
Lindgren’s World Championship rival Jason Doyle is also included as the Australian looks to repeat his success at Leicester in 2015.
Home representation comes from British Champion Craig Cook and Max Fricke, whilst Rye House’s two national stalwarts will remarkably be looking to take the title for the first time.
Chris Harris, third last year, has carded a hat-trick of second place finishes in 2007, 2009 and 2010, and has been on the rostrum five times in total.
Meanwhile Scott Nicholls has appeared in the meeting on an incredible 15 occasions, also finishing second three times – most recently in 2011, when he missed out to Rory Schlein in a close Final at Swindon.
LINE-UP (not in draw order): Jason Doyle (Swindon), Fredrik Lindgren (Wolverhampton), Nick Morris (Swindon), Jacob Thorssell (Wolverhampton), Brady Kurtz (Poole), Craig Cook (Belle Vue), Hans Andersen (Poole), Kim Nilsson (Leicester), Josh Grajczonek (Somerset), Chris Harris (Rye House), Scott Nicholls (Rye House), Robert Lambert (King’s Lynn), Max Fricke (Belle Vue), Richard Lawson (Somerset), Danny King (Leicester), Thomas Jorgensen (King’s Lynn).
*THE SGB Championship and the National League both stage their Individual Riders’ Championships on the same day – Sunday September 24.
There is a new venue for the Championship event, which shifts to the well-appointed Peugeot Ashfield Stadium at Glasgow, whilst the NLRC remains at Leicester after a successful staging last year.
Line-ups for both meetings are expected to be announced in the near future.
The Major Events series concludes with the re-arrangement of the SGB Championship Pairs at Sheffield on Sunday October 8.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2017
SGBP PAIRS: KING’S LYNN
BRITISH FINAL: CRAIG COOK
SGBC FOURS: PETERBOROUGH
SGBP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Belle Vue, September 16
SGBC RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow, September 24
SGBC PAIRS: Sheffield, October 8
OTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DATES
BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: JAMES SHANES
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT LAMBERT
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: ZACH WAJTKNECHT
BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: RORY SCHLEIN; KYLE HOWARTH
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: TBC
NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, September 24
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Kent 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Workington 7.30, Ipswich v Berwick 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7pm
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 8:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Workington 7pm, Edinburgh v Ipswich (follows previous fixture), Peterborough v Scunthorpe 7.30, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Mildenhall 7.15
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Belle Vue v Cradley 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm, Glasgow v Scunthorpe 7pm, Workington v Newcastle 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Lakeside 7.30, Stoke v Kent 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough v Workington 5pm, Sheffield v Ipswich 3.30, Sheffield v Redcar (follows previous meeting), Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 5.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Kent 3pm, Mildenhall v Cradley 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11:
SGB PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEM-FINAL 1st leg: Poole v Swindon 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Eastbourne 7.30, Kent v Plymouth 6.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King's Lynn v Rye House 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Ipswich 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 14:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.30
TEESSIDE SILVER HELMET: Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Birmingham 7.15
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 16:
SGBP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Belle Vue 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Sheffield 7pm, Glasgow v Redcar 7pm, Workington v Edinburgh 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Kent 7pm, Eastbourne v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Workington 5.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Lakeside 3pm
EAST MIDLANDS BOWL: Leicester v Coventry 2pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (500cc/250cc) Round 8: Leicester (follows previous fixture)
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18:
SGB PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 7.30
REVENGE CHALLENGE: Kent v Birmingham 6.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Wolverhampton v Somerset 7.30
