(SPEEDWAY 1)
GREAT Britain are already preparing for the Under-21 World Team Cup this summer - and are offering supporters and businesses the chance to get involved.
GB compete in the semi-final at Glasgow on Saturday, July 14 and are hoping all competing riders can compete in official Great Britain racesuits.
Young Lions boss Neil Vatcher explained: “We have been extremely fortunate over the past four years to have some great sponsors on board who have assisted us in supplying the riders’ team suits when they have been representing their country.
“With this year’s semi-final in Glasgow, this is a great opportunity for a company to get involved with the Under-21 team in their quest to qualify for their second consecutive Final, which is in Denmark on August 18.
“Any companies that would like to contribute towards the racesuits would of course have their logos embossed on each of them, and it is a great opportunity to be involved with a fantastic set of young Speedway riders.”
Due to the Semi-Final being only six weeks away, any companies that would be keen to assist are asked to contact Neil Vatcher via e-mail as soon as possible at younglionsspeedway@hotmail.co.uk .
(SPEEDWAY 2)
SHEFFIELD lead Redcar 44-28 from the first leg of their Championship KO Cup tie after Thursday’s clash at Owlerton was abandoned after twelve races.
Bears No.1 Ben Barker collided with guest Jack Parkinson-Blackburn in Heat 12 and with both riders requiring hospital treatment and the curfew approaching, the meeting was brought to a halt.
Charles Wright scored a three-ride maximum for the Tigers, whilst reserve Jordan Stewart notched 10+1 for the visitors who host the second leg tonight (Friday).
Sheffield captain Kyle Howarth said: “We needed as many points as possible, especially after going behind early on.
“We pulled it back and it was good to get a strong lead to take up there, we could have done with those three last heats but my first thoughts are with Ben and Jack.
“No one likes to see riders hurt. We all wish them the best and a speedy recovery, it was not nice to see.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown insists the spirit remains strong as the Tigers prepare to host Scunthorpe in the Championship tonight (Friday).
Brown’s side crashed to a surprise KO Cup exit against fierce rivals Edinburgh last weekend despite holding the Monarchs to a two-point lead in the away leg.
They now take on a Scorpions outfit who have brought in former Glasgow man Aaron Summers to guest for broken leg victim Stefan Nielsen, and operate rider-replacement for Steve Worrall.
Brown said: “It's been a tough week for everyone at Glasgow but this group don't know when they're beaten.
“I reckon this is the best team spirit of any team I've worked with down the years. I've spent time in the pits in various roles before becoming team manager and there's a togetherness I haven't seen - they're all in helping each other out.
“We will come back from Sunday's defeat and it's important we do that on Friday.”
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Stefan had been flying in recent weeks and his average for June is 7.15. That means we can bring in Aaron as the guest at No 2, even though he’s been riding for Berwick at No 1.
“We want to keep our run going, even though we’re now a couple of men down. I feel we can come away from Glasgow with a point at the very least, although we are capable of coming away from the meeting with a win.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
LAKESIDE can move to the top of the Championship if they beat Workington at home tonight (Friday).
The Hammers are on a terrific run of form having lost just one of their last eight fixtures in all competitions.
And their performances at the Arena-Essex Raceway have been immaculate with no visiting side able to earn anything for their efforts so far.
The hosts bring in Connor Mountain to guest for the injured Ben Morley, whilst Zach Wajtknecht moves into the top five – and boss Will Pottinger expects the Comets to be tough opponents.
Pottinger said: “They’ve had some excellent away wins at Peterborough and Glasgow recently so we’ll need to be in top form to remain unbeaten at home.
“From our own point of view though, I’m very encouraged to see us already in second position in the league table.
“There have been positives from all areas of the team but we’ll be relying on another solid team performance as Workington could be our toughest test of the season so far.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
BELLE Vue are forced into changes for their National League trip to Plymouth tonight (Friday).
Jack Smith and Kyle Bickley are both racing for their Championship clubs, Tom Perry is absent due to work commitments and Paul Bowen remains on the sidelines.
In their places the Colts bring in Ben Hopwood, Danyon Hume and Drew Kemp to complete their top five, whilst James Chattin stands in at reserve.
Belle Vue’s Joe Lawlor said: “Plymouth are tough customers. They’ve got some very experienced and very promising riders and we saw first-hand what they’re capable of when they came to our place.
“It’ll be a challenge for us, especially with quite a few of the boys missing but Graham [Goodwin] and Steve [Williams] have got some great replacements who, I think, will give us a fighting chance.”
(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY JUNE 1:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Scunthorpe 7.30, Lakeside v Workington 8pm
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Redcar v Sheffield 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Belle Vue 7.15
SATURDAY JUNE 2:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Newcastle 7pm
CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Workington v Glasgow 7pm
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Coventry 7.30, 1st round 1st leg: Stoke v Kent 7pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House 3pm
SUNDAY JUNE 3:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Berwick 6.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Belle Vue 5pm, Coventry v Kent 3pm
NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Isle of Wight 3pm
Thursday May 31, 2018;
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP, 1st leg
Sheffield 44 (Charles Wright 9)
Redcar 28 (Jordan Stewart 10+1)
Abandoned after 12 heats due to curfew – Result STANDS
