BIG EVENT LATEST…
OVER 40 British Youth riders attended a highly successful Training Day at Buxton on Tuesday April 7.Also in attendance to give each rider help and guidance were current riders Stuart Robson and Kevin Doolan along with former World Champion Gary Havelock, with GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher also on hand to assist the organisation of the event.Vatcher said: “We have had Training days in the past but it would be fair to say that the event at Buxton on Tuesday was the most successful one to date.“Along with having a record numbers of riders attending, each and every rider had at least five lessons, with all of the experience trainers on hand to pass on some valuable advice.“Each of the Under 16s not only had the opportunity of getting some valuable track time in ahead of the start of the British Youth Championship at the start of next month, but learnt an awful lot of good tips from the three trainers who were all on hand to give out some great advice.“Speedway is such a dedicated sport and one that you are always learning different things at different stages of your career, and each of the Youth riders who attended the training day will have gone home with more knowledge they would have arrived with in the morning.“The Young Lions would like to thank the three trainers Stuart Robson, Kevin Doolan and Gary Havelock for making it such a great event, the Buxton Promotion for hosting the event and the BSPA for supporting it.”*THE 2015 Mitas British Youth Championship will get underway at Scunthorpe on Sunday May 10.The series also takes in rounds at Eastbourne, Leicester, Rye House and Northside before the finale at Redcar.British Youth chief Neil Vatcher said: “The Championship seems to get bigger and better each year and we really believe that 2015 will be no different. We already have 50 kids signed up, for the first time including a female competitor which we are very excited about, as this will surely add more interest to the series.“As always we are very grateful for the help and assistance of all the staging venues and promoters, the BSPA and of course our series sponsors, Mitas Tyres, Wessex Marine, Friends of Speedway, Nuneaton Speedway Supporters Club and Duck Smart Cleaning Products for all their support for British Youth Speedway.”Any riders aged under-16 on January 1 who would like to compete in the series and have not yet registered their interest should contact younglionsspeedway@hotmail.co.uk and this is also the address for further potential sponsors who wish to support British Youth speedway.2015 MITAS BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe – Sun May 10; Eastbourne – Sat May 16; Leicester – Sun June 7; Rye House – Sun July 26; Northside – Sun Aug 30; Redcar – Sat Sept 5.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2015:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: JASON DOYLEBRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Coventry, Tuesday April 14BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton, Monday June 15PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday July 3PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday August 2PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 6
BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: Sheffield, Thursday May 7; King’s Lynn, Wednesday May 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, Sunday June 14NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, Saturday September 5NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 26
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE boss Mark Lemon took great encouragement from the performance of Craig Cook in the Aces’ 55-37 win at home to Leicester on Monday.Lemon said: “I was particularly pleased to see Craig have such a good meeting. He’ll be the first to admit his performance last week wasn’t up to his usual high standard, but he delivered the goods tonight.“He's got a tough job in front of him and sometimes the anxiety levels can get the better of you, but he handled himself really well and proved to everyone the kind of quality he brings to the team.”COVENTRY skipper Chris Harris is confident the Bees can quickly bounce back from their home defeat at the hands of Poole last Friday, a meeting which saw the visitors race into an early 18-6 lead.Harris said: “It’s always disappointing to lose at home, especially to the Pirates, but they were making quicker starts than us and the first four heats was where it was lost.“The decisions didn’t go our way either but we’ll bounce back, these things happen and it’s still early on in the season.”KING’S LYNN stand-in boss Dale Allitt was delighted to sign off his time in charge with a victory over Belle Vue, prior to the return of regular manager Rob Lyon from holiday.Allitt said: “I am pleased to be able to sign off my time in charge with a victory. The boys improved from last Friday’s defeat (at Lakeside) and produced a solid display to get all the league points.“I can now hand the team back over to Rob knowing that the boys have put some good points on the board and we remain unbeaten at home this year. For me, I am concentrating on the Young Stars now.”LAKESIDE enjoyed a positive end to last week with a thumping 62-28 home win over injury-hit Swindon, maintaining their 100 per cent record at Purfleet so far this season.That followed on from the Hammers taking their first away point of the season as they ran the Robins close at Blunsdon 24 hours earlier before going down 43-47 in a last heat decider.LEICESTER got off the mark in the Elite League with a 50-40 home win over Belle Vue, although they weren’t able to add to their total in Monday’s reverse fixture in Manchester.Lions boss Norrie Allan said: “This was a must win match for us after losing our first home fixture, and we made a confident enough start which gave everyone a lift. Belle Vue kept us on our toes and twice reduced our lead to two points and we were unable to relax until we wrapped up the match with one race to go. “There was maximum effort from everyone and it was a relief to get our season off the ground and points on the board.”POOLE retained their early-season 100 per cent record with a 48-41 win at Coventry last Friday – despite the loss of skipper Maciej Janowski, who suffered a knee injury in an early clash with Chris Harris.Pirates skipper Chris Holder said: “It was good to get this meeting under my belt being the first time back here since my big crash. It's nice to be able to walk out of here to be honest and even better that we do it with all the points. “I only hope that Magic and Kacper (Gomolski) aren't too seriously hurt, Magic has a problem with his knee but hopefully it won't be too bad.”SWINDON will welcome fans’ favourite Peter Kildemand back to the club next week as a temporary replacement for injured Pole Adrian Miedzinski.Robins boss Alun Rossiter said: “We’ll find out how long Adrian is likely to be out, but I think we'll look to target him coming back around the World Cup break. Although it’s a big blow to lose him we are pleased to bring back Peter, a rider who everyone knows is capable of scoring plenty of points and winning races.“We know what we are getting with PK, and in fairness it was probably one of the easiest deals to do – when I asked him to come back for a short period of time there was no hesitation at all.”WOLVERHAMPTON got their home campaign off to a winning start with a hard-fought victory over Belle Vue, overturning the Aces’ early advantage at Monmore for a 49-41 success.Manager Peter Adams said: “It was a terrific performance I thought, and it gives us a lot of encouragement because Belle Vue are obviously a very strong team.“They had us under pressure in the early part of the meeting, but the boys dug deep and thoroughly deserved the win in the end.”
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK’s Thomas Jorgensen is looking forward to going head-to-head with his former club Scunthorpe in the Bandits’ Premier League opener this Saturday.The Shielfield Park outfit get their league programme underway the night after their League Cup trip to Edinburgh and the Bandits are looking to get off to a winning start.Jorgensen fondly remembers his time at Scunthorpe but has been full of praise for the people of Berwick for “making him feel at home”.Said Jorgensen: “I had three good seasons there (Scunthorpe), and I have to thank them for all the help I got, but I had to leave – it was my choice and I wanted this great new challenge here.“When I walk around the town here everybody knows who I am, they tell me they saw me racing and they wish me luck – it makes me feel so welcome and I want to repay their friendship with some big points on Saturday.EDINBURGH director Brian Gray has praised the Monarchs’ team spirit and says they have carried on from where they left off in their successful 2014 campaign.The Monarchs put in an impressive display to pick up all three League Cup points last Friday after beating Workington 56-37.Gray is predicting another big year for his side and described the team as “stunning”.“I witnessed first hand the camaraderie in the pits and the excellent leadership shown by Captain (Craig) Cook,” he said.“The atmosphere encompassing these guys is tangible and our new youngsters have quickly found out that we work as a team and even if one of them has an off day, he’ll get backed to the hilt and encouraged.”GLASGOW team manager Stewart Dickson says switching his riding order about paid dividends after picking up three more League Cup points on Sunday.The Tigers beat Workington 53-38 to go top of the Border Group.Dickson was more than happy with his team’s performance, but thinks there’s still more to come from the Tigers.“We moved the pairings about and Dimitri Berge responded excellently with ten points – I’m really pleased for him and James Sarjeant who are beginning to come to the party now.“Nick (Morris) and Victor Palovaara had off-days, but it’s a team event and once they’re all firing on all cylinders, we’ll be something else to watch.”IPSWICH team manager Phil Hilton is expecting nothing less than three points when his side host Plymouth in the League Cup on Thursday.The Southern Group is wide open and three more points for the Witches would keep them in the hunt for a semi-final place.Hilton is expecting to welcome back Ritchie Hawkins to his side’s line-up, who withdrew from his first heat against Somerset last Thursday, and is hoping they can build on last week’s 46-28 home win over the Rebels.“It was a convincing win, everyone did their bit and the reserves especially looked a lot sharper and they covered well for Ritchie.“They all knew what was required and they simply went out and delivered.”NEWCASTLE face a busy week with three meetings in the space of four days.It will be a testing period for the Diamonds who got their League Cup campaign off to the perfect start with a 50-40 away victory at Redcar last Thursday.After the win, skipper Ludvig Lindgren said: “It was a very good result and you can’t fault the team performance, it feels good to get the first away win of the season and to make it four points in the League Cup is great.“We know that this is how good we can be and even better so it should be a good year. I believe 110% in this team and in myself that we can do very well.”PETERBOROUGH are hoping that at least one of their two representatives can race their way to a podium finish at tonight’s British Under-21 Championship Final at Coventry.Ollie Greenwood and Robert Lambert will go head-to-head with 14 other riders with the hope of being crowned British Under-21 Champion.Robert Lambert, who is one of the meeting favourites, said: “It will be a tough night and it should be an exciting one as well.“My first target is to make it to the semi-final or final and then see what happens.“I would obviously love to end the night on top of the podium, but there is no pressure on me at all.”PLYMOUTH co-promoter Ashley Taylor has challenged his team to get back to winning ways when they host Rye House in the League Cup on Friday.The Devils suffered one of their heaviest ever away defeats in a 66-24 battering at Rye House last Saturday, but put in a much improved performance to come away from Peterborough with a consolation point the following day.Said Taylor: “It had all the hallmarks of being a disastrous weekend, but the riders showed what they are made of in the return match at Peterborough.“Now we have to go to Ipswich on Thursday and do what we can before taking on Rye House at home.”REDCAR boss Jitendra Duffill has called for patience ahead of his side’s League Cup clash with Scunthorpe this Thursday.It’s been a tough start to the 2015 season for the Bears who are yet to win a meeting.But Duffill is hoping his side can turn things around and get their season back on track.“We are struggling for points from reserve at the minute but I did expect and state publicly that they would take time to get dialled in and that we would need to be patient,” he said.“It’s just unfortunate we are struggling as a team and that obviously puts more pressure on everybody.“However, I can reassure everybody that we are determined to turn this around and all of our riders are 100% committed and are doing their best.”RYE HOUSE kept their League Cup semi-final hopes alive with a comprehensive 66-24 victory over Plymouth on Saturday.The Rockets moved back to the top of the Southern Group after ending a run of three consecutive losses.Anders Mellgren, who has been associated with the Hoddesdon outfit since 2012, was delighted with the team’s performance and was even happier to pick up his first paid maximum for the club.He said: “I have been so close to a maximum with Rye House before and it is great to finally get there!“We are still very much in with a shout in the League Cup – we all believe that we can get through this group and reach the semi-finals.”SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey is looking forward to a busy week which sees the Scorpions race four meetings on four successive nights.The Scorpions have away meetings at Redcar, Berwick and Newcastle with a home League Cup fixture against the Diamonds also.Godfrey is staying positive, despite a difficult start to the season and is confident his side will soon start progressing and getting results.“When you put together a new team like this, the riders need laps, simple as,” he said.“This team is going to improve in every meeting – for starters, the two reserves are going to get better and better, they both have massive potential and we’ve already seen that.“I urge everyone to come along again this week for the visit of Newcastle. It’s going to be a great night of fantastic speedway action and we will move on and see what the four meetings this week bring.”SHEFFIELD youngster Josh Bates is looking to defend his British Under-21 title at Coventry tonight – but admits it will be tough.The 19-year-old pulled off a shock result by winning last year’s meeting but isn’t putting any pressure on himself ahead of tonight’s showpiece event.“Honestly I’d be happy with a top five place, delighted with a rostrum place and I’d be over the moon if I could win it again,” he said.“It would be the best day of my life all over again if I could win the meeting again this year – it would mean everything to me.“But it’s going to be very tough this year because you’ve got riders like Robert Lambert and Kyle Howarth who are very fast and have started the season well. SOMERSET boss Garry May says a Rebels win is “vital” when they host Ipswich in the League Cup on Friday.The Oaktree Arena side currently lie three points behind the top two in their group and May says it’s important his team continue their unbeaten home run going against the Witches.“We are now well and truly at the business end of possible qualification for the League Cup semi-finals and it is vital that we win Friday’s match at home to Ipswich whilst at the same time stopping them from picking up any points from the match.“Our particular group is still wide open and with us having two home matches left, we shall be looking to keep our excellent home form going in a bid to make it through to those semi-finals.”WORKINGTON favourite Rusty Harrison finally staged his testimonial at the third time of asking last Saturday.Ironically, it was the Australian himself that emerged victorious at Derwent Park, winning all of his races, including the Grand Final.Harrison was delighted with how his meeting went. He said: “Everybody put on a great show and all the hard work by everyone was worth it – I thank them all for their help and support.“Now that the meeting is over, I can re-focus and get on with the rest of the season with Workington.”
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BIRMINGHAM ace Sam Chapman has spoken of his disappointment after suffering injury heartache early in the campaign.The Brummies middle order man dislocated three fingers riding for Premier League side Plymouth last week – and he is devastated to be facing a spell on the sidelines as the Perry Barr outfit prepare to get their National League campaign underway when they host Rye House on Wednesday.Said Chapman: “I’m absolutely gutted I’m going to miss our first proper league meeting as a team. I’ve really enjoyed my first two meetings with Birmingham and I was really looking forward to getting back in the points on Wednesday.”BUXTON No.8 Sam Darroch is desperate to seize his first National League opportunity with the Hitmen.The Hull-based 20 year old is keen to take the next step in his career as he prepares for a big2015.Said Darroch: “I am looking to increase my MDL scores from last year and very much put myself in the shop window to gain a firm place in the NL team. “I’m pleased to have a chance to be No.8 at Buxton and I want to not only to get myself well on the pace but to be beating riders of a higher calibre.”COVENTRY boss Laurence Rogers was thrilled to see his side emerge from their National League opener at Cradley with a well-deserved consolation point.The Storm put up a brave fight against the reigning National League Champions, suffering a narrow 47-43 defeat at Perry Barr – and Rogers was full of praise for the efforts of his side.He said: “We’ve got to take a lot of positives out of this meeting. That’s the first time the boys have been together as a complete team and there’s already a great spirit.“Darryl (Ritchings) got better and better in every race, you could see the confidence coming back, Rob (Shuttleworth), for a 3.75 rider, got some very good points. Dan (Greenwood) was excellent and Luke Crang, as captain for the first time, put in a brilliant performance.”CRADLEY manager Will Pottinger was relieved to see his side begin their National League defence with a hard-fought win over Coventry Storm at Perry Barr last week.Pottinger was pleased to see a determined all-around team display give the Heathens a 47-43 victory in a tense affair.He said: “Coventry pushed us all the way, fair play to them for that, but it was important for us to get the win and it was a good team effort. “We managed to just get over the line in what was a tough meeting which was good, and we have come away with three points which is the main thing. We were delighted to come away with the win and get our title defence off to the perfect start.” EASTBOURNE hotshot Bradley Wilson-Dean admits he was frustrated to fall agonisingly short of a debut maximum against Kent on Good Friday.The highly-rated New Zealander enjoyed a spectacular first meeting for the Eagles, but admitted to Speedway Star he was disappointed to see mechanical gremlins in heat 15 cost him a perfect debut.Wilson-Dean said: “I’m pretty happy with how I did but I was really disappointed with that last race.“That would have been my first paid maximum in my first meeting. I had a big grin on my face coming into that first lap and then that happened!” KENT young gun James Shanes has revealed how a call from the Kings over the winter persuaded him to stick with speedway in 2015.The all-action teenager told the Speedway Star how the Central Park club are the perfect fit: “Over the winter I wasn’t looking for a speedway spot, but I got a phone call from Kent who asked me to come here.“It fitted well around my college and my grasstrack commitments so it was an easy decision to make. I had a good time at Central Park last year and it was a compliment that they noticed.” KING’S LYNN boss Dale Allitt says his side have been eagerly awaiting the start of their 2015 campaign.The Young Stars got their season off to a perfect start with a win at Mildenhall on Sunday, and as they prepare to welcome the Fen Tigers to the Norfolk Arena for the second leg of their Knockout Cup tie, Allitt has revealed how excited his side were to get underway. He told the Speedway Star: “The National League starts a bit later than everyone else so the lads have been kicking their heels a bit.“They have all been practising and desperate for the season to get started, so yes, we’re looking forward to it and we hope to have a good season.” MILDENHALL boss Robert Henry admits his side have been left with a “mountain to climb” if they are to progress in the Knockout Cup ahead of their second leg with King’s Lynn at the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday. The Fen Tigers slumped to a 52-38 first leg defeat against the Young Stars on home soil on Sunday, much to the dismay of a disappointed Henry.He said: “I really felt we would be able to build up a significant lead to take to the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday, but we came up very short today. The lads still looked very rusty especially out of the gate and we were pretty much second best all afternoon. “We now have a mountain to climb on Wednesday if we are to progress in the Cup, but we will regroup and give it our best shot. It was not the start we wanted but we at least have something to build on.”RYE HOUSE chief Andrew Silver was left lamenting his sides’ bad luck after their 45-42 defeat against Stoke in the first leg of the Knockout Cup first round tie at Hoddesdon on April 6.Silver said: “The scoreline showed a three-point deficit, but I counted at least 15 points which we could have earned that went astray.“Although Rob (Branford) made something of it, the state of the track from the first meeting made it a gaters’ paradise for our match.“Considering the conditions and how the teams compare, there will be no disadvantage riding away compared to riding our own track at home last Monday, so I have little doubt we can claw back the difference.”STOKE man Ryan Terry-Daley is hoping to spring a surprise in the British Under 21 Championship at Coventry tonight (7.30).Terry-Daley told the Speedway Star: “I’m delighted to have qualified for the final and I’m excited about racing at Coventry. “I’m going to give it my best shot and hopefully I can come away with a podium finish. There are a lot of good riders in the meeting and I know I’ll need to be at my best if I’m going to succeed in getting into the top three.” FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY APRIL 14:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Coventry 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 15:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Rye House 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 16:LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 17:LEAGUE CUP: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Plymouth v Rye House 7.15, Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 18:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Scunthorpe 7pm, Rye House v Sheffield 7pmLEAGUE CUP: Workington v Glasgow 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 19:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pm, Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v King’s Lynn 3.30, Mildenhall v Kent 3.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Stoke v Rye House 3pmCHALLENGE: Coventry v Cradley/Birmingham Select 4pm
MONDAY APRIL 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Wolverhampton v Lakeside 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Swindon 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Eastbourne 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 23:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Peterborough 7.30, Sheffield v Somerset 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Rye House 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 24:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 7.30, Lakeside v Wolverhampton 8pmLEAGUE CUP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Plymouth v Ipswich 7.15, Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 25:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Sheffield 7pmLEAGUE CUP: Workington v Edinburgh 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 26:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Rye House 5pmLEAGUE CUP: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Coventry 3pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Midlenhall v Rye House 3.30
MONDAY APRIL 27:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Cradley 6.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 29:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Belle Vue 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Stoke 7.30
