LINE-UPS have been confirmed for the Premier League Pairs at Somerset on Friday July 3.The meeting is always one of the most popular of the season, coming just a day before the British Grand Prix at nearly Cardiff.Edinburgh are the defending champions and Australian star Sam Masters, who was one half of their winning combination, will be back in a bid for back-to-back successes.Masters was last year partnered by fellow countryman Max Fricke, who is now a full-time Elite League rider, and as Craig Cook will be in Cardiff preparing for his Wild Card GP appearance, Masters will be joined at the Oaktree Arena by German star Kevin Wolbert.The Monarchs, who have been drawn in Group A, defeated home club Somerset in the 2014 Final after Nick Morris had been disqualified, and Morris again figures in the meeting this year - but this time in the colours of Glasgow, who will be one of the favourites in Group B with Morris partnered by Richard Lawson.The Rebels, who are also in Group B, will be represented by Australian duo Josh Grajczonek and Brady Kurtz.Kurtz is making his debut in the event but Grajczonek is a former winner, having triumphed in Rebels colours during his previous spell with the club in 2013.The remainder of the Group B line-up includes British Under-21 Champion Kyle Howarth for Workington, with the Comets having most recently tasted victory in the event three years ago, and he is joined by American star Ricky Wells.Berwick will be without Ben Barker after his British Final crash, and will be represented by Thomas Jorgensen and Kevin Doolan, whilst Redcar will look to start an upturn in fortunes with Lasse Bjerre and Stuart Robson racing for the Bears.Edinburgh’s Group A opponents include Ipswich, who have Great Britain World Cup rider Danny King as one half of their combination alongside Rohan Tungate.Edward Kennett and Nikolaj B Jakobsen line up for Rye House, the Rockets duo having participated in one of the races of the season at the Oaktree Arena during their recent Premier League visit, when they were ironically up against Grajczonek and Kurtz.Meawhile Danish duo Ulrich Ostergaard and Michael Palm Toft will represent Peterborough, and there are two British stars in the Newcastle pairing as Lewis Kerr and Steve Worrall compete for the Diamonds.Admission prices for the event, which includes 23 races, are £20 for adults, £15 for concessions, £5 for under-16s and under-5s free.GROUP A: EDINBURGH: Sam Masters/Kevin WolbertIPSWICH: Danny King/Rohan TungateRYE HOUSE: Edward Kennett/Nikolaj B JakobsenPETERBOROUGH: Ulrich Ostergaard/Michael Palm ToftNEWCASTLE: Lewis Kerr/Steve Worrall
GROUP B:GLASGOW: Nick Morris/Richard LawsonSOMERSET: Brady Kurtz/Josh GrajczonekWORKINGTON: Kyle Howarth/Ricky WellsREDCAR: Lasse Bjerre/Stuart RobsonBERWICK: Thomas Jorgensen/Kevin Doolan
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2015:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: JASON DOYLEBRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: KYLE HOWARTHBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday July 3PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday August 2PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, Sunday June 14NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, Saturday September 5NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 26
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BELLE VUE completed a mixed week of results with a home draw against Coventry on Monday - following an impressive win at Swindon last Thursday followed by a disappointing defeat at Leicester 48 hours later.Manager Mark Lemon said: “We've said what we needed to say about Saturday night. That’s over, and our goal tonight was to fend off the challenge of the Bees which I think we managed to the best of our ability.“Of course a couple of things on the night could have gone better but at the same time there was a certain amount of redemption for us, and the fans were treated to a great night of racing.”COVENTRY skipper Chris Harris was pleased to salvage a draw for his team at Belle Vue on Monday, as he overhauled Matej Zagar on the second lap of a last-heat decider with the Bees going back to the top of the table.Harris said: “Obviously we came here for the win so we’re a bit disappointed not to get it, but at least we came away with a draw and got two points.“It was an up-and-down night for everyone - on Friday it was me and Hans (Andersen) who struggled, and tonight it was others, but we’re there or thereabouts and the results still show the strength in depth we have in the team, and it’s great to be leading it.”KING’S LYNN have signed Czech Republic rider Vaclav Milik, who rode for Poole last season, to replace long-term injury victim Rory Schlein.Manager Rob Lyon said: “Vaclav is an exciting young rider that I believe will do well around the Adrian Flux Arena this season. He is a pleasure to deal with and is very keen to get started.“Having spent last season with Poole, he has ridden all the tracks in the Elite League and that will be an advantage. It shouldn't take him long to dial into our track and start to score some points. We must say thanks to our old friend Tomas Topinka for his help in brining Vaclav to the club, thanks also the Poole promotion for their cooperation.”LAKESIDE enjoyed a successful return to action with two wins at Purfleet in the space of four days.The Hammers defeated King’s Lynn 50-39 on Friday before racing to a convincing 57-34 success over Wolverhampton in Monday’s televised fixture.LEICESTER will hand a debut to Polish racer Piotr Swiderski when they visit Lakeside on Friday, with his first home appearance to come in Monday’s televised clash with Swindon where adult admission has been reduced to £7.50.Hemsley said: “We have left no stone unturned in our quest to bring the team back up to a full complement of riders and I am pleased to say that Piotr has agreed to race for the club. “He knows his way around the British tracks having recently spent time racing over here in 2013 and will go straight into a heat leader role alongside Jason Doyle and Grzegorz Walasek.”POOLE star Chris Holder kept up his impressive run of form with a 14-point haul in the Pirates’ 53-37 home win over Coventry - their closest current rivals at the top of the table.Holder said: “I got lucky in the last one. I made a mistake and Bomber (Chris Harris) took advantage but somehow, with poor Chris breaking down, I got away with it. “I must admit though I did feel good all night until I made that error and it was a good night for the lads. We put some points on the board early, kept our heads and went from there.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter admitted a home defeat to Belle Vue, accompanied by several mechanical issues, was a blow to the Robins’ play-off aspirations.Rossiter said: “Belle Vue came at us from the off, and we didn’t get back at them. There was nothing wrong with the track, so there are no excuses there, but we did have a lot of bad luck with engine failures in winning positions.“We’ve got to get Kyle (Howarth) going because he’s got no speed although he’s riding hard enough, and also sort out the situation with Adrian (Miedzinski). We’ve got to make some big calls shortly and we’ll have to work on that.”WOLVERHAMPTON promoter Chris Van Straaten could not hide his disappointment after his side went down to a 34-57 defeat to Lakeside in Monday’s televised fixture at Purfleet.Van Straaten said: “We didn’t do ourselves or the sport justice, and it was very, very disappointing. There was only one real bright spark which was Tobiasz (Musielak), who rode better than we probably envisaged, but apart from that the rest of the team just didn’t seem to fire consistently.“It was a very poor result, and it’s immensely disappointing – we’ve got to put our finger on exactly what we need to do and look forward to a critical meeting against Coventry on Monday where we need to get some points on the board.”PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK fought back from an early six-point deficit to secure a 45-45 draw with Plymouth and extend their unbeaten home run to four meetings.Bandits Team Manager John Anderson said: “We never had the lead once but drew level on no less than four times against a Plymouth side who really put the effort in and deserved their just reward.“We saw Coty Garcia make his debut and he did pretty well; he is right at the start of his British career and will settle in very well.”EDINBURGH’s top-of-the-table target is still well within their grasp after a comfortable 65-28 home win against Redcar last Friday.The Monarchs now travel to the Bears this Thursday before hosting Plymouth the following night on what will be known as Legends Night to celebrate the 500th meeting at Armadale.GLASGOW’s Richard Lawson is targeting an away win when his side travel to Peterborough in front of the TV cameras tomorrow night.The former Panthers rider said: “We are all pretty fired up for it; David Howe used to race there, I know Nick Morris likes it and obviously I rode there for a couple of seasons so we should do well there.“They are a strong side, especially at home, so it will be very tough but we stand a really good chance and we’re all up for it.”IPSWICH picked up three Premier League points from their three meetings in four days.The Witches battled their way to a league consolation point away at both Workington and Glasgow but a home draw against league-leaders Somerset frustrated Club Director Chris Louis after his side let a late eight-point lead slip.Louis told the East Anglian Daily Times: “Quite simply I needed the team to be mentally tough and they weren’t – simple as that. They had done the hard work but couldn’t see it through; they were not strong enough.”NEWCASTLE picked up their first home win in nearly a month with a comprehensive 56-36 victory against Plymouth.Diamonds Team Manager George English said: “I’m very pleased to win by such a comfortable margin and it is a relief to finally get a home win under our belt after some very difficult home matches.“Anton Rosen has returned from injury in fantastic form which has delighted me, now we just need Christian Henry to get some consistency.”PETERBOROUGH are set to unveil a new reserve after announcing Ollie Greenwood will race in his last meeting for the club in their televised clash with Glasgow tomorrow.Panthers Promoter Ged Rathbone said: “We have understandably been concerned about Ollie’s form for some time and have worked with him in an attempt to find some improvement.“Ollie has done his utmost to try and turn his performances around, but it just hasn’t happened and he does not want to be in a position where he could cost the team results.”PLYMOUTH booked themselves a place in the Quarter-Finals of the Knockout Cup with a 47-41 second leg home win over Peterborough.Devils Team Manager Lee Trigger said: “We had a bit of luck on the night, but you have to earn your luck and Kyle Newman did a good job for us as captain, dropping only one point from his five rides.“We got through and finished the job we started at Peterborough, but we did not make it easy for ourselves.”REDCAR have announced the signing of Danish rider Jonas B Andersen.The 23-year-old joins the Bears on the recommendation of club No.1 Lasse Bjerre, who assisted in negotiations to bring him to Teeside.Andersen will make his debut in the home Premier League clash with Edinburgh on June 25 and will replace Rafal Konopka in the line-up.RYE HOUSE will have to wait until July 9 for their next second tier action after Saturday’s scheduled meeting against Peterborough was postponed.The gap in fixtures means it will be just shy of a month since the last Rockets’ team fixture when they travel to Ipswich in just over two weeks time.Meanwhile, captain Edward Kennett and World Under-21 Finalist Nikolaj Busk Jakobesen have been named as the duo who will represent the Rockets at the Premier League Pairs Championship on July 3.SCUNTHORPE suffered a narrow 47-42 home defeat at the hands of Glasgow on Friday – but their riders were praised by the club’s management. Scorpions Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Glasgow put out a very strong side for the fixture but we pushed them all the way - I couldn’t have asked for any more from our riders.”The Scorpions face two away fixtures this coming weekend at Workington in the League followed by Newcastle in the Knockout Cup.SHEFFIELD have booked Somerset’s Brady Kurtz to guest for them in their crucial Premier League clash with Workington on Thursday.The Australian rider rates the Tigers’ track as one of his favourites and bagged 13-points there against Glasgow at the start of the month.Tigers Co-Promoter Damien Bates said: “He’s great to watch around Owlerton and hopefully he can play his part in another good win for the team.”SOMERSET maintained their place at the top of the Premier League table after backing-up an impressive away draw at Ipswich with a classy 59-34 home win against Workington.The Rebels now have a gap in their fixture list but the Oaktree Arena will host a third tier challenge meeting this Friday when an Exeter Falcons septet take to the track against Cradley.WORKINGTON are looking to build on an impressive 49-44 home win against Ipswich when they travel to Sheffield on Thursday before hosting Scunthorpe on Saturday.Comets Team Manager Tony Jackson said: “We have raced less league fixtures than everyone else at present but with a busy schedule coming up, we need to start picking up points on the road to mount a challenge for a play-off place.“With Rusty (Harrison) back with us and Nicki Barrett due to return from injury this weekend, we feel as if our season is finally getting underway.”
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury was encouraged despite seeing the Brummies’ Knockout Cup campaign brought to an end with a 50-39 defeat at Eastbourne on Sunday.Drury said: “Obviously it’s disappointing to be out of the Knockout Cup, but for me there is a lot we can take out of today’s meeting.“We battled all the way despite only having five riders for the majority of the meeting and there’s certainly no disgrace in the scoreline whatsoever.“Adam Ellis was in a class of his own again, Tom (Perry) enjoyed his best ever meeting at Eastbourne and Zach (Wajtknecht) had some really good rides too.“Our lower end struggled points wise, but today, on a specialist track like that, it’s all part of the learning process for them and hopefully a meeting like that will stand us all in good stead for the Cradley meeting as well as the rest of the season.”BUXTON man Tom Woolley was in jubilant mood after his hard-fought 8+3 points haul helped Buxton edge a 49-41 win over Stoke at the Hi-Edge Raceway.Woolley said: “I think that was my best ever performance in a Buxton race jacket - sure I’ve scored paid 11 before but not from 4 rides. “I’m gating well and it’s all coming together. I feel I’ve turned a corner, it’s just a pity we have to wait so long until our next meeting.”COVENTRY Storm boss Laurence Rogers admits his side simply could not get going as they saw their impressive away record come to an end with a 52-40 defeat at Birmingham last week.Rogers commented: “It was quite wet and heavy to start with, and the boys didn’t really get into a rhythm. I thought we could have got something here, but we can’t moan having had twelve points from the five away matches before today.“Rider replacement for Crangy (Luke Crang) only got us three paid five, and it was also a blow to lose Conor (Dwyer) when he was going quite well.“Marty (Knuckey) was shattered at the end, I worked him to death with seven rides but all credit to him, and he would have had paid-17 but for that stoppage.”CRADLEY manager Will Pottinger admitted they were left with mixed feelings after slipping to a 46-41 defeat at Mildenhall on Sunday.Despite losing Michael Neale to a broken collarbone in heat two, the Heathens led for the majority of the meeting before eventually slipping to a narrow defeat.And Pottinger said: “We’ve got mixed feelings to be honest, because after leading for the majority of the meeting we are absolutely gutted we’ve lost. “Unfortunately we just didn’t have enough in the tank after losing Mikey Neale to a suspected broken collarbone suffered in that crash in heat two.“We were very much up against it, and I suppose we have to be happy we still got a league point despite being down to only five riders.”EASTBOURNE skipper David Mason believes he still has room for improvement as he aims to score even more points over the second half of the campaign.The experienced Eagles favourite told the Speedway Star: “I’m struggling for setups myself. I either make a great gate but am not fast enough around the track or vice-versa. “But the main thing is the team have been winning, and we hope we can keep that going.” KENT reserve Adam Sheppard has announced he will take a break from the National League in order to rectify problems with his equipment.Sheppard commented: “In an attempt to turn my season around and after a week of heavy pondering, I have decided to have a spell away from the National League. “The main aim from this is to focus on my equipment. The latest blown engine is just one of a number of mechanical misfortunes I’ve suffered; and to be honest, it has been very difficult to recover from blowing up my main engine set up to ride the Central Park circuit less than two weeks into the season.”KING’S LYNN left boss Dale Allitt in a jubilant mood after they stormed to a convincing 57-33 win over local rivals Mildenhall at the Adrian Flux Arena last week.The Young Stars boss remarked: “That was a great performance from the team, and an excellent win. The rain made conditions tricky, but our guys didn’t let it faze them and that won us the meeting.“Tonight was a big step forward for Layne (Cupitt), I am pleased for him and I hope he can now push on and continue his development.”MILDENHALL promoter Kevin Jolly was delighted to see his side respond to his recent criticism in perfect fashion with a hard-fought 46-41 win over rivals Cradley at West Row on Sunday.Jolly said: “After the hammering I gave the lads after some recent poor performances they showed me a lot of spirit in defeat at King’s Lynn on Wednesday and they carried it into Sunday with an excellent performance. “They really worked hard for every point against a good Cradley side who had come here to win. Everyone contributed and when the chips were down Danny (Halsey) produced two memorable rides to beat Max Clegg, but special mention must be made of Tom (Bacon). “He hasn’t had the best of times recently but today showed what can happen if you stick in there and keep doing the right things. A paid seventeen return was fantastic and fully deserved and he covered Stefan’s absence better than anyone could have hoped.”RYE HOUSE star Kyle Hughes believes he is close to recapturing top form after a confidence-boosting spell.Hughes has been one of the Raiders’ top performers so far this season, and he told the Speedway Star he is delighted with his form.He said: “I feel I’ve picked some good form now, and we’ve moulded into a good team where everyone is capable of doing their bit.“I feel I’m nearly back to where I was when I was in the Premier League, there’s a little way to go yet but I definitely feel I’m getting there.” STOKE boss Malcolm Vasey could not hide his disappointment after his side slipped to a 49-41 loss at Buxton on Sunday.Vasey said: “It was a highly entertaining match but a very disappointing result for us. I felt we were definitely worth at least a point or a draw.“We just didn’t get it although it wasn’t for the want of trying, the lads worked hard and I do feel if we’d have had Shaun Tedham riding we’d have probably won but he wasn’t quite ready. “Heats one, thirteen and fifteen were the crucial races and when the big guns were out we didn’t seem able inflict any damage points wise on them.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Glasgow 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 25:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30, Sheffield v Workington 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 26:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 7.30, Lakeside v Leicester 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30CHALLENGE: Exeter Select v Cradley 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Workington v Scunthorpe 7pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Birmingham 7pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Rye House v Eastbourne 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30, Peterborough v Plymouth 5pmBRITISH 125cc FINAL: Peterborough 4pm (prior to PL match)PALMER TROPHY: Mildenhall 3.30
MONDAY JUNE 29:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Leicester v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 30:LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 1: ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Poole 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Mildenhall 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 2:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 3:PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 4:BRITISH GRAND PRIX: Cardiff 5pm
SUNDAY JULY 5:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Redcar 5pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v King’s Lynn 3pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Eastbourne 3.30
MONDAY JULY 6:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Lakeside 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Coventry 6.30
TUESDAY JULY 7:TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Glasgow v Newcastle/Scunthorpe 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 8:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Peterborough 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Stoke 7.30, King’s Lynn v Birmingham 7.30
