BRITISH Speedway Chairman Alex Harkess says speedway fans can expect a feast of racing and a wide open contest in the Premier League Fours next month.The showpiece event, one of the highlights of the domestic calendar, takes place at Peterborough's East of England Showground on Sunday, August 2.And Harkess says the host club won't have it all their own way in the battle for the title.“The Fours is a great day out for people of all ages,” said Harkess. “It's a feast of racing and the action is fast and furious around the Showground.“Looking at the groups, it's very hard to predict who will emerge through to the Final. “When you have riders like Ricky Wells, Danny King, Ulrich Ostergaard, Brady Kurtz and Nick Morris involved they will all be taking points off each other.“The Fours traditionally pulls in a big crowd and we're sure the same will apply on August 2. “Peterborough is a super venue for this occasion and, like every meeting, we just hope it's a sunny day and people can enjoy the day out.”Edinburgh will face Workington, Ipswich and Peterborough in Group A with holders Somerset up against Glasgow, Rye House and Newcastle in Group B.Admission is £20 adults, £15 concessions, juniors aged 5-16 £5 and children under 5 free. A full colour souvenir programme will be available for £4.PL FOURS LINE-UPS (Reserves to be declared):GROUP A: EDINBURGH: Craig Cook, Kevin Wolbert, Justin Sedgmen, Erik Riss.WORKINGTON: Rene Bach, Rusty Harrison, Kyle Howarth, Ricky Wells.IPSWICH: Rohan Tungate, Danny King, Cameron Heeps, Nico Covatti.PETERBOROUGH: Simon Lambert, Ulrich Ostergaard, Lewis Blackbird, Michael Palm Toft.GROUP B:SOMERSET: Josh Grajczonek, Brady Kurtz, Richie Worrall, Charles Wright.GLASGOW: Nick Morris, James Sarjeant, Aaron Summers, Richard Lawson.RYE HOUSE: Anders Mellgren, Kasper Lykke, Edward Kennett, Nikolaj B Jakobsen.NEWCASTLE: Steve Worrall, Ludvig Lindgren, Lewis Kerr, Anton Rosen.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2015:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: JASON DOYLEBRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: KYLE HOWARTHBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: IPSWICHPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday August 2PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: BIRMINGHAMNATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, Saturday September 5NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 26
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Berwick, Saturday September 12
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE boss Mark Lemon says the Aces’ 55-35 win over fellow play-off contenders King’s Lynn was a statement of intent for the business end of the Elite League season.Lemon said: “After all of the delays we’ve been through with the weather, the boys were initially a bit race-rusty here but they didn’t panic. They just got on with it, they stuck to the plan and in the end it showed.“It’s clear to see from the final result how fiercely the boys came out fighting, and if we’re going to be worthy contenders for that top four we have to demolish teams like King’s Lynn at home.”COVENTRY star Joonas Kylmakorpi says the Bees will maintain their focus on ensuring a play-off place as they continue to set the pace at the top of the Elite League table.Kylmakorpi said: “The team is good, there are no problems at all, the spirit is fantastic and I think we can go a long way with this team.“The goal is to get to the play-offs first, and then when you get there you can have different goals. Now it’s about getting to the play-offs.”KING’S LYNN are hoping to field a full side in Wednesday’s home fixture against Belle Vue - as they look to bounce back from defeat in Manchester on Monday and maintain their perfect home record.Stars boss Rob Lyon said: “Hopefully Robert (Lambert) will be back from his crash at Berwick a couple of weeks ago and we will be back to full strength to see off the Aces. “Buster (Chapman) prepared a superb racing strip for the boys to perform on last week so more of the same this week would be great. All the team enjoyed it and produced a superb solid display.”LAKESIDE chief Jon Cook says Monday’s televised clash with Coventry - where heavily reduced £5 admission is available in advance - is the perfect opportunity to showcase the club and their future prospects.Cook said: “With our long term future uncertain at the Arena Essex Raceway we're taking the opportunity to show the good people of Essex and beyond just what a great night out Speedway is, and in doing so also strengthen our hand for the Sport to remain in the Borough of Thurrock and the County of Essex. “To this end all pre-booked tickets are offered at just £5 for adults and concessions via either our website or Sky Tickets. We're hoping for a bumper crowd and a great atmosphere at the Raceway as we take on this year’s runaway Elite League leaders, Coventry.”LEICESTER promoter David Hemsley says the Lions’ recent home win over Swindon showed the improvement in the side since the early weeks of the season.Hemsley told the Leicester Mercury: “The loss of Sam Masters with a broken hand and dislocated thumb, which required an operation, is yet another huge disappointment.“However, in the past this situation may well have led to a collapse in the team's performance, but not (this time). Our five riders kept Swindon under pressure and, probably against the odds, we still came out on top with two heats to spare, which really was an excellent all-round team performance.”POOLE promoter Matt Ford was left seething after the Pirates failed to win at Wolverhampton on Monday despite having led 33-21 after nine races.Ford told the official club website: “That can only be described as a dreadful performance and has really hampered our chances of claiming the top spot we so keenly want. I said before that I wouldn't be happy with just a consolation point and happy I am not. “It was unacceptable from certain quarters and some will have to take a long hard look at themselves. We did not see championship potential Pirates tonight and that is what I strive for.”SWINDON star Nick Morris expects to return to action in the Robins’ next fixture away at Wolverhampton on Monday after his crash at Somerset earlier this month.Morris told the Swindon Advertiser: “I cut my elbow open and got a bit of a concussion, so I am definitely out for two weeks. I don’t want to rush back into it because I have had a couple of knocks to the head recently and I want to wait until the cut heals up a bit. “The doctor did a really good job with the elbow, it is heaps tidier now, I’ll just give it a week and see how it feels. I’ve got good movement in it, but the muscles in my bicep and tricep are a bit torn as well - once that heals up, I’ll come back.”WOLVERHAMPTON promoter Chris Van Straaten hailed a stunning comeback from his side to end a six-match losing sequence with a remarkable 47-46 win over Poole at Monmore.Van Straaten said: “I think even if we’d have lost in that final race, to come from 12 points down and take it to heat 15 was quite an amazing performance.“The entertainment served up was breathtaking, and the fighting spirit shown by our riders going in as underdogs was superb. It’s been a difficult few weeks for us, so to hold on in the final race to get the win in the manner in which we did was really tremendous.”PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK endured a tough weekend with back-to-back defeats against their two Scottish rivals.The Bandits went down 54-38 at home to Edinburgh on Saturday before losing 58-34 at Glasgow on Sunday.The Shielfield outfit will be looking to hold on to their six-point lead over Rye House in the home leg of their Premier League Knockout Cup tie this Saturday.EDINBURGH picked up six-points on their travels last week to return to the top of the Premier League table.The Monarchs secured a hard-fought 45-45 draw in an entertaining encounter at Ipswich before an impressive team display saw them race to a 54-38 victory at Scottish rivals Berwick.Reserve Max Clegg told the Edinburgh Evening News: “Berwick have got a very good home advantage because their track is so big and it can be a difficult place to go for some riders and teams and that underlined the importance that win had for me.“Now we are top of the league again, I think that gives us a psychological advantage over our rivals who might fear us a bit more.”GLASGOW had a busy week with four meetings in four days and were happy with their performances and results overall.In the Premier League, they bounced back from a heavy 58-32 defeat at Somerset in perfect style by picking up a 51-39 away win at Rye House before seeing off rivals Berwick 58-34 at Ashfield on Sunday.Not only did they move into joint third in the second tier, they also progressed through to the next round of the League Cup after holding off a second leg charge from Sheffield.Popular racer Richard Lawson said: “Unfortunately we’ve got not got all seven riders but we’ve got a good team spirit here and we’re still winning matches, that’s the main thing.” IPSWICH gave their play-off chances a big boost by bagging four Premier League points from their two meetings last week.The Witches battled their way to a 45-45 home draw against Edinburgh before edging a 47-43 win in a controversial meeting at Scunthorpe.Ipswich team manager Phil Hilton said: “It’s a shame about all the incidents and the one between Rohan (Tungate) and Josh (Auty) caused a lengthy stoppage, but if you put all that aside, the track was in excellent condition and it produced some very good racing for the fans.“That was a very hard fought meeting but we got there in the end with everyone chipping in for the win.”NEWCASTLE ended a run of three straight defeats with another powerful home victory over Scunthorpe for the second time in the space of three weeks.The Diamonds included new signing Tero Aarnio in their line-up as they romped to a 60-33 win over the Scorpions.Newcastle team manager George English said: “I was very pleased with how the team performed; we were solid throughout and Lewis Kerr was superb.“We had been looking to bring Tero in for a few weeks and the unfortunate injury to Lewis Rose has enabled us to make the change now; I was happy with how Aarnio fitted in and we are looking forward to watching how he gets on in the next few weeks.”PETERBOROUGH are sweating on the fitness of two of their riders ahead of this weekend’s trips to Workington and Glasgow.Simon Lambert crashed on Monday during an individual meeting at Kent while Lewis Blackbird is still struggling with a back injury he sustained just under two months ago.Panthers promoter Ged Rathbone said: “Lewis is going to London to have some work done on his back. It is a waiting game for us at the moment, but we are not going to put Lewis under any pressure to return until he feels right.Meanwhile team boss Carl Johnson said: “Simon told me he is in a fair bit of shoulder pain and has a suspected dislocation.“We’ve all got our fingers crossed for good news as we certainly can’t afford to lose a rider who has been fantastic for us throughout the season.PLYMOUTH will welcome back No.1 Ryan Fisher to their line-up for the visit of Edinburgh this Friday.The Devils will be looking to build on last week’s 50-40 victory over Workington when they host the Premier League leaders.Co-promoter Ashley Taylor says: “We will not be put off by the fact that Edinburgh are top of the table; we can match the best in the league as long as we do what we have to do.“There is ability in the Plymouth side with six riders capable of producing a good result, it is just a case that we have to control the meetings and that means making our percentage share of the starts.”REDCAR picked up their fourth win in five meetings with a hard-fought 50-43 victory over rivals Newcastle.Bears team manager Jitendra Duffill told The Gazette: “Credit must go to Newcastle for fighting back in the middle of the meeting after we got away to a terrific start but we threw a lot of points away ourselves.“Since the arrival of Jonas (B. Andersen) we have proved that we are a match for anyone at home and the aim has now got to be to start picking up points away too.“It’s a shame that we are already over half way through the season; making the play-offs is not impossible, but we’d need to pick up a few wins away from home and probably need a few other results to go our way as well so it would be very difficult.”RYE HOUSE suffered a fifth straight defeat as they went down 51-39 at home to Glasgow on Saturday.Rockets team manager John Sampford said: “Glasgow are a quality side as they’ve shown with their results this season; we were beaten by the better team on the day, it was as simple as that.“Edward (Kennett) and Nikolaj (Busk Jakobsen) were at the races and Anders (Mellgren) was also in there but we badly missed Kasper (Lykke) and we struggled elsewhere.“We desperately need Kasper back – that will take the pressure off the other guys.”SCUNTHORPE suffered a narrow 47-43 home defeat to Ipswich on Friday, but have appealed against the decision to allow Witches rider Rohan Tungate to continue racing after a controversial incident.Tungate collided with Scunthorpe’s Josh Auty after the conclusion of Heat 10 which left the Scorpions No.1 with a broken hand in his comeback meeting for the club.Team manager Dave Peet said: “We’re not in this to cause problems for the Ipswich Witches.“A rider cannot be seen to seemingly take the law into his own hands; it may have been done in the heat of the moment but it’s still unacceptable.“We have a rider who could be sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the season because of it and what we’re primarily after is justice for that.”SHEFFIELD made it eight meetings unbeaten at home in all competitions with a 49-41 win over Glasgow last Thursday – but it wasn’t enough to see them qualify through to the next round of the League cup.The Tigers put in a determined display but went down by six-points on aggregate.Team manager Jack Lee said: “We thought we had a chance of making up the points but unfortunately Glasgow knew what they had to do and we just couldn’t get any sort of lead in the first half of the meeting.“All the boys gave it their all and we did well to come away with a win on the night.“Unfortunately 14-points was just too much and it’s a shame because if we hadn’t have had those injuries in the first leg it might have been a different story.”SOMERSET host Ipswich this Friday in a big battle between two of this year’s major play-off contenders.The Rebels will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record at The Oaktree Arena this year with what would be another big win over the Witches.Somerset team manager Garry May said: “It goes without saying that we will be looking for not only the win in order to gain another three league points, but to also send Ipswich away from the Oaktree with nothing to show for their troubles.“With (Danny) King and (Rohan) Tungate having recently won the Pairs Championship at the Oaktree Arena, we know that it is going to be another tough match for us, but one that I feel we are more than capable of winning.”WORKINGTON manager Tony Jackson is hoping his side will have learnt lessons from last weekend’s comeback against Newcastle when they host Peterborough this Saturday.Said Jackson: “We gave away too much ground in the early stages of last weekend’s meeting and were up against it from then on. However, a superb comeback saw us take the points as we rode like a different team in the second half of the meeting.“The team knows that we cannot allow ourselves to get into that position this weekend against Peterborough, who contain some former Comets in their side and have an excellent away record this season.”
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury praised the “character and determination” shown by his side to edge a 47-42 away victory over Coventry at Brandon on Friday. Drury said: “What another incredible turnaround and what another spectacular performance from our riders. Both sides had their bits of good fortune as well as bad luck - but this is speedway and that's the way it goes.“We've shown remarkable character and determination once again and this is a massive step towards our end of season goal - but there's still a long way to go. Our supporters were brilliant and they completely out voiced the Coventry fans - what another great night for Birmingham speedway."BUXTON ace Tom Woolley was thrilled to bag his first ever five-ride paid maximum to lead the Hitmen to a 51-39 win over King’s Lynn on Sunday.Although a tangle with Jake Knight prevented him from taking his place in heat 15, he was in a jubilant mood.Said Woolley: “It was great to score my first five ride paid maximum and I wanted Heat 15 but I got tangled up with Jake Knight’s handlebars and the next thing I know I’m through the air fence.“I’ve wrecked a helmet and bent the forks on my bike, but I’m happy with my performance and I’m really enjoying my speedway again.” COVENTRY boss Laurence Rogers was proud of the fight shown by his depleted side despite seeing them suffer a 56-36 defeat at Eastbourne on Sunday.Rogers said: “When we went 10-2 down after two races I thought we were really in trouble, but credit to the boys because they did bounce back.“Rider replacement (for Luke Crang) only got us four paid five, and we also had two reserves who were thrown in at the deep end at the last moment so we only got one point from there.“All in all to score 36 points wasn’t too bad, Dan and Brad (Wilson-Dean) had the most amazing race in Heat 15 and Marty (Knuckey) was a big plus for us, he rode really well.”CRADLEY star Ellis Perks has urged his side to maintain their focus as they host Buxton at Perry Barr on Wednesday. Perks said: “You can’t go any meeting just expecting to win, speedway is tricky and you have to concentrate and be on the ball at all times.“We are going to give it 100% to make sure we come away with the win we need and get a busy few days off to a good start.”EASTBOURNE Chairman Martin Dugard says they are determined to overcome their reputation as home specialists. Although delighted with their perfect home record, Dugard told the Speedway Star they are aiming to improve their away form.He said: “Eastbourne have always been poor away and we are trying to change that around. I think the line-up now helps our chances.“We want to be a top speedway team rather than just a team who win at home but struggle everywhere else.” KENT boss Chris Hunt says his side are desperate reward the patience shown by their supporters by returning to winning ways.Having recorded just one win in their last eight outings, Hunt told the Speedway Star: “The crowd is still there, and we so badly want to win for them each week.“It’s so frustrating when we can’t do it, but we’re delighted that they have stuck by us and we’re doing everything we can to improve.” KING’S LYNN boss Dale Allitt has revealed how injured Stars skipper Rory Schlein has been lending a helping hand with his Young Stars side.Allitt told the Speedway Star: “Rory has come in and is helping. He’s taking some of the lads under his wing and giving them some help. That’s good for the youngsters, and we are grateful to have him in the pits helping out and passing on advice.” MILDENHALL promoter Kevin Jolly has revealed the problems experienced whilst trying to cover the absence of Luke Ruddick due to injury.He said: “With the new, lower team average there’s nobody out there to replace him. He’s worth much more to the side than his 3.05 average, so rider replacement is going to be difficult, especially as we have so little experience at No.7.“We have talked to Nick Laurence, who I’m sure would do a good job, but he has a back problem which looks like ruling him out.” RYE HOUSE favourite Luke Priest says he is loving life with the Raiders in 2015.After returning from an injury lay-off earlier in the season, the experienced Priest has been in solid form – and he has revealed his enthusiasm for the sport has returned.Priest said in the Speedway Star: “Rye House is a new challenge for me, it’s totally different to anything I’ve done before and to be honest it’s breathed a bit of enthusiasm back into me. “It’s good being around a professional set-up, the club is brilliant and I enjoy bringing the young lads on so everything is good.” STOKE skipper Jon Armstrong looks set to quit the sport after another costly engine blow up against Eastbourne on Saturday.Armstrong said: “If I’m being honest it looks like the engine blow up tonight is the final straw. I just haven’t got any more money to throw at it, I’m £12,000 out of pocket now and I just cannot do it anymore as much as I would like too.“I’ve spent all that money, we’ve always been reliable and have had safe motors and have built everything with all the part being brand new. “I could, for an extra few thousand pounds, possibly bought brand new engines, but you do that and take them apart and change things and it would probably have cost me more so I spent the money on what we had and it really is sickening.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JULY 22:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Buxton 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 23:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Glasgow 7.30TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30CHALLENGE: Sheffield Select v Cradley Select 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Rye House 7.30, Scunthorpe v Plymouth 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Eastbourne 7.30, King’s Lynn v Cradley 7.30, NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Buxton (follows previous fixture)
SATURDAY JULY 25:PREMIER LEAGUE: Plymouth v Edinburgh 7.15, Workington v Peterborough 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Berwick v Rye House 7pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Birmingham 7pm, Stoke v Kent 7pm
SUNDAY JULY 26:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Peterborough 3pm, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Eastbourne 3pmBRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Rye House 5pm
MONDAY JULY 27:ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Coventry 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 29:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Lakeside 8pm, King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v King’s Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Rye House 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 31:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v King’s Lynn 7.30, Lakeside v Swindon 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Plymouth 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 1:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Plymouth v Somerset 7.15, Rye House v Newcastle 7pm, Workington v Sheffield 7pmTRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Kent 7pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 2:PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough 3pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Kent 3pm, Mildenhall v Birmingham 3.30
MONDAY AUGUST 3:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Mildenhall 6.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 8pm, Poole v Leicester 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Cradley 7.30PRIDE OF THE EAST: King’s Lynn 7.30
