PIC OF THE WEEK...
Great Britain’s youngsters after securing their well-deserved bronze medals in Saturday’s FIM World Under-21 Team Cup Final in Outrup, Denmark.
Picture: @gbyouthspeedway
Latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE
“The aura in the camp right now is so relaxed. Everyone has settled in really well and I think that’s been evident in this last week in particular because it’s had a huge impact on our results.”
Aces star Steve Worrall enjoyed his best score of the season in Monday’s win over Leicester which vaulted the Manchester side back into the play-off places as they backed up two away wins to make it ten points from three matches.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Mon Aug 27 (12pm)
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon Aug 27 (8pm)
KING’S LYNN
“We have carefully considered our strategy for this critical double-header and whole team have bought into running rider replacement for Niels. To ask the riders to take extra rides on an already busy night is a big ask, but to the man they all immediately stepped up to the challenge.”
Stars boss Dale Allitt knows a double-header against Wolverhampton at the Adrian Flux Arena will be a major test of man and machine, especially with heat-leader Niels-Kristian Iversen unavailable.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Mon Aug 27 (7.30)
LEICESTER
“Hans (Andersen) and Josh (Auty) did the majority of the scoring but it’s hard to believe the scores from Ricky (Wells) and Charles (Wright) because they worked so hard. We were just beaten by the better side. They are so good around this track but we have it everything we’ve got.”
Lions boss Simon Stead was not critical of his side after a 57-33 defeat in an entertaining National Speedway Stadium clash with Belle Vue on Monday.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Mon Aug 27 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
POOLE
“Going to the Oak Tree is never easy and when a rider like Jason Doyle is in that kind of form, it’s even tougher. But we’re back at home on Wednesday against Swindon and our form at home of late has been excellent.”
Pirates promoter Matt Ford says his side must quickly put their defeat at Somerset on Monday out of their minds and focus on securing enough points to secure a play-off place.
NEXT HOME: Swindon, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon Aug 27 (7.30)
SOMERSET
“We have to focus on one meeting at a time and look to win each one. Yes, we do have matches in hand but if you don’t pick up points from then they are worthless.”
Rebels boss Garry May urges his team to keep their eyes on the prize, with the play-offs now in sight following Monday’s impressive 51-39 home win over Poole.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Mon Aug 27 (12.30)
SWINDON
“I know I’m probably only stating the obvious but it’s very disappointing. We seem to be running out of steam; we’ve been doing well all season, we’ve been in the top two more-or-less all year and when we need to be on it we’re not.”
Robins boss Alun Rossiter was left to reflect on another disappointing result on the road as they lost by a 16-point margin at Wolverhampton on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Mon Aug 27 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON
“We had to be mindful that Swindon have got some quality riders and while we never felt too much pressure, we could never really relax until the latter stages. While we're pleased with the result from our point-of-view, Swindon will be very disappointed and that more-or-less rules them out of a top four finish I would think.”
Wolves boss Peter Adams feels his side’s 53-37 win over Swindon at Monmore has delivered a crushing blow to the Robins’ hopes of retaining the Premiership title.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Mon Aug 27 (8pm)
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BERWICK
“We really want to get something out of this season as last night at Scunthorpe and again tonight over the league leaders has proven. We want the play-offs and the guys are going to fight all the way because we want it bad!”
Co-promoter Scott Courtney saw his side take five points from Scunthorpe and at home to leaders Peterborough, and now hopes they can gain more results on the road to extend their season in the play-offs.
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Sept 6 (7.30)
EDINBURGH
“I always came here and scored well but maybe dropped a point to Ricky (Wells) or Erik (Riss). Now I don't have to race against them!”
Maximum man Richie Worrall continued his excellent form since joining the club with another full house in the win over Sheffield last Friday.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
GLASGOW
“Nathan is a lovely lad and I think he’ll do very well for us at home in the future, so fingers crossed he’ll be back fit soon. He’s come to the club and really enjoyed riding for us, so it’s a real shame what’s happened to him.”
Tigers boss Cami Brown hopes to see mid-season signing Nathan Greaves back in the side at Ashfield soon after he crashed out on his debut.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sun Aug 26 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
IPSWICH
“Having had a meeting already will help Drew but he will obviously be nervous. He rode really well at Workington and was quick enough it was just at the start and the first bend where he lost out but quite frankly we knew that would be the case before the meeting. He did everything he could at Workington and he impressed me.”
Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins has no qualms over 16-year-old Drew Kemp ahead of his home debut against Peterborough on Thursday.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
LAKESIDE
“I didn’t really want to drop to reserve this year but it’s not because I’ve been riding badly at all. I guess the bonus of being at reserve is that there’s always the chance to pick up extra rides and therefore a chance to score extra points.”
Hammers star Ben Morley says he’ll take the additional rides available after finding himself at reserve due to the form of team-mate Zach Wajtknecht who has moved into the top five.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri Aug 24 (8pm)
NEXT AWAY: Workington, Sat Aug 25 (7pm)
NEWCASTLE
”Good racing, good hard match, and we won. All boxes ticked.”
Diamonds boss George English gives his reaction to a 47-43 win over Peterborough at Brough Park last Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Lakeside, Sun Aug 26 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Lakeside, Fri Aug 24 (8pm)
PETERBOROUGH
“There will be people who look at the league table and think we’re safe, but that most certainly isn’t the case when you look at the fixtures coming up, and the last thing we want is to slip out right at the end.”
Panthers promoter Ged Rathbone urges his side to keep their focus over the closing weeks of the campaign as they look to make sure of a play-off place.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Sun Sept 9 (5pm)
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
REDCAR
“I really don’t think that we will finish bottom and it would be nice to get up a couple more places. We’ve had the making of a good team all year but it’s just not happened for us.”
Bears No.1 Ben Barker believes a big finish to the season can still see the Teesside club finish on a high after a difficult campaign.
NEXT HOME: Workington, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Workington, Sun Aug 26 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE
“We know we need to be at our best for the two forthcoming semi-finals, and we’ve got several weeks to prepare for them, by getting some positive results from our league meetings.”
Scorpions boss Dave Peet accepts the play-offs are likely to be out of reach after a home draw with Berwick – but says his side still have plenty to race for as they are still in the KO Cup and Championship Shield competitions.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Aug 30 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD
“It’s a big season for us in 2019 because we have to show character to bounce back after this one. We have signed a rider who will become an asset of the club and we owe it to our loyal fans to give them the news first on Thursday night.”
Tigers owner Damien Bates says the forward planning for next year is already underway after a Championship title defence which has faded dramatically over the second half of the season.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Aug 31 (7.30)
WORKINGTON
“Rene Bach was our trump card with 14+1 at reserve, riding like the number one that started the season, while Ty Proctor and Nicolai Klindt provided crucial back up, and the team coped with the international duty absence of Dan Bewley to take the match points; while just as importantly, preventing the Witches from picking up any points.”
Comets boss Tony Jackson praised all aspects of the team performance in overcoming Ipswich on Saturday and moving closer to a play-off place.
NEXT HOME: Lakeside, Sat Aug 25 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Thur Aug 23 (7.30)
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE COLTS
“Obviously we want to see a response from the lads on Friday, when Buxton come to our place, but that’s not something we need to emphasise. We need to dust ourselves down and move on.”
Colts co-boss Steve Williams says the response is all-important after a thumping 64-25 KO Cup defeat at Mildenhall last weekend.
NEXT HOME: Buxton, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon Sept 10 (6.30)
BIRMINGHAM
“It was good to have a full 1-7 and as we anticipated, that in itself brought a real feel-good vibe back to the place. Credit to Buxton as well though; a couple of their boys helped create some really entertaining racing and I thought there was some really good speedway on display.”
Brummies promoter David Mason was relieved to get an injury-free Brummies team back on track last Wednesday for a comfortable home win against Buxton.
NEXT HOME: Stoke, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Aug 26 (3pm)
BUXTON
“Everyone put in a tremendous amount of effort and I hope that the supporters were entertained at Perry Barr as the score line and the racing on the night doesn’t do us justice.”
The Hitmen were defeated at Birmingham last Wednesday but boss Joshua Moss felt they were worth more than 34 points on a night of good racing.
NEXT HOME: Kent, Sun Aug 26 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri Aug 24 (7.30)
COVENTRY
The Bees suffered another Sunday meeting rain-off last weekend, this time with their away fixture at Buxton called off, and now face the long trip to Eastbourne on Saturday with their next ‘home’ match not until early September.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sun Sept 2 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat Aug 25 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE
The Eagles have re-arranged various fixtures and are set for a busy run-in to the end of the regular season, including a double-header on September 15 featuring Stoke and the Isle of Wight.
NEXT HOME: Coventry, Sat Aug 25 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur Aug 30 (7pm)
ISLE OF WIGHT
“Firstly a huge thank you to our brilliant track team for getting the circuit raceable after the heavy morning rain. Secondly an equally big thank you to the supporters of who have turned out in great numbers to attend our meeting, and lastly well done to all the riders for serving up some fantastic speedway.”
Warriors promoter Barry Bishop saw his side lose to runaway National League leaders Mildenhall but said everyone could take credit for the evening’s entertainment.
NEXT HOME: Young Lions Select, Tues Aug 21 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Buxton, Sun Sept 2 (3pm)
KENT
“We can't take anything for granted but certainly we go to Derbyshire on Sunday aiming to match our four match points haul from Stoke and that may well be enough to clinch it.”
Kings boss Chris Hunt feels the trip to Buxton on Sunday offers his side a good chance to further cement their place in the National League play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Mon Aug 27 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Buxton, Sun Aug 26 (3pm)
MILDENHALL
“We have a big league fixture against Birmingham and I cannot imagine anyone who was here today will want to miss that meeting, the lads are providing so much entertainment.”
After seeing his side hit 64 points against Belle Vue in the KO Cup, Fen Tigers promoter Kevin Jolly admits he can’t wait for the next action at West Row on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Sun Aug 26 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon Sept 3 (6.30)
PLYMOUTH
“Although the Fen Tigers romped to a 54-36 victory many people have commented that the two races were worth the admission price alone.”
Devils co-promoter Stuart Kellie hails the entertainment in Heats 13 and 15 at the St Boniface Arena last Friday with some thrilling battles involving Ben Morley, Danny Ayres, Ryan Kinsley and Henry Atkins.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Fri Aug 31 (7.15)
NEXT AWAY: Coventry, Sun Sept 2 (3pm)
STOKE
“Our guest Tom Perry again did a great job for us only dropping a point tonight, and got a three ride maximum last week, and he was supported well by Max (Clegg) but we simply are not winning enough races and it’s costing us.”
Potters boss Malcolm Vasey rues the inconsistency in his side after a shock home defeat to depleted Kent at Loomer Road on Saturday.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Sat Sept 1 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Aug 22 (7.30)
MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…
NICK Morris will defend the Championship Riders’ Individual title at Sheffield on Sunday September 2 (5pm).
The Lakeside star won the showpiece event in a dramatic Final at Glasgow last October, when he was racing in the colours of Berwick.
Now as the meeting returns to its traditional Owlerton home Morris, who also appears in the Premiership for Swindon, will be amongst the favourites in a top-quality line-up.
Two of last year’s other Finalists, Chris Harris (Glasgow) and Richard Lawson (now a team-mate of Morris at Lakeside), have also secured qualification for the 2018 event.
New Glasgow No.1 Craig Cook is also included and will be seeking to repeat his victory in the event of six years ago, when he raced in the colours of the Tigers’ great rivals Edinburgh.
All eleven Championship clubs will be represented by their top-averaged rider, whilst Lakeside, Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Glasgow and Edinburgh have two representatives with their second top averaged rider also involved.
The meeting takes the normal Individual format, with the 16 riders each taking five qualifying races, with the top two progressing directly to the Final and the next four going into the semi-final for the remaining two Final places.
LINE-UP (not in draw order): Kevin Doolan (Berwick), Ricky Wells (Edinburgh), Craig Cook (Glasgow), Rory Schlein (Ipswich), Richard Lawson (Lakeside), Stuart Robson (Newcastle), Scott Nicholls (Peterborough), Ben Barker (Redcar), Steve Worrall (Scunthorpe), Charles Wright (Sheffield), Ty Proctor (Workington), Nick Morris (Lakeside), Kyle Howarth (Sheffield), Josh Auty (Scunthorpe), Chris Harris (Glasgow), Erik Riss (Edinburgh).
*THE National League Riders’ Championship will now take place at Leicester on Sunday September 30 (2.30pm).
The meeting has been put back by a week from its original date in order to assist clubs to complete regular league fixtures by the September 23 cut-off.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2018
PREMIERSHIP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: JASON DOYLE
BRITISH FINAL: ROBERT LAMBERT
CHAMPIONSHIP FOURS: PETERBOROUGH
CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRS: SHEFFIELD
CHAMPIONSHIP RIDERS’ INDIVIDUAL: Sheffield, September 2
PREMIERSHIP PAIRS: TBC
OTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DATES
BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINALS: ZACH WAJTKNECHT; JACK THOMAS
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT LAMBERT
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: DAN BEWLEY
BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: JASON GARRITY; RICHARD LAWSON
NATIONAL LEAGUE EVENTS
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: TBC
NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, September 30
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY AUGUST 21:
CHALLENGE: Isle of Wight v Young Lions Select 7pm
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 22:
PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7pm, King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton (follows previous fixture), Poole v Swindon 7.30, Somerset v Leicester 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Stoke 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 23:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Redcar v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 24:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Lakeside v Newcastle 8pm, Scunthorpe v Ipswich 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Buxton 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 25:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Lakeside 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Coventry 7.30
SUNDAY AUGUST 26:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pm, Newcastle v Lakeside 7.30, Workington v Redcar 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Kent 3pm, Mildenhall v Birmingham 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 27:
PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 12pm, Leicester v King’s Lynn 7.30, Poole v Somerset 12.30, Swindon v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 8pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Birmingham 6.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29:
PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Poole 7.30, Somerset v Wolverhampton 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Coventry 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 30:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Scunthorpe 7.30, Redcar v Newcastle 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Eastbourne 7pm
FRIDAY AUGUST 31:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30, Glasgow v Newcastle 7.30, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Kent 7.30, Plymouth v Birmingham 7.15
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Edinburgh 7pm
NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Kent 7pm, Stoke v Birmingham 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2:
CHAMPIONSHIP RIDERS’ INDIVIDUAL: Sheffield 5pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Isle of Wight 3pm, Coventry v Plymouth 3pm, Mildenhall v Eastbourne 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 3:
PREMIERSHIP: Leicester v Somerset 7.30, Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Mildenhall 6.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 5:
PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Somerset v Belle Vue 7.30
