(SPEEDWAY 1)IPSWICH have taken the decision to put back their opening home fixture of the season by one week.The Witches will now face Lakeside at Foxhall on March 25 with recent adverse weather conditions having hampered the major track work taking place at the stadium.
The circuit has been re-shaped for the new season and club bosses are confident of an improved standard of racing.A club statement said: "A number of other tracks are also experiencing problems in getting their circuits into shape for the new season, but with the heavy work in re-shaping the Foxhall circuit hampered by the rain and snow it is felt that an early decision to postpone the start of the season by one week is in the best interests of supporters, riders and sponsors."Ipswich will still travel to Lakeside on March 19, and have re-scheduled their press and practice day for March 23.(SPEEDWAY 2)
SCUNTHORPE'S fixture list will feature double-headers of Premier and National League action on all four Bank Holiday Mondays during the season.
Promoter Rob Godfrey is keen for Saints home matches to take place on the same night as the higher-level Scorpions wherever possible, and feels the Monday meetings offer particularly strong combinations of opponents.He said: "We've got some good crowd-pulling opponents on the Bank Holidays and that is very important. A lot of neutrals like to come and see thirty heats of outstanding speedway at the Eddie Wright Raceway and even more so when it is a Bank Holiday.
"We will do all we can to keep the meetings moving so we should be done and dusted before 9pm and perhaps now people can go out for the day and still come to speedway for 6pm.
"It's great that we have an early Bank Holiday fixture against Dudley as I'm sure their fans will be out in force after not having a team to support for so long.
"Naturally there is added interest with three of last year's Saints coming back and I'm sure the atmosphere for that meetings will probably be the best in that league all season."
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MALCOLM Vasey has been unveiled as the new team manager of Premier League Stoke Potters.Vasey has vast experience in management, mainly in the third tier of the sport and most recently was in charge of Scunthorpe Saints.Stoke Promoter Dave Tattum said: "Malcolm has a vast amount of knowledge in the sport having been around in various capacities for a long time and I'm confident he will do a good job for us."He is enthusiastic, flamboyant, knows the rulebook inside out and wants to win and I'm sure he will go down well with the supporters."
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CZECH Republic rider Zdenek Simota will make a rare British appearance at Somerset's 10th Anniversary celebration meeting on March 19.Simota has had spells with Reading and Peterborough in the past but is without a UK base for the 2010 campaign. He brings the number of riders for the Oak Tree Arena event up to 14.Club bosses are hopeful of filling the remaining two places within the next few days with calls made to riders.
