British Speedway Weekly Bulletin

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TOP Elite League stars from every club will do battle for the prestigious Elite Riders' Championship at Peterborough on October 16 (7.30).The event, which is the last in the hugely successful Super 7even series this season, features six Grand Prix stars and a host of other riders who are more than capable of mixing it with the best in the world.

British Speedway officials have also confirmed they extended an invitation to newly crowned World Champion Tomasz Gollob, the former Ipswich man, but he has reluctantly declined because of other commitments.Super 7even series co-ordinator David Hoggart said: "This is a terrific line-up and personally I feel Chris Harris could be one to watch, he's been in great form recently.

"He has ridden superbly in the Grand Prix and looks like he could be an automatic qualifier for next season. He has done British Speedway proud with the way he has gone about his business.

"But I cannot really pick a winner with any confidence. It's a very even field, packed with quality and this is a great way for the series to end after what has been a very successful season. Naturally the success has been created by the supporters and we thank them sincerely for that."Peterborough was a great venue for the Premier League Fours in August and I am sure we will see some spectacular racing in this meeting."We are also delighted to see Leigh Adams included in the field and I am sure supporters would like to wish him well for the future, he has been a great ambassador for the sport and we all wish him every success with his farewell meeting at Swindon the following day."LINE-UP: Freddie Lindgren (Wolverhampton), Hans Andersen (Belle Vue), Scott Nicholls (Ipswich), Simon Stead (Swindon), Bjarne Pedersen (Poole), Lee Richardson (Lakeside), Niels Kristian Iversen (Peterborough), Matej Zagar (Eastbourne), Leigh Adams (Swindon), Tai Woffinden (Wolverhampton), Krzysztof Kasprzak (Coventry), Chris Holder (Poole), Danny King (Ipswich), Peter Karlsson (Belle Vue), Kenneth Bjerre (Peterborough), Chris Harris (Coventry).

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BELLE VUE salute little legend Kelly Moran when they close their season with a special challenge match between the Colts and the American Touring Team at Kirkmanshulme Lane next Monday (7.30).Aces promoter Chris Morton said: "I rode with and against Kelly and it was always a great experience to be on the same track as him. His balance was fantastic, he was a great guy and it was always good to watch him because he was a natural on a bike. "It was so sad to lose him at such an early age but the memory of him will certainly linger on. I asked his family to give their blessing to us running the meeting as an official tribute and, I am glad to say, they were happy to do so."COVENTRY boss Alun Rossiter paid tribute to skipper Chris Harris after the Bees completed their astonishing surge to glory at Poole on Monday, becoming Elite League Champions having had a run of 12 straight wins in all competitions.Rossiter said: "After that performance, I think everyone should see why I've been banging on about Chris Harris all season."What we saw on Monday sums up the man. I hadn't worked with him before this season, but I saw straight away what he could do. He was truly inspirational as captain and we have put a special team together. I am so pleased for everyone with what we've achieved."EASTBOURNE will switch to a Sunday staging this week for the first leg of their Knockout Cup semi-final against Wolverhampton, with the Eagles looking to build up a lead to take to Monmore Green the following evening.Co-promoter Mike Bellerby said: "I'm sure this is a match all our supporters will want to see and that's why we have switched to a weekend staging. "The 5pm start gives time for Wolves' GP riders to get to Arlington but also ensures parents should be able to get children to bed at a reasonable time before school the next day."IPSWICH Director of Speedway Chris Louis believes the annual 16-Lap Classic at Foxhall on Thursday could be one of the most spectacular in the event's history.Louis said: "For a start, the new wider track will allow for more jockeying for position in the early laps, and in addition we have put together a field which looks to be very evenly matched. "It is pretty well impossible to even predict which riders will make it through to the final, never mind who is going to win it."LAKESIDE are planning a big finale to their season when they stage the London Riders' Championship, preceded by a Young Hammers v USA Touring team match, on Friday October 15.Hammers boss Jon Cook said: "We wanted to go out with a bang and this is the best way to do it. It's an exciting way to look at several riders and see the season out properly with the fans. With Lee Richardson and Adam Shields now out for the season we are deliberately building a field of the same level so the racing should be entertaining and the winner unpredictable. "Fans of the much missed London teams, plus a few local to us, can see their club's body colours take to the track one more time and we will be keeping admission prices at normal rates as a thank you to our faithful supporters for sticking with us over the year."PETERBOROUGH will be without French racer Mathieu Tresarrieu for the remainder of the season, which sees them go into KO Cup action against Poole this week, as he has undergone surgery on a groin injury.Panthers boss Trevor Swales said: "Matt came in on a 3.12 average and actually improved on that so we can have no complaints about his efforts."He was always having a go and was certainly an improvement on some of the riders who had been at reserve before his arrival."POOLE skipper Davey Watt's amazing record of title wins with the Pirates was ended on Monday with Coventry's aggregate win in the Elite League Grand Final.Watt told the Bournemouth Echo: "We were pushing, doing everything we could, but it just didn't happen for us. Bees are a good team with quality riders and we've got no complaints about losing to them. "Unfortunately we fell away at the most cruel time of the season and it can't be more frustrating." WOLVERHAMPTON have advanced to the semi-finals of the KO Cup and a clash with Eastbourne, with the home leg on Monday also featuring Elite League action against Swindon in a big double-header.Wolves boss Peter Adams said: "The Eagles have done very well in the second half of the season and you can be sure they will make life tough for us when we go down there on Sunday."It means we have a terrific end to the season and the double header will provide plenty of entertainment for the fans."

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BERWICK have suffered a further injury setback with Jade Mudgway now on the sidelines, having suffered a cracked bone in his coccyx and bruised kidneys.Bandits boss Ian Rae said: "This is a real disappointment for the lad as he's had such an amazing season, but these things can happen at anytime, and now he's our fourth in a very short time, but at least they are not too serious injuries, although very painful.BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury insists his side have what it takes to overcome Newcastle in the promotion play-offs as they bid to set-up a Final against Sheffield.Drury said: "We need to apply ourselves in the correct and proper manner, we need to get a lead to take to Newcastle because they are such a good side and we will be up against it. We need all our riders firing on all cylinders and we cannot afford any mechanical slip-ups, we have to be on top form from start to finish."EDINBURGH chairman Alex Harkess could not explain the reasons for the champions' shock collapse at Sheffield last Thursday as they exited the play-offs at the semi-final stage - and he now says they must focus on the KO Cup.Harkess said: "I cannot give an answer as to why it happened, it was as big a shock to me as it was to everybody else, but one performance like that doesn't change the team. We cannot dwell on it, we have to move on and concentrate on winning the Cup."NEWCASTLE will stage a massive double-header at Brough Park on Sunday when Birmingham provide the opposition in both the promotion play-offs and Knockout Cup semi-finals, to give 30 heats of action.Manager George English said: "It's far from ideal to host the same team twice on the same night in two different competitions, but really with this extreme fixture clog up, with the same club, there is no option and all we can do now is pray for good weather to come."NEWPORT boss Kevin Brown insists his side will avoid complacency when they face Berwick in the Young Shield on Friday - despite holding a 52-41 lead from the away leg.Brown said: "The lads will retain the high level of focus and commitment that it has displayed on a consistent basis since turning our season around from mid-July. We want to end the season with the prospect of silverware and so will be up for it from heat one on Friday evening." RYE HOUSE have been given a boost ahead of their re-arranged Young Shield trip to King's Lynn with the news that No.1 Linus Sundstrom - who would have missed the postponed fixture last week - is available to ride.Boss John Sampford said: "It's going to be a tough tie to call, especially when you factor in the local derby atmosphere at both legs. Both teams will be going all out, for sure, and having Linus available for both legs will be a big plus for us."SCUNTHORPE boss Richard Hollingsworth says his side will look to keep winning races in the Young Shield at Somerset on Friday, holding a massive 70-20 lead from the first leg.Hollingsworth said: "We're just going to try and win every race. If we go with that attitude we can get a decent result to keep confidence high and give us the momentum for the semi-finals.  Obviously a night like tonight (first leg) does wonders for confidence so a good result next Friday will keep that up. It's all shaping up to be a pretty exciting end to the season." SHEFFIELD are set for another big night at Owlerton on Thursday as they pay tribute to ex-Tiger Kelly Moran with a meeting against a USA Select - one week on from their stunning win over Edinburgh in the play-offs.Tigers chief Neil Machin said: "It will be a USA test team and the only American missing will be Greg Hancock because of his Grand Prix commitments.There will also be a lot of special guests and it should be another great night."SOMERSET will be looking to restore pride when they face Scunthorpe in the Young Shield on Friday, having crashed to a disastrous 50-point defeat in the first leg.Rebels boss Steve Bishop said: "To say that we are bitterly disappointed with both the result and performance is an understatement, but in saying that Scunthorpe deserve full credit for the way they set about their task, they were firing on all cylinders on Saturday night and were just far too good for us on the night. We are, however, a better team than we showed at Scunthorpe on Saturday and Friday night's second leg is the ideal opportunity for us to restore some pride to the club."STOKE boss Malcolm Vasey was left to rue dropped points as Workington took the advantage from the first leg of their Young Shield quarter-final at Loomer Road.Vasey said: "A succession of falls and machine failures cost us dearly. The lads were really up for the meeting and it was very frustrating. With the mishaps that occurred we have tossed away ten to a dozen points tonight, and it has cost us."WORKINGTON'S defence of the Young Shield started well with a win at Stoke on Saturday - but team boss Ian Thomas insists the tie is not over yet.Thomas said: "It was a really solid team effort, spearheaded by Peter Kildemand and it was a great way to start the defence of our trophy. But we must leave nothing for granted. Complacency would be very dangerous. I can remember winning at Berwick and then the Bandits coming to Derwent Park and beating us here."

NATIONAL LEAGUE action continues and you can find all relevant news, reports and other information in the NL section on speedwaygb.com

FIXTURE PICTURE...

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Birmingham v Newcastle 7.30 YOUNG SHIELD Q/F 1st leg: King's Lynn v Rye House 7.30 NATONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Bournemouth v Newport 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7:ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Peterborough v Poole 7.30 16-LAP CLASSIC: Ipswich 7.30 KELLY MORAN TRIBUTE: Sheffield v Kelly's Heroes 7.45

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8:YOUNG SHIELD Q/F 2nd leg: Newport v Berwick 7.30, Somerset v Scunthorpe 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: King's Lynn v Newport 7.30 SCOTTISH CUP 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30 ROB WOFFINDEN MEMORIAL TROPHY: Scunthorpe 7.30CHALLENGE: Plymouth v USA Touring Team 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 9:CHALLENGE: Weymouth v USA Touring Team 7.15

SUNDAY OCTOBER 10:ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Eastbourne v Wolverhampton 5pm PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Newcastle v Birmingham 5.30 PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Newcastle v Birmingham (follows play-offfixture)PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Sheffield 4pmYOUNG SHIELD Q/F 2nd leg: Rye House v King's Lynn 2pm, Workington v Stoke 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Buxton v Dudley 3pm, Newport v King's Lynn 2.30

MONDAY OCTOBER 11:ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30 SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Swindon (Follows KOC fixture)CHALLENGE: Belle Vue v USA Touring Team 7.30

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13:ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Poole v Peterborough 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Birmingham v Newcastle 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 14:CHALLENGE: Ipswich v USA Touring Team 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 15:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Newport v Bournemouth 7.30CHALLENGE: Young Hammers v USA Touring Team (at Lakeside) 6.30 LONDON RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Lakeside 8pm KENNY SMITH MEMORIAL TROPHY: Scunthorpe 7.30WESTERNAPOLIS: Plymouth 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 16:NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Rye House 2pmNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House (follows NL Fours) ELITE OPEN RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough 7.30

SUNDAY OCTOBER 17:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Buxton v Dudley 3pm PRIDE OF THE EAST: King's Lynn 3pm LEIGH ADAMS FAREWELL: Swindon 5.30 ASHFIELD CLASSIC: Glasgow 4pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 18:BANKS'S OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30


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