(SPEEDWAY 1)
COVENTRY have agreed terms with Russian sensation Emil Sayfutdinov – who is in line to make his debut at King’s Lynn next Wednesday.21-year-old Sayfutdinov will be entering the Elite League for the first time subject to clearance, and he joins Coventry as a replacement for the injured Hans Andersen.Bees co-boss Alun Rossiter said: “It’s an absolutely massive signing not only for us, but also for British Speedway, and everyone should see the benefits from it. Emil is box office, he’s the rider everyone is talking about and it’s another big boost for speedway in this country after we’ve already seen Nicki (Pedersen) come back. “I hope Jonathan (Chapman) at King’s Lynn gets a huge crowd on Wednesday and I’m sure Brandon will be packed for Emil’s home debut on Bank Holiday Monday.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
SCOTT Nicholls headed the qualifiers from Thursday’s British semi-final at Sheffield on Thursday.The five-times Champion scored 14 points, dropping his only point to former Sheffield man Richard Hall who was also amongst the qualifiers.Nicholls’ nearest challenger was Ben Barker, who scored 13, with Daniel King making a successful return from injury by scoring eleven, the same as Hall.The other qualifiers were reigning champion Chris Harris, Jordan Frampton and home star Ricky Ashworth, with another Sheffield star Josh Auty left to rue a broken chain in his last ride as he just missed out.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
LINUS Sundstrom ignored a broken thumb to hit double figures for the first time in his Peterborough career as the Panthers defeated Lakeside.The Hammers made a flying start to the meeting to go 9-3 up but Sundstrom won two races in the Panthers’ comeback, and Troy Batchelor secured maximum points from the meeting with his Heat 15 victory.Sundstrom said: “It was about three weeks since we last rode here and I can’t say I’m dialled in yet but I’m getting more used to it every week.“Hopefully I will get some big points in the matches ahead. I didn’t feel my thumb too much – in a way the break we have had has helped me because my hand has had time to heal.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
JOSH Grajczonek was Glasgow’s last-heat hero as the Tigers continued their great start to the season with a win at Redcar.The Tigers led by eight points early on before being reeled back in – but having edged two points back in front in Heat 14, Grajczonek held off the previously unbeaten Aaron Summers in the decider.Grajczonek said: “That was a big win for us and one that we really needed. We were in control but then had to dig deep in the latter races. “Going into the last heat I knew what we had to do and Joe (Screen) played a huge part in helping me to get to the front and then keep them at the back for as long as he did. It is a great feeling and one that the team and the fans really deserved.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
KYLE Howarth escaped with bad bruising from a big crash at Wolverhampton on Tuesday – but he has been ruled out of Edinburgh’s clash with Newport.Howarth sustained the injury when racing for Belle Vue Colts in the National League, and Edinburgh’s concerns are heightened by the absence of Kalle Katajisto due to the World Under-21 Championship.Promoter John Campbell said: “If you had suggested a week ago that Newport would present a severe test to us at Armadale then I would have laughed at you, but things move on so quickly in speedway and we are certainly looking at a different proposition now.“However, I don’t want our supporters to be all doom and gloom about our chances on Friday night. We still have our four best Armadale riders available to us and Craig (Cook) and Matthew (Wethers) will each get an additional ride in place of Kalle.”
(SPEEEDWAY 6)
RYE House has been confirmed as the venue for the newly-renamed British Under-19 Final.The event will take place at Hoddesdon on Saturday July 23 having been won last year by Brendan Johnson at Somerset when it was run at under-18 level.GB youth boss Phil Morris said: “We’re grateful to Len Silver for agreeing to run the meeting, and it promises to be a really interesting night. The line-up will be confirmed one month before the event.“The reason we have moved from under-18 to under-19 is so that we fall in line with European UEM and World FIM events. It’s the sensible thing to do and I’m sure the boys will be going all-out to win it.”
(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY MAY 21:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v King’s Lynn 7.45PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Leicester 7pm, Newport v Sheffield 7pm, Rye House v Somerset 7pm, Workington v Ipswich 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7.30
SUNDAY MAY 22:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Scunthorpe 4pm, Leicester v Berwick 7pm
MONDAY MAY 23:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Eastbourne v Peterborough 7.30
ELITE SHIELD 2nd leg: Wolverhampton v Poole 7.30
TUESDAY MAY 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Belle Vue 7.30
WEDNESDAY MAY 25:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30
