BRITISH Speedway is geared up for a busy summer of major events with more major titles up for grabs.Hot on the heels of the Premier League Fours and the British Final, there are big meetings at all levels of the sport coming up in August.And with the three domestic leagues all staging their Riders Championships in the closing weeks of the campaign, its a packed programme ahead, starting with the cream of the Worlds youngsters doing battle at Coventry later this month.
Events co-ordinator David Hoggart said: The SpeedwayGB Events team is currently on a hectic schedule with the FIM World Under-21 Final round three at Coventry on August 17, and the Premier League Pairs just one week later at Somerset, on the eve of the British Grand Prix.Richie Worrall has declared his intention to ride at Coventry and will need massive support from UK fans to achieve his ambition of a rostrum place.Hell be riding still recovering from the broken fibula and tibia sustained at Workington at the end of last month, so the more noise the better to urge him on.Theres a full international line-up, including the return of the Pawlicki brothers to Brandon.
The Under-21s are quickly followed the following Friday by the Premier League Pairs at Somerset, which has become the popular home of the event as it takes place the day before the British Grand Prix at Cardiff.The meeting usually takes place in June, but has a later staging date this year because of the GP being later in the 2012 schedule as the Millennium Stadium is being used for the Olympics.Hoggart said: The Premier League Pairs really has become one of the best events on the calendar, and makes for a great start to the GP weekend.We are long overdue some decent weather, and there is no better place to be on a warm summer evening than the Oak Tree Arena with home-cooked food and ice cold drinks.The top ten clubs in the Premier League will be represented by two of their respective top three riders, with Glasgow of course looking to retain the silverware they won last year.It youve never been then its well worth making the effort and its a great start to the Cardiff weekend.And a busy Bank Holiday weekend of action also features the re-staging of the National League Fours at Stoke on August 26 followed by a busy day of domestic meetings on the Monday.
SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOE HAINESPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: BERWICKBRITISH FINAL: SCOTT NICHOLLSPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday August 24PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 23ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Saturday October 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENT DATES:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: MILDENHALLNATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Stoke, Sunday August 26NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 29
BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL: AUSTRALIAGRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: CHRIS HARRISWORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Coventry, August 17
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST
BELLE VUE have appointed Czech star Ales Dryml as their new captain after Rory Schlein stood down from the role to work on recovering his form.New boss Jason Attwood said: Rory said that he had decided to give up the captains role. I had no problem with that and he started to prove his point by scoring 14 in the Birmingham match on Thursday.Ales seemed the obvious man to take over because he is a vastly experienced rider and an international captain as well.BIRMINGHAM have a double injury concern over Danny King following his crash in the British Final, and Tomasz Piszcz who is definitely out for a time after an horrific accident at Perry Barr last Thursday.Co-promoter Graham Drury said: Danny hasnt broken anything but he has bruised his ribs and coccyx. He is hoping to ride for us on Thursday (against Swindon) but we will leave a decision until the last minute.Tomasz is out of hospital and is returning to Poland, but he is battered and bruised and suffering from terrible headaches.COVENTRY promoter Mick Horton praised his riders who finished first, second and fourth in the British Final on Monday, with Scott Nicholls claiming a record-breaking seventh national title.Horton said: Its a wonderful achievement for Scott, he thoroughly deserved it and it couldnt have happened to a nicer guy. The record has been broken now and what a great thing for Scott and for Coventry, it gives us all something to cheer about.There was a lot of fair racing out there, they left each other room although Eddies (Kennett) crash was quite frightening, but they were going for it. Chris (Harris) nearly had it at the end but Scott came through and now theyre all ready for Friday.EASTBOURNE maintained their play-off challenge by taking maximum points from a home win over Kings Lynn after a week which had seen them suffer two defeats on the road.Eagles boss Trevor Geer said: Make no mistake, this was a meeting that we had to win and win well. Kings Lynn are a good side, one of our main rivals for a play-off place and since their return to the top flight, they always seem to turn in a good performance here. I expected to be very tough and thats just how it looked in the early stages.Im not sure why the lads seemed to feel they need to hand the opposition a lead in the early heats, I wish they wouldnt, it really isnt good for the heart rate. However, you cant deny it makes for great entertainment and it did so once again.KINGS LYNN co-promoter Jonathan Chapman is calling for supporters to turn out in force on Wednesday as his father Buster celebrates 20 years since he took over speedway at the Norfolk Arena.Chapman said: It would be great to hear the roof raised when Buster comes out for a parade which will be dedicated to him.I have arranged for air horns to be sold at a special price of only five pounds on the night and I really hope people join in and become part of this special celebration.LAKESIDE reserve Justin Sedgmen is taking advantage of his extra opportunities in the Hammers side, having lowered the colours of GP star Freddie Lindgren in his last outing at Purfleet.Sedgmen said: Theres a really good atmosphere at Lakeside, everyone gets on really well. Unfortunately for me, Richie (Worrall) was going really well at the start of the year and so understandably there werent many chances for me to get rides.Now hes injured, which is really unfortunate for him and I want to see him back riding, but its my chance now to show what I can do and well see what happens.PETERBOROUGH are considering their options in the wake of news that Olly Allen is set for a spell on the sidelines having suffered a broken arm in a crash in Poland on Sunday.Panthers co-boss Trevor Swales said: I always dread Sundays in case I receive bad news from Poland and unfortunately that is exactly what has happened. Olly has had his fair share of knocks in his time and our biggest concern right now is for him.Well take the time to assess the situation and Im sure things will unfold in the coming days.POOLE boss Neil Middleditch has pinpointed Sam Masters recently on the sidelines due to injury as potentially a vital member of the Pirates squad as the crucial stages of the season get nearer.Middleditch said: There is no doubt that our push for play-offs and cup success this season is dependent on the top-end strength of the team.But as I have said many times over, having a reserve with the capabilities of beating second-strings and heat leaders from the opposition can make all the difference. I firmly believe Sam Masters can do that.SWINDON skipper Hans Andersen overcame rib damage sustained two days earlier to score a 15-point maximum in the Robins 53-38 home win over Lakeside which keeps them well-placed in the Elite League table.Andersen said: Its just nice to get back on the bike after my crash. I texted Rosco (Alun Rossiter) straight after the meeting and told him to be aware that I was in a bad way.Coming back to Denmark on Wednesday morning I felt like I was 90 years old. But tonight I didnt really feel anything, apart from at the end.WOLVERHAMPTON will welcome back both Nicolai Klindt and Pontus Aspgren when they return to Elite League action at Coventry on Friday, the duo having both had time out due to injury.Wolves chief Chris Van Straaten said: We are loyal to our riders and we did say to Nic and Pontus that they would return once they were ready.Nic is desperate to get back after three months out and he's keen to make up for lost time."And it will be good to see Pontus have the opportunity to ride at reserve which is where he has needed to be from the start of the season, I guess we have to take some of the blame for his struggles at times because he was thrown in at the deep end.PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST
BERWICK collected two points from a tough three-match schedule of away matches despite Sebastian Alden crashing out of the opener at Ipswich, with the Bandits working hard to restrict both Scunthorpe and Leicester.Boss Ian Rae said: We were dead in the water half way through the (Leicester) meeting but credit to the lads who realised it wasnt good enough and upped their game dramatically to nearly pull off the impossible. At least we saved face towards the end which takes the edge off the defeat.EDINBURGH No.1 Craig Cook underlined his current stunning run of form with an impressive ten-point score in the British Final at Wolverhampton.Monarchs boss John Campbell said: It was a great night for Craig to finish with a fantastic ten points and a great win over home favourite Tai Woffinden in his last race. Seventh place overall and he proved what we all know here that he is the best rider in the Premier League.GLASGOW co-promoter Alan Dick has stressed he still expects Jayden OMalley to have a future with the Tigers despite replacing him with Charles Wright ahead of last Sundays home match against Rye House.Dick said: Do not think that we have given up on the lad, he is talented but it just has not happened for him so far and I have told him to go home, have a good season in his homeland and come back stronger next year. I suspect we will see a huge jump in his level of performance next season.IPSWICH star Taylor Poole admits he had sympathy for his friend Kevin Doolan after it was confirmed that the former captain would lose his place in the Witches team to accommodate Pooles return from injury.Poole said: I was sad to replace Kevin because he has been so good to me since I came to Ipswich. And Ive spoken to him since he was dropped from the team, there are no hard feelings.LEICESTERS Jan Graversen collected an impressive paid maximum in the Lions narrow win over Berwick at Beaumont Park last Saturday but knows the club need to improve their away form.Graversen said: Im sure we need to be more consistent away. Lasse (Bjerre) is just about getting into form and Im in the best form of my season, and hopefully Leicester can pick up away from home.NEWCASTLE boss George English was pleased to emerge from a bruising battle with Workington with a win to boost their position at the top of the table but also offered sympathy to injured Comets rider Kyle Howarth.English said: This was a very physical battle tonight and Im only glad we got the win, which for a time was far from certain. Id like to wish Kyle Howarth all the best for a speedy recovery.PLYMOUTH promoter Mike Bowden was delighted with the displays of reserves Robert Ksiezak and Ben Reade in the Devils win over Edinburgh last Saturday.Bowden said: They scored 14 points between them and that played a big part in our victory. We will be hoping for more of the same against Ipswich, although the Witches are likely to prove stronger opposition than Edinburgh.REDCAR fought back for a dramatic 46-46 home draw with Scunthorpe after being ten points down going into the closing stages but boss Jitendra Duffill admits the Bears still have problems to sort out.He said: The last few weeks havent been good enough, but trust me Im hurt and so is everyone else at the club. Theres no way were going to let this go on we are doing something about it.RYE HOUSE promoter Len Silver admits the club are set to be without in-form reserve Jason Garrity for several weeks who has had his thumb set in plaster while a broken bone knits.The Rockets head north again this weekend for a triple header taking in matches at Edinburgh, Berwick and Newcastle looking to recover from defeats at Workington and Glasgow last week.SCUNTHORPE boss Richard Hollingsworth was satisfied with a hard-fought 48-42 home win over Berwick, even though it meant the Bandits had restricted his side to two league points.Hollingsworth said: My main feeling following the match is one of relief, because Berwick pushed up hard; it was very close for most of the evening. All our team chipped with valuable points at one stage or another, and that saw us home. We are suffering from having missing riders for instance, rider replacement for David (Howe) only scored four points.SHEFFIELD boss David Hoggart believes the Tigers 21-point victory over Leicester was their best result of the season at Owlerton.Hoggart said: Thursdays meeting was a marvelous performance, probably the best overall team performance weve had this year. We were obviously without Emiliano (Sanchez) but all six riders were magnificent, they worked so hard and they got their reward.SOMERSET co-boss Garry May was impressed with the debut of Jesper B Monberg in the Rebels win over Leicester last Friday.May said: Jesper showed his class by coming to Somerset, a track he had never seen first-hand before, let alone ridden at the Oaktree Arena, and turned in an almost flawless performance. I know he was disappointed not to have marked his debut with a race win, so hell be even more determined to put that right come Fridays match against Redcar.WORKINGTONS Kyle Howarth is set to miss the rest of the season after his injuries received at Newcastle on Sunday were shown to be worse than expected as he has a crack to his hip and a broken bone in his back as well as a fractured wrist.Comets boss Tony Jackson said: At present there are no plans to carry out any operations and he remains in hospital at Newcastle waiting to be fitted with a body brace for his back. Naturally everyone connected with Workington Speedway is devastated for him and wishes him a full and speedy recovery. Kyle has been like a breath of fresh air since he joined the club and his performances on track have far exceeded everyones expectations. He will be impossible to replace in the team but right now all of our thoughts are with him and his family.
FIXTURE PICTURE
TUESDAY JULY 31:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Buxton 7.30FAST GOLDEN HAMMER: Dudley 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Peterborough 7.30TEST MATCH: Team GB v Australia, Poole 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 2:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Swindon 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Leicester 7.30, Redcar v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Glasgow 7.45
FRIDAY AUGUST 3:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Wolverhampton 8pm, Lakeside v Belle Vue 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Rye House 7.30, Plymouth v Ipswich 7.30, Scunthorpe v Workington 7.30, Somerset v Redcar 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 4:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Peterborough 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Workington v Sheffield 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Rye House 7pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 5:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Berwick 4pm, Leicester v Edinburgh 6pm, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Scunthorpe 3pm, Mildenhall v Stoke 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Birmingham 7.30, Peterborough v Lakeside 7.30, Swindon v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 7:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Stoke 7.30, Isle of Wight v Scunthorpe 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 8:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Lakeside 7.30, Coventry v Swindon 7.30, Poole v Peterborough 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Buxton 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 9:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Peterborough v Poole 7.30, Swindon v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Newcastle 7.30, Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.45NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Isle of Wight v Dudley 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 10:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Birmingham 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30, Plymouth v Workington 7.30, Scunthorpe v Leicester 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 11:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Somerset 7.30, Edinburgh v Newcastle 7pm, Leicester v Rye House 7.30 Workington v Scunthorpe 7pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 12:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Somerset 4pm, Newcastle v Redcar 6.30
MONDAY AUGUST 13:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Lakeside 7.30, Peterborough v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Workington 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15:PREMIER LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Poole v Birmingham 7.30
