BIG EVENT LATESTDUDLEY skipper Ashley Morris admits it would be a dream come true to lift the British Under-21 title at his home circuit.The Heathens and Workington youngster will go into the first major event of the season as one of the favourites, as he is now into his fourth campaign with the National League title hopefuls and has taken over their No.1 position.Morris missed out on the major placings in last years event and hopes to make amends in 2013 - but he knows he faces stiff competition in what appears a wide-open event at Monmore Green.He said: Having the Dudley fans behind me will be great and Im sure they will be giving me loads of support like they always do.I suppose with the meeting being at my home track you could say there is a little bit of added pressure, but Ill just do my own thing and not worry about anything else. Ill stay focused on the job that I've got to do and wont let any pressure bother me.To get the win and get my name on the trophy would be amazingespecially in front of my home fans.Id be over the moon if I could add another title next to my name, but everyone else is in the same boat so Ill just have to see how it goes on the night.Morris will be joined in the line-up by two of his Heathens team-mates, Dan Greenwood and Max Clegg, whilst the previous two British Under-19 Champions will also be amongst the favourites as they seek to triumph at a higher level.Rye Houses Jason Garrity took the Under-19 honours at Rye House in 2011, whilst Stefan Nielsen (Mildenhall and Somerset) was victorious at Sheffield last season.Morris finished runner-up to Nielsen in that meeting whilst the third and fourth placed riders from the Owlerton event, Joe Jacobs and Tom Perry, also compete in this years British Under-21 Final.
SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2013BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Dudley, April 23BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton, May 13PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, May 31PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, July 14PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sept 22ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Oct 12NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Mildenhall, June 30NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Stoke, August 18NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Sept 21BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Berwick, August 10GRAND PRIX CHALLENGE: Poole, August 24
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST
BELLE VUE newcomer Magnus Zetterstrom made a superb home debut with wins in three of his five ridesbut it wasnt enough to stop the Aces being defeated by Wolverhampton on Good Friday.Manager Jason Attwood said: Zetterstrom was outstanding and Richie Worrall rode well. Im very disappointed but its only one meeting and there are 27 more to go.BIRMINGHAMS Martin Smolinski enjoyed the best performance of his Elite League career as a stunning paid-20 haul made the difference in the Brummies 49-41 win against his former club Coventry.Smolinski told the Sunday Mercury: That was a brilliant night for me, especially as it was against my old club, I'm very pleased and what a great result for the team.I don't intend to be at reserve for any longer than I have to be and I want to keep my form going.COVENTRY have turned to former British Champion Joe Screen to come in as cover for Adam Roynon, who remains under observation after suffering severe concussion in a crash on Friday.Promoter Mick Horton said: We will give Adam every chance to come back if he chooses, and as a club we will stick by him no matter what. But for the benefit of the team we had to re-declare. We cant go with rider-replacement, it wouldnt be good enough, and I think Joe will be able to do a job for us.Weve got him an engine, and hes also the choice of both Gary (Havelock) and Scott (Nicholls). They both feel he can do the job, and that Havvy can get the best out of him.EASTBOURNE opened their season with a total of three points against rivals Lakeside from home and away clashes on Good Friday, all secured by an evening win over the Hammers at Arlington.Manager Trevor Geer said: It would be true to say that we were a bit disappointed to come away from Lakeside with nothing to show for our efforts, especially after the start we made.(At home) we seemed to do it the other way, made a slow start, let them get six-points clear of us but then a strong mid part of the match saw us hit back in style. We were particularly pleased with performances by both Bjarne (Pedersen) and Adam (Shields) in their first matches back with us, Lukas (Dryml) of course was superb and also Timo Lahti after struggling all day, really got his act together in his final two rides.LAKESIDE newcomer Lewis Bridger is hoping winter changes lead to a significant increase in his average during his first season at Purfleet.Bridger told the Romford Recorder: Its a completely fresh start for me and sometimes that is what you need. I have changed pretty much everything in terms of equipment and it may take a bit of getting used to, but I am hoping it pays off.Id be very disappointed if I wasnt on eight (average) by the end of the season. The team is good, Richard Lawson has come in recently for us and perhaps he is another that needed a change as well. But with the likes of Davey Watt and Peter Karlsson around, they are always available for advice which is great.KINGS LYNN boss Rob Lyon was able to reflect on a perfect start to the new season with the Stars notching a maximum seven points from home and away Good Friday matches against Peterborough.Lyon told the clubs official website: It was a perfect start really. Peterborough have a fairly strong team and I dont think they will lose too many at home. We cant ask for more than seven points out of a possible seven.Niels (Kristian Iversen) had lots of problems at the Arena, it was probably his worst for many years. We still managed to pull a bit of a lead out and unfortunately the track was becoming dangerous for the riders to race let alone ride. We had to call it early which is a bit disappointing, but the safety of the riders is the most important thing.PETERBOROUGH skipper Kenneth Bjerre has taken the positives from his comeback from injury in the Panthers double Good Friday defeat at the hands of local rivals Kings Lynn.Bjerre said: It is nice to have the first meetings done and under my belt. I felt very nervous before the first meeting which I never normally am.I was happy with my result at the Norfolk Arena. I was leading Heat 13 as well when the meeting was abandoned, but I think it was the right decision to then call a halt to the meeting due to the weather and track. I feel it wont be long before I am back to my best. I believe in myself and I ask the fans to do the same.POOLE boss Neil Middleditch said he could take encouragement from the Pirates narrow home win over Swindon in the second leg of the Elite Shield, although it wasnt enough to take the silverware on aggregate.Middleditch said: First home meetings are always a difficult experience for debutants, but I thought Magic (Maciej) Janowski and Dawid Stachyra acclimatised well to their new surroundings and, based on his first full meeting at Swindon last Thursday, Robert (Miskowiak) would have made his mark on Friday. Frustratingly after touching the tapes in his first start, Robert had just swept into the lead in his second race and I am confident he would have won the race had he not picked up alarmingly and had to bale off before careering into the fence.SWINDON kicked off the new season with aggregate victory over Poole in the Elite Shield, following up their title success against the Pirates in the Grand Final at the end of 2012.Robins co-promoter Gary Patchett said: Myself and Rosco (team manager Alun Rossiter) are proud of all the boys and hope we can keep it going. Obviously Poole will get stronger as the season goes on, its very early of course, but its nice to see our boys hitting the ground running.And its also very nice that our new sponsors, Excalibur Communications, have seen us win something so early into their time with us.WOLVERHAMPTON skipper Freddie Lindgren admitted he had almost forgotten the winning feeling away from homeas his side triumphed 47-43 at Belle Vue for their first Elite League success on the road since July 2010.Lindgren said: We're really happy with that result to start the season. It's been a long time since we won away so it's an encouraging result and one which we are delighted with - especially in the first meeting of 2013.I had forgotten what it was like to win away with Wolverhampton and it was a tough meeting, but we worked hard and never gave in. Its very pleasing for us.
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST
BERWICK opened their campaign at team level with a hard-earned 47-45 home win over Edinburgh, with the returning Kozza Smith leading their scorechart.Bandits co-owner John Anderson said: I know a lot of our lads weren't happy with the way their bikes were working, but thats what challenges are forto get the gremlins out of the way and get their set-ups just right for the League Cup which starts next week.EDINBURGH chairman Alex Harkess says there is a positive vibe about the Monarchs prospects for the new season, as they prepare to go into Armadale action for the first time on Friday.Harkess said: Were expecting a very big crowd on Friday, certainly much bigger than anything we experienced last season. I think there is a buzz about speedway in Scotland that weve not experienced for a few years. All in all, its a season to look forward to.GLASGOW were forced to take the difficult decision to postpone their first meeting under new promotion, with their opener against Edinburgh called-off some 48-hours before the event.The Ashfield circuit was not in a rideable condition following the late-March freeze, having been hit by snow, frost and wind-chill, and the Tigers will now launch this Sunday with a League Cup clash against Berwick.IPSWICH boss Pete Simmons was pleased to take a point from an incident-packed Easter Monday clash with Rye House, balancing out the point dropped at home to the Rockets on Friday.Simmons said: We made a few mistakes early on and threw too many points away which meant we were chasing the meeting most of the afternoon. A couple of decisions went against us that cost us a chance of the win in the end, but to be honest I am just glad that we came away mostly in one piece after a couple of frightening looking crashes!LEICESTER co-promoter Alan Jones says the Lions display at Scunthorpe on Good Friday could be an indicator of improved fortunes in away matches this season.Jones said: It was an excellent performance from the team and we were a trifle unlucky when Lewis Blackbird exceeded the two-minute time allowance in Heat 15. The Scorpions are such a formidable side around their own circuit, and to compete on equal terms with the Premier League Champions is something to be proud of and a basis to build upon.NEWCASTLE started the season with aggregate victory over Workington in the inaugural Ian Thomas Shield, overturning a nine-point first leg deficit to win by five overall.Manager George English said: The lads really wanted to win this trophy and whilst it meant a lot to both clubs were delighted to put our name as the first on the Ian Thomas Shield. I think its given us a good inkling how well our side can race together and against a Workington side that also raced well it sends out good vibes for the coming weeks.PLYMOUTH skipper Cory Gathercole believes the Devils can lay down a marker for the new season with this weeks League Cup matches against Ipswich and Rye House.Gathercole said: It will be a tough match at Ipswich, but they are all going to be difficult on the road. We have some experienced riders in our side and we will be going to Ipswich in confident mood. Rye House also have a strong team but I believe our team is stronger and we will be looking for a good win in the match at the St Boniface Arena.REDCAR are in optimistic mood ahead of the new campaignwhich starts with an immediate test against Newcastle in the Tyne Tees Trophy.Manager Jitendra Duffill said: We have two strong reserves in Micky Dyer and Max Dilger. If one or both break into the top five then we are guaranteed a strong pairing at six and seven in the team line-up come what may. This could be the secret of sustained success.RYE HOUSE promoter Len Silver admitted he could barely believe his sides misfortune as both Simon Lambert (broken ankle) and skipper Jason Bunyan (broken ribs, punctured lung and fractured vertebrae) crashed out of the Hoddesdon opener against Ipswich.Silver told the Hertfordshire Mercury: Im absolutely devastated. Its like Groundhog Day, we lost Chris (Neath) and Jordan (Frampton) in our first matches against Ipswich last season, now its happened again. Weve only turned a few wheels and already weve got two injuries.SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey believes there is plenty of improvement in the Scorpions, having seen them taken to a last-heat decider in their Good Friday opener against Leicester.Godfrey said: Without taking anything away from Leicester, who are a good side, we rode a little under-par. We just need race laps to get everyone going. I feel weve got a very good side again this year, who will go forward during the season, and win it (the Premier League) for us again. The two boys do need just a little time to bed in, but itll only be a few weeks before they are scoring big. SHEFFIELD manager David Hoggart took great encouragement from the Tigers display at Leicester on Saturday, when they took a League Cup point from a narrow 43-47 defeat.Hoggart said: I'm proud of the boys, they all worked hard and all of them can be satisfied. Yes, we were ahead for the bulk of the meeting but we have riders in our side who have never even seen this track before. And Leicester are strongly fancied to win things this season. It's a big effort by the Sheffield boys and I'm extremely pleased despite the defeat."SOMERSET boss Garry May was satisfied with the Rebels opening performances as they got the better of Plymouth in a two-legged Challenge clash.May said: With three new faces in the side, it was essential that the guys got some good track time under their belts before we start the season in earnest. Whilst the aggregate victory over Plymouth was a good outcome, track time and competitive racing was the main aim of the two meetings.WORKINGTON were disappointed to suffer a narrow aggregate defeat to Newcastle in the inaugural Ian Thomas Shield - but the new Comets promotional team were still able to take plenty of positives from the opening weekend of the season.Co-promoter and team manager Tony Jackson said: We were delighted with the attendance for our opening meeting on Saturday, especially in light of the bitterly cold weather, which ultimately led to problems with the track surface icing over. I have never known that happen here before, but full credit to the riders and track staff for doing all they could to get the match completed; and also to the supporters for braving the weather conditions. We were obviously disappointed that Mason Campton was not here for the two fixtures but we remain hopeful that he will be with us in time for this weekend. We are also hopeful that Tero Aarnio will be fit to face Redcar on Saturday after picking up an opening night shoulder injury that forced him to miss the trip to Newcastle.
FIXTURE PICTURE
TUESDAY APRIL 2:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 3:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Kings Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 4:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Lakeside 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.45TYNE TEES TROPHY 1st leg: Redcar v Newcastle 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 5:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 8pm, Lakeside v Swindon 8pm, Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Plymouth v Rye House 7.15, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30SPRING TROPHY 1st leg: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Wolverhampton 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Leicester v Scunthorpe 7.30, Rye House v Somerset 7pm, Workington v Redcar 7pm40 YEARS AT LOOMER ROAD: Stoke 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 7:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Berwick 3pmTYNE TEES TROPHY 2nd leg: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30NATIONAL SHIELD 1st leg: Mildenhall v Dudley 4.30
MONDAY APRIL 8:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Swindon v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Poole 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 9:TRAVEL PLUS TROPHY 1st leg: Dudley v Coventry 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 10:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Swindon 7.30, Kings Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 11:LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30, Redcar v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Leicester 7.45
FRIDAY APRIL 12:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Kings Lynn 8pm, Lakeside v Birmingham 8pm, Peterborough v Swindon 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Edinburgh v Leicester 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Plymouth v Ipswich 7.15, Somerset v Rye House 7.30PREMIER SHIELD 1st leg: Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 13:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: Leicester v Edinburgh 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Berwick v Redcar 7pmLEAGUE CUP: Rye House v Plymouth 7pm, Workington v Newcastle 7pmCHALLENGE: Stoke v Isle of Wight 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 14:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pmPREMIER SHIELD 2nd leg: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Stoke 4.30
MONDAY APRIL 15:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 17:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30
