BIG EVENT LATEST…

KING'S Lynn, widely regarded as one of the best speedway tracks in the world, will host the Elite Riders' Championship next month.The event, which attracts the top stars from each Elite League club, will take place at the Norfolk Arena on Thursday, September 25.It's perfect timing for the event with the play-offs launched the following Monday in an exciting time for British racing.Jon Cook, vice chairman of the British Speedway Promoters' Association and promoter of Lakeside Hammers, said: “We are pleased to finally agree a new date and venue following the unfortunate postponement of the original staging back in March.“It was originally planned as a launch to the season but we now feel this is a perfect way to mark the end of the regular league campaign before the top four sides battle it out for the league title.“King's Lynn offers fine racing and Keith Chapman is working hard to add new facilities at the Norfolk Arena all the time - as seen at the summer's World Cup event there.“I would urge fans to put the date in their diary. It's sure to be a night to remember.”Current King’s Lynn rider Rory Schlein has won the title in two of the last three years, and was victorious last season at Swindon ahead of Niels-Kristian Iversen, Craig Cook and Hans Andersen.The ERC re-arrangement means late-September will see a busy programme of Riders’ Championships, as Elite, Premier and National events all take place within the space of eight days.The Premier Riders’ Championship is at Sheffield on Sunday September 21 and is always one of the most popular events on the calendar.The fast Owlerton circuit has staged numerous thrilling battles for the title over the years, with the 2013 event being won by Olly Allen, who was then representing Rye House prior to his switch to Somerset over the winter.Meanwhile Rye House will be the venue for the National League Riders’ Championship on Sunday September 28.There will be a new name on the trophy this year as 2013 winner Steve Boxall, who was representing Kent, has moved back into the Premier League with Rye House this season.SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2014:ELITE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: King’s Lynn, September 25BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOSH BATESBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: EDINBURGHPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: SOMERSETPREMIER RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, September 21NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: STOKENATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, October 26NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, September 28BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Semi-Final: MIKKEL BECHGRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: LINUS SUNDSTROM

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

BELLE VUE are facing a busy programme of racing to complete their home schedule after last Monday’s scheduled double-header was abandoned with a result only possible from the first match against Lakeside.Co-promoter Chris Morton told Speedway Star: “It is a disaster, but only a small disaster. We had a shower that turned into heavy rain, and it completely destroyed the track.“We had seen some fantastic racing, and it was a shame we couldn’t get the double-header on.”COVENTRY made significant progress towards their play-off target with home and away wins over rivals Lakeside to add seven points to their Elite League total – including a 56-39 triumph at Purfleet.Manager Gary Havelock said: “It was sensational, unbelievable, I could almost run out of superlatives. I was standing next to Mick (Horton) and he said ‘am I dreaming or is this really happening?’“Much as I wanted to say on Friday night what I thought we could do here, I thought I’d just keep it to myself this time. I’m a big believer in fate, so I said I’d be happy with a point but I genuinely believed with a full team we could do it.”EASTBOURNE secured another three points at home by defeating Wolverhampton 55-35 in a meeting marred by Tai Woffinden’s horror crash.Eagles skipper Cameron Woodward said: “It certainly changed things. Tai was really flying tonight. I think that was the best he has ever ridden here.”With their trip to Wolverhampton on Bank Holiday Monday postponed, the Eagles now face home matches against Lakeside and King’s Lynn following an away match at Poole on Wednesday.KING’S LYNN reserve Lewis Rose has been ruled out of the league leaders’ home clash with Swindon this Wednesday.Rose has suffered knee ligament damage which will be assessed before a decision is taken as to his likely comeback date.The match against the Robins’ is the Stars’ penultimate home fixture as they look to maintain top spot in the table, with Nicklas Porsing due back from injury.LAKESIDE have signed Great Britain international Danny King as a replacement for Mikkel Bech for the closing weeks of the Elite League campaign.Hammers co-promoter Jon Cook said: “My thanks go to Mikkel for a superb debut year wrecked at the finish by niggling injury and clashes with U21 and Danish meetings, a couple of which moved after he had joined us.“Danny's an all out racer and we've agreed this is a great trial period for us to look at each other and see if it's a good fit. He'll be given the track for a day to get used to his new home and with him now being a BSPA asset following the closure of Birmingham we will now have first option on him for the 2015 season as far as Elite racing is concerned.”LEICESTER saw another home match go down to a dramatic conclusion as Jason Doyle overhauled Maciej Janowski on the line in Heat 15 to secure a 45-45 draw against title-chasing Poole.Lions boss Norrie Allan said: “With so much uncertainty concerning the composition of the team I felt that we would do well to hold Poole. My team just consisted of Jason Doyle and Max Clegg on Friday! “That said, it all came together and it was a terrific contest with Poole who were heading for a win in Heat 15 when Janowski held the lead right until the final metres on the run-in to the flag. It took a sublime four laps from Jason to overhaul Maceij right on the line to earn us a draw.”POOLE promoter Matt Ford believes his side must maximise their opportunities at home to cover the run of form of Coventry in the play-off battle.Ford said: “They certainly have the chance to overtake us in the league but with them having such a fixture backlog they may struggle to get enough matches in to do so. They have got ten matches to complete and whilst the gap of 14 points between us looks comfortable they are on a very good run of form and could perceivably haul us in.“So we need to make things as difficult as possible for them and with only one more home meeting left for us after Wednesday we must maximise every opportunity.”SWINDON will have Danish star Peter Kildemand back from injury at No.1 in Thursday’s re-arranged crunch clash with play-off rivals Lakeside at the Abbey Stadium.Robins boss Alun Rossiter said: “This is a massive meeting for both sides, Lakeside need to win after their home defeat by Coventry on Saturday and we need to keep things ticking over at home.“I’m naturally delighted to have Peter back in the side and it’s a timely boost for us. Hopefully we can claim all three points.”WOLVERHAMPTON promoter Chris Van Straaten admits the outcome of Tai Woffinden’s crash at Eastbourne on Saturday could have been far worse for the defending World Champion.Woffinden would have missed Wolves’ postponed Bank Holiday home clash with the Eagles after breaking a bone in his hand as well as suffering bruising.Van Straaten said: “Woffy is an iron man, it was a horrendous crash at Eastbourne and I can't believe he got to his feet, he has so much strength. I’m so relieved the injury isn’t as bad as first feared.”PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

BERWICK boosted their play-off position with six points out of six from a home double-header against Rye House and Newcastle, although the return trip to Hoddesdon on Sunday resulted in defeat.Bandits boss John Anderson said: “We would have liked to have taken a league point or two, but we're still in the hunt for a good end of season Championship play-off place and we can still climb a place or more before the cut off date.”EDINBURGH maintained their perfect home record with a 57-35 win over Berwick at Armadale to keep the pressure on Somerset at the top of the table.Monarchs boss Alex Harkess said: “We thought the Bandits would improve on their last visit, and they did a bit, but it was another excellent display by the team.”GLASGOW star Kasper Lykke says the Tigers can still dream of a play-off place following their impressive away win at Workington last Friday, although they were then limited to two points from the Bank Holiday double against Newcastle.Lykke said: “Of course we can aim for the play-offs. We might make it. I haven't been looking too much at all the scores but from what I'm hearing, we have a chance, so of course we're going to go for it."IPSWICH kept up their excellent run of form with a 60-36 home win over Workington last Thursday, to add to their two recent away wins which have put the Witches into a strong position.Manager Brian Messenger said: “They all did so well again and are just keeping everything going in the right direction. I think as long as we can win our remaining home fixtures we should be okay for a playoff position.”NEWCASTLE boss George English is awaiting news on Simon Nielsen and Lewis Rose ahead of the Diamonds’ final regular-season fixtures, after both riders were involved in crashes over the weekend.English said: “Simon is off to his native Denmark with a view to getting his injured shoulder sorted while Lewis is off to his Norfolk base to get a scan done on his damaged knee ligaments. He had been to the RVI but he only had it x-rayed here which showed no bones broken, but he needs the scan to reveal the full damage.”PETERBOROUGH boss Carl Johnson knows his side must hit back quickly from successive home defeats to Ipswich and Somerset if they are to take advantage of their matches in hand and break into the top six.Johnson said: “A second successive home defeat is obviously a big disappointment. We put ourselves in a great position early in the meeting, but let it slip. The tactical ride changed the meeting and our gating from then on was not good enough.”PLYMOUTH were relieved to secure all three points before the final race when they defeated Peterborough at the St Boniface Arena last Friday.Co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “Things were a little more comfortable for us than in recent meetings. But what was important was the quality of the racing. Forget the scoreline, there were two teams of racers out there and they provided the spectators with some superb and spectacular speedway.”REDCAR boss Jitendra Duffill praised the team effort from the Bears in their win over Sheffield last Friday which made it four points in two nights against the Tigers.Duffill told gazettelive.co.uk: “I know Sheffield came with a pretty decimated team but we can only beat what is put out in front of us. And with a number one like Simon Stead and reserves like Taylor Poole and Josh Bates, it was never going to be easy. I’m really pleased for everyone.”RYE HOUSE suffered a heavy defeat at Berwick on Saturday but quickly turned the tables on the Bandits with a 58-37 home win the following evening to move off the bottom of the Premier League table.Manager John Sampford said: “It was a powerful performance against very strong opposition. 13 out of 15 heat wins says a lot. It really was a solid all-round team effort, and hopefully one that we can build on in the closing weeks of the season.”SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey has described this week’s action as “make or break” for the Scorpions, who face four matches in five days.Godfrey said: “This is the most important week of the season for us so far. In particular, the two home meetings are absolutely massive. We can’t afford either Redcar or Workington leaving here with a win.”SHEFFIELD boss Joe Screen admitted the Tigers’ extensive injury list had caught up with them in their 37-53 defeat at Redcar on Friday.Screen said: “We are still up against it at the moment, and although we gave it our best shot we just didn't quite have enough in the end. Fingers crossed Leigh Lanham and Andre Compton can come back soon and we can get back to full strength, because we really want to try and finish the season strongly."SOMERSET are looking for revenge over Peterborough when the sides meet at the Oaktree Arena on Friday – after the Panthers snatched a draw on their previous visit.Promoter Debbie Hancock said: “I know the boys want to put right the fact that the Panthers are the only side not to be beaten at the Oaktree Arena this year, going away with a draw to their name in our League Cup match here back in April, but more importantly, they want to collect another maximum three league points to keep Somerset at the top of the Premier League table.”WORKINGTON head into what could very well be a make or break weekend for their play-off hopes with four matches in three days as they continue to catch up on their fixture backlog.Comets team manager Tony Jackson said: “After last week’s shock home defeat by a Rusty Harrison-inspired Glasgow we know that we need to pick up points on Saturday evening when we host Rye House and Scunthorpe in the first of what will be three-successive Saturdays of double-headers at Derwent Park.“This first double-header is sandwiched in between visits to Plymouth on Friday evening and to Scunthorpe on Sunday afternoon, which will both be tough fixtures. We know that we cannot afford any more slip-ups at home after last weekend and we need to get more away points on the board too. Matches in hand are all very well, but you need to get something out of them if you want to break into the top six.“Joe Jacobs made an encouraging home debut last weekend and, assuming everything is okay with Simon Lambert’s injured left hand after his track return this weekend, we should be able to welcome him back into the side.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Swindon 7.30, Poole v Eastbourne 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 28:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Plymouth v Workington 7.15, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Buxton 7pm, Coventry v Devon (follows previous fixture), King’s Lynn v Kent 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Redcar 7pm, Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Workington v Rye House 6.30, Workington v Scunthorpe (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 31:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 2.30, Leicester v Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Rye House 3pm, Scunthorpe v Workington 3pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v King’s Lynn 3pm, Scunthorpe v Stoke (follows PL fixture)NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Leicester 3.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 5: Rye House 2pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Lakeside v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Scunthorpe 7pm, Peterborough v Plymouth (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Devon 7.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Peterborough 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Cradley 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v King’s Lynn 7.30, Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Redcar v Rye House 7.30, Sheffield v Workington 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5:ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Poole 8pm (prov)PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Sheffield 7.30, Scunthorpe v Peterborough 7.30, Somerset v Berwick 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6:ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v King’s Lynn 7.30, Leicester v Swindon 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Scunthorpe 7pm, Plymouth v Ipswich 7.15, Rye House v Edinburgh 7pm, Workington v Glasgow 6.30, Workington v Scunthorpe (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v King’s Lynn 7pmBRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 6: Redcar 2pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Workington 3pm, Newcastle v Peterborough 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Coventry 3pm, Mildenhall v King’s Lynn 3.30

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, Swindon v Coventry 7.30, Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Leicester 6.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Glasgow 7pm, Peterborough v Workington (follows previous fixture), Scunthorpe v Berwick 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Cradley v Coventry 7.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Workington 7.30