(SPEEDWAY 1)
WOLVERHAMPTON have reluctantly cancelled the contract of Polish star Piotr Pawlicki after his latest withdrawal from an Elite League meeting.Wolves chief Chris Van Straaten took the action after receiving several messages on Monday morning stating Pawlicki would be unavailable to race in their home match against Leicester.Van Straaten said: “Enough is enough. It’s just not fair on the team, the promotion and most importantly the supporters.“It’s with a heavy heart we have made this decision, it cannot be allowed to go on and it’s probably because he is such a wonderful talent on a speedway bike that we have allowed it to go on this long. We haven’t seen him in Wolverhampton colours since August 4.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – MONDAY REVIEW)
COVENTRY advanced to third place in the Elite League table with a thumping 56-36 win at Belle Vue – their sixth win on the road this season.Fast Track reserve Jason Garrity scored a 12-point maximum as the Bees dominated with skipper Chris Harris collecting 12+1 and Hans Andersen 10+2 – and although Aces’ No.1 Matej Zagar top-scored with nine, he also included an uncharacteristic last place when on a tactical ride.Coventry promoter Mick Horton said: “It was an absolutely fantastic win, and I’m a happy promoter. It was a great night and when the boys are on fire like that, we’re a match for anyone.“We’ve got to keep the focus and not get carried away, but what a response that was from last night (Sunday at Leicester) – I couldn’t have asked for better than that.”Belle Vue skipper Scott Nicholls said: “To lose by a margin of 20 points on our home track, it'd be an understatement to say it's an embarrassment for us to have lost by that much.“But credit where credit's due, Coventry were a very strong team tonight, as we expected they would be, and they beat us fair and square.”Lakeside joined Eastbourne and Swindon on the 44-point mark – four behind Coventry – with a 35-26 win over Poole in a meeting brought to a halt after ten races.There was a lengthy interruption after Heat 7 due to rain, before remedial work allowed the match to continue with Maciej Janowski’s tactical ride win for Poole in the tenth race being the final action of the night.Lewis Bridger (8+1) was unbeaten from three rides for the Hammers, whilst Janowski scored 10 for the second-placed Pirates.Meanwhile Jacob Thorssell led the Wolverhampton scoring in a 50-42 win over Leicester in the West/East Midlands derby at Monmore Green.Thorssell suffered just one defeat from five rides as he returned to a heat-leader role, and guest Rory Schlein (10+1) and Lasse Bjerre (10) were also in double-figures with Simon Stead (16) and Sam Masters (11) dominating the Lions’ scoring.Wolves boss Peter Adams said: “It was a workmanlike showing from the boys, and it was a good win in the end.“Obviously Leicester were weakened by the absence of Jason Doyle, but we still had to get the job done and I'm glad we came away with all three points.”(SPEEDWAY 3 – TUESDAY PREVIEW)
PETERBOROUGH will go into a vital night of Premier League racing with the harsh words of team manager Carl Johnson ringing in their ears.The Panthers take on Scunthorpe and Plymouth at the Showground tonight in the second of three successive Tuesday double-headers, seeking to show a response from a 59-25 hammering at Somerset last Friday.Johnson said: “Unfortunately I will again be having stern words with the boys ahead of the meeting so as they understand just what I expect of them.“I had to do the same last Tuesday after a couple of disappointing home defeats and it seemed to work well so hopefully that will be the case again.”Peterborough are eight points off the top six with eight matches in hand on Newcastle – whilst Scunthorpe travel to the Showground in fifth place with Ashley Birks now dropping to reserve for the month of September.Scoropions boss Dave Peet said: “The meeting at Peterborough is going to be nip and tuck, but it is a track we can ride, and we need to come back from there with at least a point, if not more.“We would love to take six or seven points from the two meetings against the Panthers, but we need to get four as a minimum.”Meanwhile Plymouth have booked Olly Allen, who recently scored a 15-point maximum at the venue, to guest for Ben Barker who is out with collarbone damage.Devils boss Lee Trigger said: “We only managed one point from what would have been Ben’s four rides last week, but we will be looking for Olly to get something towards a double figure return this time. If the remainder of the team ride to their potential then we are capable of coming away with something this time.”In the National League, leaders Cradley round off their regular home programme against Devon, and boss Will Pottinger is urging the Heathens to keep their strong form going.Pottinger said: “We know the big meetings are just around the corner, we cannot afford to be complacent in any way.“We face Coventry next Tuesday in the home leg of our Knockout Cup tie and that’s the biggest meeting of the season, so we want to have a good performance against Devon on Tuesday to keep the momentum going.”(SPEEDWAY 4)
GLASGOW skipper Theo Pijper has decided to put his Testimonial meeting off until the start of next season.The Dutchman had planned to hold the event on September 28 but several riders who would have been involved now have other commitments, and the meeting will therefore take place in March 2015.Pijper said: “As we approach the date we had set, it has become clear that there is so much going on in speedway that it wasn't going to be easy for riders to confirm that they could come.“There's a long track grand prix in Germany, and I would have been keen to have some of these guys over, plus the Premier League play-offs will be in full swing by that time. The fixtures for that are not known yet, so no-one can say where they might be.”(FIXTURES)
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
