BIG EVENT LATEST…
BRITISH Speedway’s Major Events series has an early start in 2015 – with a new venue for the Elite League Riders’ Championship.Leicester will play host to the top men from the top flight at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium on Saturday March 21, ahead of the start of regular league competition the following week.Swindon skipper Troy Batchelor took the honours when the meeting was staged at King’s Lynn last autumn, with Maciej Janowski and Jason Doyle completing the top three, and all three return this season.Doyle has the benefit of the event taking place on his home circuit this season, in a meeting which features the top two riders from each of the eight Elite League clubs.But he faces a tough opening ride as he clashes with Grand Prix duo Matej Zagar and Andreas Jonsson along with Belle Vue star Scott Nicholls,Batchelor, meanwhile, faces 2012 World Champion Chris Holder, former Grand Prix ace Freddie Lindgren and top British star Chris Harris in a stunning line-up for his first outing after he was drawn at No.11.Home supporters will also be able to cheer on new signing Bjarne Pedersen, who has been drawn at No.3 as he looks to kick-start his Lions career with a strong performance.The meeting features no less than seven of the 2015 Grand Prix field and six former SGP stars in one of the strongest line-ups the meeting has seen for years.Alex Harkess, British Speedway Promoters’ Association Chairman, said: “It only seems like two minutes since we were at the end of last season and, here we are, looking ahead to the first BSPA shared event of the year. “I’d like to thank Leicester Speedway for hosting the meeting, the return of the sport to this city has been a major success and a huge positive for British Speedway. “They have shown great ambition in their move into the Elite League and I am delighted they have made a success of that move. “Leicester is ideally located for a meeting of this stature and I’m sure we will see a bumper crowd with fans from throughout the country travelling to see some of the top stars in world speedway in action.”ELRC DRAW: 1. Mikkel Bech (Lakeside), 2. Niels-Kristian Iversen (King’s Lynn), 3. Bjarne Pedersen (Leicester), 4. Kenneth Bjerre (King’s Lynn), 5. Matej Zagar (Belle Vue), 6. Scott Nicholls (Belle Vue), 7. Andreas Jonsson (Lakeside), 8. Jason Doyle (Leicester), 9. Chris Holder (Poole), 10. Freddie Lindgren (Wolverhampton), 11. Troy Batchelor (Swindon), 12. Chris Harris (Coventry), 13. Maciej Janowski (Poole), 14. Nick Morris (Swindon), 15. Hans Andersen (Coventry), 16. Jacob Thorssell (Wolverhampton).
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2015:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, Saturday March 21BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Coventry, Tuesday April 14BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton, Monday June 15PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday July 3PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday August 2PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 6
BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: Mildenhall, Sunday April 5BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: Sheffield, Thursday May 7; King’s Lynn, Wednesday May 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, Sunday June 14NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, Saturday September 5NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 26
2015 TEAM LINE-UPS…
Please note, these expected line-ups are provided for information only based on information supplied to the BSPA Press Office. All teams require ratification from the BSPA and confirmed team declaration lists will be posted on www.speedwaygb.co when available.
ELITE LEAGUE…
* doubling-up rider, also racing in Premier LeagueEDR Elite Draft Rider
Ins and Outs refer to each club’s last declared line-up of 2014, and moves are shown between clubs in the same league.
BELLE VUE: Matej Zagar, Scott Nicholls, Simon Stead*, Craig Cook, Max Fricke, Steve Worrall (EDR), Stefan Nielsen (EDR).IN: Stead (from Leciester), Worrall (from Swindon), Fricke.OUT: Richie Worrall, Michael Palm Toft, Lee Payne.
COVENTRY: Hans Andersen, Chris Harris, Danny King*, Jakub Jamrog, Stuart Robson*, Jason Garrity (EDR), James Sarjeant (EDR).IN: King (from Lakeside), Jamrog, Robson.OUT: Kyle Howarth (to Swindon), Ben Barker, Kenneth Hansen.
KING’S LYNN: Niels-Kristian Iversen, Kenneth Bjerre, Rory Schlein, Nicklas Porsing, Robert Lambert*, Lewis Kerr (EDR), Ashley Morris (EDR).IN: Morris.OUT: Lewis Rose (to Swindon).
LAKESIDE: Andreas Jonsson, Mikkel Bech, Richard Lawson*, Kim Nilsson, Edward Kennett*, Ashley Birks (EDR), Adam Ellis (EDR).IN: Jonsson, Bech, Kennett, Birks.OUT: Davey Watt (to Poole), Danny King (to Coventry), Lewis Bridger, Ben Morley.
LEICESTER: Jason Doyle, Bjarne Pedersen, Grzegorz Walasek, Mikkel Michelsen, Szymon Wozniak, Josh Auty (EDR), Simon Lambert (EDR).IN: Pedersen (from Eastbourne), Michelsen (from Eastbourne), Walasek, Wozniak, Auty, Lambert.OUT: Simon Stead (to Belle Vue), Josh Bates (to Wolverhampton), Krzysztof Buczkowski, Mads Korneliussen, Nicolai Klindt, Max Clegg.
POOLE: Chris Holder, Maciej Janowski, Davey Watt, Dakota North, Kacper Gomolski, Kyle Newman (EDR), Paul Starke (EDR).IN: Watt (from Lakeside), North (from Swindon), Holder, Gomolski, Starke.OUT: Darcy Ward, Przemyslaw Pawlicki, Josh Grajczonek, Vaclav Milik, Benji Compton.
SWINDON: Adrian Miedzinski, Troy Batchelor, Nick Morris*, Grzegorz Zengota, Kyle Howarth*, Charles Wright (EDR), Lewis Rose (EDR).IN: Howarth (from Coventry), Rose (from King’s Lynn), Miedzinski, Zengota, Wright.OUT: Dakota North (to Poole), Steve Worrall (to Belle Vue), Peter Kildemand, Simon Gustafsson, Nathan Greaves.
WOLVERHAMPTON: Fredrik Lindgren, Tobiasz Musielak, Jacob Thorssell, Peter Karlsson, Ricky Wells*, Lewis Blackbird (EDR), Josh Bates (EDR).IN: Blackbird (from Eastbourne), Bates (from Leicester), Lindgren, Musielak, Wells.OUT: Piotr Pawlicki, Tai Woffinden, Lasse Bjerre, Tom Perry, Joe Jacobs.
PREMIER LEAGUE…
* also racing in National League
Ins and Outs refer to each club’s last declared line-up of 2014, and moves are shown between clubs in the same league.
BERWICK: Ben Barker, Claus Vissing, Thomas Jorgensen, Kevin Doolan, Matic Voldrih, Alex Edberg, Luke Crang*.IN: Barker (from Plymouth), Jorgensen (from Scunthorpe), Voldrih, Crang.OUT: Matej Kus (to Redcar), David Bellego (to Sheffield), Steen Jensen, Matthew Wethers.
EDINBURGH: Craig Cook, Sam Masters, Justin Sedgmen, Kevin Wolbert, Erik Riss, Robert Branford*, Max Clegg*.IN: Wolbert (from Glasgow), Riss, Branford, Clegg.OUT: Steve Worrall (to Newcastle), Max Fricke, Derek Sneddon, Aaron Fox.
GLASGOW: Richard Lawson, Nick Morris, Aaron Summers, Kozza Smith, Dimitri Berge, Victor Palovaara, James Sarjeant.IN: Lawson (from Redcar), Morris (from Somerset), Summers (from Redcar), Smith, Sarjeant.OUT: Theo Pijper (to Scunthorpe), Rusty Harrison (to Workington), Kevin Wolbert (to Edinburgh), Kasper Lykke (to Rye House), Tero Aarnio.
IPSWICH: Danny King, Rohan Tungate, Gino Manzares, Cameron Heeps, Ritchie Hawkins, Stefan Nielsen, Nico Covatti.IN: King (from Newcastle), Covatti (from Sheffield), Nielsen.OUT: Morten Risager (to Plymouth), Richie Worrall (to Somerset), Adam Ellis.
NEWCASTLE: Lewis Kerr, Steve Worrall, Ludvig Lindgren, Anton Rosen, Christian Henry, Lewis Rose, Simon Nielsen.IN: Worrall (from Edinburgh), Rosen, Henry.OUT: Danny King (to Ipswich), Stuart Robson (to Redcar), Chris Mills.
PETERBOROUGH: Olly Allen, Ulrich Ostergaard, Robert Lambert, Lewis Blackbird, Adam Roynon, Simon Lambert, Oliver Greenwood.IN: Allen (from Somerset), S.Lambert (from Workington), Greenwood (from Rye House), R.Lambert, Blackbird.OUT: Lasse Bjerre (to Redcar), Nicki Barrett (to Workington), Ales Dryml, Richard Hall, Max Dilger.
PLYMOUTH: Ryan Fisher, Morten Risager, Kyle Newman, Sam Simota, Jack Holder, Ashley Morris, Sam Chapman*.IN: Risager (from Plymouth), Fisher, Holder, Morris, Chapman.OUT: Ben Barker (to Berwick), James Wright, Rasmus Jensen, Josef Franc, Roland Benko.
REDCAR: Lasse Bjerre, Stuart Robson, Matej Kus, Hugh Skidmore, Jan Graversen, Rafal Konopka, Ben Morley*.IN: Bjerre (from Peterborough), Robson (from Newcastle), Kus (from Berwick), Morley.OUT: Richard Lawson (to Glasgow), Aaron Summers (to Glasgow), Carl Wilkinson (to Scunthorpe), Mark Lemon.
RYE HOUSE: Edward Kennett, Nicolai Busk-Jakobsen, Robin Aspegren, Anders Mellgren, Steve Boxall, Kasper Lykke, Luke Bowen.IN: Lykke (from Glasgow), Busk-Jakobsen, Aspegren.OUT: Oliver Greenwood (to Peterborough), Jason Garrity, Jason Bunyan.
SCUNTHORPE: David Howe, Josh Auty, Alex Davies, Theo Pijper**, Carl Wilkinson, Nike Lunna, Ellis Perks*.IN: Pijper (from Glasgow), Wilkinson (from Redcar), Davies, Lunna, Perks.OUT: Thomas Jorgensen (to Berwick), Ashley Birks (to Sheffield), Ryan Douglas, Nicolai Klindt, Tom Perry.** short-term replacement for injured Ryan Douglas.
SHEFFIELD: Simon Stead, Ty Proctor, David Bellego, Ashley Birks, Andre Compton, Arthur Sissis, Josh Bates.IN: Bellego (from Berwick), Birks (from Scunthorpe), Proctor, Sissis.OUT: Nico Covatti (to Ipswich), Taylor Poole, Leigh Lanham, Ben Wilson.
SOMERSET: Josh Grajczonek, Brady Kurtz, Richie Worrall, Charles Wright, Leigh Lanham, Paul Starke, Benji Compton.IN: Grajczonek (from Workington), Worrall (from Ipswich), Lanham (from Sheffield), Compton.OUT: Olly Allen (to Peterborough), Nick Morris (to Glasgow), Pontus Aspgren, Todd Kurtz.
WORKINGTON: Rene Bach, Kenneth Hansen, Kyle Howarth, Rusty Harrison, Ricky Wells, Nicki Barrett, Nathan Greaves*.IN: Harrison (from Glasgow), Barrett (from Peterborough), Hansen, Greaves.OUT: Josh Grajczonek (to Somerset), Simon Lambert (to Peterborough), Mason Campton, Joe Jacobs.
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE…
Ins and Outs refer to each club’s last declared line-up of 2014, and moves are shown between clubs in the same league.
BIRMINGHAM: Adam Ellis, Tom Perry, Sam Chapman, Adam Kirby, Alex Wilson, Harvie Banks, Zach Wajtknecht. No.8: Robert ParkerIN: Perry (from Cradley), Chapman (from Scunthorpe), Kirby (from Stoke), Ellis, Wilson, Banks, Wajtknecht.OUT: N/A – Club new to NL this season.
BUXTON: Tony Atkin, Ben Hopwood, Adam Extance, Ryan Blacklock, Tom Woolley, Cameron Hoskins, Paul Bowen. No.8: Sam DarrochIN: Hopwood (from Stoke), Hoskins, Bowen.OUT: Stefan Farnaby (to Coventry), Liam Carr, Sean Phillips.
COVENTRY: Luke Crang, Dan Greenwood, Darryl Ritchings, Martin Knuckey, Rob Shuttleworth, Stefan Farnaby, Conor Dwyer. No.8: Callum Walker.IN: Shuttleworth (from Stoke), Farnaby (from Buxton), Crang, Ritchings, Dwyer.OUT: Luke Priest (to Rye House), Ryan Terry-Daley (to Stoke), Oliver Greenwood, James Sarjeant, Stefan Nielsen.
CRADLEY: Max Clegg, Nathan Greaves, Matt Williamson, Arron Mogridge, Luke Harris, Michael Neale, Ellis Perks. No.8: Tyler Govier.IN: Mogridge (from Scunthorpe), Harris, Neale, Perks.OUT: Tom Perry (to Birmingham), Danny Phillips (to Stoke), Steve Worrall, Paul Starke.
EASTBOURNE: Danny Warwick, David Mason, Marc Owen, Richard Andrews, Georgie Wood, Kelsey Dugard, Bradley Wilson-Dean. No.8: Niall Strudwick.IN: Mason (from Kent), Owen (from King’s Lynn), Andrews (from Devon), Warwick, Wood, Dugard, Wilson-Dean.OUT: N/A – Club new to NL this season.
KENT: Ben Morley, Aaron Baseby, James Shanes, Danny Ayres, Danno Verge, TBC, TBC. No.8: TBC.IN: Shanes (from Devon), Verge (from Scunthorpe).OUT: David Mason (to Eastbourne), Simon Lambert, Benji Compton, Jason Garrad.
KING’S LYNN: James Cockle, Tom Stokes, Shane Hazelden, Scott Campos, Josh Bailey, Layne Cupitt, Ryan Kinsley. No.8: TBCIN: Hazelden, Cupitt, Kinsley.OUT: Marc Owen (to Eastbourne), Lewis Rose, Darren Mallett.
MILDENHALL: Danny Halsey, Connor Coles, Connor Mountain, Jack Kingston, Liam Rumsey, Luke Ruddick, Tom Bacon. No.8: TBCIN: Rumsey, Ruddick, Bacon.OUT: Joe Jacobs, Josh Bates, Brendan Johnson.
RYE HOUSE: Robert Branford, Kyle Hughes, Luke Chessell, Luke Priest, Sam Woods, Danyon Hume, Alfie Bowtell. No.8: George Hunter.IN: Chessell (from Devon), Priest (from Coventry), Branford, Hughes, Woods, Hume, Bowtell.OUT: N/A – Club new to NL this season.
STOKE: Jon Armstrong, Lee Payne, Danny Phillips, Ryan Terry-Daley, Chris Widman, Ryan MacDonald, Shaun Tedham. No.8: Sam Ward.IN: Phillips (from Cradley), Terry-Daley (from Coventry), MacDonald (from Scunthorpe), Tedham.OUT: Ben Hopwood (to Buxton), Rob Shuttleworth (to Coventry), Adam Kirby (to Birmingham), Ben Wilson.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY MARCH 18:CHALLENGE 1st leg: Birmingham v Cradley 7.30
THURSDAY MARCH 19:BILLY SANDERS MEMORIAL: Ipswich 7.30
FRIDAY MARCH 20:EAST MIDLANDS BOWL 2nd leg: Coventry v Leicester 7.30REMEMBERING #RICO SPRING CLASSIC: Lakeside 8pm (7pm for NL-level Pairs event)THEO PIJPER TESTIMONIAL: Edinburgh 7.30
SATURDAY MARCH 21:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Rye House v Ipswich 7pm
SUNDAY MARCH 22:LEAGUE CUP: Peterborough v Somerset 1pmRICKY ASHWORTH BENEFIT: Sheffield 5pm
MONDAY MARCH 23:BANKS’S OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30
WEDNESDAY MARCH 25: ELITE SHIELD 1st leg: Poole v King’s Lynn 7.30CHALLENGE 2nd leg: Cradley v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY MARCH 26:LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Rye House 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.30ELITE SHIELD 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Poole 7.30A66 CHALLENGE 1st leg: Redcar v Workington 7.30BOB KILBY MEMORIAL: Swindon 7.30
FRIDAY MARCH 27:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Wolverhampton 7.30, Lakeside v Leicester 8pmLEAGUE CUP: Peterborough v Rye House 7.30CHALLENGE: Somerset v Poole 7.30
SATURDAY MARCH 28:LEAGUE CUP: Rye House v Somerset 7pmTYNE/TWEED TROPHY 1st leg: Berwick v Newcastle 7pmA66 TROPHY 2nd leg: Workington v Redcar 7pmSKILLS GROUP SPRING CLASSIC: Plymouth 7.15
SUNDAY MARCH 29:SPRING TROPHY 1st leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pmTYNE/TWEED TROPHY 2nd leg: Newcastle v Berwick 6.30M6 CUP: Stoke v Birmingham 3pmPALMER TROPHY: Mildenhall 3.30CHRIS HARRIS TESTIMONIAL: Coventry 2pm
MONDAY MARCH 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
TUESDAY MARCH 31:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Lakeside 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 2:LEAGUE CUP: Sheffield v Redcar 7.30
