(SPEEDWAY 1)
STEFAN Nielsen has been called up to the Great Britain team for this weekend’s World Under-21 Team Cup semi-final in Germany.The meeting takes place at Gustrow on Saturday with Robert Lambert, who crashed out at Peterborough earlier this month, being withdrawn and Nielsen taking his place.GB boss Neil Vatcher said: “This is a blow to the team in our quest to qualify for this years Final as of course Robert is a top rider - but injuries are part and parcel of the sport, and I know Robert is as upset as anyone, as he was really looking forward to going to Gustrow, a venue that he is very familiar with due to his German experiences.“Robert’s withdrawal is heart-breaking for us all, because we all know that he would have been one of the star performers, but as one door shuts then that opens another one for someone else, and this gives a chance now to Stefan Nielsen, who was very unlucky not to have been in the original team.“I must say that Stefan has been fantastic, he is riding every night this week and the organisation of getting to Germany in such a short time is not ideal, but Stefan wants the place and he has shown real dedication to the GB Team.“Stefan only got the call about midnight on Monday, but as soon as I spoke to him there was no doubt that he is up for the challenge.“All I can hope for now is that all the boys come through the rest of this week unscathed, as the majority of them are riding at least once this week.“Even though Robert’s withdrawal is a blow, I know that we go there in positive sprit and still believe that we can make the Final.“I would like to thank Ged Rathbone from Peterborough Speedway, SF Racewear and Tracey Cossar from the ACU for all their help in the last 24 hours since Robert’s withdrawal.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
PETERBOROUGH have swooped to sign a top Premier League star to ignite their title challenge.The Panthers’ management have drafted in Ben Barker after the 27 year-old was passed fit to return to racing following a nasty spill in the British Final back in June - and subject to approval he will make his debut in their home match against Newcastle on Friday, replacing Robert Lambert.The club stated: “Ben is not only a very talented rider, he is also a hugely exciting one who has previously guested for us on a couple of occasions this season to great effect.“His experience and knowledge will be big assets in the final weeks of the season and there is no doubt his arrival will boost our chances of battling for honours.“It goes without saying that we thank Robert for his contribution to what we hope will be a memorable season for the club.“We are also in no doubt that he will go on to fulfil his potential and become a top rider in the future, but right now we have made this decision with the best interests of the club in mind.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
SOMERSET returned to winning ways with a 48-42 win over Ipswich after a nip-and-tuck Premier League encounter at the Oaktree Arena.Two Rebels 5-1s in Heats 9 and 10 broke the deadlock and they were 12-points up with two heats to go before the Witches hit back strongly to claim a potentially vital consolation point with a Heat 15 5-1 from Rohan Tungate and Danny King as Brady Kurtz fell on the last bend.Josh Grajczonek led a solid Somerset scorechart with 10 points, whilst Tungate raced to 16 for the Witches.Somerset boss Garry May said: “It was good to get back to winning ways at home, even if it did take us a while to get into our stride.“We knew that Ipswich would give us a tough match as they are looking to get into those all-important play-offs, but our boys really knuckled down after a tense first half of the match and deserved their win.“As far as debuts go I don’t think we could have asked any more of Rasmus (Jensen), he needed to get this first match under his belt and get himself dialled in to the track, so all-in-all the boys all put in an excellent shift tonight which was the most pleasing aspect of the win.”Ipswich manager Phil Hilton said: “I'm happy with the one point - it would have been nice if it had been more but Somerset are a very strong side on their home track. “Rohan was in excellent form and Danny rode well to get his usual double figure score. I also can't fault the rest of the team for their efforts - they all put in 100 per cent despite what some of their scores might suggest. We now need to focus our attention on our remaining three fixtures and take maximum points.”
(SPEEDWAY 4 - WEDNESDAY PREVIEW)
THE race for the Elite League play-offs continues on Wednesday with three important matches taking place.Leaders Poole have a one-point advantage over Coventry as they go into their home meeting with Swindon, who are two points adrift of the top four but with matches in hand - although the Pirates have a doubt over Kacper Gomolski, who is undergoing treatment on a knee injury.Poole promoter Matt Ford said: “We did the business against Swindon three weeks ago but they have made some personnel changes and I think that can only make them stronger. “There is no doubt in my mind that they have been riding better since we beat them and so we are going to have to up our game, something that we are more than capable of doing.”Swindon No.1 Darcy Ward said: “It’s a difficult place to go, but it’s a big meeting for us and we’ll be going there determined to do well and giving it 100 per cent.“We knew going into the meeting at Belle Vue that we needed to get something. It was always going to be tough, they’ve been going well at home lately and although Rosco (Alun Rossiter) was confident we could get a win I think getting a point was a good result.”King’s Lynn are in third place ahead of their home match against Coventry, who are racing for the first time since July 31.Bees reserve Jason Garrity has been declared fit despite a back injury, and boss Gary Havelock admits recent crashes for Garrity, Danny King and the absence of Stuart Robson has been a concern, with Robson replaced tonight by Matej Kus.He said: “We’re probably the underdogs even despite our position in the league, with it being their track, but with it being a tough away meeting we’ve really got nothing to lose and everything to gain.“I expect to get points of some sort everywhere we go, and this meeting at King’s Lynn will be no different, but injuries are the last thing we need at this time of year.”Meanwhile Belle Vue will operate rider-replacement for Matej Zagar in a must-win home encounter with Leicester.Zagar crashed out of the Aces’ dramatic win over Swindon on Monday, and former Belle Vue man Richie Worrall will guest for Max Fricke who is racing in Denmark.Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “It’s going to be an interesting night. I’ve always maintained that teams like Leicester are never to be underestimated and should be treated with no less respect than any play-off contender.“We were very limited in our guest choices as far as a No.1 is concerned, but the bottom line is that Matej is simply in no fit state to ride on Wednesday after being so badly bashed about on Monday.”The Lions have called up Morten Risager, Carl Wilkinson and Max Clegg to guest for their injury-hit team, although both Sam Masters and Simon Lambert are due to make comebacks later this week.Boss Norrie Allan said: “Belle Vue need every point as do Swindon who are in fifth place and have matches in hand over them, so we need to be at our very best to take anything away from the meeting. “This may be the last match that we have to rely on three guests every time to complete our team as both Sam Masters and Simon Lambert are due back on the track for their Premier League clubs on Friday, and if they come through their meetings without any reaction then we can expect them to be available to ride for us on Saturday against Wolverhampton.”
(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Berwick 7.30, Redcar v Plymouth 7.30, Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 21:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Swindon 7.30, Lakeside v Poole 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30, Peterborough v Newcastle 7.30, Scunthorpe v Berwick 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Cradley 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Buxton (follows previous fixture)
