(SPEEDWAY 1)
ADAM Ellis heads to Denmark on Saturday to compete in the European Under-21 Final - the biggest meeting of his short career.Ellis, who top-scored for the Great Britian Under-21s in their World Cup semi-final last weekend, finished runner-up in his semi in June, and goes into the meeting in good form.GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “The timing of this European Final has come at the right time for Adam as he has just hit a rich vein of form, and there’s no reason why he can’t go into the meeting looking at achieving at least a rostrum place.“Of course these Finals are all tough meetings but I don't see any reason why Adam can’t be right among the mix of the top runners.“These events are a great experience for these young riders, and as it is with Stefan Nielsen competing in the World Rounds of the Under 21s, the riders learn so much from racing against the best of their age group, and it is an education every time they go out on track.”Adam would like to thank Wessex Marine from Poole for the sponsorship of the tyres for this event, and both the BSPA and SCB for their continued support.
(SPEEDWAY 2 - WEDNESDAY REVIEW)
CRADLEY put in another powerful performance as they stormed to a comfortable 58-35 victory over King's Lynn at Perry Barr.The Heathens kept their National League title hopes alive as they accounted for 13 race winners with four riders ending with double figures as they emerged with a comprehensive win in an action-packed meeting, with Matt Williamson (17+1) and Max Clegg (13+2) both scoring paid maximums.Cradley boss Will Pottinger said: “It's always important to bounce back quickly after a defeat, and we managed to do it in good fashion tonight.“We had four riders who made double figures, Max and Matt both did excellently to score paid maximums and it was a really good performance all-around.“It was a bit tight at the interval, but we were always confident we would pull away at the end and that proved to be the case.”
(SPEEDWAY 3 - THURSDAY PREVIEW)
SWINDON will look to give their Elite League play-off hopes a major boost as they host basement club Leicester at the Abbey on Thursday.The Robins will head into their clash with the struggling Lions knowing a win would move them five points clear of fifth placed Belle Vue in their bid to secure a top four spot.Chris Harris guests for Darcy Ward at No.1 for the home side, whilst the visitors have Steve Worrall and Oliver Greenwood stepping in at reserve.Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “We have to pick ourselves up, of course, but that's going to be very tough. All of the Australian boys are friends, they're all very close-knit, and those lads are really going to need some lifting."I hope that once the initial shock of what's happened has receded it will actually inspire them on to go even better, it would be lovely to do that, but I think everyone needs to respect what a difficult time this is going to be for everyone in the sport.”Leicester boss Norrie Allan said: “The Robins are making a strong bid for the play-offs again but they must keep on winning whereas we need the points to improve our league position. “The Swindon track measurement is the largest in the Elite League which should favour our Polish riders so we will go there expecting to improve upon our last visit in May.”In the Premier League, an East Anglian derby between Ipswich and Peterborough pits together two teams who could meet again in the play-offs later in the season.Nico Covatti returns for the Witches enabling them to track a full side for the first time since July 16, whilst Nicklas Porsing again guests for the Panthers in place of Ulrich Ostergaard, who hopes to return tomorrow.Panthers co-boss Carl Johnson said: “We will benefit from Ben’s (Barker) experience and knowledge of the place after he spent 2013 riding for the Witches.“It’s a track where Peterborough have tended to struggle over the years, but we’re going there with the intention of picking up a win to boost our hopes of getting into the top two.”Meanwhile Sheffield boss Jack Lee has called on his side to maintain their focus to ensure they emerge with another important win as they take on Redcar at Owlerton on Thursday.The Tigers will once again include star guest Brady Kurtz at No.1, whilst talented teenager Zach Wajtknecht is handed another opportunity at reserve after an encouraging guest appearance against Edinburgh, whilst former Sheffield man Ricky Wells is amongst the guest riders for the Bears, with Matthew Wethers coming in at reserve.Lee said: “It was a great win against Edinburgh, we all pulled together as a team and everyone chipped in with important points and it was great to come away with a win against such a top side even with riders missing. “We mustn't be complacent against Redcar though, they are still capable of causing us problems and we need to try and approach it with the same attitude we did against Edinburgh.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
PETERBOROUGH are set to bring in Danish prospect Anders Thomsen for the closing stages of the Premier League season.Thomsen, who has previously ridden for Glasgow, is expected to join the Panthers in time for their Bank Holiday Monday clash with Somerset as a replacement for the retired Lewis Blackbird.Panthers promoter Ged Rathbone said: “It is a hugely exciting signing and one that two of our current riders have played a massive part in making happen. Emil (Grondal) and Ulrich (Ostergaard) are both very good friends with Anders and have sold the club to him superbly.“They definitely deserve a big pat on the back and we are also extremely grateful to the Glasgow promotion for giving us permission to speak to Anders.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
SHEFFIELD will take on Redcar home and away this week before making sweeping changes ahead of their trip to Scunthorpe on Monday.The Tigers are set to introduce former Rye House rider Robin Aspegren with fans’ favourite Andre Compton also returning in place of injured duo Simon Stead and Arthur Sissis - and promoter Damien Bates says getting back to a full team was of vital importance at this stage of the season.Bates said: “We've been trying all year to get a full 1-7, and until now we haven't been able to replace Steady, but now Arthur is injured as well it's a chance for us to get a full team in time for the play-offs.“We didn't really want to be relying on guests in the play-offs because when you take out the other teams in the top six the options at No.1 are limited.“Andre's raring to go after his injury, and I think we'll see the form we saw from him at the start of the season which will give everyone a boost. It will be good for everyone to have a full team again rather than having to rely on guests.”
(SPEEDWAY 6)
STUART Robson is set to sit out the remainder of the season following his crash at Lakeside at the end of July.Robson, who suffered a head injury in the accident, had been riding for Coventry in the Elite League and Redcar in the Premier, with the Bees announcing the signing of Kyle Howarth to replace him $earlier this week.Redcar boss Jitendra Duffill said: “I was gutted to receive a phone call from Stuart informing me that he will now miss the rest of the season. Although Stuart feels he is letting the team down I completely understand and respect his decision. “Speedway is not a sport that can be raced in the absence of full fitness and I believe that he is making the right decision - his and every other riders health always comes first and I will never change my viewpoint on that.”
(SPEEDWAY 7)
RYE House have swooped to sign Robert Lambert as the Premier League season goes into its closing weeks.Lambert broke the track record at Hoddesdon earlier in the campaign when making a guest appearance, and now comes in for the Rockets along with a return for Dan Greenwood at reserve, with Anders Mellgren and Robin Aspegren released as they look forward to their KO Cup semi-final against Somerset.Rockets owner Warren Scott said: “It’s virtually an understatement to say I am delighted and proud to have such an exceptional young talent as Robert on board as part of BMR and Rye House. “His achievements to date speak for themselves, and we all know what his full potential could be. Robert is just one part of our plans for the future, in what we see as being very exciting times.”
(SPEEDWAY 8)
LEIGH Lanham is to join Scunthorpe for the rest of the season after his recent release by Somerset.The experienced Lanham, who became British Under-21 Champion back in 1997, is set to make his Scorpions debut in their derby clash with Sheffield on Bank Holiday Monday.Scunthorpe chief Rob Godfrey said: “Leigh Lanham needs little introduction to our fans. He's a professional and experienced rider, who knows the best way around our track. He scored 11+2 for Somerset at Scunthorpe earlier in the year.“We felt we needed to get back up to the full complement of seven riders for our remaining fixtures this season. We just about got away with using rider replacement against Berwick last week, but using R/R does limit - to an extent - what we can do within a meeting.”
(SPEEDWAY 9)
PLYMOUTH have moved for Swedish rider Linus Eklof in time for their Premier League clash with Newcastle on Friday.Eklof, who has had previous spells with Leicester, Belle Vue and Poole, comes into Plymouth’s declared one-to-seven on a 5.76 average in place of James Wright and slots into a reserve position with Todd Kurtz promoted into the top five.
(SPEEDWAY 10)
BUXTON are set to hand hot 15-year-old prospect Jack Parkinson-Blackburn his first outings in the National League.Parkinson-Blackburn, who has starred recently in the Midland Development League and the British Youth Championship, is set to race in three league matches as a guest with his first appearance at the Hi-Edge Raceway on September 6 against Cradley.Buxton boss Jason Pipe said: “I'm over the moon that Jack has agreed to come to Buxton. Nearly every other club in the league have been after him, but he has really taken a liking to the Buxton track this season with doing regular second half laps on his own and recently riding for Buxton in the MDL. “Having Jack in our team at reserve from September, along with Steven Jones, will probably make us the team with the strongest reserve pairing in the league. Let's hope this new strong pairing can win us these last few meetings in September, which hopefully would give us a good chance of finishing fourth in the league and a spot in the end of season Gold Cup.”
(SPEEDWAY 11)
KENT have signed up Ben Basford as a full asset of the club.The 17-year-old from Stockton-on-Tees is the long-traveller in the Sittingbourne-based club’s ranks having recently had a run in their team at reserve after being handed the No.8 position.Basford said: “Kent’s skipper Ben Morley was signed by Redcar early in the season and it seems that Ben saw me riding in the Julie Lewis Memorial individual meeting and recommended I was given the once over by the Kings management. I came down to Central Park, took my opportunity and have been in the team ever since.“Signing on as a club asset is a real boost to me. Everyone at Kent has been so supportive and though I know I have still a lot to learn the advice and encouragement I get every week is lifting me enormously.”
(FIXTURES)
THURSDAY AUGUST 27:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Leicester 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Sheffield v Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Plymouth v Newcastle 7.15, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Kent 7pm, Coventry v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture), King’s Lynn v Rye House 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Workington 7pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Mildenhall 7.30, Rye House v Cradley 7pm, Stoke v King’s Lynn 7pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 3.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Workington v Berwick 7.30TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP: Glasgow v Newcastle 1.30, Newcastle v Glasgow 8pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Buxton 3.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Northside 2pm
