(SPEEDWAY 1)
SHEFFIELD star Jason Garrity wants to follow in Simon Stead’s footsteps and provide the home club with a winner in the Premier League Riders’ Championship.Garrity represents the Tigers in Sunday’s Owlerton showpiece 12 months on from the triumph of club captain Stead, who has been ruled out with injury for much of the campaign.Garrity said: “I can't wait for the PLRC, it's a privilege to be involved in such a big meeting and the fact it's being held at Sheffield makes me even more excited.“After Steady won it last year it would be great to do the same again, and I'd love to win a big meeting like this in front of the Sheffield fans. It's a big ask but I really think I can do it. It's going to be hard, but the way I've been riding and the way I've come on at Sheffield I feel like I can beat anyone.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 - THURSDAY REVIEW)
POOLE have confirmed top place in the Elite League and choice of semi-final opponents thanks to a 52-38 win at Leicester on Thursday.Maciej Janowski top-scored for the Pirates with 13 points at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium, and the visiting reserves out-scored their home counterparts 18-5 with the Lions further hampered by the withdrawal of Grzegorz Walasek due to a shoulder injury after a first-ride crash.Leicester boss Norrie Allan said: “As soon as we went down to six riders in Heat 3 after Grzegorz damaged his shoulder and had to withdraw it gave us an almighty task. “Grzegorz can be relied upon to score double figures at Leicester but the points from (injury) rider replacement only yielded half of what we can expect from him. The final score-line would have been closer, I am sure of that, but credit to Poole - they never faltered and took their chances well.”Swindon moved into second place on points difference with a 49-41 win over fellow play-off qualifiers Coventry at the Abbey Stadium.Peter Kildemand made a successful return in his first home match since rejoining the Robins as he scored 11 from four rides, whilst the Bees looked set to claim a league point until Hans Andersen fell on the last lap when leading Heat 15.Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “We came good towards the end, we came on strong as we always do, and it’s a good win for us.“We knew we’d get that sort of performance from Peter Kildemand. Wednesday at Coventry was tough because conditions weren’t the best and I’d told the boys to ride with their heads, because the last thing we want is any more injuries.”Andersen said: “I had the last race easily sewn up, I’d done all the hard work and led for three laps and then I made some kind of amateur error.“It wasn’t a bad night overall but you can’t be happy when you’ve got the race won and you just crash by yourself, especially when it cost us a point as well.”Redcar moved off the foot of the Premier League but were held to a 45-45 draw by Workington at the Media Prime Arena - meaning the Comets finally took their first points of the season on the road, in their last away match!Workington boss Tony Jackson said: “I guess it is a case of better late than never I suppose, and while we are pleased to have finally got some points on the board it doesn’t hide the fact that we have under-performed away from home throughout this year; and that has cost us the chance of making the play-offs for a fourth straight campaign.”Meanwhile Edinburgh are through to the League Cup Final - and a local derby against Glasgow - after a successful defence of their first leg led at Ipswich.The Witches won 52-38 on the night but the Monarchs go through by an eight-point aggregate margin.(SPEEDWAY 3 - FRIDAY PREVIEW)
COVENTRY can move back to second place in the Elite League table as they face Leicester in a local derby on Friday.The Bees have two home matches remaining in their battle with Swindon, who race twice away and are currently better off by a margin of five race points.Coventry operate rider-replacement for Joonas Kylmakorpi, who is out for the rest of the season with a back injury, whist Leicester hand guest bookings to Richard Lawson, Ulrich Ostergaard and Charles Wright.Coventry captain Chris Harris said: “It was a shame we didn’t get the point at Swindon on Thursday, it was disappointing at the end but the important thing is that we’re in the play-offs.“We need to win on Friday now, and Leicester have got some good riders who are good gaters, so it’s going to be tough but the boys will really be up for it.”Leicester boss Norrie Allan said: “Everyone in the team knows how important this match is to our chances of avoiding the wooden spoon for a second season. “The win at King’s Lynn has given us a glimmer of hope but we must repeat the same level of commitment and performance against Coventry tonight.”In the Premier League, Plymouth’s chase for the play-offs continues with a home clash against Berwick at the St Boniface Arena.The Devils trail Ipswich, who have completed their fixtures, by nine points but still have four matches to race.The Bandits will operate rider replacement for Swedish rider Mathias Thornblom, who is withholding his services, and have called up Somerset’s Richie Worrall in place of injured Dane Claus Vissing.Plymouth co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “We need to take maximum points from our final two home matches against Berwick and Scunthorpe. “That will then leave us needing four points from the remaining away fixtures against Scunthorpe and Rye House, to get into the top six and reach the play-offs.”Meanwhile the battle to avoid the wooden spoon could come down to events at the Eddie Wright Raceway, where Scunthorpe host Redcar.The home side are currently one point behind the visitors, but it is the Bears’ final fixture of the season whereas the Scorpions have three matches in hand.Zdenek Holub is a doubt for Scunthorpe after a heavy crash in the Czech Republic last night, whilst Aaron Summers and Rafal Konopka make guest appearances for Redcar.Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We've said for a few weeks that we wanted to avoid finishing bottom of the league and tonight's match against Redcar is our big opportunity to complete that job.“This is a huge meeting for both clubs. Redcar won't want to finish bottom any more than we do, and no quarter will be given tonight out on track.”Edinburgh host Newcastle in the first leg of their Travel Plus Tours KO Cup semi-final - although the Diamonds make the trip without in-form reserve Tero Aarnio due to broken ribs.The two sides also met in the semi-final last season with the Monarchs going through, and this year’s winners will face Rye House or Somerset in the Final.Meanwhile a special challenge match takes place at the Oaktree Arena with a Somerset Select taking on an Exeter Select with South-West rivalry renewed.Top youngsters Zach Wajktnecht, James Shanes and Josh Bates are included in the line-ups with admission cut to £10 for adults and concessions.Somerset promoter Debbie Hancock said: “Many of the riders riding in Friday night’s match are the future talent coming through the ranks, and it is a case of allowing them the opportunity to showcase those talents and to put themselves in the shop window for possible Premier League team berths in 2016.“In addition to that, we have the no small matter of reviving our local rivalry with Exeter, being some 10 years since the two sides last faced each other on track, and although we might have had only three years of local derbies to look back upon before Exeter’s demise in 2005, there were some classic encounters in that time, and Friday night’s match has all the makings of following in those tyre-tracks.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
BELLE Vue boss Mark Lemon is urging his side to take their big opportunity in their crunch trip to Wolverhampton on Monday.The Elite League play-off door has opened for the Aces due to results elsewhere this week, and if they avoid defeat at Monmore Green they will secure a shot at the title for the first time since reaching the Grand Final in 2005.Lemon said: “A lot of people are looking at it as ours for the taking, which it is I suppose. We’ve just got to ensure we’re not the ones to slip up. What we’ve got to do is go to Wolves and consolidate a win.“That’s not going to be easy. We’ve never been a team to underestimate our opponents but I don’t think motivating the boys will be a problem at all. They’re really pumped up and ready for this.”(SPEEDWAY 5)
KING’S Lynn are building up to their staging of the National League Pairs at the Adrian Flux Arena on Saturday.The event moves to the Norfolk venue for the first time and all ten NL clubs are represented with Tom Stokes and Josh Bailey carrying the hopes of the home side.King’s Lynn boss Dale Allitt said: “We are very proud to be hosting the event at the Adrian Flux Arena. “The Pairs championship is a showpiece event and we are expecting some exciting racing from the league’s top racers.”
(SPEEDWAY 6)
RYE House’s Kasper Lykke will undergo a knee operation later this month, which will rule him out for the closing weeks of the campaign.Danish star Lykke has been given a date of September 23 for the surgery, after it was brought forward in order to ensure his fitness for 2016.Rye House promoter Len Silver said: “Kasper had originally hoped for the operation to take place at the end of October, but was assured that the rehabilitation time is five months at least - so in order to be fully fit by the start of next season, the September date becomes imperative.“The Rockets management have applied to the BSPA to have a facility during his absence. An away match at Newcastle will be affected plus the KO Cup Final if the team are successful against Somerset in the semi-final.”
(SPEEDWAY 7)
WOLVERHAMPTON’S long-running individual event has been saved.The Olympique was under threat with no sponsor to underpin the fixture - but Oldbury-based Recycled Aggregate Services have come to the rescue and have added their name to the title of the meeting which first took place at Monmore in 1970, and will now be staged on Tuesday October 6.Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten said: “This is a very expensive meeting to run with the extra races and riders plus the traditional firework display and, quite frankly, without a title sponsor it’s not viable.“The meeting was in doubt, but thanks to David Burns at Recycled Aggregate Services we will now be staging it once again.”
(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30, Plymouth v Berwick 7.15TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30CHALLENGE: Somerset Select v Exeter Select 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Peterborough v Somerset 7pm, Workington v Glasgow 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn 7.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Redcar 2pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6:PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield 5pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Cradley 3pm, Eastbourne v Kent 7.30, Mildenhall v Birmingham 3.30, Rye House v Stoke 3pm
