(SPEEDWAY 1 - FRIDAY REVIEW)
EDINBURGH advanced to their third successive Premier League Grand Final by overcoming Peterborough at Armadale on Friday.The Monarchs trailed by two points from the first leg but powered to a 58-32 win at home for an emphatic aggregate victory.Craig Cook scored a maximum and the returning Kevin Wolbert dropped just one point as the Panthers were limited to just two heat wins. Michael Palm Toft top-scored for the visitors with nine.Edinburgh co-promoter John Campbell said: “We were back to something like our best. It probably did us good to lose the KO Cup last week.”Peterborough co-promoter Ged Rathbone said: “It certainly wasn’t the way we wanted the season to end. We were beaten by the better team, but we didn’t turn up and we didn’t make our presence felt - a massive shame on such an important night. “A lot of people will feel we have done fantastically well to get so far after overcoming so many obstacles, but I’ve never been happy after a defeat and I’m certainly not going to start now.“The job now is to regroup and think about how we can make next season better by getting ourselves into a position to win the league rather than bow out in the semi-finals.”The other semi-final is well-poised after Glasgow held Somerset to just a six-point margin from the first leg at the Oaktree Arena.The Rebels, who are looking to reach the Final for the fourth year running, won 48-42 on their home circuit with the Tigers constantly frustrating their bids to pull clear.Josh Grajczonek (11) and Charles Wright (10) were top-scorers for Somerset, with Richard Lawson (12) and Aaron Summers (10) in double figures for Glasgow.Rebels boss Garry May said: “Our first aim was to win the match and then hopefully give ourselves a good lead with which to go into Sunday’s second leg at Glasgow.“I know that six points doesn’t sound much of a lead, but most people wrote us off when we went to Edinburgh with an eight point lead in last weekend’s KO Cup Final, and we won on aggregate then, so there is no reason why we cannot do it again in Sunday’s match at Glasgow.”Glasgow manager Stewart Dickson said: “I would have taken that before the night started. A couple of times it was slipping away from us, but we showed great character to stick in.“It was a great team effort. I know Kauko (Nieminen) and Hynek (Stichauer) didn't have the best of nights, but they were still working away behind the scenes and doing what I asked. The target was 40-plus, we've achieved that, and importantly we've got all seven riders fit.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 - SATURDAY PREVIEW)
EASTBOURNE boss Glenn Martin is warning his riders to take nothing for granted when they go into the second leg of the Gold Cup Final on Saturday.The Eagles take on National League Champions Birmingham at Arlington having already established a 47-43 lead from the away leg at Perry Barr earlier this week as they look to add to their recent National Trophy victory.Martin said: “Birmingham will think they can overturn that and will, like Rye House, throw everything at us in the opening stages. We must keep our nerve on Saturday night.“Fans were right behind the team last Sunday when we beat Rye House. You could feel the atmosphere as we closed in on victory and to get that done with five races to spare was a wonderful achievement.”Martin’s side are unchanged whilst the Brummies continue to use Danny Ayres as a guest, and Jack Parkinson-Blackburn comes in at reserve in their one change from the first leg.Birmingham captain Tom Perry said: “Wednesday's result didn't go how we wanted it to but we've got nothing to lose and we've just got to do our best.“Eastbourne is always a tough place to go to and they're a solid team, especially at home. We pushed them pretty close in the end in the league a few weeks ago and if we ride how we did in the second part of that meeting then who knows what could happen.”Meanwhile Rye House round off their season at Hoddesdon with their ‘Pair of Aces’ competition featuring several Elite League riders.Davey Watt of Poole and Coventry duo Chris Harris and Danny King along with Australian GP Wild Card will join Rockets regulars Edward Kennett and Luke Bowen in the line-up along with members of the club’s National League team.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
THE British 150cc Final rounds off the 2015 Youth season at Swindon on Sunday.Seven competitors will compete over seven races and then a winner-takes-all Final at the start of the Abbey Farewell meeting.GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “Our thanks to the Swindon promotion for running this event for us, all our series sponsors and the BSPA for their continued support.“It has been well documented all season the positivity that has come from being involved with the British Youth scene this season, and with so many young riders now being involved, again this has been a great year.“We have had so much support, from having some great sponsors on board along with the support from promoters and tracks around the country who have all given the riders so much track time during the year.“With so much talent coming through the ranks, 2016 is sure to be again bigger and better, and already plans have started on making next season even higher-profile.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
SAM Ermolenko has revealed more about his new engine project as they prepare for their big UK launch at the Abbey Farewell on Sunday.Having worked with Jawa to develop the engine, the former World Champion will introduce the product to Britain with a number of demonstration races as Swindon host their final meeting at the Abbey Stadium.Ermolenko said: “There is no super-tuning, the engines don’t distort like the modern ones do with the silencers. I don’t want to say what percentage they’ll save on engine builds, but one thing for sure it will only be a service bill not a tuning bill. “We’ve ridden them all year long and they’re still as good as new. You’ve still got to do the normal servicing but the part prices are the same for everybody. So this is a perfect combination for entry-level speedway.”
(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 10:GOLD CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Birmingham 7.30PAIR OF ACES: Rye House 7pm
SUNDAY OCTOBER 11:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Glasgow v Somerset 3pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v King’s Lynn 3pmABBEY FAREWELL: Swindon 4pm (including British 150cc Championship)
MONDAY OCTOBER 12:RECYCLED AGGREGATE SERVICES OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14:NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Cradley v King’s Lynn 7.30
