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TALENTED youngster Robert Lambert will launch his bid to become a Grand Prix rider on home Elite League track King’s Lynn next month.Lambert, who also rides for Premier League Newcastle, is one of a host of top names to be revealed as appearing at the Adrian Flux Arena for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix qualifying round on Saturday, May 7.He will be joined by fellow British racers Craig Cook and Jason Garrity, Aussie duo Brady Kurtz and Sam Masters and Swedes Freddie Lindgren and Joonas Kylmakorpi.It promises to be a hard night of racing with places available for the semi-finals.Said Lambert: “Obviously I’d love to get into the Grand Prix one day, so doing the qualifiers is another step and another new experience for me.“I won’t put any pressure on myself this year, just a chance to give it my best, see what I can do and see where I’m at right now.”King’s Lynn and British Speedway chief Keith Chapman said: “This promises to be one of the most exciting meetings of the season in the UK – it’s an occasion when riders with ambition to become a Grand Prix rider can see their dreams kept alive or broken.“There will be no margin for error and I’m sure the British boys will have plenty of support on the night.“With my King’s Lynn hat on I would love to see Robert go through. He did well in the World Cup last year and on his day he can beat anyone around King’s Lynn.“As a club we will welcome riders and fans from far and wide and when you see the calibre of the riders already named it gives you an indication of what we can expect in terms of competitive racing.”CONFIRMED RIDERS: FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying Round 1, King’s Lynn, Saturday May 7:Freddie Lindgren SVEMO, Sam Masters MA, Craig Cook ACU, Jason Garrity ACU, Robert Lambert ACU, Brady Kurtz MA, Joonas Kylmakorpi SVEMO. Reserves: Lewis Kerr ACU, Richie Worrall ACU.
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POOLE promoter Matt Ford is not reading anything into an early-season two-legged win over Coventry as the sides prepare to meet in the Elite League.The Pirates came out on top in the Elite Shield clashes between the clubs, with league points now on the line at Wimborne Road on Wednesday and Brandon on Friday.Coventry go into the matches without Polish youngster Kacper Woryna, who suffered severe hand lacerations in a crash at King’s Lynn last week.Ford said: “Our Elite Shield triumph will count for nothing on Wednesday night. Every meeting is different and past performances often have little bearing on outcomes of re-matches. “As a team I am happy with the way we have started the season. Of course there are some areas where we can still improve but Coventry will be rocking up at Wimborne Road keen to avenge for what happened in their earlier visit. “With KK (Krzysztof Kasprzak) back in the side there will certainly be a different dynamic about them. He's come back well from his injury and we know how freely he can score around our place.”Coventry boss Gary Havelock said: “It’s not ideal to be going into these matches without a full team, but we have no choice and that’s the way it is.“Jason (Garrity) gets an extra ride, he seems to be coming back into form now, and we need to take a look at the programme and hopefully eke out a race where he can win it.“We’ve proved in the past that we can win at Poole, I know it’s been in different seasons, and there was one occasion when we were miles behind and came back to win. We just need some of our riders to find some more consistency.”
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MIDLANDS rivals Birmingham and Cradley face their first derby clash of the season in the National League at Perry Barr on Wednesday.The Brummies host their former co-tentants in what promises to be one of the meetings of the season between two in-form sides.The Heathens have won both of their league fixtures so far while the Brummies have picked up four convincing wins to maintain their unbeaten start in both the National Trophy and the Knockout Cup.Birmingham boss Graham Drury said: “Ourselves and Cradley are two of the biggest clubs in the National League right now and I’m sure we’re in for another special meeting on Wednesday.“We’ve both got extremely strong line-ups on paper but Cradley are the only side in the league who maxed out their team points limit.“We’ve made a remarkable start to our season but this is the competition that means most. Hopefully our boys can continue their excellent form and progression and we’d love to get one over Cradley, mainly for our supporters.”Cradley skipper Max Clegg said: “I think it’s definitely going to be our toughest test of the season so far but we’re going there with a positive attitude and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.“Birmingham have got a good team on paper this year and they’ve started the season well – but so have we and we have to go there believeing we can get something out of the meeting.“Me, Ash (Morris) and Luke (Chessell) in particular have been awesome for the team so far and if we can outscore their top end and the rest of the team can chip in with some points then we’ve got a chance.”(SPEEDWAY 4)
BERWICK are awaiting news on No.1 Thomas Jorgensen and key reserve Matthew Wethers ahead of their League Cup clash with Glasgow on Saturday.Jorgensen suffered a broken hand after a tangle with Sam Masters last weekend, whilst Wethers is battered and bruised – and Anders Mellgren is also expected to be out.Bandits boss Scott Courtney said: “Anders is attending a special clinic in Denmark, where his knee injury is being assessed. We hope to have a report on his situation within the next few days, but we don’t expect him to be available for selection for Saturday's match.“I have mixed feelings about the match at Glasgow. I'm proud of our injury-hit boys for taking it to the wire, but to have to leave without a point after their efforts was a real heartbreaker. But we will be ready for them this time, and we aim to give our fans something to shout about.”
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BELLE Vue have named 15-year-old Joe Lawlor as No.8 for their National League side this season.Lawlor is a former mascot of the club’s Elite League squad and he has followed in the footsteps of fellow teenager Kyle Bickley in committing his future to the Manchester outfit.Co-promoter George Carswell said: “This is a continuation of the club's youth development programme, to re-establish our rider pipeline with promising young individuals like Joe and Kyle to feed into our National League team.“It’s more likely we’ll look to move him up into the National League next year but at the same time if one of our reserves is missing then we would look to call on his services at No.8 for the Colts.”(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Cradley 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 21:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30, Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Peterborough 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
FRIDAY APRIL 22:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Poole 7.30, Lakeside v Swindon 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30
