BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP #27

HERE’S our latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.

PIC OF THE WEEK…

IPSWICH booked their place in the Sports Insure Premiership Grand Final after a dramatic semi-final aggregate win against 2022 Champions Belle Vue. The Witches led by 18 points from the first leg but came under huge pressure in the closing stages of the return, before Emil Sayfutdinov and Jason Doyle both come from behind to defeat Aces duo Brady Kurtz and Dan Bewley in a thrilling last heat decider.
Photo credit: IAN CHARLES

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

SPELLBINDING DRAMA
IPSWICH are into the Sports Insure Premiership Grand Final after an epic last-heat decider at Belle Vue on Monday.
The Witches’ 18-point first leg advantage over the league leaders was whittled back to just two before Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov came up with a magnificent effort to take a 5-1 in Heat 15.
Boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “When we go into Heat 15 with those two you are nearly always feeling confident, a 3-3 is quite realistic for those two, but the way the night had gone there was massive pressure on them.
“They stepped up and that is why they are two of the top riders in the world and that is what they live for. They rose to the occasion.
“It shows we have come a long way with what we have been through this year to get here. That has made us very strong, and I didn’t see any panic when things were going wrong for us tonight. We just kept fighting for every point and they stuck to the task very well.”

ACES ARE OUT
DEFENDING champions Belle Vue suffered the heartache of semi-final exit despite having led the regular Sports Insure Premiership table heading into the play-offs.
The Aces ultimately paid the price for a poor first leg showing at Ipswich before roaring back at home and ultimately falling just short.
Captain Brady Kurtz said: “It’s not how we wanted our season to end, but there are positives to take from this meeting. We were 22 points down on aggregate at one point and we pulled it back to just two with one heat to go.
“Not many people thought we’d be able to do that. Charles [Wright] was a big miss, especially at Foxhall and if he had been there maybe things would’ve been closer.
“But there’s no sense in thinking of what could’ve been. We made the play-offs, we battled our hardest and that’s all we could do in the end.”

ADVANTAGE TIGERS
SHEFFIELD will take a ten-point lead into the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Wolverhampton after a brilliant display to win at Monmore Green on Monday.
Guests Robert Lambert and Richard Lawson came up trumps for the Tigers, and Drew Kemp also chipped in with a vital Heat 9 5-1 alongside Lawson as the visitors took control of the tie.
Manager Simon Stead said: “The fans played their part. We could hear them in great numbers giving us every bit of support and that made a difference.
“We can’t thank them enough for their backing yet again – and don’t underestimate the role they can play again on Thursday at Owlerton.”

WOLVES DEFLATED
WOLVERHAMPTON suffered a fifth successive home play-off defeat when they lost against Sheffield on Monday – four of those reverses coming in the first leg of semi-final ties.
It was especially disappointing for the West Midlands side as the meeting may prove to be the final official team match to take place at Monmore Green as the club have to leave at the end of the season.
Wolves boss Peter Adams said: “The fans have been absolutely tremendous, not just this season but year-on-year.
“They were tremendous again and Porky (Ian Jones – Centre Green Presenter) whipped them into a bit of a frenzy, it’s just a great shame that we couldn’t produce the result they were looking for.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… The line-up for the Grand Final will be confirmed on Thursday when Sheffield take a ten-point lead into their semi-final second leg against Wolverhampton, with the first leg of the Final taking place next Monday.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

PIRATES SEEK COMPLETION
POOLE can book their place in the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final with a home win over Edinburgh on Wednesday.
The Pirates turned the group on its head with their victory at Scunthorpe last Friday after being stunned themselves at home by the Scorpions, who collected a point from Wimborne Road earlier this month.
Promoter Dan Ford said: “We came through a very tough situation on Friday which was a must-win meeting to put ourselves in a strong position, and we now face the task of needing a win on Wednesday to get to the Final, which has been our aim all season.
“I think it is fair to claim that Edinburgh will be massive underdogs but with that label it also means they have nothing to prove and no pressure on themselves.”

SUCKER PUNCH FOR SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE’S impressive win at Edinburgh on Saturday was mild consolation following defeat at home to Poole 24 hours earlier.
The Scorpions could have been celebrating Grand Final qualification but are now left relying on the Pirates slipping up home and away against the Monarchs.
Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “You have to be on your ‘A’ game to beat Poole and we simply weren’t. We had one of those nights where things just went against us – in his opening ride, Jake Allen blew his engine up and it shattered to pieces. We weren’t quite there as a team, which is sad, because we were at Poole.
“We had torrential rain during the day and worked hard with the track but it wasn’t how we wanted it to be – but I can’t it take away from Poole. All we can do is hope for a miracle – stranger things have happened in speedway!”

MONARCHS DOWNBEAT
EDINBURGH suffered a 54-36 home defeat to Scunthorpe in their first home play-off fixture, as the Scorpions completed an empathic double in the group.
And Monarchs boss Alex Harkess admitted to disappointment that his side couldn’t raise their levels having given themselves a chance with a top six finish in the league.
Harkess said: “I hoped beforehand that we could raise our game for the play-offs, and that maybe Scunthorpe would be a little subdued after their home defeat.
“Wrong on both counts. There were some exciting moments but our performance overall was very disappointing.”

ONE MORE BIG STEP
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck wants his team to make a fast start when they visit Glasgow for what could be a decisive play-off group fixture.
If the Tigers win at Redcar on Wednesday, the Cheetahs will need 41 points at Ashfield (on a date to be confirmed) to take the aggregate point and qualify for the Grand Final.
Schroeck said: “We’ve had a fantastic season to date and this is what our efforts through the year boils down to. There is no doubt in my mind we have the capability of doing the job required, but equally Glasgow are a strong outfit and their home record speaks for itself.
“We’ve already raced at Glasgow this month which is a factor we can definitely use to our advantage. But ultimately we need to make a good start and in a perfect world we won’t be relying on the late heats to get the job done.”

WIN OR BUST
GLASGOW know two wins are required to reach the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final – and the aggregate point is also required against Oxford.
That means overturning a ten-point deficit when the Cheetahs fixture is re-arranged following the early postponement on Tuesday due to the weather.
Boss Cami Brown said: “It’s now win or bust. The Cheetahs have set us the biggest task possible.
“They have shown an awful lot of class and resilience to remain unbeaten at the top of the Cab Direct Championship Group B. That included coming from 14 points down at Redcar last Friday to win by four. That shows an awful lot of mental strength and determination. But our destiny is still in our own hands.”

BEARS LOOK AHEAD
DESPITE their league title hopes being over, Redcar still have hopes of silverware in the KO Cup.
The Bears have one more play-off group fixture to come before turning their attentions to a big semi-final clash with Scunthorpe.
Co-promoter Jamie Swales said: “We have Scunthorpe in the KO Cup and that’s an important competition that we want to win whilst we also have another home match against Glasgow.
“Ultimately, we need to keep our heads up and go into these two meetings as confident as possible.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… POOLE will look to secure their Grand Final place via Group A when they host Edinburgh on Wednesday, with the return taking place at Armadale on Friday… Group B continues on Wednesday with a vital fixture for Glasgow at Redcar, with their potentially crunch encounter with Oxford now to be re-arranged… Scunthorpe host Redcar on Friday in the first leg of their KO Cup semi-final.

ELSEWHERE… Stuart Robson’s heavily delayed Farewell Meeting is now scheduled for this Saturday at Redcar with a 5pm start.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

LION CUBS ON TOP
LEICESTER secured top spot in the National Development League with a 50-38 home win over Oxford – the side they will meet in the Grand Final next month.
Manager Dave Howard said: “It was important to keep the positive momentum going, along with our home record, so it was a positive meeting with everybody happy.
“I like keep that positive nature in the team so that we have everybody thinking positively as well, so it was a great performance by the team overall.”

CHARGERS TAKE THE LEARNING
OXFORD were beaten at Leicester last Saturday but in-form Luke Killeen says the meeting will prove a good learning experience ahead of the Grand Final.
Killeen said: “I’m happy with how my night went. I earned my first Heat 15 since moving up into the main body of the side. I feel that I’m pulling my weight, despite moving up from reserve, and hopefully there’s more to come when we face Leicester in the Final.
“We were learning about the track tonight and hopefully it will set us up nicely for when we come in the final, however the track is that night.”

COLTS CLOSE OUT WITH A WIN
BELLE Vue ended the NDL campaign with a spectacular comeback to win 46-44 at Berwick, turning around a 12-point deficit after nine races with Freddy Hodder in outstanding form.
Co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “The team really came strong in the second half of the night and we were particularly impressed with Ed Davison who, admittedly, we didn’t expect too much of. But we felt, given his commitment in attending our Experience Days and improving each time that he should be rewarded with a chance to ride for us, and he did very well.
“All of the boys did well. This was a real team effort to finish our year with one final win and, although we won’t make the play-offs, we feel this has been a very successful year for us.”

FEN TIGERS FALL SHORT
MILDENHALL were beaten at Edinburgh on Friday to end their slim chances of qualifying for the Grand Final.
Manager Jason Gardner said: “It was a frustrating night for sure. We knew that Edinburgh were strong especially on their home patch and going there with a weakened side ourselves really put us up against it.
“It was hugely frustrating for our two stand-in reserves who were keen to impress but very race rusty. Young Laylan Richardson improved as the meeting went on but is at a very early stage of his career and Sam Ward damaged his wrist in a Heat 6 fall.”

FINE FINISH FOR ACADEMY
EDINBURGH boss Scott Wilson was delighted with his side, who won their final home NDL fixture of the season with an impressive 54-36 result against Mildenhall.
Wilson said: “It’s a shame we are at the end of the season, guys like Dayle (Wood) and Mickie (Simpson) are so dialled in around Armadale now.
“I was especially pleased for Mark Parker, he has come on leaps and bounds this year and tonight he got his reward on the scorechart with four plus three bonus.”

BULLETS MISS OUT
BERWICK were frustrated in their bid to end a testing NDL season with a win, as Belle Vue snatched victory at Shielfield Park with a 5-1 in Heat 15.
Promoter Steve Dews said: “In the end we were just stretched too thin, man and machine, in the closing stages.
“I also have to congratulate all the riders who, on a testing track, simply got on with racing and served up a meeting which ended our brief National League history in fine style.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Leaders Leicester and Mildenhall meet in the NDL on Friday with the two sides also due to clash in the KO Cup Final next month… Oxford are also into the Grand Final and they wrap up their regular home campaign against Edinburgh on Wednesday.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF GROUP B: Glasgow v Oxford OFF

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 27:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF GROUP A: Poole v Edinburgh 7.30
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF GROUP B: Redcar (35) v Glasgow (55) 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford (57) v Edinburgh (32) 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Sheffield (50) v Wolverhampton (40) 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF GROUP A: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester (46) v Mildenhall (44) 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30:
STUART ROBSON FAREWELL: Redcar 5pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 2:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL 1st leg: Ipswich v Sheffield (prov) 7.30, Wolverhampton v Ipswich (prov) 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 5:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL 2nd leg: Ipswich v Wolverhampton (prov) 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich (prov) 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 7:
FAREWELL TO THE SHOWGROUND: Peterborough 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 8:
NDL KO CUP FINAL 1st leg: Mildenhall v Leicester 4pm