BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP #12
HERE’S the latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
PIC OF THE WEEK…
HOME favourite Dan Bewley kicked off British Grand Prix weekend with a sensational triumph in the first meeting of the Manchester double on Friday.
The Brit raced to victory in Friday’s Grand Final ahead of reigning World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik and Aces team-mate Brady Kurtz to win the fifth GP of his career.
Zmarzlik then edged out Kurtz in a thrilling climax to Saturday’s final, completing a stunning weekend of Grand Prix speedway at the National Speedway Stadium.
Photo credit: IAN CHARLES
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST
WITCHES STILL TOP, BUT…
IPSWICH manager Ritchie Hawkins admits his side are not firing at their early season level despite maintaining top spot in the league table.
The injury-hit Witches edged out Sheffield last Thursday as they took the aggregate point in a Super Heat, but they were beaten at local rivals King’s Lynn on Monday.
Hawkins said: “It is a little bit of a tough period for us, but it is not a disastrous time to be having a few issues. I can see what the boys are doing and how hard they are working. Inevitably they will get the rewards for that, and it is not as disastrous as could be seen.
“Maybe it seems more of a tough period because we have set such high standards and expectations are so high of us. That exaggerates everything into thinking things are worse than they really are whereas in reality we are top of the league in a very strong position and are still in the Cup as well.”
TIGERS CLOSE IN
SHEFFIELD raced to an emphatic away win at Birmingham on Monday to close to within a point of league leaders Ipswich – just four nights after going agonisingly close to both match and aggregate points at Foxhall.
The Tigers won 57-33 at Perry Barr in a meeting where they were utterly dominant, although top-five team members Josh Pickering and Anders Rowe were absent due to injury.
Manager Simon Stead said: “We showed signs of improvement at Ipswich but to bounce back from that disappointment, losing the meeting and then the aggregate point, to respond like this shows what we’re made of.
“It puts us right back on the right foot with some important meetings coming up and we’re really looking forward to finally getting another home fixture under our belt on Thursday.”
STARS KEEP SHINING
DELIGHTED King’s Lynn boss Rob Lyon praised his side’s current run of form as they made it three league wins out of three by defeating leaders Ipswich 51-39 at the Adrian Flux Arena.
Jan Kvech racked up 18 paid 20 at reserve whilst youngster Jody Scott also played his part with a paid win in Heat 2 on his home debut, days after another encouraging display at Oxford.
Lyon said: “I felt Jody rode well enough for five or six points. He was fast and in good positions and he gave it 100 per cent, and you can’t ask any more than that. To score paid four on his home debut was great.
“There’s always a little bit of something when we race Ipswich and it’s good that the boys could turn them over. I’m really happy for everyone, and it gives us a bit of momentum now.”
BECKER TO START REHAB
LEICESTER’S injured American Luke Becker is back home in Poland and back on his feet after suffering three fractured vertebrae in a recent track crash with will see him ruled out for an extended period.
But Becker, who was in great form for the Lions, has revealed he is grateful that the injuries did not have even more far-reaching consequences.
He said: “One of the vertebrae was broken a lot worse than the others and had shifted super-close to touching my spinal cord, and if this had happened it could have been game over. Thank God this wasn’t the case, and I am super lucky!
“It’s hard to put an exact timeframe when I’ll be back on the bike, but I will be starting rehab with all the necessary physio and doing everything I possibly can to heal and be strong again as soon as possible.”
BRUMMIES PLAY IT AGAIN
BIRMINGHAM have brought in Sam Hagon for a second spell with the club as Rising Star Jason Edwards faces a period out of action due to shoulder damage.
Hagon previously appeared in Brummies colours in the Championship two years ago, and he started the top-flight campaign with local rivals Leicester.
Manager Chris Adams said: “Sam has got Premiership experience and I’m sure he has a point to prove that he is the man for the job. I know he will settle in no problem to our team.
“We all wish Jason a speedy recovery and he will be truly missed, but hopefully he will be fighting fit soon.”
TOUGH TIMES FOR SPIRES
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck admitted there were no immediate answers after the Spires were overturned at home by King’s Lynn last Thursday, with the Stars stretching clear for a 52-38 win.
Schroeck said: “It’s a tough league, and we didn’t have enough heat advantages. I’ve been around speedway long enough to know what happens sometimes, and it’s frustrating.
“Sometimes the harder you try, the worse it gets. We had the right attitude tonight but we fell a bit short. We’re still going to try to get King’s Lynn back another day and see what happens, that’s all we can do.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
THREE of the top four teams in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership are in action on Thursday with Leicester looking to enhance their play-off prospects as they host Belle Vue… Meanwhile, Sheffield host King’s Lynn at Owlerton having completed a run of six successive away matches… Monday night’s schedule sees Leicester travel to Ipswich just over a month after an impressive win on their previous visit to Foxhall… Belle Vue face King’s Lynn in their first home match at the NSS since their staging of last weekend’s Grand Prix double-header.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
OFF TO A FLYER!
POOLE star Richard Lawson said he was delighted with his side’s start to the meeting against Redcar as they went ten points up inside four races to take control against strong opponents.
Lawson said: “We’ve had some slow starts to meetings, and this was always going to be a tough test. We said on the track walk that it doesn’t get much tougher than this, and in the end we really showed what we can do.
“We set ourselves a very high standard here at Poole and have done for years and years, but it’s been a kind of slow start for the team this year – but this last week I feel we are beginning to hit top gear and it’s good to see it.”
TOM WANTS SECOND CHANCE
FORMER Redcar rider Tom Spencer is eager for another opportunity in the second tier having lost his place to Jody Scott recently.
Spencer is continuing to race at the ECCO Arena for the Middlesbrough team in the WSRA NDL, and he is hoping good scores at that level will assist his cause.
He said: “Obviously I was disappointed to lose my place, but I still want to ride in the Cab Direct Championship, and if I can go and score big points regularly then I’m sure the promotion will put me back in.”
DAN ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL
INJURED Glasgow youngster Dan Thompson is closing in on a comeback from a broken scaphoid.
Thompson picked up the injury in the British Under-21 Final at Ashfield last month, but he has a big target to aim for with a place in the SGP2 (World Under-21 series) starting in early July.
Tigers manager Cami Brown told glasgowtigers.co.uk: “Dan has been sensational so far this season and the crash couldn’t have come at a worse time. It probably denied Dan the British Under-21 title and his place in the SGP2 series.
“But thankfully the FIM have given him a spot as it’s his last year to go for a medal.
“It’s also fabulous news that he is getting closer to recovery. We only want him back when he’s ready. But he’s been sorely missed, that’s for sure.”
LOFTUS KEEN TO LEARN
EDINBURGH’S 16-year-old new recruit Jordy Loftus is determined to make the most of his opportunity at Armadale, where he will be racing for the club in both the Championship and NDL.
Loftus said: “I’ve been going on to Facebook and looking up all the clubs, and looking at the Edinburgh Monarchs page to see when the next matches are, and getting ideas on how to ride the tracks.
“My idol in speedway is (former Edinburgh rider) Max Fricke. When I was at the SGP in Gorzow I got to walk onto the stage with Max which was a great experience for me.”
MORE TO COME FROM SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey says the nature of their recent home win over Berwick, achieved after No.1 Steve Worrall crashed out in Heat 1, is cause for plenty of encouragement for the future.
Godfrey said: “We had to use injury rider replacement for Steve for the whole night. That scored just six points, whereas Steve would have scored more than that.
“The Kennedy boys – Zaine and Declan – both showed that they could score points up in the team proper. We knew they could, but it’s a great confidence booster for them, while Connor Mountain was again so solid for us.”
HEEPS BACK FOR CHEETAHS
OXFORD will welcome Cameron Heeps back when they face Edinburgh in a vital Championship encounter on Wednesday, three weeks after a huge crash left him battered and bruised, and with a wrecked bike.
Manager Peter Schroeck said: “It will be great to have Cameron back from injury, while I believe Mitch McDiarmid will take the move up from reserve in his stride.
“We know that Cheetahs are a good team – we showed that at the start of the season by reaching the semi-finals of both the BSN Series and the MAXiCab Knockout Cup. We’d like to make a statement against Monarchs and show what we are capable of.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
CAB Direct Championship leaders Poole look to extend their lead at the top when they host Berwick on Wednesday… Meanwhile Oxford will be keen to get back on the winning track at home to Edinburgh, who have a ten-point advantage for the aggregate point… The Monarchs then continue their away matches when they visit Redcar on Friday, whilst Oxford travel to Scunthorpe… Plymouth are on Northern tour as the Gladiators visit Glasgow on Friday and then Workington on Saturday afternoon… Saturday evening sees Berwick back in action at home as the Bandits take on Redcar.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST
ACADEMY GO TOP!
EDINBURGH sit on top of the WSRA National Development League after a 47-43 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday, where three riders were in double figures including debutant Jordy Loftus.
Monarchs Academy manager Scott Wilson said: “Sam (McGurk) was our standout performer today, he rode with such determination, making some good starts and passing when he needed to – it was great to see.
“Of course, all eyes were on Jody who I thought performed very well. He was tiring in the second half of the meeting but he kept scoring points, so I kept putting him out!
“We have a bit of a break now before our next meeting, so it was great to go into that on a high.”
EAGLES MAKE IT TWO
KENT recorded four 5-1s in the last four races to pull clear of Plymouth with a 54-36 home win to secure a second home NDT win of the season at Iwade.
Manager David Graveling said: “It was all very touch and go for the first half of the meeting and for a time we were wondering just when we might start to shake them off.
“We were delighted, however, at how the lads stepped up in the final few heats to clamp the meeting down. It has been a good day all round.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE combined Scunthorpe/Sheffield ‘Steelers’ team are in action at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday when they host WSRA NDL leaders Oxford in the second half of a double-header… Meanwhile there is NDT action next week with Birmingham taking on Plymouth at Perry Barr on Monday before the sides meet at the Coliseum the following evening.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JUNE 18:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (40) v Edinburgh (50) 7.30, Poole (44) v Berwick (46) 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 19:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30, Sheffield v King’s Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 20:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow (50) v Plymouth (40) 7.30, Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30, Scunthorpe (41) v Oxford (49) 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Steelers v Oxford (follows Champ fixture)
SATURDAY JUNE 21:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Redcar 7pm, Workington v Plymouth 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 23:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Ipswich v Leicester 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Birmingham v Plymouth 7.30
TUESDAY JUNE 24:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Plymouth v Birmingham 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: King’s Lynn (53) v Leicester (31) 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 26:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Oxford v Birmingham 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Sheffield (36) v Leicester (54) 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 27:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30, Glasgow (45) v Scunthorpe (45) 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough v Leicester 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (500cc/125cc support): Redcar (follows NDL fixture)
SUNDAY JUNE 29:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Oxford 12pm, Oxford v Leicester 6.30
MONDAY JUNE 30:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, Birmingham (40) v King’s Lynn (49) 7.30
