BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP

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

THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN

PIC OF THE WEEK…

Belle Vue will take a ten-point lead into Thursday’s home leg of their Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final against Sheffield following a 50-40 triumph at Owlerton on Monday night.
Photo credit: IAN CHARLES

PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…

BELLE VUE
“We were a bit sceptical at the start of the night with track conditions looking quite wet and not being sure if it would be on, but that can work against the home riders. I don’t know if it did, but I honestly think we were just exceptional. Even with Dan’s mishaps in his early rides, he powered through them and I think we got the result we deserve.”
Aces skipper Steve Worrall led a superb team effort to win 50-40 at Sheffield on Monday to put themselves in the box seat to reach the Grand Final when the sides meet again in Manchester on Thursday.
NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Thur Oct 7, Play-Off Semi-Final
NEXT AWAY: TBC

PETERBOROUGH
“We know it will be a hard night for us, but we’ll give it everything and hopefully that will get us over the line. We won’t be taking anything for granted, we’ll just go on the front foot and hopefully that will be enough.”
Panthers boss Rob Lyon is keeping expectations in check ahead of the second leg of their semi-final against Wolverhampton, with key man Michael Palm Toft an injury doubt for the meeting at the East of England Arena.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur Oct 7, Play-Off Semi-Final
NEXT AWAY: TBC

SHEFFIELD
“Belle Vue came here and had a good one tonight. They were a bit sharper out of the starts than we were and of course we’re disappointed to lose at home. But there’s no reason why we can’t turn it around and do the same to them at Belle Vue.”
Tigers star Josh Pickering insists it’s still not all over despite a disappointing 40-50 defeat in the first leg of the play-off semi-final at home to Belle Vue on Monday.
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Thur Oct 7, Play-Off Semi-Final

WOLVERHAMPTON
“We’ll go there with a game plan and try and claw it back. It’s only two points, we can do it, it’s certainly not over yet. We respect Peterborough because they’ve had a fantastic season, but we have to have faith in our own ability to get it right and head into the final.”
Wolves skipper Rory Schlein says his side will be determined to overturn a narrow home deficit when the second leg of their play-off semi-final takes place at Peterborough later this week.
NEXT HOME: Premiership Grand Final, Mon Oct 11 OR Rory Schlein Farewell, Mon Oct 18
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur Oct 7, Play-Off Semi-Final

CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…

BIRMINGHAM
“We have had several bits of interest over the past week or so and I’m doing everything I can to get things moving in the background. All I can really say is watch this space at the moment.”
Brummies boss Laurence Rogers is adamant a solution can be found which sees the club back at the tapes in 2022, despite the fact that current owners Peter and David Mason are walking away at the end of the current season.

EDINBURGH
“We came here with every intention to win. We got the draw early in the season but that was our first away match and we hadn’t had any practice, so tonight we knew we would go better. We are here to win, home and away we are going to be very strong.”
Monarchs star Josh Pickering summed up the mood in the camp after an impressive away win at Redcar on Sunday which puts the Armadale side in pole position to reach the play-off semi-finals.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Fri Oct 8, Play-Off Quarter-Final
NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (KOC), Sun Oct 10

GLASGOW
The Tigers are awaiting news of their play-off semi-final opponents but in the meantime they have a huge KO Cup semi-final against rivals Edinburgh to look forward to this Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh (KOC), Sun Oct 10
NEXT AWAY: TBC

LEICESTER
“It was not that we were not focused at Poole but there was a quiet determination from the boys before this one. There had been some stern words on Wednesday and I reiterated that I would not have been screaming at them if I did not believe they could win a trophy this year.”
Lions boss Stewart Dickson got the response he wanted with an emphatic play-off quarter-final win at Scunthorpe last Friday after a disappointing KO Cup exit 48 hours earlier.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sat Oct 9, Play-Off Quarter-Final
NEXT AWAY: TBC

NEWCASTLE
“This is a superb start for our team building programme especially as James had said during our last meeting on the track microphone that if we survived, then he would move Heaven and Earth to be back with us, then our future for 2022 became secure and true to his word, the guy’s back.”
Diamonds promoter Rob Grand is delighted to already have James Wright on board for 2022, and also confirmed as club captain for next season after a successful comeback campaign.

POOLE
“I have such a long drive to get here each week, but I don’t think about it because I am excited to get here, see the lads and go and race our bikes and have some fun. I think that really helps. We are all having fun and we can go out there and score the points and we can win meetings like that one tonight.”
Pirates star Steve Worrall banged in a 15-point maximum to keep the Wimborne Road side on course for a double of major honours as they eliminated Leicester from the KO Cup at the semi-finals stage.
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: TBC

REDCAR
“When you build a team with a strong top four and the fourth man isn’t available you are snookered. Building a team this way is a gamble and it has worked all season, but it’s just failed us at the crucial time.”
Bears co-promoter Jamie Swales bemoaned the club’s misfortune in losing Michael Palm Toft ahead of their play-off semi-final at home to Edinburgh – but still believes the tie can be turned around at Armadale on Friday.
NEXT HOME: TBC or Teesside Silver Helmet, Fri Oct 22
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri Oct 8, Play-Off Quarter-Final

SCUNTHORPE
“I also want to thank everyone who came to the Eddie Wright Raceway this year to see the Attis Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions in action. We had good crowds this season, which were above average. I’ve always said we invest every penny raised back into the club, on this occasion, it’s helped us buy the contract of Jake Allen.”
Scorpions promoter Rob Godfrey has praised the club’s supporters for the part they have played in enabling the purchase of Jake Allen from Somerset.
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Oct 9, Play-Off Quarter-Final

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE UPCOMING FIXTURES…

ARMADALE
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: TBC

BELLE VUE
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Oct 26

BERWICK
The Bullets are top of the NDL table after taking all four points from a spectacular win at Kent last week, and now have to wait to see whether their total is enough for them to lift the league title.

KENT
“The boys from Berwick got the bit between their teeth and took full advantage of our machinery problems, two blown engines and water in others to leave us at the end with only three working bikes! I congratulate them on their success – it was well deserved. We must now knuckle down and not slip up again if we are to keep our title hopes alive.”
Kent co-promoter Len Silver was magnanimous after a shock home defeat to Berwick with both sides racing on in atrocious conditions to ensure all 15 heats were completed.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Tues Oct 12

LEICESTER
NEXT HOME: TBC
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Oct 12

MILDENHALL
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Oct 19

FIXTURE PICTURE…

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7:
PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Belle Vue v Sheffield 7.30, Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8:
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF Q/F 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 9:
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF Q/F 2nd leg: Leicester v Scunthorpe 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 10:
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 6pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 11:
PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL 1st leg: TBC v TBC 7.30

TUESDAY OCTOBER 12:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Leicester 6.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 14:
PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL 2nd leg: TBC v TBC 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 16:
SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS FINAL 1: Belle Vue

SUNDAY OCTOBER 17:
SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS FINAL 2: Belle Vue

MONDAY OCTOBER 18:
RORY SCHLEIN FAREWELL: Wolverhampton 7.30

TUESDAY OCTOBER 19:
TEST MATCH: Great Britain v Poland, Glasgow 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Mildenhall 6.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 22:
TEESSIDE SILVER HELMET: Redcar 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23:
PETER CRAVEN MEMORIAL: Belle Vue 7.30

MONDAY OCTOBER 25:
NGK SPARK PLUGS OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30

TUESDAY OCTOBER 26:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Belle Vue 6.30