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…
Chris Harris raced to a full 15-point maximum in Saturday’s 54-36 win over Newcastle. The Bandits remain unbeaten at home and currently sit in third place in the Championship table behind Leicester and Glasgow.
Photo credit: TAZ McDOUGALL
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE
“For me, it was a big relief to start off with a good performance and like I said it was important for the team to get off to a strong start in the league. It really does take the edge off the nerves as we start looking ahead to the next meetings. We all clicked right away so hopefully we can keep this going throughout the year.”
Aces favourite Matej Zagar made a successful return to the club with 10+1 from four rides in the thumping home win over champions Peterborough on Bank Holiday Monday.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Mon May 16
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur May 5
IPSWICH
“If you were pushing me for an answer, I would say maybe he is just not quite prepared enough and at the beginning of the season that is when it shows. I hope and pray, because he is someone I am close to and have a friendship with, that he can ride himself through it. If the situation presents itself and he is scoring points, I would see no problem at all with putting him back in the team if the situation arose. It’s really tough on him.”
Witches promoter Chris Louis expresses sympathy for Cameron Heeps, who has been dropped from the side with Ben Barker coming in ahead of Thursday’s clash with Belle Vue.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur May 5
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon May 9
KING’S LYNN
“Niels is happy to do it, and the club are happy to keep him here, as am I because he’s been excellent for us, and his professionalism is second to none. So as it stands he’ll stay with us for the time being, and there’s no deadline placed on that.”
Stars boss Alex Brady is relieved to have the immediate future of Niels-Kristian Iversen secured, with the Dane set to stay with the club after a successful early-season stint.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur May 5
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Mon May 16
PETERBOROUGH
“We had a combination of things go wrong, a bit of bad luck as well, and it started from Heat 1 and continued all the way through. It was a tough day at the office as they say, but we’ve got to move on and hopefully that’s the bad luck out of the way.”
An unusual situation for Panthers boss Rob Lyon, who was left fielding questions after a massive 64-26 defeat at Belle Vue on Monday which came as a big shock to the reigning champions.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Mon May 9
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur May 5
SHEFFIELD
“Since he has represented Sheffield, I’ve been so impressed by the professionalism and dedication always shown by Jack. He is focused, immaculately turned out, with top notch equipment, always arriving punctually. He wanted to return to Sheffield this year, and we are lucky to have him leading our challenge.”
Tigers boss Simon Stead says Grand Prix newcomer Jack Holder is the ideal fit for the club to race at No.1 in the Premiership at the start of his second season with the club.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur May 5
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Mon May 16
WOLVERHAMPTON
“We definitely thought it was going to be tough; they were unbeaten so we came in knowing we had to be good. We all rode well and also showed that we’re a good team and it’s definitely a good confidence booster for our boys.”
Wolves star Ryan Douglas was one of three unbeaten riders as he picked up 14+1 from five rides in a comfortable win over King’s Lynn in their Premiership opener.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon May 9
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Thur May 5
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BERWICK
“A big win, some dramatic spills and an away point rounds off another weekend of speedway action and as always, we will keep everyone posted on Ty and Leon’s progress.”
Gary Flint’s side picked up four points from their weekend Championship clashes with Newcastle, but also suffered injuries to Leon Flint and Ty Proctor, although x-rays have confirmed the Australian suffered no fractures in his crash at Brough Park.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sat May 14
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tue May 17
BIRMINGHAM
“What Birmingham are doing now is to ensure that we have this level of cover, which hopefully will never be used, but we have this insurance that if needed, we can continue with racing. I cannot praise the club owners enough for all they have done and this extra was something that was not planned on but they have reacted in this positive manner.”
Brummies boss Laurence Rogers confirms the club have invested into additional medical cover following the ambulance delays which meant their recent home clash with Berwick had to be abandoned after Josh Auty was injured.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Wed May 4
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Tue May 17
EDINBURGH
“We had Sam (Masters) winning every race, and Josh (Pickering) looking like he was going to win every race, and Kye (Thomson) was winning races as well. We had six of the last seven race winners. We just ran out of match. If there had been another couple of races I’m sure we would have won. If we’d had James Sarjeant I’m sure we would have won.”
Monarchs boss Alex Harkess saw his side secure a point from a dramatic fightback at Glasgow on Sunday, providing much encouragement after a heavy home defeat to the Tigers some 48 hours earlier.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri May 13
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Sun May 22
GLASGOW
“If you had said we could get four points at Edinburgh on Friday and three today, and them take a point, we would have bitten your hand off. We have beaten Edinburgh home and away and it’s a seven-point weekend so that’s perfect for us, and we showed we have a good 1-7 again when we really needed it.”
Tigers boss Cami Brown is keen to concentrate on the points on the board, with his team excellent at Edinburgh on Friday before just fending off a Monarchs revival at Ashfield in the return fixture.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Fri May 6
NEXT AWAY: Newcastle, Sun May 8
LEICESTER
“Redcar are a very good side and after tough meetings against Poole and Glasgow we expected another one tonight. But the boys stepped up to the plate and we got a more comfortable win than what we expected.”
Stewart Dickson’s Lions were emphatic 60-30 winners over Redcar at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena, continuing a run of impressive home form with Kyle Howarth and Nick Morris both scoring maximums.
NEXT HOME: Oxford, Sat May 7
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri May 13
NEWCASTLE
“We had to work so hard for this win tonight, a win which has finally given us points in the Championship table helped along the way by a guest who can score us points! Thanks to Kyle Howarth for his excellent efforts.”
Diamonds co-promoter Dave Tinning was relieved and satisfied to see them finally off the mark with a narrow 47-42 home win over Berwick on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sun May 8
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed May 11
OXFORD
“Troy has been struggling mechanically, he’s borrowing some engines and trying a few different things. The practice laps he put in after the meeting will serve him well.”
Cheetahs boss Jason Crump expects No.1 Troy Batchelor to be fully back on-song in the near future as he seeks to resolve mechanical issues.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Wed May 11
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat May 7
PLYMOUTH
“The latest news is that Dan has suffered five broken ribs and a collapsed lung together with a displaced and broken arm. The hospital will have to stabilise Dan’s lung and chest injuries before undertaking treatment on his arm, and we will issue further updates from Dan’s family in due course and wish them all the very best.”
A bitter blow for in-form Gladiators youngster Dan Gilkes, who suffered serious injuries in a crash at Scunthorpe on Friday, as reported on plymouth-speedway.com .
NEXT HOME: Poole, Tues May 3
NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Fri May 6
POOLE
“It’s a great opportunity for me to take everything I can on board from the people here and develop it into my career. You can never stop learning in this sport, I rode with Richard (Lawson) last year at Eastbourne, he was very helpful and I know if I need any advice he will always be there to help me along the way.”
Pirates reserve Nathan Ablitt tells the club’s official matchday programme that he’s determined to make the very most of his Championship chance with the reigning champions.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Wed May 11
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues May 3
REDCAR
“We really struggled out of the starts this evening, you can look at track conditions all you want but that doesn’t play a part when you aren’t getting out of the starts. The boys tried hard this evening but things didn’t work out for us. We are capable of much more than that.”
Bears boss Jade Mudgway reflects to redcar-speedway.com over a disappointing night at Leicester where the Bears conceded 60 points to their hosts.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Fri May 13
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed May 11
SCUNTHORPE
“The meeting came to a halt just at the wrong time for us. We’d just scored a 5-1 in Heat 13 and we were also holding a 5-1 in Heat 14 when it was stopped. But there was a lengthy break while Dan (Gilkes) was tended to, and it stopped any momentum that we were starting to build. But we can have no complaints. On the whole, Plymouth rode better than us – it’s as simple as that.”
A setback for the Scorpions with a home defeat to Plymouth on Friday, with boss Dave Peet making no excuses for the reverse on their own circuit.
NEXT HOME: Oxford, Fri May 13
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed May 4
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…
ARMADALE
NEXT HOME: Oxford, Fri May 6
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri May 27
BELLE VUE
“Several people have commented to us about Harry McGurk’s brilliant team ride in Heat 7 as he expertly controlled and slowed the race down to allow Freddy Hodder to come around for his first-ever race win. It was fantastic to see.
Colts bosses Steve Williams and Graham Goodwin have praised the team ethic in this year’s Colts squad in their most recent official matchday programme column.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri May 6
NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat May 7
BERWICK
“Ben (Rathbone) and Kieran (Douglas) will line up at reserve for the next set of fixtures but both can be happy that they have contributed steadily so far this season and it is that solidity which has given the Bullets maximum points.”
Director Jamie Courtney explains the line-up switches which will take place after the Bullets complete their fourth league match at Oxford on Wednesday, writing in the club’s official matchday programme.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sat May 7
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed May 4
KENT
The Royals are out of the NDL KO Cup after defeating Mildenhall 48-42 at Iwade on Sunday, which was not quite enough to overturn a 12-point deficit from the first leg at West Row.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun May 15
NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat May 21
LEICESTER
Lion Cubs youngster Max Perry turned 15 last week, meaning he is now eligible for NDL racing, and the club therefore commence their campaign at Belle Vue this Friday.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sat May 14
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri May 6
MILDENHALL
“We are very happy to be in our first Final of the season and it’s only the start of May. The other semi-final won’t be resolved until early July so we don’t know our opponents in the KOC Final yet but it is great to be able to give our supporters something to look forward to in the summer!”
Fen Tigers co-owner Phil Kirk is pleased to have a Cup Final to look ahead to, after they successfully overcame Kent over two legs in a closely-contested semi-final by a six point aggregate margin.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sun May 15
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat May 21
OXFORD
“One of the reasons for running a National Development League side is to develop and encourage British riders and ready them to break into the Championship. Nathan’s (Stoneman) response to being handed an opportunity is exactly the attitude we want from all our riders.”
Writing in the club’s official matchday programme, promoter Jamie Courtney underlines the value of the Chargers’ operation this season, with their opening home fixture to come this week.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Wed May 4
NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri May 6
PLYMOUTH
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Tues May 24
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun May 15
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY MAY 3:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Poole 7pm
WEDNESDAY MAY 4:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Scunthorpe 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford v Berwick 7.30
THURSDAY MAY 5:
PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30, King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 6:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Plymouth 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Oxford 7.30, Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30
SATURDAY MAY 7:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester v Oxford 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Berwick v Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY MAY 8:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Glasgow 4pm
MONDAY MAY 9:
PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Wolverhampton v Ipswich 7.30
TUESDAY MAY 10:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Oxford 7pm
WEDNESDAY MAY 11:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Redcar 7.30, Poole v Newcastle 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 13:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Leicester 7.30, Redcar v Poole 7.30, Scunthorpe v Oxford 7.30
SATURDAY MAY 14:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Redcar 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY MAY 15:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Leicester 12pm, Mildenhall v Plymouth 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2 (500cc): Kent (follows NDL fixture)
MONDAY MAY 16:
PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY MAY 17:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Birmingham 7.30, Plymouth v Berwick 7pm
