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…

It was busy night of Premiership racing on Monday with all six clubs in action. Peterborough overcome King’s Lynn 46-44 in a last heat decider to move off the bottom of the table, Belle Vue comfortably beat pre-meeting league leaders Sheffield 58-32 at the National Speedway Stadium and Ipswich’s 47-43 win at Wolverhampton saw them takeover from the Tigers at the top of the table.
Photo credit: STEVE FEENEY

PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…

BELLE VUE
“Having the chance to move up to No.2 is a big opportunity for me and I feel it’s another step up the ladder, steps in the right direction to be honest. From a team point of view, this was a significant result for us.”
Aces Rising Star Tom Brennan moved up into the main body of the side for Monday’s big home win over Sheffield, underlining his progress in the top flight this season.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Mon July 11
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur July 14

IPSWICH
“I don’t think we are at our best yet. We are dovetailing with people having off-nights and then other people stepping up. We are not as consistent as we could be. Danny (King) is coming into a bit of form and once we get Ben (Barker) back fit, he was hitting form at reserve. I still think there is a lot more improvement in us.”
The Witches are top of the Premiership table after winning at Wolverhampton on Monday – but boss Ritchie Hawkins says they will get stronger later this summer.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur July 14
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Thur Aug 4

KING’S LYNN
“We wanted to win, we wanted all four points, but Peterborough did Ipswich the other week by ten points so they’re a strong side, especially when Bomber’s riding the way he is. I feel there’s plenty we can take away from it.”
Stars skipper Josh Pickering looked on the bright side after a narrow defeat at Peterborough on Monday which sent his side to the foot of the Premiership table.
NEXT HOME: Premiership Pairs Round 3, Thur July 7
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon July 11

PETERBOROUGH
“Heat 15 was a bit hectic and you could see what Josh was trying to do, fair play to him, but Ulrich managed to hold on, and with Bomber flying, it was enough. It was a good meeting, some good racing, another win, and we’ve just got to keep pushing now.”
Panthers boss Rob Lyon admitted Monday’s win over King’s Lynn had been too close for comfort, with Chris Harris and Ulrich Ostergaard grabbing a vital 4-2 in Heat 15.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Mon July 11
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur July 14

SHEFFIELD
“I make a promise now that we will come back fighting and stronger for that. We’ve had other disappointments along the way this season and each time we’ve shown good character to come back next time and get the right result – now we need to make sure we do that again and it’s important we bounce back.”
Tigers boss Simon Stead looks to draw a line under Monday’s heavy 58-32 defeat at Belle Vue as he seeks the right response from his side when their league campaign resumes.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur July 14
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur July 21

WOLVERHAMPTON
“All night we were struggling from the starts, I’m not sure what was going on there, but we couldn’t get off those starts like Ipswich unfortunately. We don’t like losing at home, so that’s hurt us a little bit but we’ll be back.”
Skipper Sam Masters reflects on a second home defeat of the season at the hands of Ipswich, who were impressive 47-43 winners at Monmore on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Premiership Pairs Round 4, Mon July 18
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon July 11

CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…

BERWICK
“We operate under very strict planning conditions which impose a 9.30pm curfew on Saturday racing which is why, traditionally, we have always begun meetings at 7pm. But it makes sense to try give those travelling from Ashfield an extra half hour.”
Bandits boss Gary Flint explains the reasons for Saturday’s home clash with Poole being put back to a 7.30pm start, with the GB v Rest of the World Test Match taking place at Glasgow earlier in the day.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Sat July 9
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri July 8

BIRMINGHAM
“I’ve learnt that it’s very different with the gearing in Australia and Poland to over here. But the boys in the team are helping me out a lot, Jason Crump’s helped me out a bit, my mechanics have been very good so we’re getting there on that front.”
Brummies youngster James Pearson admits it’s been a serious learning curve in his first season of British racing as he gains vital experience for the future.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Wed July 6
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth (ST), Tues July 12

EDINBURGH
“I’m not sure if we would have gotten a point with Sam fit as it’s not a track our riders go well on. Josh was the exception to that of course and I was happy with how Lasse Fredriksen and Jacob Hook got stuck in. We needed a bit more from some of the others though.”
Monarchs boss John Campbell saw his side defeat Scunthorpe at home last Friday but then miss out at the Eddie Wright Raceway with skipper Sam Masters pulling out due to injury early in the meeting, with the race for play-off places tightening up.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Fri July 8
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat July 16

GLASGOW
“It’s great for the spectators but not for us, we need to keep a fit 1-7, and he’s a very important member of our team. But he’ll learn from that.”
Tigers boss Cami Brown urged spectacular Danish star Benjamin Basso to “reel it in a bit” after a Heat 14 fall when last Friday’s match against Redcar was already well in the bag.
NEXT HOME: GB v Rest of the World, Sat July 9
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed July 6

LEICESTER
“Richie is my go-to rider when I need a job done to clamp somebody, and when they picked one and three, Richie was the man for that job off two. He managed to do it, and Nick got a stormer off gate four, which is a hard part as well, because when somebody does that job you’ve got a responsibility then to reward that rider by being there when he looks for you!”
Lions boss Stewart Dickson was delighted to see a plan come together as Richie Worrall and Nick Morris secured another away win for his side at Oxford last Wednesday.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sat July 16
NEXT AWAY: Redcar (ST), Fri July 15

OXFORD
“I’ve been struggling with my shoulder this season and haven’t been completely happy with my riding at times. I’m still receiving treatment now and there are no hard feelings between myself and the club after reaching this decision mutually.”
Former Cheetahs racer Kyle Newman sent his best wishes to the club after his team place was taken by new signing Paul Starke for the remainder of the season.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Wed July 6
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham (ST), Wed July 20

PLYMOUTH
The Gladiators have booked Danny King and James Wright to stand in for Edward Kennett and Hans Andersen when they travel to Oxford on Wednesday.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham (ST), Tues July 12
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed July 6

POOLE
“Our biggest problem lately has been that we’ve not been making the starts and that has just made it hard work for ourselves, especially over the first few heats. We need to get that sorted, especially in the early part of the meetings.”
Pirates boss Neil Middleditch says the Pirates’ recent dip has coincided with a lack of gating prowess, which they will look to improve upon in a Northern tour this weekend to Edinburgh and Berwick.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Wed July 13
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri July 8

REDCAR
“I’m excited to be able to bring Kyle into the side, I first worked with him way back in 2012 when I started running the Northern Junior League, and I’ve tracked his progress ever since. Unfortunately, the timing has never been right to bring him back to Redcar until now, and I’m looking forward to working with him again and helping him progress his career further.”
Co-promoter Jamie Swales confirms the signing of Kyle Bickley for the Bears to replace Adam Roynon – with Bickley set to make his debut against former club Berwick on Friday.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Fri July 8
NEXT AWAY: Berwick (KOC), Sat July 16

SCUNTHORPE
“I did have one or two doubts about what would happen after Newcastle closed, but I was fairly confident that the phone would ring, because I’ve having a better year this year. But sometimes averages can prevent you from a getting a team place. I’m grateful for Rob (Godfrey) for coming in for me and I’m happy to join the club.”
New signing James Wright made a successful home debut with 11 points in the Scorpions’ vital home victory over Edinburgh on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Leicester (ST), Fri July 22
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed July 20

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…

ARMADALE
“Kelly raced to a very impressive 9+2 score from a reserve berth on his last visit to Armadale and more of the same will do nicely as Kelly looks to reignite his speedway career after originally stepping away from the sport at the start of the year.”
The Devils are pleased to bring in former Mildenhall racer Elliot Kelly as part of their mid-season team changes as they look to finally get off the mark in the NDL this year.
NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri July 15
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat July 16

BELLE VUE
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Fri July 15
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun July 24

BERWICK
“I said to Ben that at any point he could tell us that he couldn’t go on and we would put three riders out in the later races. In the end it didn’t happen and that is one of the bravest three-point hauls I have ever seen.”
Stand-in boss Jamie Courtney praised Bullets reserve Ben Rathbone for racing on after a heavy crash at Leicester on Sunday, in what proved a trying afternoon for the team who went down 63-27 in the KO Cup.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sat Aug 6
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Sun July 10

KENT
The Royals will be operating rider-replacement for the injured Joe Alcock when their NDL campaign gets back underway at home to Berwick at Iwade on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Sun July 10
NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri July 15

LEICESTER
“It was great for Max’s confidence to get that kind of meeting, and he had some great overtakes as well as his gating being a lot better. They changed the timings on his bike to help the gating, so it was a great day for Max and a real boost for him.”
Lion Cubs boss Dave Howard was delighted to see youngster Max Perry rack up 12 paid 15 in the big home KO Cup win over Berwick last weekend, with the 15-year-old recently back from a broken collarbone.
NEXT HOME: Oxford, Sat July 9
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed July 20

MILDENHALL
The Fen Tigers are still without third heat-leader Alex Sponer who is suffering from the after-effects of a dislocated shoulder, with rider replacement their only option for cover.
NEXT HOME: Armadale, Sun July 17
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues July 5

OXFORD
“I wanted to join Oxford this season to be part of the regeneration of the club and I think between us, the riders in the Oxford Chargers can give the supporters something to celebrate later in the season.”
Youngster Luke Killeen is looking forward to some big matches over the weeks to come after finally being able to make his debut for the club, who are in the thick of the NDL play-off battle.
NEXT HOME: Leicester, Wed July 20
NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat July 9

PLYMOUTH
“The SWTR Centurions welcome back Adam Extance and recent recruit Rhys Naylor, who made an eye-catching return after a decade out of the sport in the last home match and feature another new recruit and returning rider David Abraham at reserve in a revamped team missing Connor King and Eli Meadows.”
Latest Centurions team news is announced on plymouth-speedway.com ahead of Tuesday’s home clash with Mildenhall.
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Tues July 5
NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Sat Aug 6

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY JULY 5:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Plymouth v Mildenhall 7pm

WEDNESDAY JULY 6:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Glasgow 7.30, Oxford v Plymouth 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 7:
PREMIERSHIP PAIRS Round 3: King’s Lynn 7.30

FRIDAY JULY 8:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30

SATURDAY JULY 9:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Poole 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Oxford 7pm
TEST MATCH: Great Britain v Rest of the World, Glasgow 3pm

SUNDAY JULY 10:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Berwick 12pm

MONDAY JULY 11:
PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30

TUESDAY JULY 12:
SUMMER TROPHY: Plymouth v Birmingham 7pm

WEDNESDAY JULY 13:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Berwick 7.30, Poole v Glasgow 7.30
SUMMER TROPHY: Birmingham v Plymouth 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 14:
PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30, King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30

FRIDAY JULY 15:
SUMMER TROPHY: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30, Redcar v Leicester 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Kent 7.30, Belle Vue v Mildenhall 7.30

SATURDAY JULY 16:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester v Edinburgh 6.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Berwick v Redcar 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Armadale (follows Champ fixture)

SUNDAY JULY 17:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Armadale 3pm

MONDAY JULY 18:
PREMIERSHIP PAIRS Round 4: Wolverhampton 7.30

TUESDAY JULY 19:
SUMMER TROPHY: Oxford v Birmingham 7.30, Plymouth v Poole 7pm