BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP #3
HERE’S our latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
PIC OF THE WEEK…
GLASGOW bounced-back to beat rivals Edinburgh 51-39 in a feisty BSN Series encounter on Sunday at Ashfield. The Monarchs won the corresponding fixture 48-42 on Good Friday, but the Tigers Easter Sunday victory ensured they ended the weekend with both the match and aggregate points.
Photo credit: IAN ADAM
PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…
DREAM START FOR DAVID
DAVID Bellego’s impressive start to life with Sheffield continued when he scored 9+2 in the Tigers’ thumping 58-32 KO Cup win over King’s Lynn.
Bellego had produced solid scores in the home and away victories over Belle Vue with the Owlerton club in fine form overall – although Tobiasz Musielak is a fitness concern due to a collarbone injury.
Said Bellego: “The key was to make good starts to get away first and that’s what we did for most of the night.
“We can’t complain about the start to our season and we want to keep this sort of consistency going.”
WITCHES’ PAIR-FECTION
JASON Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov have taken four 5-1s from four races together in their two meetings for Ipswich.
Their latest exploits at Foxhall last Thursday saw the Witches overturn a two-point deficit to take a 48-42 first leg lead over Leicester in the KO Cup.
Team boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “Doyley was superb again and showed why he is number one and the best rider in the league, class really. You kind of expect it with him being so good last year but he was terrific again.
“We are led by a great top two, and they are proving to be a great pairing together. I don’t suppose there will be many riders fancying turning up here and facing them both.”
WOLVES WIN BIG
WOLVERHAMPTON had four unbeaten riders in their 46-20 win over Belle Vue in a rain-affected KO Cup tie at Monmore Green.
Steve Worrall, Sam Masters, Ryan Douglas and guest Chris Harris all scored full or paid maximums leaving the Aces with a mountain to climb in the return, which has now been set for May 8.
Worrall said: “Belle Vue have been tipped as one of the favourites coming into the season as reigning Premiership champions.
“So to be able to put on a performance like we did against them sends out a bit of a warning to everyone else in the league as well I guess.”
LYNN LEFT PONDERING
KING’S Lynn’s heavy defeat at Sheffield in the KO Cup left the Stars already contemplating their options.
But they are expected to be unchanged in personnel when they face Wolverhampton in their opening home Premiership fixture on Thursday.
The club said: “We are fully aware of the fans’ frustrations, and we can assure everyone that we share those frustrations. We are not happy with the situation, and we will be looking at every option open to us over the coming days.
“We know what we have to do, and we also need the fans more than ever (on) Thursday. There is work to do, and as a management team we are more than up for the fight for it.”
WRIGHT: WE WERE WRONG
BELLE Vue star Charles Wright says mechanical set-ups were a factor in Monday’s KO Cup defeat at Wolverhampton.
The former British Champion was part of an Aces side who were unbale to produce a heat win at Monmore, leaving them 26 points down ahead of the return fixture.
Wright said: “It wasn’t the best night for us at all. None of us seemed to be able to get the set-up and no matter what we did nothing was working for us and we just weren’t gating.
“I think I, and maybe a few of the other lads, chose the wrong engines for this meeting. The track was riding very well but it was quite slick, especially when the rain came down.”
MAX CONTENT WITH FIRST NIGHT
MAX Fricke expects new-look Leicester to gain momentum as they work their way into the season.
The Lions battled hard at Ipswich in the KO Cup to go down by just six points, with Fricke and Justin Sedgmen recording a superb 5-1 over Emil Sayfutdinov.
Fricke said: “It’s a new team, we’re all getting used to each other and it was our first meeting of the year so I think all in all it was a really successful night.
“In the end they were a little bit too strong for us in the last couple of heats, but we kept it close and it was a really interesting meeting the whole way through.”
*ELSEWHERE: PETERBOROUGH return to action after two-and-a-half weeks off when they visit Leicester on Thursday… A busy night of Premiership racing also sees Ipswich host Belle Vue in a repeat of last year’s play-off semi-final… Wolverhampton will be confident of the aggregate point when they travel to King’s Lynn with a 22-point advantage…. Monday night sees the re-staging of the Leicester/Ipswich KO Cup tie with the Witches six points up… champions Belle Vue visit Peterborough on Monday in the league, with an impressive record at the East of England Arena with the exception of their 2021 Grand Final defeat.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…
ROYNON PLEASED WITH MOVE
ADAM Roynon says he’s taken inspiration from former Poole favourite Darcy Ward at the beginning of his Pirates career.
Back-to-back wins over Oxford in the BSN Series gave the Pirates a great start to the season, with Roynon scoring well at home and fellow reserve Kyle Newman performing strongly in both meetings.
Roynon said: “I’ve not been here an awful lot as a rider. I have been here most mechanicing with Danny (King) over time, but I’ve just watched a lot of YouTube videos of this track, mainly Darcy Ward to be fair.
“I just watch him over and over and I am just trying to emulate what he has done on certain lines and positions. It worked in one case tonight, although I cut the guy off, but I don’t really care about that!”
AGGREGATE POINT FOR GLASGOW
GLASGOW edged out Edinburgh overall in the weekend BSN Series Scottish section clashes, taking the aggregate point with a 51-39 home win after going down by six at Armadale.
The fierce rivals put on two very competitive meetings with the Monarchs’ Craig Cook in the thick of the action against his old club, whilst Chris Harris collected a pair of double-figure scores for the Tigers.
Glasgow boss Cami Brown told glasgowtigers.co.uk: “The boys were terrific. Overall the atmosphere and fighting spirit in the camp is outstanding. I can’t really single anyone out. I felt that they all produced great stuff.”
The Monarchs now need big results against Berwick in their other group matches, and manager Alex Harkess said: “It’s a shame really we just didn’t have enough at the bottom end. Early doors I thought we were in it but the longer it went in the more we drifted away from it.”
GOOD START FOR SCORPIONS
THE Northern section of the BSN Series opened with Scunthorpe defeating Redcar 50-40 in a meeting packed with good racing at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
And boss Dave Peet is optimistic that the margin will prove to be enough to at least turn two points into three when the return match takes place later this month.
Peet said: “We could have ended up with even more points, but a 10-point lead is a good lead, and we usually go well around Redcar.
“We have every chance of an aggregate bonus point when we go there on April 28, because those could prove to be important in the BSN Series.”
HOT SCOTT AT COWLEY
OXFORD’S Scott Nicholls rolled back the years with a 15-point maximum in the Cheetahs’ narrow BSN Series defeat to Poole last Wednesday.
Team boss Peter Schroeck said: “Scott is a special rider and he has started this year on fire – he was absolutely brilliant tonight, whether he gated out in front or not.
“One part of me feels gutted, because I want to win, and especially to win against Poole. But it’s too early in the season to analyse the whole meeting in detail, and instead we’ll focus on the positives, because I believe we’re on the right track.”
EDWARDS: KEEP IMPROVING!
REDCAR’S Jason Edwards is keen to keep the ball rolling after a highly impressive start to 2023, with a score of 13+1 in the home win over Berwick and then 8+1 at Scunthorpe.
He said: “I know what I can do within myself but I just want to keep progressing as a rider. I have gone from just aiming to score a point or two at the start of last season to getting myself into the No.2 position at Redcar in 2022 and holding my own so I just need to keep building.”
BRUMMIES WAIT ON WRIGHT
BIRMINGHAM have a concern over James Wright, who suffered a shoulder injury in a crash at Plymouth on Tuesday and is set to miss the early stages of the season.
Wright has no broken bones but is still sweating on possible ligament damage, and the Brummies have booked Zach Cook to guest in their BSN Series opener at Redcar on Sunday.
*ELSEWHERE: BERWICK stage their first meeting of the season at Shielfield Park on Saturday with Glasgow the visitors in the BSN Series, with the sides also due to meet at Ashfield on Friday… PLYMOUTH’S official team opener was delayed with the early postponement of Tuesday’s clash with Poole – the Gladiators host Oxford next Tuesday (April 18)… Before that, the teams meet at Cowley this Wednesday… The first meeting in the Cab Direct Championship features Scunthorpe and Oxford at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday.
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…
BAD BREAK FOR ARCHIE
UNLUCKY Berwick youngster Archie Freeman has undergone surgery to stabilize his broken leg after a freak accident in Heat 1 of the Bullets’ trip to Belle Vue on Friday.
Freeman was collected by team-mate Connor Coles after his bike suddenly slowed, and he was one of three riders to be ruled out before the end of a 61-29 defeat, prior to a battling effort to only go down by five points at Leicester the following evening.
Club boss Jamie Courtney said: “I am immensely proud of the effort of the team and everyone helping in the pits. Despite everything being against us there was a great atmosphere with everyone – including our two guests – mucking in and doing their best by their team-mates.”
COLTS TOP SIXTY
BELLE Vue took advantage of Berwick’s injury problems to run up a 61-29 win over the Bullets – and skipper Jack Smith had sympathy for a former team-mate.
Smith said: “Obviously we send our best wishes to Archie (Freeman) after his accident. He was one of us at Belle Vue last year and to see him in pain wasn’t nice, so I hope he recovers soon.
“The rest of the meeting, as a captain, I think I expected this team to be strong at home. I mean, I knew that Steve (Williams) and Graham (Goodwin) wouldn’t put together a 1-7 that wasn’t strong at home.”
CHAMPS EDGE A WIN
LEICESTER were taken all the way by Berwick on Saturday in the first match of their title defence, before securing a 47-42 win anchored by a 15-point maximum from Dan Thompson.
Boss Dave Howard said: “Everybody had some good things to take away, which will be good for them, and we’ve just got to get some laps here before the next meeting in May, and after that it becomes more regular. The main thing was to get the win, and we achieved that.”
ADVANTAGE FEN TIGERS
MILDENHALL collected a 46-44 win at Kent on Sunday to put themselves in pole position for KO Cup progression when the sides meet again at West Row this weekend.
Former Royals rider Alfie Bowtell scored a 15-point maximum against his old club with guest Luke Harrison taking third place in a 4-2 in Heat 15.
Fen Tigers boss Jason Gardner said: “It was a very satisfactory win setting us up nicely for the second leg next Sunday. Arran (Butcher) put in an especially good performance and Alfie continued his peerless start to the season, with exactly what we’d expect from him.”
Kent manager Jamie Willis said: “We would’ve liked to have won but unfortunately it didn’t happen. As a team we aren’t firing on all cylinders at the moment but that will come with more bike time.”
*ELSEWHERE: EDINBURGH race their first match as the newly rebranded Monarchs Academy when they host Belle Vue at Armadale on Friday, with a host of new faces in their team… The countdown is on to opening day at Workington with the first meeting at Northside now just a month away, and the sport’s newest league venue is quickly taking shape for the return of the Comets.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY APRIL 11:
BSN SERIES: Plymouth v Poole OFF
WEDNESDAY APRIL 12:
BSN SERIES: Oxford v Plymouth 7.30
CHALLENGE: Birmingham v Coventry Bees Select 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 13:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30, King’s Lynn (34) v Wolverhampton (56) 7.30, Leicester v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Oxford 7.30
BSN SERIES: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Belle Vue 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 15:
BSN SERIES: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Redcar v Birmingham 7.30
SUNDAY APRIL 16:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Mildenhall (46) v Kent (44) 4pm
MONDAY APRIL 17:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Leicester (42) v Ipswich (48) 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 18:
BSN SERIES: Plymouth v Oxford 7pm
WEDNESDAY APRIL 19:
BSN SERIES: Birmingham v Scunthorpe 7.30, Poole v Plymouth 7.30
CHALLENGE: Oxford v Swindon Select 7.30
THJURSDAY APRIL 20:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 21:
BSN SERIES: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Scunthorpe v Birmingham 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 22:
BSN SERIES: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 23:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent (37) v Mildenhall (53) 12pm
MONDAY APRIL 24:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: King’s Lynn (32) v Sheffield (58) 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 25:
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Plymouth v Poole 7pm
