BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP #9
HERE’S the latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
PIC OF THE WEEK…
Edinburgh booked their place in the quarter-final of the MAXiCab KO Cup after a 110-69 aggregate victory against Workington over the weekend.
The tie was as good as over following a 65-24 win for the Monarchs in the first leg at Armadale on Friday, with the second leg then ending in a 45-45 draw the following afternoon.
Victor Palovaara continued his stunning start to the season with a 20-point haul in the home leg, and again with 15+1 in the return fixture at the GT Tyres Arena.
Photo credit: JACK CUPIDO
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST
ACES ON COURSE
BELLE Vue boss Mark Lemon says he is delighted with the winning mentality being shown by his riders following an impressive 58-32 victory over Oxford.
Lemon said: “I think our attitude comes with the expectation. Around 10 years ago we would have been delighted with a win away from home now and again, and just happy to win at home.
“Winning two league titles over the past three years, our targets are different. The work ethos and culture we have created at the club means we are quite resilient to do the job.”
TIGERS – MORE TO COME!
SIMON Stead watched his Sheffield side collect four points from away matches at King’s Lynn and Oxford last week – and then stated he expects them to still get better!
Stead said: “Although the results have been good, I don’t think we’ve hit our stride yet and I think there’s room for improvement within the team – and how exciting is that when you consider how we’ve got started?
“We’ve seen what makes this team so special though, because even if one or two of the boys are having an off night by their own high standards, other members of the team step up to the plate and collectively they get us over the line more often than not.”
JEN’S DREAM DEBUT
LEICESTER co-promoter Jen Crossland stepped up as team manager for the unwell Stewart Dickson and saw their team come away from Ipswich with a shock victory.
Ironically, the Lions then suffered a surprise home loss of their own when they were beaten by Birmingham on Monday.
Crossland said: “I don’t know what to say really, I’m still in shock! Stewart has been there all night helping me and I’ve gone back to him for advice, but as Stewart always says, go with your gut.
“I have to say I didn’t think anybody would come here this year and beat Ipswich, so I’m super proud of all the riders, they’ve all ridden their hearts out tonight.”
BRUMMIES WIN AT LAST!
BIRMINGHAM are finally off the mark in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership thanks to a 45-44 win at Leicester on Bank Holiday Monday – and boss Chris Adams says it has to be the start of a step forwards.
He said: “This was one of the teams that if you are going to do anything and catch them then these are them.
“So to take some points off these, I’m happy with that.
“They all did their bit from the word go, they were all scoring points in each race in that first block and I think that makes a difference. But the crucial race came in Heat 14 when Jonas (Jeppesen) and Keynan (Rew) did the job for us in that.”
WITCHES WAIT ON INJURIES
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins is hoping for good news on both Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson following their recent injury setbacks.
Doyle has suffered crashes in the last two weekends, one in the GP where he suffered a dislocated hip, and then in a comeback meeting in Poland, whilst Thompson is out with a broken scaphoid.
Hawkins said: “It is very difficult to replace them, they are arguably the hardest two to replace.
“When you have a rider at reserve riding like a heat leader that is a massive miss to us, but we have a break now and then the Cup that we need to get through, and then another break, and by the time the league resumes for us hopefully we will have one of them or both back.”
SPIRES TARGET HOME FORM
OXFORD’S Erik Riss says the team must build on their performance at home to Sheffield last week where they took the Tigers all the way to a Super Heat, with Riss winning that race but the visitors taking the vital second and third places.
Riss said: “There were a lot of positives for us to take from this meeting, because Sheffield are one of the strongest teams in this league. We are all trying our hardest and will keep going and continue to do that.
“We want to be dominant at home, not having Super Heats. We’re not clicking together at the moment, but we’ll keep on working until that happens.”
STARS CALL FOR CONSISTENCY
KING’S Lynn manager Rob Lyon admits inconsistency amongst his riders has been a major issue this season, exacerbated by the current injury absence of Ben Cook.
Lyon said: “All six of our riders who are currently racing are in and out of consistency, they’re taking a lot of rides, and it highlights it even more when you’re struggling.
“That’s the thing we’ve had to consider especially in the case of Nicolai (Klindt) and Jan (Kvech) because of the rider replacement situation.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
FRESH from their first win of the season on Bank Holiday Monday, Birmingham host Belle Vue in a rescheduled ROWE Motor Oil Premiership meeting on Monday June 2… Next week also sees the Premiership KO Cup semi-finals take place, with the first legs on Monday as Leicester take on Sheffield and King’s Lynn face Ipswich.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
MONARCHS SET UP DERBY CLASH
EDINBURGH’s huge home win over Workington last Friday set up a MAXiCab KO Cup quarter-final clash with rivals Glasgow this weekend.
The Monarchs slammed the Comets 65-24 at Armadale before drawing the second leg 45-45, leaving manager Alex Harkess only mildly frustrated not to compete a double.
Harkess said: “It really was a match without any pressure, we knew what we had to do and hoped that everyone enjoyed their day.
“Once again everyone showed a little bit of what they are capable of, but it has to be consistent.”
LUKE WHO’S SCORING!
SCUNTHORPE’S Luke Harrison continued his excellent home form so far this season with a bumper 16+3 haul back at reserve in the MAXiCab KO Cup win over Oxford on Friday – although it was the Cheetahs who went through on aggregate.
Harrison said: “It was a great meeting for me. Especially being given a proper last-heat-decider Heat 15 and doing the business in it.
“There’s no worse feeling than losing at home, so it was important that we won the meeting on the night and the fans left happy.
“My goal at the moment is to push myself back into the main body of the team and I’ll challenge myself in every single race until I do that.”
MITCH FINDING HIS FEET
OXFORD reserve Mitch McDiarmid continues to impress in his debut UK season, with the young Australian totaling 9+1 on his first-ever visit to Scunthorpe as the Cheetahs made progress in the MAXiCab KO Cup.
McDiarmid said: “By the time of my second ride, I’d got the feel of the track. I got the right set-up and everything was working for me. We tried a new engine today and I’m really happy with the result.
“I had a couple of good rides with Jordan (Jenkins). I enjoy riding with him. It was fun getting out there out in the dirt and finding the traction that we needed. I’m really happy with tonight.
“It’s awesome that the team are doing well. Everyone gets on really well and we’re all riding well. Hopefully we can keep it up across the season.”
RE-RUN FRUSTRATES PIRATES
POOLE promoter Dan Ford said the events of Heat 13 at Plymouth on Saturday played a significant part in the Pirates facing an eight-point deficit after the first leg of their MAXiCab KO Cup quarter-final.
Ford said: “Of course, had that Heat 13 not been called back after Bomber (Chris Harris) was moving, which only served to hinder himself, then we might have been looking at a wholly different outcome.
“Rich (Lawson) and Lewi (Kerr) were away in that one but then in the gifted restart Bomber makes it and we end up conceding a 4-2. Bomber even came back into the pits afterwards and admitted he had got away with one. Those things are frustrating.”
COMETS CONSIDER OPTIONS
WORKINGTON boss James Denham was encouraged by the performance in a 45-45 MAXiCab KO Cup draw with Edinburgh – but says there is plenty to consider given previous disappointing results, including one night earlier in the first leg at Armadale.
Denham said: “We have got a few points to play with once the new Green Sheet averages come out and all the riders were told before the meeting that we as a promotion don’t want to be put in a position where me, Andrew (Bain) and Steve (Lawson) have to make changes, but if needs must, we will.
“They have had a wake-up call and a warning, and I think we saw a bit of a reaction today.
“We may have to sit down and see if anything comes up and figure out if this is the team that we definitely have a chance of getting in the play-offs with, because that is our ultimate aim at the end of the day.”
WOOD BLOW FOR BANDITS
BERWICK’S Dayle Wood has suffered a broken bone in his wrist following a spectacular tumble at Oxford when racing for Edinburgh in the WSRA National Development League.
Berwickspeedway.com reports Wood is facing four to six weeks on the sidelines due to the injury, with club management considering their options ahead of their upcoming Cab Direct Championship fixtures against Scunthorpe on June 6 and June 7.
BEARS – TOUGH ON TOM
REDCAR promoter Jamie Swales admits their recent team change which sees Jody Scott come into the side is a tough outcome for Tom Spencer, who has been replaced.
Swales told redcar-speedway.com: “Tom is a great lad and has given 100 per cent. He also took a big knock recently. We would like to thank him for his efforts for Redcar.
“But at this moment we feel he is struggling to adapt to the step up to Championship level. We’d rather give someone else a chance rather than see his confidence take a further battering.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
OXFORD have a busy week of action in the Cab Direct Championship as they host Scunthorpe in their home opener on Wednesday before visiting Redcar on Friday… It’s also a key week in the MAXiCab KO Cup with Poole and Plymouth resolving their quarter-final tie on Wednesday, whilst Scottish rivals Edinburgh and Glasgow will meet twice in less than 24 hours, first at Armadale on Friday evening and then at Ashfield on Saturday afternoon.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST
CHARGERS ON TOP
JODY Scott and Senna Summers both scored maximums in Oxford’s emphatic 61-29 home win over Edinburgh which took them to the top of the early WSRA NDL table.
Scott said: “That was my first full maximum in this league and I’m absolutely buzzing about it.
“It’s been a great start to the season for the team. We all help each other out, and all check-up with each other on bike set-ups and stuff like that. We’ve bonded together as a team and we’re after the silverware this season.”
IMPOSSIBLE FOR ACADEMY
EDINBURGH boss Scott Wilson said an early wrist injury for Dayle Wood at Oxford on Sunday made their task impossible, with three regular members of the side also missing.
Wilson said: “After losing Dayle an uphill task became impossible. I have to give credit to the lads though as they battled on, both on the track and helping each other in the pits. It was all hands on deck.
“We must now dust ourselves down, hopefully get some injured guys back, and go again.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
BELLE Vue look to get off the mark in the WSRA NDL when they host current leaders Oxford at the National Speedway Stadium on Sunday… Kent Eagles will welcome Thurrock to Iwade on Sunday to once again raise awareness of the need for speedway following the closure of Lakeside Hammers.
*ALSO: Leicester stage the opening round of the British Youth Championship with all classes on track at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park on Saturday (5pm), whilst the 125cc section race at Belle Vue on Sunday following the NDL action.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY MAY 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Scunthorpe 7.30
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Poole (41) v Plymouth (49) 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 30:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Oxford 7.30
MAXiCAB KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30
SATURDAY MAY 31:
MAXiCAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester 5pm
SUNDAY JUNE 1:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Oxford 1pm
CHALLENGE: Kent v Thurrock 12pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (125cc): Belle Vue (follows NDL fixture)
MONDAY JUNE 2:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Birmingham v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: King’s Lynn v Ipswich 7.30, Leicester v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 4:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Glasgow 7.30
NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ DEVELOPMENT INDIVIDUAL (HARBOUR MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP): Poole 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 5:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v Birmingham 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Ipswich v King’s Lynn 7.30, Sheffield v Leicester 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 6:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Oxford 7.30, Glasgow v Poole 7.30, Scunthorpe v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 7:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Scunthorpe 7pm, Plymouth v Redcar 7pm, Workington v Poole 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 9:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn v Birmingham 7.30, Leicester v Sheffield 7.30
