BRITISH SPEEDWAY ROUND-UP #18

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

PIC OF THE WEEK…

OXFORD’S “perfect start” to their Cab Direct Championship campaign continued with a 52-38 win against previously unbeaten Glasgow at Cowley last week. The Cheetahs ten successive wins leave them eight-points clear of the Tigers at the top of the table.
Photo Credit: LES AUBREY

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

GR-EIGHT FOR LIONS
LEICESTER’S stunning run continued with a 46-44 win at King’s Lynn to make it eight wins on the bounce in the Sports Insure Premiership.
Skipper Chris Harris secured the victory in Heat 14 at the Adrian Flux Arena, and the Lions are now one win away from breaking their all-time record for consecutive victories.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “It wasn’t a bad meeting but from the midway point when we got ahead I always felt we were in control. We had a little scare in Heat 14 when they were on a 5-1, but Bomber managed to get the second spot.
“King’s Lynn put up a good fight under the circumstances especially after the news that Rory Schlein wasn’t racing, although they did get paid-ten from rider replacement.”

BLODORN – JUST A BLIP
BELLE Vue’s German star Norick Blodorn believes the Aces can bounce back quickly from their 50-40 defeat at Sheffield last week.
The defending champions have the chance to turn the tables on their Roses rivals when the sides meet again next Monday.
Blodorn said: “It’s not a massive disaster for us because we have got quite a commanding position in the table, so we can afford this one blip and we’ll be aiming to set that straight next week.
“I think we were just unlucky in those last few races, as I say. Credit to Sheffield, they put up a very tough fight and it means the return leg in Manchester will be all the more interesting.”

TIGERS ON TOP
SHEFFIELD boss Simon Stead was delighted with his team’s efforts as they maintained their supremacy over Belle Vue in 2023.
The Tigers have so far won all three clashes with the Aces, having defeated the reigning champions by ten points at Owlerton last Thursday.
Stead said: “We knuckled down, finished the meeting strongly, as we have been doing, and made it a reasonable scoreline to take to Belle Vue.
“I’m happy with that, I’m happy with the fight that we showed, because it was tough early doors, I’m pleased with the effort and I’m pleased with the determination.”

NEW FACE FOR STARS
KING’S Lynn will hand Danish youngster Emil Breum his Sports Insure Premiership debut this week.
The Stars have brought in Breum, who has impressed in SGP2 this season, to replace Kye Thomson as they cast an eye on the future.
Promoter Keith Chapman said: “We need young, exciting riders coming in, and a lot of thanks have to go to (former Stars rider) Tom P Madsen for helping this to go through.
“It’s been a very difficult time but this is one of the processes we are going through to regroup and restructure with the hope of moving forward for 2024.”

WITCHES PRAISE RISING STAR
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins praised the continued improvement of Rising Star Dan Thompson after last week’s win over Peterborough.
Thompson replaced his twin brother Joe at Foxhall after being released from Premiership rivals Leicester earlier in the season, and has begun to find his feet with the Suffolk side.
Hawkins said: “There aren’t many meetings we go into where we look stronger on paper at reserve, but we did tonight, and we certainly took advantage of that.
“I think there’s been real improvement in Dan over the last few weeks, he had a brilliant performance in the Under-21s where he was so close to winning it and becoming the British Champion, and you can really see his confidence is growing and he’s enjoying being here.”

SHORT ON WINS
STAND-IN Peterborough team boss Laurence Rogers saw his short stint in charge end with a defeat at Ipswich last Thursday.
Rogers handled two meetings with regular manager Rob Lyon unavailable, and after a 45-45 draw at Wolverhampton prior to losing out in a Super Heat, they lost by 18 points at Foxhall.
He said: “It was a tough one for the boys, we kept it close and we were six points down at Heat 9 when we brought (Benjamin) Basso in for a tactical substitute ride, but he fell off and hurt his hand – but he kept going, which was good.
“We were just missing the heat wins. When you’re up against Emil (Sayfutdinov) and Doyley (Jason Doyle) it is a hard thing, and the real Danny King was here tonight.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… The current top four in the Sports Insure Premiership are all in action on Monday with leaders Belle Vue hosting Sheffield facing a ten-point deficit for the aggregate point… Leicester take on Ipswich and are chasing a ninth straight victory… Wolverhampton travel to Peterborough, with the Panthers also racing on Thursday when they travel to local rivals King’s Lynn.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

FIRST TROPHY IN THE BAG
POOLE skipper Steve Worrall says last week’s BSN Series triumph is only the start of what the club want to achieve this year.
Worrall has set his sights on retaining the Cab Direct Championship and the KO Cup after overcoming Glasgow to take the first silverware of 2023.
He said: “I think they might have to put an extension on the side of the stadium down at Poole to fit all the trophies in, but tonight it was a good start for us.
“In the back of our mind the important one is the league. It is the league that everyone wants to win, and we stand in good stead for that but here tonight though, obviously it was fantastic. The BSN Series is a new trophy and it is nice to have our name on it.”

PIRATES THE STANDARD
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown says the success of Poole is something his own club have to aspire to.
The Pirates were victorious in the BSN Series Final after the Tigers again struggled at Wimborne Road, and Brown says that is something they must change in future.
He said: “The Pirates are the most successful club in British speedway this century. They have got such a strong management and you have to admire that. They are the benchmark for this league and we have to learn from them and fast.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose any Final but now we must move on and focus on the league. We are in second place and need to keep pushing.”

ONE FOOT IN PLAY-OFFS
SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey says the aggregate point they gained at Redcar was another step towards their overall target.
The Scorpions conceded 5-1s in the last two races at the ECCO Arena as they were edged out on the night, but they still did more than enough to beat the Bears over the two legs.
Godfrey said: “That’s the second time this season we’ve taken an aggregate point from them, and whenever you do that, you outscore the other team over the two meetings.
“We’ve said all along that the collection of aggregate points is crucial to play-off qualification and I feel that we have one foot in that door.”

HEEPS OF GOOD NEWS
OXFORD still have a 100 per cent record in the Cab Direct Championship – despite a crash scare against Glasgow on Wednesday.
Guest Rory Schlein and Jordan Jenkins were involved in a huge pile-up with Chris Harris but the Cheetahs still won 52-38 even though Schlein was unable to continue in the meeting.
Oxford star Cameron Heeps, who scored 11+2, said: “We had our backs against the wall after that, but we dug deep, and we got the job done in the end.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing. This is an awesome bunch of dudes to work with. We’re having fun and we just keep on cracking on and we just want to keep on winning meetings.”

MONARCHS INTO TOP SIX
EDINBURGH boosted their play-off hopes with a last-gasp 46-44 win at Berwick on Saturday.
Home skipper Leon Flint suffered a puncture on the final lap of Heat 15 enabling Josh Pickering and Craig Cook to complete a 4-2 for the Monarchs.
Cook said: “It’s a result that we need to use to kickstart our season. I thought we could come and dominate with Berwick missing riders, but a win is a win and it will give us confidence.”

BANDITS STAY POSITIVE
BERWICK boss Scott Courtney says the club can’t afford to dwell on their bitter disappointment against Edinburgh last weekend.
The Bandits took the Monarchs to a last heat decider but Leon Flint’s puncture resolved the meeting in the visitors’ favour.
Courtney said: “It now means that we need to look at repeating our early season performance at Armadale on Friday night and then finally beat the Redcar hoodoo the following night.
“The season is far from over and we’ll come back swinging again next week.”

BETTER ALL THE TIME
BRITISH Under-21 Champion Connor Bailey says he’s now a better rider having made the move to Redcar this season.
Bailey has been in good form for the Bears of late and retuned to his old home track of Glasgow to take the national title.
He said: “It’s been a nice breath of fresh air to move away from a club that I have been with for a long time. I’m really enjoying my time at Redcar!
“Riding at Redcar has made me a better-rounded rider, and I think I’ve improved on away tracks. It has also been great to get to know the new fans and how things work at Redcar.”

BRUMMIES BACK TO DRAWING BOARD
BIRMINGHAM boss Stewart Dickson admits he’s again looking at options after a heavy home defeat against Poole.
The Brummies are still in the race for the top six and have two away matches this week before a vital run of meetings in August.
Dickson said: “People are turning up expecting better results and right now I can only apologise. This is really hard for me to take and right now it’s really difficult to put my finger on.
“But I have to be blunt and admit that I have to look at doing something else in terms of bringing in another points scorer because we’re still fighting for that sixth place to get us into the play-offs.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Cab Direct Championship leaders Oxford look to extend their 100 per cent record when they visit Redcar on Friday… Glasgow and Poole face a repeat of the BSN Series Final when they meet again in the league on Sunday… the Pirates are in action at home on Wednesday when they host Birmingham, who also travel to Scunthorpe on Friday… Edinburgh are at home to Berwick on Friday with three points available after the Monarchs’ narrow win at Shielfield Park last weekend… the Bandits are at home to Redcar on Saturday.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

DAN DOMINANT AT IWADE
LEICESTER No.1 Dan Thompson raced to a 17+1 paid maximum in the Lion Cubs’ 50-38 win at Kent which keeps them firmly in the race for a place in the Grand Final.
Team boss Dave Howard said: “Dan was in fantastic form for his paid maximum, Ashton (Boughen) and Max Perry both had some good races, and Max James again with three race wins gave us a great performance at reserve.
“It’s a really good victory in what was a very tricky meeting with all the incidents that occurred – it’s great to get the three points to move us up the table.”

COLTS IN THE FIGHT
BELLE VUE kept their 100 per cent home record with a 54-36 win over Edinburgh which also saw them collect the aggregate point.
The Colts are firmly in the battle to reach the NDL Grand Final but are likely to need some points on the road to finish in the top two.
Reserve Luke Muff said: “This was another crucial result for us. We’re in the top two right now but we still have some big matches coming up that we really need to win if we want to stay there.”

THE TURNING POINT
KENT boss Jamie Willis was left to rue a disastrous Heat 12 in Sunday’s home defeat to Leicester.
The Royals, who had already seen Rhys Naylor crash out of the meeting, conceded a 5-0 when Sam Woolley and Connor King both failed to finish, and the Lion Cubs went on to take a 50-38 win.
Willis said: “Heat 12 killed us. We had ridden ourselves in with a chance of league points and that totally took the wind out of our sails.”

STORY OF THE SEASON
EDINBURGH’S up and down run continued with a 54-36 defeat at Belle Vue – which did see them exceed the average of results achieved by previous visiting clubs to the NSS.
But with several of their regular riders missing, it was another frustrating night for manager Scott Wilson.
He said: “It was another case of what might have been for us, which is becoming the story of our season.
“We hung in well through the middle part of the meeting after Belle Vue built an early lead, but Heats 12 and 13 proved crucial for the aggregate point.”

CHARGING ON
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck has stressed the importance of home wins as the Chargers look to secure a top two finish.
Schroeck said: “The ruthless format of the National League this year means there’s little margin for error. We must place in the top two if we’re to advance to the Grand Final, so winning home meetings is key.
“We’ve done that well so far this year, and on Wednesday we’re looking to keep that run going.”

BIG DAY AT NORTHSIDE
WORKINGTON will honour the memory of Susan Roper when they stage a big Individual event at Northside on Saturday with several top NDL riders taking part.
Promoter Andrew Bain said: “Susan was a special person not just to Workington Speedway but the global speedway family, so what better way to honour Susan than a special meeting dedicated to her. It’s just a shame she isn’t here to witness the New Era of the Comets.
“Susan was popular with promotions and riders up and down the country, she regularly supported riders financially when they were injured or struggling. So this meeting is the least we can do in her memory.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Oxford look to keep up their play-off push when they host Kent on Wednesday… Edinburgh take on Berwick on Friday in the second half of a double header at Armadale.

ALSO… Workington stage an Individual meeting at Northside on Saturday with the Susan Roper Memorial getting underway at 3pm.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY JULY 26:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole (54) v Birmingham (36) 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford v Kent 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 27:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn v Peterborough 7.30

FRIDAY JULY 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (46) v Berwick (44) 7pm, Redcar (38) v Oxford (52) 7.30, Scunthorpe v Birmingham 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Berwick (follows Champ fixture)

SATURDAY JULY 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick (33) v Redcar (57) 7pm
SUSAN ROPER MEMORIAL: Workington 3pm

SUNDAY JULY 30:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Poole 6pm

MONDAY JULY 31:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue (40) v Sheffield (50) 7.30, Leicester v Ipswich 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30

TUESDAY AUGUST 1:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Edinburgh 7pm

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham (47) v Plymouth (42) 7.30, Oxford v Scunthorpe 7.30, Poole v Edinburgh 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 3:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn (38) v Ipswich (52) 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester v Sheffield 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 4:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30, Redcar v Glasgow 7.30, Scunthorpe (43) v Berwick (47) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 5:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Poole 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Leicester (53) v Workington (37) 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 6:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Workington 12pm, Mildenhall v Leicester 4pm

MONDAY AUGUST 7:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Peterborough (36) v Ipswich (54), Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30

TUESDAY AUGUST 8:
CAB DIRECT CHAMIONSHIP: Plymouth v Berwick 7pm