BRITISH SPEEDWAY APRIL 13, 2022

Date: Wednesday April 13, 2022

(SPEEDWAY 1)

BRITISH Speedway officially launched the 2022 Premiership season in association with broadcast partners Eurosport/Discovery at Belle Vue on Tuesday.
All six clubs were represented with captains, Rising Stars and managers ahead of another 18-show TV schedule in the second year of the current contract.

BSP Ltd vice-chairman Damien Bates said: “Our partnership with Eurosport and Discovery is a major plus for our sport and we enjoy working with them.
“It’s great to see the Grand Prix, Grand Prix 2 and Speedway of Nations on the same platform alongside British Speedway. We look forward to a season full of excitement.”

Eurosport will open their domestic coverage on Monday May 2 – the first day of Premiership league racing this season – when they will be at Monmore Green for the Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn fixture.
Wolves boss Peter Adams said: “I’ve won nine league titles with three clubs, and I want this year to be the tenth, then I can move on to 11 and 12!
“At Wolverhampton we always enjoy hosting our broadcast partners and putting on a good show for the wider audience as well as our much-valued fans at the track.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

OXFORD’S Cowley Stadium is sold out ahead of tonight’s (Wednesday) first competitive meeting at the venue in 15 years.
The Cheetahs host Scunthorpe in their Championship opener – which ironically means the same visiting club are in attendance as in the last fixture back in 2007.

A crowd of 2,000 fans will be trackside as Oxford launch a new era as part of a major stadium regeneration project, following a lengthy campaign against housing development.
Oxford manager Jason Crump said: “It’s huge for the city and huge for speedway. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people and it hasn’t just happened overnight.

“I’m sure every single fan wants to start off with a win, especially because the first match is at home. The true winner is the speedway public of Oxford. After so long out of the game, to have the sport back means everyone involved is a winner.

“Our riders are, however, there to do a job and earn a living. I’m sure there will be a lot of emotion on the parade for the supporters and Jamie (Courtney, promoter). The riders are now at the point where they’re ready to race.”

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It’s amazing that Oxford are back. We got Scunthorpe back after a 20-year-absence in 2005, and it’s brilliant that the Cheetahs are back after 15 years away. Oxford are such a big name in British Speedway.

“I suggested to Jamie that as Scunthorpe were the last team there in 2007 in their final year that we should also be the first team back in 2022. It’s nice to be part of history and I can’t wait to see the packed-out stadium.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

BRITISH Champion Adam Ellis is urging the people of Birmingham and surrounding areas to back the Brummies – starting in tonight’s (Wednesday) clash with Poole.
The reigning champions visit Perry Barr in the ultimate test for the new-look home side, who are without James Shanes due to injury.

Ellis said: “The work that’s gone in here during the winter to keep speedway in Birmingham is unbelievable and I hope the public come along and support it.
“It helps the riders when we see a big crowd out there and we know the fans are right behind us.
“I think we have a good set of guys in this team and we just need to click, we have potential and we’ve had a tough start to the season.

“They’ve done some great work on the track here and that should make for great racing.”
Pirates promoter Danny Ford said: “I think I probably speak for many in speedway when I say it is good that Birmingham have been saved, after all the issues they endured last year.
“It was one of three tracks where we failed to pick up a point last season. It wasn’t really our night on that visit, but we only lost by eight, so hopefully we can improve on that this time around and get our league campaign off to a decent start.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

PLYMOUTH secured their first NDL points of the season with a 53-37 win over Belle Vue at the Coliseum.
Heat-leaders Henry Atkins and Dan Gilkes led the way for the home side with scores of 13+1 and 11+1 respectively, whilst Harry McGurk top-scored for the Colts on 10. McGurk said: “A few of the lads had bike problems at the beginning of the night which caused us to drop points in places that perhaps we shouldn’t have done.

“Everyone looked a lot faster than their scores reflected, especially Freddy [Hodder] who had a lot of speed but just couldn’t get past the guys in front of him.
“Tonight’s result is disappointing, but we are not fazed by it. This was our first meeting of the year, and we expected a tough night at Plymouth.
“The lads all pulled together from start to finish. It’s always tough to start your campaign away from home so we will be looking to smash it on Friday at home.”
 
(FIXTURES)

WEDNESDAY APRIL 13:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Poole 7.30, Oxford v Scunthorpe 7.30

THURSDAY APRIL 14:
LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Sheffield v Belle Vue 7.30

FRIDAY APRIL 15:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Glasgow v Newcastle 7.30, Poole v Oxford 7.30, Redcar v Birmingham 7.30, Scunthorpe v Leicester 5pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Plymouth 1pm