BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2022/17
Adam Ellis will race as the Wild Card in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff later this month.
Monday night’s British Final was abandoned after 12 heats with no result declared, but Ellis was nominated for the Wild Card on the basis of him winning the 2021 British Championship.
This nomination has been accepted by the FIM.
Photo Credit: JEFF HIGGOTT
HERE’S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE
“There’s still a lot of work to do to confirm our place in the top four but with every meeting the confidence is building and I feel like we’re definitely on target.”
Aces star Max Fricke says the team are in a good place with a recent run of big home wins, and are getting set-up for a place in the Premiership play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon Aug 8
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Mon Aug 22
IPSWICH
“It gives us the opportunity to bring Anders in and I know there has been lots of different talk and rumours about him. For us at Ipswich, he has always been available for selection, but Danyon (Hume) got his shot and came into the side, and he has been brilliant and nailed a place down.
It gives Anders an opportunity to show us what he is all about again and he has been in Poland as I’m sure a lot of people know, and he has done really well.”
Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins has confirmed squad member Anders Rowe will get an opportunity in Thursday’s trip to King’s Lynn as the club travel without the injured Erik Riss and the suspended Ben Barker.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Thur Aug 11
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Thur Aug 4
KING’S LYNN
“Nicolai has been on our radar for a long time. He’s been keen to ride for us, and we’ve stayed in constant communication. It’s just been a case of waiting for the Polish Division One fixtures to finish to get him over here, and I’m looking forward to having him as part of the team.”
Stars boss Alex Brady is delighted to be back to a full seven-man line-up following the signing of Danish star Nicolai Klindt, who will make his debut against Ipswich on Thursday.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Thur Aug 4
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Mon Aug 8
PETERBOROUGH
“It’s frustrating because we don’t have a full side, we haven’t had a full side for quite a while now, and we’re battling to try and get more points on the board with a full team, let alone half a team.”
Panthers boss Rob Lyon is awaiting injury updates from several team members ahead of next Monday’s trip to Wolverhampton, with Ulrich Ostergaard joining their list of concerns after crashing at Glasgow last weekend.
NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Mon Aug 15
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon Aug 8
SHEFFIELD
“The lads have got a couple of weeks to regroup and then it’s time to make sure we start getting things right again with a really busy and important August ahead of us.”
Tigers boss Simon Stead knows crunch time is approaching this season, with two home matches in five days coming up this week, and away trips to Peterborough and Wolverhampton also on the agenda as they bid to secure a play-off place.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur Aug 4
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon Aug 15
WOLVERHAMPTON
Wolves are awaiting a full update on the severity of the injuries suffered by skipper Sam Masters, who broke a collarbone and dislocated his shoulder in a crash at Edinburgh last Friday. The timefame of his absence is currently unknown.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Mon Aug 8
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur Aug 4
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BERWICK
“We’ll regroup again during the week and prepare for the visit of Plymouth on Saturday at the start of what is a big week. We are determined to end what has been a difficult season results-wise on a positive note.”
Bandits boss Gary Flint has stressed all at the club are retaining their focus in a bid to improve upon their league situation after a string of reversals around their home circuit of late.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sat Aug 6
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Aug 10
BIRMINGHAM
“Our makeshift, injury-hit Brummies team made us immensely proud at Poole with a real battling performance. A big thank you to all of the boys and a big thank you to our loyal supporters who made the long trip to Wimborne Road as well.”
Brummies boss Laurence Rogers was proud of a patched-up team who went down 59-31 at Poole with only one of their regular riders, having held things much closer for the majority of the meeting.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Wed Aug 10
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues Aug 2
EDINBURGH
“We weren’t getting the race winners and picking up the momentum that we needed and like we normally do. Normally there is someone who starts the momentum going and everyone clicks in, but we couldn’t get that going today which is where Sam (Masters) was a big miss.”
Boss Alex Harkess reflected to edinburghmonarchs.co.uk on their Championship Jubilee League exit with defeat at local rivals Glasgow.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Fri Aug 5
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed Aug 17
GLASGOW
“At home we seem to be pretty unstoppable. Everyone clicks really well. We need to try clicking now away from home and try to put those performances together away rather than just at home.”
Tigers star Tom Brennan says current form makes them confident of racking up big scores at Ashfield as they prepare for crucial matches in their quest for trophies this season.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Fri Aug 5
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Sun Aug 21
LEICESTER
“Our heat leaders were pretty dominant, and most of our boys chipped in with a good paid win here and there. I could be picky and say we shouldn’t be losing heat advantages in certain races, but that might be disrespectful of Redcar, because they made a fist of it and all in all it wasn’t a bad meeting.”
Lions boss Stewart Dickson says there’s still room for improvement after his side put together a 51-39 win over Redcar to keep their hopes of Championship Jubilee League progression alive.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe (CJL,), Sat Aug 6
NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe (KOC), Fri Sept 2
OXFORD
“We’re encouraged by Jack’s recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to the team. Injuries are part and parcel of speedway, but we’ve been hit by a couple of unfortunate knocks this year at untimely moments.”
Cheetahs co-boss Peter Schroeck confirms Jack Thomas will return to the side this week, after an initial comeback from broken wrists was aborted last month.
NEXT HOME: Poole (CJL), Tues Aug 2
NEXT AWAY: Poole (CJL), Wed Aug 3
PLYMOUTH
“Hans Andersen hopes to be fit by next weekend and fellow Dane Michael Palm Toft is aiming to be fit in about a week’s time. Alfie Bowtell has had inconclusive NHS scans on his knee ligament injury and is seeking a private consultation, he will therefore miss the clash with the Brummies, but club bosses will hope for more positive news later in the week.”
The Gladiators provide the latest injury update after seeing their side decimated by a series of recent crashes.
NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Tues Aug 2
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri Aug 5
POOLE
“We have made a terrific start to this competition with wins at Plymouth and Birmingham and a home victory last Friday and so we are very much in the driving seat. If we can still be unbeaten by the time we host Oxford on Wednesday then we will have done enough to make the Final, but if the result goes against us on Tuesday then we still have two opportunities to keep our goals of winning this competition alive.”
Pirates promoter Danny Ford wants to see his side finish the job in the Championship Jubilee League this week as they go into home and away clashes with Oxford.
NEXT HOME: Oxford (CJL), Wed Aug 3
NEXT AWAY: Oxford (CJL), Tues Aug 2
REDCAR
“I cannot fault the boys for their effort this evening, the team had a slow start to the meeting, but we fought hard throughout and gave Leicester a match.”
Stand-in Bears boss Gavin Parr admitted the opening races had been costly in Saturday’s 51-39 defeat at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena when speaking to redcar-speedway.com .
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe (CJL), Fri Aug 5
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues Aug 16
SCUNTHORPE
“We have targeted Redcar as a meeting that we can win. Redcar are good on their own track, but we enjoy riding the place, while we’re hoping to have Jake (Allen) back for that one, because he raced for them last year. If we can take a win there, it will push us through to the next stage, which is the Final.”
Scorpions star Ryan Douglas says this Friday’s trip to the Ecco Arena is vital in the context of their Championship Jubilee League hopes, having defeated the Bears at home last week.
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Fri Aug 19
NEXT AWAY: Redcar (CJL), Fri Aug 5
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…
ARMADALE
“The equipment I’ve got has taken me to where I am. Getting the funding isn’t the easiest thing but hopefully next year I can improve my equipment and score some big points. It’s my first experience of National League and I’m going to give it my all!”
New signing Kyran Lyden is determined to make the most of his opportunity with the Devils in order to build himself up for 2023 and beyond.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sat Aug 6
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed Aug 3
BELLE VUE
NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri Aug 5
NEXT AWAY: Oxford, Wed Aug 10
BERWICK
“Results-wise last Saturday may not have been the best with the Bullets suffering their first-ever home defeat but it was hard to find fault with the effort and entertainment of the night.”
Bullets boss Gary Flint says there was still plenty of good action to enjoy even though they suffered a KO Cup exit to Leicester recently – with attention now switching to important league matches against Plymouth.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Sat Aug 6
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues Aug 9
KENT
“We seem to be joining the ranks of the clubs only a few fit and healthy riders. This further influx of injuries that weaken our line up considerably is concerning, but John (Sampford) and I will be working towards a plan for Belle Vue on the 5th.”
Kent promoter Si Kellow reflected on a tough day at Mildenhall on Sunday with Connor King, Jamie Halder and Ben Morley crashing out of the meeting to add to the Royals’ existing injury concerns.
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Sun Aug 21
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri Aug 5
LEICESTER
NEXT HOME: NDL Pairs, Sat Aug 20
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri Aug 19
MILDENHALL
“We have a break now before the final push with visits to Kent and Oxford next on our radar. Alex Spooner is approaching fitness now and Ryan Kinsley is making progress towards full fitness so there is a chance we will be back to a full seven soon.”
Fen Tigers co-promoter Greg Palmer is hopeful that a break until mid-August will give the club’s injured riders the opportunity to return to fitness ahead of a big month ahead.
NEXT HOME: Oxford, Sun Aug 28
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Sun Aug 21
OXFORD
The Chargers have named a full side for this Wednesday’s home clash with Armadale at Cowley as they look to make further progress towards the NDL play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Armadale, Wed Aug 3
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Aug 28
PLYMOUTH
NEXT HOME: Berwick, Tues Aug 9
NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Sat Aug 6
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY AUGUST 2:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Birmingham 7pm
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE: Oxford v Poole 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3:
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE: Poole v Oxford 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford v Armadale 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 4:
PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Ipswich 7.30, Sheffield v Wolverhampton 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 5:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30, Glasgow v Birmingham 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Kent 7.30
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSIP (125cc/150cc): Belle Vue 6pm
SATURDAY AUGUST 6:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Plymouth 6.30
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE: Leicester v Scunthorpe 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Plymouth 2.30, Berwick v Plymouth (follows Champ fixture)
MONDAY AUGUST 8:
PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, Sheffield v King’s Lynn 7.30, Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 9:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Plymouth v Berwick 7pm
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 10:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Berwick 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE: Poole v Plymouth 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford v Belle Vue 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 11:
PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v King’s Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 12:
CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRS: Oxford 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 13:
BRITISH GRAND PRIX: Cardiff 5pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 14:
SGP2: Cardiff 1pm
MONDAY AUGUST 15:
PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 16:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Redcar 7pm
NO PRESSURE ON ZMARZLIK AFTER LATVIAN GP WIN