BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2023/11

Leicester kept their long unbeaten NDL home record going when coming from behind to defeat Belle Vue 51-39 on Saturday. The Colts raced into a six-point lead after three races but the Lion Cubs fought-back to eventually run-out comfortable winners.
Photo Credit: RICHARD BOETTCHER

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

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

LIDSEY: AN ALL-ROUND EFFORT
BELLE Vue star Jaimon Lidsey praised the strength in depth of the Aces as they went back to the top of the table with victory over Belle Vue on Monday.

Lidsey scored 12 points in the Aces 55-35 triumph, and they won 13 of the 15 races in an impressive overall performance.
He said: “Doyley (Jason Doyle) and Emil (Sayfutdinov) take no prisoners and, more than once, they showed exactly why they have the reputations they do in the sport.

“But I think that’s also a bit of a weakness for them. Compared to us, they didn’t seem to have the kind of support throughout the team that we do, and I think that perhaps cost them.”

WITCHES NEED TO STEP UP
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins knows his side have to find a regular winning formula as the race for the play-offs gathers pace.

Monday’s defeat at Belle Vue followed on from a 39-51 loss at home to Wolverhampton, which was the Witches’ second reverse at Foxhall this season.
He said: “I’m sure we will get criticised and that is part of it, that’s fine, we were not good enough and maybe it is deserved.

“It is early days but also, we have lost two at home already so we can’t be leaving ourselves too much to do in the second half of the season to try and chase the play-offs. We need to improve and pick up some away wins, it makes them more vital now because we have two home defeats.”

TIGERS ARE DOMINANT
SHEFFIELD showed their strength on the road with a massive away win at King’s Lynn as a perfect response to recent indifferent results.
Tobiasz Musielak, Lewis Kerr and Jack Holder all scored maximums for the rampant Tigers as they extended a great record at one of their favourite venues.

Manager Simon Stead said: “We’ve had a few fixtures away from home where we haven’t performed as we should have done.  But we were dominant and back to something like what I know we’re capable of.
“There was a lot of talk about Artem (Laguta) and them in the build-up and look, it’s great to see him in British Speedway and fair play to King’s Lynn because they’ve pulled one out the bag there.
“But we needed to remove ourselves from that hype, get off on the front foot, come here and do the job and we’ve done just that.”

BRADY: TIME FOR REFLECTION
KING’S Lynn manager Alex Brady said it was time for a “look in the mirror” after a damaging home defeat to Sheffield.
The Tigers ran riot at the Adrian Flux Arena with a 59-31 victory to spoil the debut of new Stars signing Artem Laguta.
Brady said: “Overall it was a really, really disappointing night and I’m sorry to everyone who came because it’s not the way it should have gone.

“Sheffield had some outstanding performances and a couple of maximums which I don’t feel an away rider should ever be doing around King’s Lynn, but we weren’t good enough either, and for me personally it’s a long look in the mirror this weekend about where we go from here.”

WOLVES FLYING HIGH
WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams says it was only a matter of time before his side got it right on the road.
After a Super Heat defeat at Belle Vue last Monday, the Monmore outfit were superb at Ipswich on Thursday and came away with a 51-39 victory.

Adams said: “I half expected it to be honest because we appear to be in something of a hot streak and we’ve got guys who can deal with their top two.
“Rory (Schlein) has been having a bit of trouble with his gating, he’s been pretty inconsistent the past few weeks, but he pulled it together here.

“Dougy (Ryan Douglas) conquered Foxhall at last because it’s been a bit of a bogey track for him in the past. Zach (Cook) also rode excellently but they were all tremendous and it was a brilliant effort from 1-7.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…  Leaders Belle Vue will look to extend their margin at the top when they face King’s Lynn twice in five days, first visiting the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday… Wolves are in league action against bottom club Peterborough on Monday… Leicester host Ipswich on Thursday with the teams either side of the play-off line… the Witches face Sheffield in Monday’s televised clash… the Tigers host Wolverhampton in the first leg of their KO Cup semi-final on Thursday.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

SCORPIONS SURGE
SCUNTHORPE put on their best all-round display of the season to comfortably defeat Redcar 55-35 at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

The Scorpions had three maximum scorers, including skipper Simon Lambert, and there were also good signs from their recent additions to the side.
Manager Dave Peet said: “Drew Kemp had a decent debut. He’s been riding in Poland this year, but the UK tracks are different in set up to Polish tracks, so he’s just getting himself dialled back in. But he’s already scoring points, while we know what an asset he can be to the team for the rest of the season.

“Nathan Ablitt continued to ride like he did at Edinburgh last week – he’s getting stuck in and the points are starting to come and it’s a delight to see.
“But I’m most pleased about the paid maximum for Simon Lambert. He’s racing the best I’ve seen him this season and the paid maximum was a just reward for his efforts.”

A BIG REACTION
GLASGOW fired back to top form with a 64-26 hammering of Birmingham at Ashfield – 72 hours after a disappointing KO Cup exit at the hands of Redcar.

Manager Cami Brown said: “We have been strong like that all season after two off-nights against Redcar and that cost us a place in the Cup semi-finals. That’s very frustrating but we have to put that behind us now and focus on reaching the play-offs.

“All of the boys looked the part again. It was great to have Ben Basso back from injury and we look like a powerhouse side once again. There are definitely tougher tests ahead. We have Edinburgh home and away and that will be harder for sure.”

NO FEARS FOR PIRATES
POOLE qualified for their third successive Championship KO Cup Final after overcoming Oxford in the semi-finals – and skipper Steve Worrall has no qualms over who they will face.

He said: “I guess the hard work has been done so far to get to the Final, and we will now just wait and see who it is we have to meet. I don’t think we have given any thought as to whether we have a preference to where we go. I don’t think we care to be honest!
“It’s three years now for this competition, and we have got ourselves into two Finals already this year.”

CHEETAHS LOOK FORWARD
OXFORD No.1 Sam Masters scored a 15-point maximum in the second leg of their KO Cup semi-final defeat at Poole, with the Pirates going through by a 12-point aggregate margin.

Masters said: “We win as a team and lose as a team. Maybe if I could have scored a few more points in the first leg at Oxford, that would have made it easier, but we still probably wouldn’t have had enough points for tonight. But we gave it our all and we can’t do anything more.

“We’re out of the Cup, but there’s still plenty to aim for in the league. We now simply need to look forward and make sure we do the business for the rest of the season. We’ve got a good bunch of boys and we’re keen to do it.”

NEW FACES FOR MONARCHS
DANISH youngster Bastian Borke will make his Edinburgh debut in Friday’s big derby against Glasgow, with Dayle Wood also promoted into the senior Monarchs’ side.

The duo have replaced Jacob Hook and Kyle Bickley in a move which also sees Lasse Fredriksen drop to reserve.
Borke said: “I am very happy to be joining Edinburgh, I think I will learn a lot in Britain. I have also ridden a lot in Sweden last year, this season not so much, but also in Poland this season as well as Denmark.
“I have heard of the Monarchs and ridden against some of their riders – Jacob Hook, Lasse Fredriksen and Paco Castagna. I am looking forward to coming over.”

BEARS TO BENEFIT?
REDCAR promoter Jamie Swales says his side could benefit in the long-term from a change in averages which has seen Danny King take over at No.1, with Erik Riss still sidelined.
Swales said: “I think it’s important that Charles (Wright) and Danny go out in Heat 13 as you want to rely on two of your own men in the big races.
“Most of the guests we’ve had have done a fantastic job, but you do want to have your own riders in the big races if possible.”

GOOD MOVE FOR MORLEY
BEN Morley hopes more regular racing will see his season gather pace, having agreed to rejoin Plymouth at the expense of Paul Starke.
Morley said: “It’s a similar scenario to last year for me where I didn’t have a Championship spot and then I got the call and I jumped at it really.

I have been doing alright for Kent, although it’s been a bit of a slow start for me with not enough meetings and stuff like that.
“Some of the other boys are riding two or three times a week but for me, it’s been one meeting every other week, if that, so to get the call-up and get more meetings is perfect for me.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Plymouth and Poole clash twice in 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday… Birmingham bid for a first home win of the season when they take on Oxford at Perry Barr… there’s a big Scottish derby clash between Edinburgh and Glasgow at Armadale on Friday… the same evening sees Redcar host Berwick… Scunthorpe take a two-point lead into the second leg of their KO Cup tie with Birmingham.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

DOUBLE DELIGHT FOR FEN TIGERS
MILDENHALL enjoyed an excellent weekend with success on the road at Workington followed by a hard-fought home win over Belle Vue.
Manager Jason Gardner said: “Now we are top of the table we want to make sure we stay there and the next three matches are very important – away at Oxford on Tuesday up to Berwick next weekend, always a tough place to go; and then entertaining Workington in the return match at home on the 18th.”

CHARGERS CHARGE ON
OXFORD gained maximum rewards from their Northern tour with an emphatic victory at Edinburgh followed up by a last-heat win at Berwick.
Skipper Jordan Jenkins said: “After we took a big win at Armadale, full credit to Berwick who pushed us all the way tonight.

“Henry (Atkins) and I had a plan for the final race and we made it work on the first bend. The race was then stopped and we had to do it all over again, but again we had it all figured out how we thought we could beat Connor Coles and we did it. I didn’t have a perfect night, but I got it right when I needed to.”

COMETS SEEK BOUNCE-BACK
WORKINGTON suffered the first defeat of their new era when they lost out at home to Mildenhall last Saturday, with Elliot Kelly suffering concussion which will rule him out for 12 days.
Team boss James Denham said: “We had some bad luck on the day, but fair play to Mildenhall, they rode very well. The lads’ heads are not down and they will be ready to go again next week.”

LION CUBS MAKE PROGRESS
LEICESTER boss Dave Howard praised the improvement of his young side as they fought back from six points down to defeat Belle Vue 51-39.
Howard said: “Ashton (Boughen) is coming on so much this year, Max James is also having a great first season, Max Perry is being really consistent with his scores in the heat-leader spot, and Tom (Spencer) has put in two really solid performances in the last two home matches.”

COLTS MAKE THEIR POINT
BELLE Vue secured the aggregate point from their trip to Mildenhall on Sunday, and came close to achieving more than that after forcing a last-heat decider having been 12 points down earlier in the meeting.
Co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “We genuinely felt we had a shot at the full three points because, had we got a 5-1, we’d have forced a Super Heat. Full credit to the guys, they made the gate but a bit of hard riding from the Fen Tigers put a stop to those plans, but we managed to secure the bonus point which is what we were after.”

ACADEMY DOUBLE BLOW
A 57-32 defeat at the hands of Oxford was far from the only piece of bad news for the Edinburgh Monarchs Academy last Friday.
No.1 Kyle Bickley, who had recently lost his place in the club’s senior side, announced his retirement shortly after the meeting, whilst Alex Spooner suffered a broken collarbone in an awkward crash.

BULLETS RUE THEIR LUCK
BERWICK came agonisingly close to a home win over Oxford on Saturday, only to suffer the frustration of conceding a 5-1 in Heat 15 for a 44-46 defeat.
Manager Kevin Little said: “Mason’s (Watson) fall when we looked to be heading for a 5-1, Jamie Halder’s two engine blow-ups, Ben Rathbone just losing out in the race to the line, all played a part in the final result.

“Going into the last heat we fancied our chances with Connor (Coles) unbeaten and Greg (Blair) doing the sort of things that only Greg can do but, fair play to Oxford, (Jordan) Jenkins and (Henry) Atkins were clinical from the start in both runnings of the race and there was nothing Connor could do.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Leaders Mildenhall visit third placed Oxford on Tuesday and then make the trip to Berwick on Saturday… champions Leicester race at Workington on Saturday afternoon.

ALSO: The latest round of the British Youth series at 250cc and 125cc levels takes place at Scunthorpe following the Scorpions’ KO Cup clash with Birmingham on Friday.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY JUNE 6:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Poole 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford (43) v Mildenhall (45) 7.30

WEDNESDAY JUNE 7:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Oxford 7.30, Poole v Plymouth 7.30

THURSDAY JUNE 8:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Leicester (43) v Ipswich (47) 7.30,
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Sheffield v Wolverhampton 7.30

FRIDAY JUNE 9:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Scunthorpe (46) v Birmingham (44) 7.30
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (250cc/125cc): Scunthorpe (follows KOC fixture)

SATURDAY JUNE 10:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Berwick (41) v Mildenhall (49) 7pm, Workington v Leicester 3pm

MONDAY JUNE 12:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30

WEDNESDAY JUNE 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Birmingham 7.30
STEVE WORRALL TESTIMONIAL: Poole 7.30

THURSDAY JUNE 15:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY JUNE 16:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 7.30, Redcar v Poole 7.30, Scunthorpe (41) v Plymouth (49) 7.30

SATURDAY JUNE 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Oxford 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Leicester 7pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar 12pm

SUNDAY JUNE 18:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Belle Vue 12pm, Mildenhall (49) v Workington (41) 4pm

MONDAY JUNE 19:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Wolverhampton v Sheffield 7.30

TUESDAY JUNE 20:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Oxford 7pm