BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2023/12

PHOTO OF THE WEEK…

OXFORD charged to the top of the National Development League table for a few days following last week’s 54-36 win over Mildenhall – but the Fen Tigers reclaimed top spot after their 46-43 win at Berwick on Saturday evening. The Fen men turned the meeting around against the Bullets with 5-1s in Heats 13 and 15.
Photo by: MARK LEE-SING

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

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

ACES LEAD BY SIX
BELLE Vue star Tom Brennan admits the defending champions have to be happy with their current position at the top of the table.
The Aces were run close by King’s Lynn on Monday but held on for a 47-43 win, with a place in the play-offs once again looking highly likely.

Brennan said: “It’s amazing for us to reach the halfway stage and be comfortably at the top of the Premiership table.
“There’s still a lot of work to do before the play-offs though, but so far things are going very well.”

CHAPMAN CALL TO ARMS
KING’S Lynn owner Keith Chapman has urged supports to get behind the club at a tough time following the resignation of co-promoter and team manager Alex Brady.

Chapman said: “This is a situation I never envisaged, I wasn’t going to be running the club, but with Alex having taken his decision I’ve had to step back in to ensure we keep running. But I have to stress things are far from easy or straightforward.

“It’s a fact that we now have a team which is over budget, and we’ve absolutely got to get people in to support us to make it work out – plus I’d urge anyone interested in sponsoring us to please get in touch.

“I can’t stress enough that this is now one of the most critical periods we have faced, and especially after a great performance from the team at Belle Vue on Monday, this is the time to get behind us – it’s absolutely essential for our future.”

KEMP IN FOR LIONS
DREW Kemp scored an impressive 7+1 in a guest appearance for Leicester last Thursday – and it was the Lions who accepted the rider in the shop window!

Kemp has replaced Dan Thompson as the club’s Rising Star, having stood in for Thompson when he had concussion last week.
Said Kemp: “It’s quite a turnaround from being without a club at the start of the year, and now I’ve come back this month wanting to ride as much as possible, and I’ve bagged myself two teams already!

“It was unexpected, and to be honest I even said to Stewart (Dickson), Leicester was the last place I expected myself to go to. There’s no real reason for that, it’s just not a place I thought I’d end up. Now I’m pleased that I am there, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong.”

WITCH SWITCH
IPSWICH have moved to sign Dan Thompson as their new Rising Star – replacing his twin brother Joe in the team!
Dan was released by rivals Leicester on Monday and the Foxhall side moved quickly to bring him in.

Co-promoter Chris Louis said: “We just felt Dan’s scores have been slightly better than Joe’s. It’s a really difficult one, they are brothers, and it is a difficult situation, but they are totally professional as a racing family and we just felt we wanted to give Dan the opportunity after being dropped by Leicester and see how he goes, particularly at Foxhall.”

UN-STEADY TIGERS
SHEFFIELD boss Simon Stead was disappointed with an unbalanced display at Ipswich on Monday.
The Tigers went down to a 12-point defeat despite an outstanding performance from Polish star Tobiasz Musielak, but Stead felt other areas had been a let-down.

He said: “It’s difficult to find many positives out of a loss like that. Tobi’s performance certainly is one of them, he rode out of his skin.
“There’s a number of them who have done their job but it’s black and white for all to see when you look at the scorecard where we weren’t good enough in certain areas.”

VADIM ON HIS WAY
PETERBOROUGH are awaiting final clearance before introducing new signing Vadim Tarasenko into their side. The Panthers hope that will be in time for next Monday’s trip to Belle Vue, bringing them up to a full one-to-seven after the early-season departure of Nicki Pedersen.

Co-promoter Carl Johnson said: “We’ve been searching for a rider to fill the void left by Nicki, and subject to BSP approval we’re delighted to welcome Vadim into the team. “Vadim comes highly recommended, obviously this will be a new league and new tracks for him which is always difficult, but there are certainly tracks in our league which we’d expect him to enjoy, including our own.”

CUP COMEBACK NEEDED
WOLVERHAMPTON face an 18-point deficit in the KO Cup when they host Sheffield at Monmore next Monday.
The Midlands side faded in the closing stages at Owlerton last Thursday, but with a strong home record the semi-final tie is not beyond them.

Wolves star Rory Schlein said: “They’re pretty special around their place so we knew it was going to be tough. We hung in there for quite a bit but it was just a hard meeting. “We know what we can do in the second leg though so while the result could’ve been better, we’ve given ourselves an outside chance for sure.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Leaders Belle Vue travel to Leicester in an attractive clash on Thursday, with the sides having drawn 45-45 the last time they met in the East Midlands before the Aces won a Super Heat… elsewhere on Thursday, Sheffield face Ipswich at Owlerton for the first time this season… King’s Lynn continue life without Alex Brady as they host Wolverhampton… the Stars are back at home on Monday for a televised clash with Leicester… also on Monday, Belle Vue host Peterborough whilst Wolves take on Sheffield in the second leg of their KO Cup semi-final tie, with the Tigers 18 points ahead from the first leg.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

PIRATES CHARGE ON
POOLE completed another double over Plymouth to add five points to their Cab Direct Championship total last week, securing an emphatic 64-26 victory at home.

Pirates skipper Steve Worrall said: “Conditions were perfect and all seven of us rode really well and that’s what we are capable of.
“We had the right track, we had it how we wanted it. We’ve been working hard the last few weeks with the track men and we finally got it back to what we know and what we like, and it made that world of difference.”

CHEETAHS ON SONG
OXFORD star Jordan Jenkins admits regular track time is playing a big part in a decent run of form for the club.
The Cowley side were emphatic 54-36 winners at Birmingham last Wednesday and host the return this week, with Jenkins scoring 8+3 at Perry Barr.

He said: “We wanted to come here and capitalise on Birmingham’s poor form of late. We rode well as a team, while three of us have had regular meetings for the Chargers in the last week and that always helps. I’ve been banging on the points recently, so I can’t complain.

“I got my engine back recently and it’s going well and I’m making some good starts on it. I’m enjoying my racing, and I’ve got plenty of confidence. It was nice to finish the night on a 5-1 with Henry – we had a good ride together, but we always seem to have good rides together, because we look out for each other.”

BRUMMIES BRING IN DICKSON
BIRMINGHAM are hoping the appointment of Stewart Dickson as team manager will help instigate a turnaround at Perry Barr.
Previous boss Laurence Rogers stood down on health grounds following heavy defeats to Glasgow, Oxford and Scunthorpe over an eight-day spell, although he remains with the club behind the scenes.

Co-owner Nigel Tolley said: “These past few weeks have been very difficult for everyone connected to Brummies. It hasn’t been easy on Laurence either and recent events in particular have taken their toll on his health.

 “We are absolutely over the moon to be able to bring in someone like Stewart Dickson; he’s a born winner who is driven by success and after speaking to him on Sunday, he soon made it clear he was up for the challenge and he is just as determined as everyone else to help us turn things around and enjoy a more positive second half of the season.”

TIGERS’ DERBY DELIGHT
GLASGOW gave their fans a night to remember with a 51-39 victory at local rivals Edinburgh – with the sides due to meet again at Ashfield this Friday.
Boss Cami Brown said: “We had to dig in at times.

But Chris Harris and Tom Brennan both delivered when it really counted. I’d go as far to say as it was one of Tom’s best displays for the club.
“Even Marcin Nowak who has struggled at Armadale in the past produced three outstanding rides right out of the top drawer. Lee Complin also delivered big time while Claus Vissing only dropped one point, which is sensational.”

HOOK IN FOR BANDITS
BERWICK handed a debut to new signing Jacob Hook in their defeat at Redcar last Friday, after his release due to team changes at Edinburgh.
Hook has come in for the Bandits to fill the position left by long-term injury victim Nathan Stoneman.

Co-promoter Jamie Courtney said: “We feel that rider and club are a perfect fit and that we have a reasonable record for helping the careers of Aussies deemed surplus to requirements at Armadale.
“With Jonas’ (Knudsen) average due to rise after (Friday) night it was imperative to make the change.”

MONARCHS FALL SHORT
FRUSTRATED Edinburgh lost their local derby at home to Glasgow after again going into a meeting without their regular top two riders.
The Monarchs are currently without Josh Pickering and Craig Cook, although Richie Worrall piled up 15 points as a guest.

Boss Alex Harkess said: “We haven’t been good enough, but we might still have forced a last heat decider. I didn’t think that the referee made a very good decision in heat 14. However, having said that, we let too many points slip away over the match.”

RISS BACK WITH A BANG
ERIK Riss made a successful return to Redcar colours after long-term illness with a 12+1 haul in the Bears’ 57-33 win over Berwick.
Fellow heat-leaders Danny King and Charles Wright were also in double figures whilst reserve Jake Mulford scored a most encouraging 7+2 against the Bandits.

Team boss Gavin Parr said: “Erik had a really good practise session at Redcar on Sunday and apart from him aching after not being on the bike for so long, there wasn’t any concerns surrounding his brain fog.”

SEMI-FINAL FOR SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE set up a KO Cup semi-final against Redcar thanks to a big 61-29 home win over Birmingham, adding greatly to their two-point first leg win at Perry Barr.

And skipper Simon Lambert, who kept up his great form with 10+4, emphasised the spirit running through the Scorpions’ camp.
He said: “We’re working as a team and we’re getting the results. I always tell the boys there’s not seven of us, there’s 14, the mechanics included.
“We’re all pulling together and if we continue to do that with the team we’ve got, we can pick up some silverware.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… OXFORD look to keep up their strong form when they host struggling Birmingham on Wednesday… the Cheetahs are also in action at Berwick on Saturday and Plymouth next Tuesday… a busy Friday schedule sees unbeaten Poole travel to Redcar in a live BSN fixture… Scottish rivals Glasgow and Edinburgh meet again at Ashfield… in-form Scunthorpe face Plymouth at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

*ALSO: Poole skipper Steve Worrall celebrates his Testimonial meeting at Wimborne Road on Wednesday with a top line-up featuring representative teams for the Pirates and Belle Vue.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

COMETS BACK TO WINNING WAYS
WORKINGTON defeated Leicester 50-39 at Northside to bounce back from a home defeat the previous week.
Connor Bailey scored a paid maximum for the Comets and Luke Harrison continued his successful return from injury with double figures at reserve.
Boss James Denham said: “It’s great to have responded after last week and beaten the champions but credit to Leicester for staying in the contest for so long.”

FEN TIGERS’ JINX BROKEN
MILDENHALL finally secured an away win at Berwick on Saturday – at the 29th time of asking!
The Fen Tigers had been beaten on their 28 previous visits but came away with a 46-43 win thanks to a Heat 15 5-1 from maximum man Lee Complin and Alfie Bowtell.
The win did come at a cost as reserve Josh Warren was withdrawn with concussion, and the West Row side have booked Mickie Simpson to guest in Sunday’s home clash with Workington.

CUBS DOWN TO FIVE
LEICESTER found themselves in a tricky situation at Workington on Saturday when Ashton Boughen was withdrawn pre-meeting and Tom Spencer suffered a broken wrist in a Heat 3 crash.

Manager Dave Howard was full of praise for his side as they remained in the contest until the closing stages before going down 50-39.
Howard said: “Overall our five riders put in an absolutely amazing effort, and it was a great performance from them.
“My feelings are that if we’d had all seven riders, and not having lost the two we did, we would have won the meeting.”

BULLETS SO CLOSE AGAIN
BERWICK boss Kevin Little lamented another near miss for his side as they lost out in a last-heat decider to Mildenhall on Saturday.
Little said: “For us Connor (Coles) had another superb evening while Mason (Watson) was on the edge more than once but was pure entertainment all night and unlucky when he shed a chain and fell.
“Once again we’ve been involved in a hugely entertaining meeting, I only feel sorry that the boys have nothing to show for their efforts.”

CHARGERS AT THE MAX
OXFORD took all three points from their NDL clash with Mildenhall, winning 54-36 at Cowley last Tuesday to establish themselves firmly amongst the pace-setters.

Chargers star Jacob Clouting said: “We’re all good mates and it was great for us to spend Saturday together before the Berwick meeting. We washed our bikes together and then went for a meal. It was a nice chilled out day.

“Thank you to Peter (Schroeck) and Jamie (Courtney) for putting me back into the team this year. I just want to keep progressing. I’m concentrating on working hard and improving my starts, while as a team, we want to take it all the way this year.”

CLEGG IN TO BOOST ACADEMY
EDINBURGH have signed Max Clegg as their new No.1 following the retirement of Kyle Bickley.
Clegg, who rode for the club at Championship level in the past, comes in on an 11.83 average and a lower order re-shuffle sees Mark Parker replace Mickie Simpson.

Said Clegg: “I hadn’t been looking to return to National League really, but the main thing is that I can get back to enjoying my racing. I’m happy to be at Armadale again as I have spent quite a bit of my career there. I know the club and the track very well.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…  Six NDL clubs are in action this weekend with Edinburgh hosting Leicester on Saturday… Sunday’s schedule features a clash between Kent and Belle Vue at midday… meanwhile Mildenhall host Workington in a meeting of two of the early pace-setters.

*ALSO: Redcar host the latest round of the British Youth Championship at the Ecco Arena at midday on Saturday.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY JUNE 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (56) v Birmingham (34) 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 (51) v Edinburgh (39) 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 (36) v Sheffield (54) 7.30

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

WEDNESDAY JUNE 21:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Berwick 7.30, Oxford v Poole 7.30

THURSDAY JUNE 22:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich (48) v Peterborough (42), Sheffield (37) v Leicester (53) 7.30

FRIDAY JUNE 23:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (54) v Birmingham (36) 7.30, Glasgow v Scunthorpe 7.30, Redcar v Plymouth 7.30

SATURDAY JUNE 24:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Edinburgh 7pm, Workington v Oxford 3pm

MONDAY JUNE 26:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30