BRITISH SPEEDWAY AUGUST 15, 2023

Feature photo by: Ian Charles

(SPEEDWAY 1)

TOUGH NIGHT FOR THE CHAMP

British Champion Dan Bewley said the road to British Final victory – and successful retention of the title – was not easy. “It’s a thrill to be British Champion again. It’s been a tough night and a pretty sketchy track at times with all the rain, but we battled hard all night.

“Coming into the Final, anything can happen. I knew whoever got to that berm of dirt first would be away. I just wanted to get there as soon as I could and put some yards on the other boys.”
Meanwhile the Nigel Pearson Award, decided by a supporters’ vote for the most entertaining rider, went to Chris Harris who went out of the meeting in the semi-final, as he took 40% of the vote with Simon Lambert second on 29%.

(SPEEDWAY 2)

STEVE Worrall admits second place in the Sports Insure British Final and the Wild Card spot for the forthcoming British Grand Prix was a massive achievement.

The Wolverhampton and Poole star will now test himself against the sport’s elite at the Principality Stadium on September 2 after a strong showing in Manchester in which he was bettered only by Dan Bewley in the Final.

Worrall said: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet to be honest! It’s a massive achievement for me to be British No.2, and to be going to Cardiff as well is amazing.
“I was a track reserve in 2016 but I didn’t get a go back then. I am looking forward to it, this has been a great night and my family will get to enjoy Cardiff with me too.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 3)

PLYMOUTH favourite Ben Barker was the surprise package of the Sports Insure British Final as he raced all the way into the top three.
Barker, whose previous rostrum places had come way back in 2010 and 2014, finished third for the third time in his career in what was only his second meeting of a frustrating summer given the Gladiators’ recent misfortune with postponements.

He said: “It’s always nice to get on the podium. It’s been a long while since I’ve done it so to be third on the night is brilliant.  
“I haven’t raced my bike in nearly six weeks so that makes this an even bigger achievement.
“Well done to both Dan (Bewley) and Stevie (Worrall), everyone got stuck in and it was a fantastic night in the end.”

(FIXTURES)

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 16:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole (45) v Redcar (45) 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford (51) v Workington (39) 7.30
CHALLENGE: Birmingham v Coventry Bees Select 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 17:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (39) v Ipswich (51) 7.30, Leicester v Wolverhampton 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30