BRITISH SPEEDWAY AUGUST 16, 2023

Feature photo…German star Erik Riss

(SPEEDWAY 1)

REDCAR GOES UP A GEAR

REDCAR climbed to third in the Cab Direct Championship with a 49-41 win at Plymouth for their second success on the road in a week.
The Bears were successful at the Coliseum despite the absence of No.1 Charles Wright after a crash in the British Final, with German star Erik Riss hitting form as he piled up 14+1, sealing victory with a 5-1 with Jason Edwards in Heat 14.

Danny King also scored 14 for the visitors and Edwards weighed in with ten at reserve in a huge boost to their play-off hopes.
Richie Worrall scored 12+1 for the Gladiators but they suffered a major blow when British No.3 Ben Barker crashed out of the meeting in Heat 12 suffering a suspected collarbone/shoulder injury.

Bears boss Gavin Parr said: “The reason I’ve got Erik at No.4 (rather than No.3) is exactly for that Heat 14, and there’s no difference for the other three heats.
“If I’ve got Nos. 1 and 5 in Heat 13 and then I’ve got Erik in Heat 14 to believe in, and Connor (Bailey) is now strong enough to hold his own in Heat 12, it leaves us the luxury in a way to have Erik in 14.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

POOLE can go level on points with Cab Direct Championship leaders Oxford if they defeat Redcar at Wimborne Road tonight (Wednesday).
The Pirates gained ground with their win at Scunthorpe last week and the aggregate point situation against the Bears is all-square heading into the meeting as the reverse fixture on Teesside ended in a Super Heat.

Poole bring in Joe Thompson to guest for injured reserve Adam Roynon, with Redcar tracking Connor Coles in place of Jake Mulford, whilst No.1 Charles Wright is still ruled out.
Poole skipper Steve Worrall said: “If you finish top, you finish top for a reason. That’s where we want to be as it gives us the opportunity to choose our opponents, but I guess it is a little bit out of our total control right now.

“So we just have to wait and see, and give it our all in our remaining few meetings starting with Redcar on Wednesday.
“Obviously that means they will be bringing Danny King with them, he led us to two league victories and I have no doubt he will be passing on as much information as he can to the rest of his new team.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 3)

OXFORD’S title-chasing NDL team return to the track tonight (Wednesday) after a 53-day absence when they host Workington at Cowley.
The Chargers are fourth in the table but have matches in hand on all three teams above them in the race for the Grand Final.
Jason Garrad finally makes his debut at reserve for the home side, whilst in-form Ashton Boughen will guest for the Comets at No.1 with Connor Bailey on duty in the Cab Direct Championship.

Oxford boss Peter Schroeck said: “Today marks the start of a big month for the Chargers. I’ve always had faith in this team to deliver and the weather has frustrated us all in recent weeks.
“But that’s an element we cannot control. What we can control is how we respond to our fixture break by delivering a good performance in front of our supporters.

“The boys have been racing elsewhere so being sharp at the tapes isn’t a concern. Regardless, Workington are in need of points on the road so we’ll need to prepare accordingly and do what we had been doing successfully up until the conclusion of our last fixture.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

BIRMINGHAM boss Stewart Dickson reckons tonight’s (Wednesday) West Midlands Challenge against a Coventry Bees Select side will give his riders some vital extra track time.
The Brummies boosted their Cab Direct Championship play-off hopes by claiming maximum points away to Berwick on Saturday and they have key home fixtures coming up against Scunthorpe (August 23) and Plymouth (September 6).

The fight to keep the famous Coventry Bees name in the sport goes on and with their Planning Appeal inquiry taking place next month, a big travelling support is anticipated once again.
Josh Pickering guests at No.1 once again for the Brummies whilst the Coventry team is led by club legend Chris Harris.
Dickson said: “I know there’s a good group of people who continue to battle for the future of Coventry Speedway, to save the stadium at Brandon and bring the sport back to that area.

“Meetings like these can be so, so important for them and the relevant people who will be keeping a close eye on things and it’s also a chance for the people of Coventry to show what their team means to them and the city.
“They’ve assembled another solid Select side for the fixture so it should be a good night of speedway all round.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

BERWICK have recalled Jacob Hook after injury ahead of this weekend’s Cab Direct Championship clashes with Glasgow.
Hook returns to the Bandits after a recent spell on the sidelines with a broken collarbone, and replaces Jonas Knudsen who has struggled for form and fitness during his first full season in the UK.

Manager Kevin Little said: “We are sad to see Jonas leave, but by the same token it’s great to give Jacob the opportunity to pick up where he left off in Bandits colours.
“Jonas is a great lad and became very popular with our supporters during his time at Berwick and we very much hope that he can rediscover his form on the continent and fulfil his rich potential.
“Jacob is fit, ready and raring to go and, to be honest, if it had not been for his injury the Bandits’ No.6 slot was his.
“We are excited to see a full squad take to the track this weekend.”

(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

FRIDAY AUGUST 18:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Oxford 7.30, Glasgow v Berwick 7.30, Redcar (46) v Birmingham (44) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 19:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 20:

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole v Edinburgh 5pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent (37) v Mildenhall (53) 12pm, Kent v Oxford (follows previous fixture)