BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2024/07

Feature photo:  by CHARLOTTE FLANIGAN… Woffinden and Jack Holder were Sheffield’s Premiership KO Cup heroes against Belle Vue at Owlerton after the teams had tied on aggregate over the two legs of their quarter-final tie. The Tigers pair then raced to maximum points in the Super Heat decider against Aces duo Dan Bewley and Brady Kurtz to book a semi-final tie with King’s Lynn.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP…

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Winter signing BEN COOK gave his best performance since joining Belle Vue with a 13-point haul in the Aces’ home win over Oxford on Monday, winning his last three rides and combining with Dan Bewley for a 5-1 in Heat 15.

WITCHES ARE FLYING
IPSWICH manager Richie Hawkins says it was an all-round effort which enabled his side to pull off their first victory at Sheffield in a decade during Monday’s hard-fought televised encounter.
Hawkins said: “We talked about not having won here for so long before the start because the reason we won that night was because we were solid throughout, and everyone scored.

“If you looked at the two score charts then compared to tonight, they are very similar.
“We knew what we needed to do, and this year compared to last year we carried on past the halfway mark in the meeting instead of dropping away. We stuck in there and got our rewards at the end.”

ACES CHASE SPIRES BONUS
BELLE Vue captain Brady Kurtz hopes a 51-39 win over Oxford on Monday sets his side up well for the return fixture at Cowley next week.
Kurtz said: “It will be interesting to see if 12 points is enough to secure the aggregate point at Sandy Lane. It’s a track that a lot of us have never seen before but we’re really looking forward to going there.
“For now, we can consolidate the last week or so, because it has been a busy period for us, and get ready for next Monday against King’s Lynn.”

BRUMMIES RECALL SEDGMEN
BIRMINGHAM boss Sam Ermolenko is looking forward to working with Justin Sedgmen, who has joined the club for a third stint after agreeing a deal to replace Vaclav Milik.
Ermolenko said: “I’ve known him since he was a kid when I used to travel out to Mildura in Australia and we’ve had a history since he came over to race in the UK.

“I’ve helped him mechanically in the past with his engines and Justin has been known to pick up the phone from time-to-time to ask me for advice.
“I had a good chat with him when we were looking to make this change and he assured me he can do the job we need him to.”

TIGERS NOT CLICKING
SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead admitted defeat to rivals Ipswich was a tough pill to take as the Tigers saw their unbeaten home record ended by the Witches.
Stead said: “Losing is always tough to swallow.
“It’s disappointing, we’re all hurting, but certain parts of the team were far from their best tonight and ultimately, Ipswich capitalised and we got caught short.
“We know we need to improve at home, we have to work hard as a team, we’ve not been clicking all at the same time and that showed and that was our undoing.”

SPIRES’ MIXED FORTUNES
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck is confident his team will get things together as a full unit after suffering a 12-point defeat at Belle Vue on Monday.
Schroeck said: “Bomber (Chris Harris) had a frustrating night. It was the machine rather than the man and we think we know what it is, so he’ll get it fixed and he’ll be fine.

“This is a tough place to come to – it’s so fast. But there were plenty positives, such as Maciej (Janowski) starting to find his feet in British Speedway.
“Maybe Belle Vue did run away with it at the end, but they’ve still got to come to us a week on Thursday (May 23). We’ve got a completely different racetrack and I’m confident that we can pull back what we lost here, so I’m staying positive and we’ll keep on pushing on.”

HAGON HAPPY TO JOIN
LEICESTER newcomer Sam Hagon is pleased to be making the step up to the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership having recently joined the club as Rising Star.
Hagon said: “I don’t really think I didn’t deserve a spot in the Premiership at the start of the year, and I think it was probably because I ended up with an injury last year, but then I did Australia and started well with Poole.

“The best thing with Leicester is you’ve got time to practice there and time to learn, and you’ve got people there like Max Fricke, Dougy (Ryan Douglas) and Sam Masters, so it’s pretty strong.
“It’s going to be a good step up and hopefully I can start scoring points and help them win matches home and away.”

FRICKE STEPS IN
KING’S Lynn return to action after recent postponements when they host Sheffield this Thursday at the Adrian Flux Arena.
The Stars are without captain Tobiasz Musielak, who suffered a broken collarbone a fortnight ago, and they have moved to bring in top Australian star Max Fricke to guest at No.1 against the Tigers.     

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP…

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
JOSH PICKERING went through the card with a 15-point maximum for Edinburgh on the home track of great rivals Glasgow in a BSN Series thriller last Friday. Pickering was finally beaten in the Super Heat after a 45-45 draw, but he and Justin Sedgmen still secured overall victory for the Monarchs.

MONARCHS WIN DERBY CLASSIC
EDINBURGH clinched victory at Glasgow in an epic Super Heat after a 45-45 draw, and they will now win their BSN Series group if they can defeat the Tigers at home later this month.
Captain Paco Castagna said: “’All we talked about during the last month was shown tonight. I was impressed by our performance not in any way shocked, but we showed what we were capable of.
“I wasn’t happy with my own performance, but I had one of my worst meetings of the year and we still won, so that shows it’s a team effort and the boys all did well.”
 
TEAM TALK PAYS OFF
BERWICK produced the perfect answer to their home defeat at the hands of Poole by securing home and away wins over Redcar at the weekend.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “The boys responded well after we had an earnest conversation during the Poole meeting.
“I am delighted for them and for the team as a whole. We’ve immediately righted the Pirates’ blemish.
“But it is important that we get consistency of performance week in, week out rather than the ups and downs we’ve had at times this season.”

TOUGH FOR TIGERS
GLASGOW suffered a frustrating weekend with a Super Heat defeat at home to Edinburgh in the BSN Series followed by a loss at Workington in the league where the aggregate point also slipped away.
Manager Cami Brown said: “We just can’t get everyone firing on the same night. But it’s not for the lack of trying.
“Paul (Starke) is over-trying, trying too many bikes and engines. He knows he’s letting people down and he’s gutted about it.”

TIP TOP TOM
POOLE promoter Dan Ford has praised the impact made by Tom Brennan for the club so far this season, with the GB youngster highly impressive once again with a 14-point haul at Oxford last week.
Ford said: “Tom is in such superb form at the minute and riding with so much confidence and ability. He is winning races that you wouldn’t expect him to and he is doing it the hard way, with some tenacious riding.
“His win over Sam Masters tonight in Heat 10 was sublime. What is the saying, “speedway from the top drawer?”

COMETS COMING TOGETHER
WORKINGTON boss James Denham says there’s a great team spirt at the GT Tyres Arena, exemplified by Saturday’s impressive display to beat champions Glasgow.
Denham told Workingtoncomets.com: “The team spirit we have got at the moment is unbelievable, even after our loss to Redcar a couple of weeks ago.
“They didn’t let their heads drop and were still helping each other out. Our resilience was proved on Saturday as well with that fantastic result against Glasgow.”

CHEETAHS TARGET CHAMPIONSHIP
OXFORD manager Peter Schroeck is desperate to start the league season with a win on Wednesday when the Cheetahs host Redcar, having been involved in a number of close home fixtures so far.
Schroeck said: “Of course, we want to start our league meetings in the Cab Direct Championship with a victory.
“The starting point in the league is to win your home meetings. After that, it’s about aggregate points and taking away wins where you can.”

LUKE WHO’S SCORING
SCUNTHORPE youngster Luke Harrison enjoyed another encouraging display with 6+2 in the Scorpions’ home win over Workington which confirmed their place along with the Comets in the BSN Series semi-finals.
Harrison said: “The difference tonight was that I was starting that much better. In my final race, I got out in some clear air and was able to run my own race, instead of having to try to pass people. Once that happened, I showed what I could do and won the race.“It’s a team sport and the biggest thing was that we won tonight and we’re going further in this competition. The most important thing to the fans is whether the team is winning and losing, and it is nice to contribute.

NEWS IN BRIEF
REDCAR’S Jason Edwards suffered a fractured cheekbone in a crash at Berwick on Saturday, and he will miss the Bears trip to Oxford on Wednesday with Dan Thompson booked to guest… PLYMOUTH are still without Nico Covatti for the start of their league campaign this week, with Paco Castagna coming in against Workington on Tuesday. The Gladiators then embark on a Northern tour which sees them take in matches at Edinburgh and Berwick this weekend.
 
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE…

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Belle Vue were beaten at Leicester on Sunday but No.1 SAM HAGON enjoyed a great afternoon on the track which he can now call home in the Premiership. The Colts’ No.1 lost out to Joe Thompson in Heat 1 but then reeled off four straight wins for an impressive 14-point haul.

LION CUBS MAKE IT FOUR
LEICESTER still boast a 100 per cent record in the WSRA NDL after another solid all-round showing to defeat Belle Vue on Sunday.
Manager Dave Howard said: “It was a very eventful meeting, but that’s four matches now and four wins, and it was a great performance by all the guys.
“We also have the extra point as well from beating Belle Vue home and away, and these will be very important as the season goes on.”

COLTS CARNAGE AT LEICESTER
BELLE Vue were out of luck in their WSRA NDL trip to Leicester on Sunday, with three riders having to withdraw from the meeting after crashes, Luke Muff potentially being the worst affected.
Co-boss Steve Williams said: “Luke high-sided the bike in his fourth ride and seemed to suffer a wrist injury as well as a potential concussion.
“We were essentially down to just four riders by the end, but on a positive note they put in such a brilliant battle and they didn’t back down even for a second despite the challenge they faced.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY MAY 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Workington 7pm

WEDNESDAY MAY 15:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Redcar 7.30, Poole v Workington 7.30

THURSDAY MAY 16:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn (32) v Sheffield (58) 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v Birmingham 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30
CAB DIRECT KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Scunthorpe (36) v Berwick (54) 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 18:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Plymouth 7pm, Workington v Edinburgh 3pm

SUNDAY MAY 19:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Scunthorpe/Sheffield 3pm, Oxford v Middlesbrough 3pm

MONDAY MAY 20:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue (48) v King’s Lynn (42) 7.30

WEDNESDAY MAY 22:
BSN SERIES: Poole v Plymouth 7.30
 
THURSDAY MAY 23:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn (23) v Ipswich (37) 7.30, Sheffield (46) v Leicester (44) 7.30, Oxford (39) v Belle Vue (51) 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 24:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7.30, Glasgow v Redcar 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 25:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Oxford 3pm
BSN SERIES: Plymouth v Poole 7pm

MONDAY MAY 27:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v Sheffield 12pm, Birmingham (41) v Ipswich (49) 7.30, Leicester v Oxford 7.30