BRITISH SPEEDWAY AUGUST 9, 2024

(SPEEDWAY 1)

EMIL ESCAPES INJURY

EMIL Sayfutdinov has incredibly reported no broken bones after a frightening high-speed crash at Sheffield on Thursday.
Ipswich star Sayfutdinov came to grief on the last bend of Heat 15 when he was battling for the lead with Tigers No.1 Jack Holder in a meeting which went down to the wire, and after a heavy initial impact he was then collected by the closely following Chris Harris who had no chance to avoid him.

Harris walked away with bruising but Sayfutdinov was taken to hospital from where he was able to deliver a barely believable update in the early hours.
He said: “They scanned my body and they confirm that I have no broken bones, which  I felt that on the track already.
“I have a big cut in my right buttock which will have to be stitched together, so this will keep me in hospital for sure up to Saturday.
“I would like to say thank you all paramedics at the stadium and the hospital, all riders who were helping me at the track, all club members and management. I really appreciate all this. And now thank you to all fans. You are all legends!”
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

SHEFFIELD boss Simon Stead was able to reflect on a narrow 46-44 win over Ipswich after the Witches’ No.1 Emil Sayfutdinov remarkably reported no broken bones from his Heat 15 crash.
The battle of the top two in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership went down to a last-heat decider and appeared to be heading for a Super Heat before Sayfutdinov came to grief when disputing the lead with Jack Holder.

With the Tigers then awarded a 5-1 it meant they edged a narrow victory despite having trailed by six points with five races remaining.
Holder top-scored with 16+1 from six rides and guest Chris Harris added 11+1 from five, whilst Sayfutdinov scored 13+1 for the Witches before the accident.
Stead said: “At the time, the result was insignificant because the thoughts of every single person in the stadium were with Emil.

“To wake up and read that it’s nowhere near as bad as first feared though and that he appears to have escaped any serious injuries was quite astonishing really and it’s also such a massive relief
“Looking on the result now, like we did against Leicester last week, we’ve managed to walk away with two league points again when we weren’t really quite at it collectively.

“Everyone knows that we need to improve quite dramatically again in certain areas over the next couple of weeks, but let’s focus on the positive that we’ve taken another step towards cementing our place in the top four.”
Ipswich manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “Unfortunately for Emil it was one bend too far and if that was the end result after Heat 15 without the crash I would have gone away delighted with the boys after the effort and fight they showed.
“I thought we put in a tremendous performance, and I am super proud of them but none of that matters at all now. The result is immaterial because our thoughts are with Emil.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

LEICESTER made it six matches unbeaten with a 48-42 win over Birmingham to consolidate their position in the play-offs.
The Lions are now three points ahead of fifth-placed Oxford in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership and they still have two matches in hand on the Spires.

But the in-form home side were made to fight by the bottom club, with the Brummies taking a 5-1 in Heat 13 when Max Fricke had an engine failure, and the visitors gated in Heat 14 only for Luke Becker to storm through to win the match for the Lions.
Sam Masters led the Leicester scoring with 13 from five rides, whilst Fredrik Lindgren and Tom Brennan both scored 11+2 for the Brummies.

Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “I did say in the build-up that I expected a tough meeting. A lot of people were expecting a 20-point win, but never were we going to beat that Birmingham team by 20 points tonight.
“We won, and for me that’s the most important thing. I’d said to Luke Becker before Heat 14, ‘I do not want a last heat decider,’ especially with what happened in Heat 13.

“They gave us a good meeting, they rode well, but we got the job done, and sometimes after you get a big win in any sport like we did at King’s Lynn, the next meeting can be an awkward one.”
Lindgren said: “Again, it was a pretty good effort – but still, we don’t get that win.
“All the boys are trying their absolute best, myself included, and we are giving everything out on the track.
“We came up short again by six points but it’s another decent display in an away game.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

SCUNTHORPE bid to turn the tables on leaders Poole as the top two in the Cab Direct Championship meet for the second time in 48 hours tonight (Friday).
The Pirates won by 14 points in Dorset on Wednesday and are unbeaten in regular league competition so far this season, but the Scorpions have won all ten of their home matches in 2024.
There is one alteration to the line-ups from their previous meeting with Jacob Hook taking over as the Pirates’ guest at reserve for the injured Vinnie Foord.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “First and foremost, we need to make sure we win the match, but a 14-point deficit for the aggregate is well within our range.
“Poole have not scored fewer than 43 points in any match this season and they have not lost in the league. But they have yet to visit the Eddie Wright Raceway this season and we’ve got our own 100 per cent home record.
“Something somewhere has to give, and it promises to be an absolute belter of a top-of-the-table clash. We’re always proud of the standard of racing at the EWR and it’s going to be an evening of outstanding entertainment.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

EDINBURGH stage their biggest match of the season at Armadale tonight (Friday) with fierce rivals Glasgow visiting in the Cab Direct Championship.
The sides go into the local derby with the visitors three points outside the play-off places but with three matches in hand on Redcar and Workington above them.

The Monarchs, meanwhile, only have three league matches remaining but they would go above the Tigers with a win.
Both teams are forced into changes with Erik Riss stepping in for Edinburgh as Justin Sedgmen is not yet fit to resume, whilst Glasgow bring in Anders Rowe to replace the unwell Steve Worrall and Matt Marson replaces the injured Jason Garrad at reserve.

Monarchs boss Alex Harkess said: “We’ve beaten Glasgow quite well at Armadale already this year, and we know what more or less all of their riders are capable of.
“They will bring a new rider who has never seen Armadale before (Matic Ivacic), that will be interesting. Who knows what can happen with that one.
“We are happy to have Erik Riss in the side, he knows what these matches are all about.”

(SPEEDWAY 6)

WSRA National Development League leaders Leicester take their 100 per cent record to Redcar tonight (Friday) where they face Middlesbrough.
The Lion Cubs have won all six of their NDL matches so far this season and currently top the table, and they take a 20-point lead to Teesside for the aggregate situation.

The Tigers are at full strength as they bid for a third home win, whilst the Lion Cubs operate rider replacement for the injured Vinnie Foord (shoulder), and 15-year-old William Cairns replaces Max James (Championship commitment) at reserve.
Middlesbrough reserve Ben Rathbone said: “Leicester are the strongest side in the league but if we can get off to a strong start and get into a lead then we can look to maintain it.

“Speedway is a funny old game and we will be going out there with a positive mindset.”
Cubs boss Dave Howard said: “We’re quite positive about the meeting, it’s one we feel we can win and certainly each away meeting now is going to be vital.
“It’s a real shame for Vinnie, he was riding really well and making great progress for both ourselves and Poole, but it’s one of those things and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

(FIXTURES)

FRIDAY AUGUST 9:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Scunthorpe (38) v Poole (52) 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (35) v Leicester (55) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 10:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm, Plymouth (32) v Glasgow (58) 7pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth (250cc) (follows Champ fixture)

SUNDAY AUGUST 11:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Berwick 3pm