BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2023/21

Feature photo by: Charlotte Flanigan…TAI Woffinden marked his home debut for Sheffield scoring 12+2 as the Tigers defeated Leicester 54-36 at Owlerton. The Yorkshire side remain firmly in the hunt for the Sports Insure Premiership play-offs three-points behind fourth place Ipswich, but have five meetings in-hand over the Witches.

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

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

TIGERS ON THE CHARGE
SHEFFIELD ran up a 54-36 home win over Leicester in front of a big crowd who turned out for Tai Woffinden’s home debut.
The Tigers had slipped to a defeat on the Lions’ previous visit to Owlerton, but they ensured there was no repeat second time around.

Boss Simon Stead said: “I was impressed with the way they conducted themselves all the way through the meeting; we built up a steady lead, they didn’t panic too much even when they pulled it back a little bit, we had a team meeting and then the lads came firing out of the blocks.
“It was a real good last half of the meeting but in general it was a great display all round.”

FRICKE – NO PANIC
LEICESTER captain Max Fricke says the Lions will quickly work through the issues which led to an 18-point defeat at Sheffield last Thursday.
The East Midlands side still need points to ensure a play-off place, and host Wolverhampton in a big derby clash this week.
Fricke said: “We’ll keep working and we figured a few things out towards the end, so that will help us next time.
“The league is really close and I’m sure everyone is after these last few points coming towards the end of the season.”

FIRST JOB DONE
BELLE Vue boss Mark Lemon admits early qualification for the play-offs was the first target for the 2023 campaign as they seek to defend the title.
The Aces officially secured a top four finish with their win over Sheffield at the National Speedway Stadium last Monday.
And they have the British Champion in their ranks with Dan Bewley completing back-to-back titles with a stunning Final ride this week.

Lemons said: “Those final three points have now cemented Belle Vue’s position in the Premiership top four as, mathematically, we now cannot drop out of play-off contention.
“After winning the title last year, that was our primary objective for the season and I think this is the earliest and most comprehensively we’ve ever secured our spot in the play-offs. We have three meetings left to put as many points on the board as we can in preparation for the semi-final.”

DREAM RESULT FOR STEVE
WOLVERHAMPTON star Steve Worrall is making plans for Cardiff after finishing as runner-up in the Sports Insure British Final.
Worrall’s second place gives him the Wild Card for the British GP and he’s ready to make the most of his opportunity.
He said: “It’s a good job I hadn’t brought any tickets yet! Although I am not British Champion, which would have been nice, I have got a trip to Cardiff so I can’t complain.
“I’ve been there as a reserve before, but nobody did anything that night so I didn’t get a ride but I will now this year. It’s a dream come true.”

CRUEL BLOW FOR KLINDT
KING’S Lynn have lost skipper Nicolai Klindt to a broken neck after a horror crash in Poland on Sunday.
Klindt had been in outstanding form for the Stars but now faces up to ten weeks in a neck brace after suffering two fractures.
Manager David Hoggart said: “Nicolai is one of the most outstanding captains in the league, without any shadow of a doubt.
“It’s not just him but also his pit team who rally round and help everybody else, and in terms of the effort he’s put in over the short time I’ve been with King’s Lynn he’s been outstanding.
“I’m really sad that he’s in this situation. It’s racing I know, but he doesn’t deserve it, and particularly with it being an incident not of his making.”

DAN HURT FOR WITCHES
IPSWICH were reduced to five riders in Heat 2 of their clash with King’s Lynn when Rising Star Dan Thompson suffered a dislocated shoulder in a first-bend spill.
The Witches still raced to a 51-39 win to keep their play-off hopes alive and manager Ritchie Hawkins paid tribute to his team’s efforts.

Hawkins said: “I am delighted with the effort shown by the five remaining riders and the seven mechanics that worked their socks off to keep the boys on track. It was an amazing effort in the pits by all twelve of them and I couldn’t have asked for more, I am delighted with them.
“The loss of Dan in Heat 2 was a massive blow to us with us already using rider replacement. It has been confirmed on x-ray that he has dislocated his shoulder. We will know more about the damage in the coming days.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…  It’s a vital week in Ipswich’s bid to set their rivals a target for the top four, as they visit King’s Lynn on Thursday and Wolverhampton on Monday… Wolves are in local derby action at Leicester on Thursday, whilst Sheffield host Peterborough… the Panthers and the Tigers meet in Monday’s televised fixture at the East of England Arena, whilst leaders Belle Vue take on King’s Lynn at the NSS.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

PIRATES STILL TARGETING TOP
POOLE skipper Steve Worrall believes his side can still finish top of the table despite losing an aggregate point to Oxford – having boosted their chances by winning at Scunthorpe.

Worrall said: “Obviously that was an important meeting and win for us after losing that bonus point on Wednesday at Poole last week, which had left a bit of a sour taste because we knew how important that one was on our quest to finish top.
“But winning here and getting the bonus point kind of gets us back on that path to finishing top. We are back in the hunt for it and we’ve just got to hope that Oxford will find things tough on their travels, but it is still possible.”

A MAJOR BONUS
OXFORD No.1 Sam Masters says the Cheetahs’ aggregate point at the expense of champions Poole was a major result for the Cowley side.
Masters and Scott Nicholls combined for a Heat 15 5-1 at Wimborne Road last Wednesday to mean they left Dorset in upbeat mood.

Said Masters: “Poole are the strongest team in the league that we’re going to come up against, but we’ve shown we can beat them over two legs. It shows that we’re capable of beating anyone over two legs of speedway.
“Everyone dug deep tonight and I’m happy how the boys responded, because it wasn’t a straightforward night for us.”

TIGERS CHASE CONSISTENCY
GLASGOW remained strongly in the hunt for honours with their 55-35 home win over Plymouth – but boss Cami Brown feels there’s still plenty more to come.
Brown said: “We’ve now got a tough run of fixtures coming up in August and we need to be consistent. There are really good signs that the boys are coming into form at just the right time.
“We need to get a bit more out of Tom Brennan. He’s struggling to get out of the starts at Ashfield. But he’s a top quality rider and I’m sure that will come.”
BRUMMIES IN THE MIX
BIRMINGHAM revived their hopes of a top six finish and a Cab Direct Championship play-off place with a crucial 50-40 win at Berwick on Saturday.
Team manager Stewart Dickson said: “Two away wins in a season is good for any club, yet alone someone in the position we find ourselves in.
“But now we’re back up to joint sixth in the table and we’ve given ourselves a realistic chance of achieving our goal – but there’s still a lot of hard work to be done.”

TIME TO BOUNCE BACK
SCUNTHORPE skipper Simon Lambert says the Scorpions will quickly bounce back from their 47-43 home defeat to Poole on Friday.
Lambert said: “At the end of the day, we lost to the better team on the night. We didn’t have a lot of luck, Steve Boxall’s puncture in Heat 12 turned a 3-3 to a 4-2 to Poole and allowed them to level the scores.
“It was a bit of a reality check for us all – but you can’t win them all. Poole are a good side, they always have a good side, but I also believe this is the best Scunthorpe team for a few years.”

JASON FINDING FORM
REDCAR star Jason Edwards is delighted with recent results – and wants to keep it going as the Bears continue their fight for honours this season.
Edwards said: “I’m enjoying riding at the moment! I have been doing four or five days of ‘normal work’ recently and I don’t want to be doing that! Riding my bike and scoring some big points is a much better way of earning money!
“Also, I have tinkered with my engines quite a bit this season and I think I’m just getting it right now which is important at this stage of the season.”

MONARCHS OUTPOWERED AT REDCAR
EDINBURGH boss John Campbell admitted there was little his side could take from a heavy 58-32 defeat at Redcar – with work to do to secure a play-off place.
Campbell said: “It was very disappointing indeed, we should be far better than that.
“All we can say is that Josh Pickering had a good night and Paco Castagna made a decent return after his time out with injury. That was it.”

BANDITS BEATEN BY BRUMMIES
BERWICK’S tough run continued with a 40-50 home defeat to Birmingham as the Brummies took advantage in the race for the top six.
Bandits boss Kevin Little admits his own side’s hopes of reaching the play-offs have suffered a major hit as a result.
He said: “Richard Lawson was an inspired choice of guest while Justin Sedgmen obviously learned a lot when he helped us beat Redcar a couple of weeks ago.

“Until it’s mathematically impossible we will not give up the fight to reach the play-offs, but it is really out of our hands now; we would have to win all our remaining fixtures and hope other teams slipped up.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Leaders Oxford look to strengthen their position at Edinburgh on Friday, but Poole have a run of home matches to come, starting against Redcar on Wednesday and then against Edinburgh on Sunday… the Bears’ Southern tour starts at Plymouth on Tuesday… more important fixtures on Friday see Glasgow look to keep the pressure on the top two as they host Berwick with the return at Shielfield Park 24 hours later… a busy week for Redcar sees them host Birmingham on Friday with the Brummies still harbouring top-six hopes.

ALSO… Birmingham face a Coventry Bees Select at Perry Bar on Wednesday with Chris Harris lined up to lead the visitors as efforts continue to return to the sport to the historic Brandon Stadium.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

HUGE WIN FOR CUBS
LEICESTER are now four points clear at the top of the NDL after a massive 59-30 win at Berwick on Saturday.
Team manager Dave Howard said: “The riders have done a fantastic job and put us in a great position as we stand at the moment, and now we just need to finish the job to get in that top two.
“We’re in a really positive place and it’s great to have Joe (Thompson) and Tom (Spencer) back, and hopefully Dan’s (Thompson) shoulder will improve over the next few days.”

PRESSURE ON!
MILDENHALL boss Jason Gardner regards this Sunday’s trip to Kent as a crucial fixture with the Fen Tigers still doing all they can to secure a top two finish.
Gardner said: “It’s an absolutely vital meeting on Sunday and the team will be determined to bounce back from the defeat to Leicester and start a winning run again.
“Having won at Kent in the KOC without our talisman skipper Lee Complin l can see no reason why we can’t get another away win and keep the pressure on Leicester and Oxford.”

BULLETS WELL BEATEN
BERWICK boss Kevin Little had no complaints after his side suffered a heavy defeat to reigning champions Leicester at home.
Little said: “We were well beaten on the night by an excellent Leicester side.
“It was a disappointing performance, but we just couldn’t match the Cubs from the gate.”

HOME COMFORTS FOR CHARGERS?
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck feels his side can keep their Cowley record going despite an extended break from action.
The Chargers saw another home match against Kent rained off last week, but return to their own circuit against Workington this Wednesday.
Schroeck said: “We’ve got a good record on home shale and confidence in the camp is strong despite not riding as a team for a number of weeks.“This is a good opportunity to leap back into the play-off frame and we can’t allow any silly mistakes to jeopardise that.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… Oxford are finally back in action on Wednesday after several recent call-offs when they host Workington… the Chargers are then involved in a double header at Kent on Sunday with the Royals first facing Mildenhall as two play-off challengers visit Iwade.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY AUGUST 15:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth (41) v Redcar (48) 7pm

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)

MONDAY AUGUST 21:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Wolverhampton (43) v Ipswich (47) 7.30
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1: Peterborough (23) v Sheffield (37) 7.30

TUESDAY AUGUST 22:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth (35) v Glasgow (55) 7pm

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham (39) v Scunthorpe (51) 7.30, Poole (44) v Glasgow (46) 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford (46) v Berwick (44) 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 24:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich (53) v Leicester (37) 7.30, King’s Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Sheffield v Wolverhampton 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 25:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (54) v Birmingham (36) 7.30, Oxford v Plymouth 7.30, Scunthorpe (28) v Glasgow (38) 7.30

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Workington 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 26:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester (36) v Sheffield (54) 6.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester (39) v Oxford (50) (follows previous fixture), Workington v Belle Vue 3pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 27:
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar 5pm

MONDAY AUGUST 28:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue (38) v Leicester (52) 12pm, Leicester (46) v King’s Lynn (44) 8pm, Wolverhampton v Sheffield 8pm
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Peterborough (33) v Ipswich (57) 7.30

TUESDAY AUGUST 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Edinburgh 7pm