BRITISH SPEEDWAY AUGUST 17, 2023

(SPEEDWAY 1)
PIRATES POWER TO THE TOP
POOLE moved to the top of the Cab Direct Championship table with four regular matches remaining after a 52-38 home win over Redcar.
The defending champions recorded four successive 5-1 advantages between Heats 5 and 8 to overturn a narrow early deficit and score the points required to overhaul Oxford at the summit.

Heat leaders Steve Worrall and Richard Lawson led the way with 12+1 and 10+1 respectively whilst Anders Rowe continued his good form with 8+3, and Ben Cook’s eight-point total was dented by an engine failure in his last ride.
Former Poole skipper Danny King top-scored for the Bears with 12 points from six rides, and Erik Riss added 9+1 as the visitors completed their southern tour without Charles Wright following his British Final crash.

(SPEEDWAY 2)

OXFORD jumped to second in the NDL table with an emphatic 59-31 win over Workington despite having been inactive for nearly eight weeks.
Chargers skipper Jordan Jenkins raced to a 15-point maximum and Henry Atkins was also paid for the lot with 13+2, whilst Jason Garrad made an impressive debut with 7+1. Luke Harrison top-scored for the Comets with nine.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “It’s really satisfying when everyone chips in and contributes to a solid score.
“We must thank Kai Ward for stepping in at late notice too after Luke (Killeen) was left stranded on the continent with a broken-down vehicle which was completely out of his control.

“We’re back in the play-off frame now and spirits in the camp are high. We’ll re-focus ahead of Kent on Sunday and hope to further solidify our position in the play-off frame.
“I know we have the firepower to finish in the top two, and the boys believe in their ability too. We have some big fixtures coming up and hopefully the continued support of the fans can keep the team pointing in the right direction.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 3)

MIDLANDS rivals Leicester and Wolverhampton meet at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park tonight (Thursday) as both chase crucial points towards the play-offs.
The sides are third and second respectively in the Sports Insure Premiership table, both on 29 points and now look to take a step towards clinching a top four finish.

They ‘drew’ 45-45 at Monmore Green last week in a Round 1 fixture before Wolves won a Super Heat, whilst tonight’s clash is their first Round 2 meeting.
Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “We’ve been inconsistent lately and really we should have won at Wolverhampton, and this is now a big home match for us.

“If we win it then I think we can say we’ve got one foot in the play-offs given the fixtures we have to come, and we need to get this one over the line.
“We were convincingly beaten in our last home match against Ipswich so we need to put on a solid display and get the win.”

Wolves skipper Sam Masters said: “Last time we went there it was still pretty early in the season and we hadn’t had too many meetings as a team at that point.“Not all the boys were firing on that night either and we still only lost by eight. “So I know they’ve made a few changes but we’re doing good at the moment and we’ll be going there to push them as hard as we can.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

SHEFFIELD are looking to make it five home wins on the spin when they take on Peterborough tonight (Thursday).
The Tigers find themselves on another positive run of form at Owlerton and head into the clash against the Panthers on the back of an impressive 54-36 victory over Leicester last week.

Tonight gives the South Yorkshire men the opportunity to move back to within one point of the Sports Insure Premiership play-off places.
The Panthers track a full-strength line-up led by Chris Harris at No.1, and with Vadim Tarasenko back after missing the narrow home defeat to Ipswich last week.    

Sheffield manager Simon Stead said: “They’ve now got ‘Bomber’ in at No.1, Tarasenko will be looking forward to riding our track in drier conditions than the last time the Panthers came to town, and in Niels (Kristian Iversen), Ben Cook and Benjamin Basso they’ve got a very capable middle order as well.

“Their new signing Patryk Wojdylo shot into form in their home meeting against Ipswich last week and Jordan Jenkins down at reserve has come on leaps and bounds once again this season.

“So Peterborough have got what it takes to give us a good run for our money – but as ever, as long as all the lads apply themselves correctly and ride how we all know they can, then you know I’d back them against anyone.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

COVENTRY legend Chris Harris led a Bees Select side to a comeback victory at Birmingham in a West Midlands Challenge on Wednesday.
As the fight continues to bring racing back to the World-famous Brandon Stadium which was closed at the end of 2016 with developers now appealing the refusal of planning permission, Harris evoked memories of his hugely successful spell with the club.

He scored 14 points from six rides and overtook Brummies skipper Justin Sedgmen in Heat 15 for a 4-2 with Kyle Howarth to complete the visitors’ recovery in front of a large travelling support.
Harris said: “It was a good night of racing and it was great for us to come back from 12 points down and win it in the last race.
“It was also nice to see such a turnout of fans, everyone knows what Coventry means to me and I’m glad they all enjoyed it.”

Birmingham CEO Nigel Tolley said: “I think both sets of riders deserve full credit for the show they put on; there was some decent racing and it turned out to be a really interesting meeting when at one point it looked like it could’ve been a walkover.

“It was great to see the turnout from the Coventry supporters and I was pleased they had something to cheer about.
“From a Brummies point of view, there are things we can take from this night still into the most important fixtures of our season.”
 
(FIXTURES)

THURSDAY AUGUST 17:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (39) v Ipswich (51) OFF (Now Mon Sept 4), 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)