BRITISH SPEEDWAY AUGUST 30, 2023

(SPEEDWAY 1)

CHEETAHS LOOKING FOR VICTORY

OXFORD manager Peter Schroeck says a home victory in the Championship Pairs on Friday would be the perfect start to British Grand Prix weekend.
The Cheetahs host the prestigious event less than 24 hours before attention switches to Cardiff, and all nine Cab Direct Championship clubs will field a pairing at Cowley with a strong line-up declared.
Oxford are represented by Sam Masters and Lewis Kerr, the latter having won this event last season when he was racing for Redcar.

Schroeck said: “It’s such a good stadium and a fitting venue for the Pairs. Last year’s event was fantastic, but at Oxford this season we’re trying to make sure everything is even better in our second year back.
“Of course, I’d love to see an Oxford Cheetahs victory. Last season, we didn’t do so well in the Pairs.

“Sam and Lewi will be giving their all to try to make it happen and feature right until the end of the evening. They are both very determined characters, and both have recent experience of winning top events at this level.
“But looking at the bigger picture, what’s even more important than a Cheetahs victory is a bumper crowd, a pumped-up atmosphere, some terrific racing and brilliant team-riding and that it provides a great start to everyone’s British Grand Prix weekend.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

EDINBURGH took a huge step towards the Cab Direct Championship play-offs with a dramatic 46-44 win at Plymouth.
The Monarchs are now firm favourites to take sixth place after a remarkable comeback which saw them take two 5-1s in the last two heats at the Coliseum.

Skipper Josh Pickering (10) and guest Erik Riss (12+1) were the heroes for the Gladiators in the deciding race as they got the better of home duo Kyle Howarth (13+1) and Richie Worrall (12+1) to secure the Armadale club’s third away win of the season. Paco Castagna and Bastian Borke had set things up with maximum points in Heat 14.
Stand-in team manager Gordon Campbell said: “It is a tight race for the play-offs with Plymouth being a rival for the final spot, so we were fully determined to get a result tonight.

“This showed with every member of the team having a moment to be proud of in the match and chipping in with vital points at vital moments. Special thank you to Erik Riss who was a terrific guest at No.1.
“We must bounce forward from this great result and with the backing of our wonderful supporters we can finish the home season strongly and clinch that play-off spot.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

POOLE host Birmingham at Wimborne Road tonight (Wednesday) as the battle for top spot in the Cab Direct Championship reaches a crucial stage.
The Pirates are one point behind Oxford with two matches remaining, although the Cheetahs’ final away match is at top-three rivals Glasgow next week.

Poole are at full strength whilst the Brummies bring in Josh Pickering to guest at No.1, with their play-off hopes severely hit by Edinburgh’s win at Plymouth on Tuesday as well as their own below-par home form.
Pirates promoter Dan Ford said: “We have got to keep the pressure on and so it is important that we keep our current form going. Both of our remaining fixtures are winnable but there is still work to do starting on Wednesday.

“Birmingham themselves have work to do to make the play-offs, so they will be coming here to try and upset the form book and give themselves a major boost.
“That is obvious in their choice of guest as Josh Pickering hit double figures when he was last here, and Justin Sedgmen has appeared here twice before this season and won races.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

THE Great Britain 250cc pair of William Cairns and Cooper Rushen had a sensational night at the Marketa Stadium in Prague on Tuesday with a third-place finish overall.
They finished second in their group to eventual runners-up Denmark at Round 3 of the European 250cc Pairs, which meant having a race off with Sweden to decide third and fourth places.

Sweden, who had the current SGP3 World Champion Ramus Karlsson in their pair, started the heat as favourites as the points scoring in this competition of 3-2-1-0 means if the heat ends as a 3-3, then the team whose rider wins the race gets the advantage.

GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “Although Karlsson coming off gate four was favourite to win, the British boys had other ideas with William riding the race of his life to make a fantastic gate, and then blocking every move that Karlsson made inside and out to take the chequered flag to win the heat.
“Meanwhile Cooper made himself a nuisance in third place, remaining on the exhaust of Karlsson, and if he was to make a mistake then both British boys would have beaten him.”
 
(FIXTURES)

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole (54) v Birmingham (36) 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 31:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Peterborough (45) v Wolverhampton (45) 7.30, Sheffield (57) v King’s Lynn (33) 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRS: Oxford 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 2:
FIM BRITISH GRAND PRIX: Cardiff 5pm