BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2023/31

Feature photo by: Steve Hone…SCUNTHORPE celebrated a sensational Championship KO Cup triumph after lifting the trophy at Poole on Saturday. The Scorpions took a narrow four-point lead into the second leg and defended superbly to pull off a 45-45 scoreline – and secure their first silverware for 11 years.

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

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

A TRUE TEAM EFFORT
SHEFFIELD promoter Damien Bates has dedicated Sheffield’s Sports Insure Premiership success to everyone connected with the club.
The Tigers created history by becoming the first team to ever overturn an 18-point first leg deficit in the top-flight’s Grand Final, since the introduction of the play-offs, to see off Ipswich and lift the trophy.
Bates said: “Of course it was the riders who went out there and got the job done but everyone connected with Sheffield played their part

“The atmosphere was absolutely electric all night long and I genuinely believe that helped play a big part in the final outcome.
“It was a great night all round and one we’ll never forget. For our sponsors, track staff, officials, volunteers and of course the supporters, all of their backing has finally been rewarded.
“From start to finish, every single rider who rode for Sheffield was absolutely brilliant and they deserved to lift that trophy at the end of the night.”

HIGH EMOTION AT WOLVES
LUKE Becker won the last-ever race at Monmore Green as Wolverhampton staged an emotional farewell to their home of over 90 years.
Wolves are one of the sport’s most established and successful clubs but their venue has been made unavailable from the end of this season by owners Entain.

In a remarkable statistical coincidence, Monday’s event was the 1,000th meeting promoted by Chris Van Straaten since he took over at Monmore in 1986.
Addressing the packed crowd afterwards, Van Straaten said: “This has been an emotional night, I have seen a few tears on the terraces.

“Speedway is a true family sport, when I started there were youngsters who now have families of their own who are fans, and that is the beauty of speedway, it’s a family sport.
“If you had have told me this time last year, this would happen, I would not have believed you. I never dreamt this would happen. “We now have to find a new home and these things take time, it won’t be next season, but hopefully after that. This is a very sad occasion, and let’s hope that your dream happens, that we will be all together again one day.”

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

BIG CHANGES FOR TIGERS
GLASGOW have confirmed they will defend the Cab Direct Championship title without three of the riders who helped them defeat Poole in the Grand Final.
The Tigers will rebuild their side for 2024 without Tom Brennan, Vadim Tarasenko and Benjamin Basso, whilst Claus Vissing – who missed the closing weeks with injury – and Marcin Nowak, who departed in August, will also not be involved next year.
Boss Cami Brown told glasgowtigers.co.uk: “I know this is a hard situation for everyone at the club. It has been difficult for the management and I know the fans will be as disappointed as us.

“It will be a challenging close season for all clubs in team building and we’ve had to make some difficult decisions.
“In truth, we didn’t want to lose any of our title-winning side. But speedway doesn’t work like that as we all know.
“We will never forget what these guys did for Glasgow Speedway. They are always welcome back to the club. They’ve written their names into history for the Tigers.”

KEMP’S CUP JOY
SCUNTHORPE’S Drew Kemp has praised the club for sticking by him after playing a starring role in the Scorpions’ KO Cup triumph over Poole.
Kemp was with the Pirates last year but made the move to the Eddie Wright Raceway in the early weeks of 2023 and came up trumps on several occasions, including in both legs of the Cup Final with scores of 10+1 and 10+2.

He said: “I’ve enjoyed riding for Scunthorpe this year. There was a time when I thought I was letting them down – I went through a rough patch when I was crashing a lot. I thought I was letting down the club and the fans and, because of that, I lost my temper with myself. “But I knuckled down at the end of the year, and got my equipment and my head sorted, and it was very nice to finish my year off on a high.

“I’m more pleased for the Scunthorpe management and the supporters than myself. It was nice that I had two good meetings in both legs of the Final so that Scunthorpe won a trophy, because I know the effort that Rob (Godfrey) puts into the club. They stuck by me when I was having a rough patch, so this one is for Scunthorpe.”

PIRATES MISS OUT

POOLE promoter Dan Ford says the club must still reflect on another strong campaign despite the bitter disappointment of two Final defeats in October.
The Pirates won the BSN Series in mid-season, defeating Glasgow in the Final, but they then lost out to the Tigers in the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final, and were unable to take consolation against Scunthorpe in the KO Cup Final.

Ford said: “It is always hard to finish as runners-up, even more so when it happens at home, and whilst we are feeling the hurt of not being league or Cup champions any more I think we have to reflect on what we have achieved throughout the season, a season which sadly went all wrong for us in October.
“We qualified for the Finals of all three competitions, we were top of the regular league campaign and top of our BSN group the latter of which, of course, we went on to win.”
 
THE WEEK AHEAD… POOLE and Leicester are set to resolve the much-delayed Championship Jubilee League Final at Wimborne Road on Wednesday, with the event having been held over since the end of the 2022 season.

ELSEWHERE: BIRMINGHAM stage the British Under-19 Final at Perry Barr on Wednesday where there will be a new winner on the trophy. The event was previously abandoned due to bad weather back in June.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

CUBS CHASE ANOTHER DOUBLE
LEICESTER look to repeat their NDL league and KO Cup doubles of 2019 and 2021 when they contest both Finals over the next week. The Lion Cubs already have an 11-point lead over Mildenhall heading into the second leg of the KO Cup Final, whereas the league Grand Final against Oxford is viewed by many as too close to call.

Boss Dave Howard said: “In the regular season there was only one point between us in the aggregate home and away score, so we know the Final will be a big challenge.
“We will be giving our all to try to win the NDL for the third time in the last four seasons, but this will probably be the toughest challenge we have faced in the Finals we have been in.”

CHARGERS HIGH ON CONFIDENCE
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck accepts the NDL Grand Final against Leicester will be a tough encounter – but is backing his side to overturn the defending champions.
Schroeck said: “Leicester have been fantastic all season and secured all seven aggregate bonus points available to them, so we’re under no illusions how tough both meetings will be.

“But all year we’ve championed how talented our own squad is and personally I see no reason why we can’t overturn the formbook and end the year on a high. There’s very little between both squads and for the neutral it’ll be an amazing spectacle.
“That means having the support on the terraces will be all the more crucial because every point really does matter. Preparation for both sides hasn’t been ideal with the unfavourable weather, but it’s no excuse and we’re looking forward to 30 heats of quality racing.”

THE WEEK AHEAD… AFTER postponements due to Storm Barbet, the NDL League Grand Final between Leicester and Oxford will now take place this Saturday in the East Midlands and next Tuesday at Cowley. The first leg is also the first part of a double header, followed up by the second leg of the Leicester-Mildenhall KO Cup Final with the Lion Cubs eleven points up from the first leg.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25:
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Birmingham 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE FINAL: Poole v Leicester 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 28:
NDL GRAND FINAL 1st leg: Leicester v Oxford 6.30
NDL KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Leicester (49) v Mildenhall (38) (follows previous fixture)

TUESDAY OCTOBER 31:
NDL GRAND FINAL 2nd leg: Oxford v Leicester 7.30