BRITISH SPEEDWAY SOLOS JUNE 26

Date: Saturday June 26, 2021

(SPEEDWAY 1)

FOUR of the top Great Britain youngsters are in the Czech Republic for today’s (Saturday) FIM European Under-19 qualifier.
Drew Kemp, Leon Flint, Jordan Palin and Nathan Ablitt all ride at Divisov, seeking a top-five finish to reach the Final in Latvia in August.
GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “As with any such event at this level they are always hard events, and with only the top five scorers qualifying for the Final there is very little room for error.
“Kemp and Palin, who qualified for last year’s Final at this stage, will be hoping for a repeat performance, with Flint and Ablitt looking to make the Final for the very first time.”
Fellow GB racer Dan Gilkes rode in the first qualifier earlier in the season and secured a reserve place for the Final.
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

WOLVERHAMPTON have confirmed they will resume their home meetings on Monday July 5 following positive talks with council officials.
The club have been given the green light to accommodate more spectators on the outdoor areas of Monmore Green with the indoor numbers remaining the same, with face coverings required on the first date when Sheffield are the visitors.
Promoter Chris Van Straaten said: “It’s with great delight we can announce this news and we can now have more people in the stadium which will reduce the losses considerably.
“I’d like to put on record my thanks to our hosts Ladbrokes and the local authority for their help, consideration and understanding.
“The face coverings are a small price to pay for what we hope will be one meeting only and we are looking forward to what should be a tremendous meeting.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

BIRMINGHAM co-owner David Mason is urging riders and fans alike to stay patient as the club plans a return to track action.
Mason has held talks with the stadium owners who in turn have had talks with Birmingham City Council over the implications of the government guidelines regarding Covid restrictions which prevent fans paying on the gate, either card or cash.
Said Mason: “We, the Brummies, have a loyal fan base, but there is a large section who are in their 70s and 80s who don’t have computers or smart phones.
“We need everyone to stick with us, there have been some small steps of progress with the Council but they are not in a position to allow us to take payments for entrance at the gate until government restrictions are lifted, although you can buy a hot dog or a drink with cash inside the stadium.
“I would like to thank everyone for their patience and I understand this is tough on riders because they are not earning when they are not riding.”SPEEDWAY 4)

GLASGOW moved eight points clear at the top of the Championship with a hard-fought 50-40 win over Eastbourne at Ashfield.
The visitors were two points ahead at the halfway stage but the Tigers rallied to collect their sixth victory out of eight this season.
Craig Cook scored 13+1 for the home side and his Heat 15 win prevented the Eagles from taking a league point, whilst reserve Sam Jensen notched 12. Richard Lawson piled up 15 for Eastbourne with Lewis Kerr adding 10+1.
Glasgow boss Cami Brown said: “We’ve got a great bunch of lads and we dug in. We had a little chat after Heat 10 and we came back strongly in the second half of the meeting.
“Again we’ve not had everybody firing at once but it shows you the power we do have.
“I’m ecstatic, it’s a really hard win against a very good Eastbourne team. They’ve got a team full of stars – like we have – and they were always going to give us a challenge.”
Eastbourne manager Trevor Geer said: “After the interval we slipped away but up until then we were doing well. It was nip and tuck all the way. We thought we could pull this off.
“I think after the interval the track changed a little bit and Craig Cook showed his class. The meeting was a lot better than the score suggests.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

EDINBURGH maintained their unbeaten Championship record with a 52-38 win over Scunthorpe at Armadale.
Skipper Sam Masters scored a paid maximum (13+2) and Richie Worrall (14) dropped just one point, although it was only in the closing stages that the Monarchs pulled away.
Theo Pijper (11+1) top-scored for the Scorpions with 11+1 and was involved in some fine action with Josh Pickering, but Thomas Jorgensen was withdrawn due to a shoulder injury.
Pickering (10) said: “I had good battles with Theo throughout the night, he got me in Heat 9. I made a couple of little mistakes, I felt I could have had him, but he’s done a lot of laps around that track and he can ride a perfect race.

“For Heat 14 obviously I made a perfect start in the first run, that was from the only good spot on my grid. For the re-run I didn’t have any other spot to go off – I knew it was going to be hard!  
“I had to back myself, but I also had to have faith in him to not stuff me up in the middle of the corner. But I had every intention to win it, and I’m so glad I did it.”
Scorpions boss Dave Peet said: “I thought we rode much better than the final scoreline suggests and we were right in it until the final three races.
“The rain did make the track tricky, although it was the same for both teams. The dirt-line then moved out very wide, which suited Edinburgh’s riders more than ours.
“Things didn’t go our way tonight. We will regroup for Sunday when Edinburgh come back to our place. We need to ensure that we win that meeting.

(SPEEDWAY 6)

LEICESTER bid to turn the tables on Newcastle when the sides meet at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena in the Championship tonight (Saturday).
The Lions slipped to defeat at Brough Park last weekend but now defend their impressive unbeaten home record against the Diamonds – having not lost on their own circuit to opposition from their own league since August 2018.
Leicester bring in Tom Brennan to guest for the injured Josh Bates whilst rider-replacement is in operation for Ty Proctor who has left the club. The Diamonds use Thomas Jorgensen at No.1 and r/r at No.2 with Ben Barker and Adam Roynon ruled out.
Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “We need to make sure there are no slip-ups against Newcastle, we’ve been okay at home so far and we need that to continue.”

(FIXTURES)

SATURDAY JUNE 26:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Glasgow OFF, Leicester v Newcastle 7pm

SUNDAY JUNE 27:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Plymouth 4pm, Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Scunthorpe (500cc/250cc) (follows Champ fixture)

MONDAY JUNE 28:
PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Wolverhampton 7.30, Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30

TUESDAY JUNE 29:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Newcastle 7pm