BRITISH SPEEDWAY JULY 20, 2023

(SPEEDWAY 1)

CHEETAHS TAKE HONOURS

OXFORD defeated Glasgow 52-38 in the clash of the Cab Direct Championship’s two unbeaten sides – as three riders had a miracle escape in an horrific Heat 5 crash.
Cheetahs guest Rory Schlein, team-mate Jordan Jenkins and Tigers No.1 Chris Harris were all involved in the pile-up on the third bend but remarkably walked away, although Schlein withdrew from the remainder of the meeting.

But the home side overcame the loss of a heat-leader to make it ten wins from ten, clinching victory with a 5-1 from Jenkins and key reserve Cameron Heeps (11+2) in Heat 14 after Claus Vissing had been disqualified.
Sam Masters scored 14 for the Cheetahs and Scott Nicholls picked up 10+2, whilst Harris led the scoring for the Tigers with 12+2.

Oxford boss Peter Schroeck said: “Firstly, we’re relieved Jordan, Rory and Chris walked away from the crash. It was horrific and the atmosphere in the stadium was just sapped away while the medics did their job.
“Huge credit must go to our track staff who did an outstanding job getting the meeting back on in such short time given the scale of the damage that was done. After the incident, the racing was outstanding and it was a real close meeting between two great teams.

“It was a great advert for speedway first and foremost and on the terraces there was a real carnival atmosphere which was great to see and exactly what we aspire to deliver every week.”
Glasgow manager Cami Brown said: “We kept it tight until the last couple of heats but we never could find that extra level we needed.

“They lost Rory Schlein but still had enough strength in depth, so fair play to them. There were a few positives for us, but it was frustrating not to come away with something better.
“Chris Harris was once again sensational all night, but we need to make sure he has more back-up away from home.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

POOLE closed in on second-placed Glasgow in the Cab Direct Championship with an emphatic 54-36 win at Birmingham.
The Pirates put on a fast-gating performance at Perry Barr and had built an 18-point lead in the space of seven races to put the meeting beyond the Brummies.

Richard Lawson won his first three rides to finish on 11 points whilst Ben Cook tallied 10+2 in a very solid all-round display for the reigning champions. Troy Batchelor scored 10 for the home side.
Lawson said: “That was a good night’s work, I enjoyed that. A big score, and I thought it was going to be a lot tougher than it was.

“We all know how good Danny (King) can be and we got on top of him very quickly, and we went on from there.
“This is a track I like and enjoy racing here, plus it is only an hour from home for me!”
Birmingham manager Stewart Dickson said: “The first two or three races basically killed the meeting, which is not acceptable.
“Realistically by Heat 7 it was definitely all but over but nevertheless I got the riders in for a wee chat shall we say, and told them in no uncertain terms that it was unacceptable.
“I know Poole are a very good side, but that should never be happening against anyone on your home track.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

2022 GRAND Finalists Sheffield and Belle Vue clash at Owlerton tonight (Thursday) with both sides well placed for the play-offs again.
The Aces are ten points clear at the top in a strong defence of their Sports Insure Premiership title so far, whilst the home side currently hold a five-point advantage over fifth-placed Ipswich with three matches in hand.
And the Tigers did get the better of their Roses rivals home and away when the sides met in their Round 1 fixtures at the beginning of the season.

Sheffield Rising Star Dan Gilkes said: “It doesn’t really matter what happened earlier in the season, and it doesn’t matter who is coming to Owlerton, we want to win every match and be dominant at home.
“We had a little slip-up against Leicester last month, but we’ve put that behind us with some really good results since, and that’s what we’re going to be going for again against Belle Vue – but we know it will need a full team performance.”

Aces’ German star Norick Blodorn said: “This will be a tough one for sure. Sheffield are very strong at home but we’re in pretty good form ourselves on the road so anything is possible.
“We won the Premiership at Owlerton last year and we have beaten them there before so who’s to say we can’t go there and get the job done? We’re feeling good about our racing right now.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 4)

KING’S Lynn return to home track action tonight (Thursday) as they face second-placed Leicester in the Sports Insure Premiership for the second time this week.
The Lions completed a Round 1 double over the Stars in the East Midlands on Monday, with the home side looking to end the visitors’ seven-match winning run back at the Adrian Flux Arena.

And Lynn manager David Hoggart insists work is continuing to strengthen the team, who are on a run of four successive defeats. They operate rider replacement for the injured Michael Palm Toft after intended guest Rory Schlein was involved in a crash at Oxford on Wednesday.
Hoggart said: “It’s our home track, and Artem (Laguta) goes well around there so I’d like to think he’ll be back into double figures.

“Everybody knows it’s a tough season for King’s Lynn but we’re not shying away from it, and we’re not doing nothing about it. We are working away in the background to try and come up with some solutions.”
Leicester manager Stewart Dickson said: “I expect this to be a tough meeting. The King’s Lynn riders are used to their track, and there’s a more solid look about them now.

“The win on Monday was pleasing, and will be going there for a win, and that’s not me being blasé, it’s the story of our season so far.
“We’ve been getting a lot of race wins, but we will need to pick up in certain areas compared to Monday if we’re going to get anything.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins has warned his team of the need to avoid a Peterborough upset when the sides meet at Foxhall tonight (Thursday).
The Witches have lost three home matches this season, doing significant damage to their Sports Insure Premiership play-off hopes, whilst the Panthers pulled off a shock 45-45 scoreline at Wolverhampton on Monday before losing out on an extra point in a Super Heat.

Ipswich are unchanged from Monday’s fixture, with Connor Mountain again stepping in at reserve for the visitors in place of Hans Andersen. They are also without Jordan Jenkins after a heavy crash on Wednesday, and he is replaced in the Rising Star berth by Sam Hagon.
Hawkins said: “They put in a great showing at Wolves and I’m sure that took Wolverhampton and a lot of people by surprise.
“We can’t afford to be lax because Peterborough are a team that have punished us in the past even when they have been struggling everywhere else.

“We are going to need to be on our toes and give them the respect they deserve so that we do not get upset again at home.”
Panthers No.1 Niels-Kristian Iversen said: “I think if we take some of the things from Monday to Ipswich then we can get another good result.

“They’ve been struggling a little bit; they’ve got the strongest top two in the league, but I would say we should be able to match the rest of their team.
“There’s still a lot of racing to go and if we can win some meetings on the road then it would obviously be good and that would help us pick up our form when we get back to the home meetings as well.”
 
(FIXTURES)

THURSDAY JULY 20:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30, Sheffield v Belle Vue 7.30

FRIDAY JULY 21:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar (35) v Scunthorpe (55) 7.30
BSN SERIES FINAL 2nd leg: Glasgow v Poole 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue (40) v Edinburgh (50) 7.30
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (500cc/250cc): Belle Vue 6pm

SATURDAY JULY 22:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm

SUNDAY JULY 23:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent (34) v Leicester (56) 12pm