MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…
COVENTRY and Ipswich star Danny King was crowned British Champion after a stunning ride in the Final at Belle Vue on Monday.King led the qualifiers on 13 points, progressing to the decisive race along with home star Craig Cook, who recovered from a first-ride last place to reel off four straight wins.King selected gate two in the Final, with Cook choosing the inside, and they were joined by teenage star Robert Lambert and another home man Steve Worrall who had come through from the semi-final.Cook led the early stages but King generated speed on the outside and swept around his rival on turns three and four before pulling clear for victory.King’s first national title also saw him secure the Wild Card place for the British Grand Prix at Cardiff next month and he was elated with his success.He said: “I've tried for so many years to win this meeting. I was sort of in the mix but I never really had the edge. Tonight was probably the first time in a long time that I genuinely felt I could win it.“I spoke with my boys about the gate choices and we thought even though gate one might be the favourite we went with two, which was a bit of a gamble, but I knew it would give me more options.“To be British Champion is a dream come true. As a kid it was a meeting I always wanted to win and while the Wild Card is an amazing opportunity, I wanted this trophy more than anything else.”Cook was left to settle for the runners-up spot for the third year in succession, with Lambert on the podium in his debut British Final and Worrall in fourth place. Richard Lawson and Scott Nicholls were the defeated semi-finalists.All competitors deserved great credit for ensuring the meeting ran to a conclusion as rain gradually intensified throughout the meeting.The drainage system at the National Speedway Stadium had worked superbly to contain the heavy downpours of the weekend and on the day of the meeting, meaning racing was not in doubt and got underway at the scheduled start-time.The next SpeedwayGB major event is the ever-popular Premier League Pairs at Somerset on Friday July 8.As ever, the meeting takes place the evening before the British Grand Prix and the line-up for the Oaktree Arena event is expected to be confirmed in the near future.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2016BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOSH BATESBRITISH FINAL: DANNY KINGPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, July 8PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS WEEKEND: Peterborough, July 23/24PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, September 11ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Coventry, Date TBC
NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS 2016NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, August 14NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, August 27NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, September 17
BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENTS 2016:WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER: FREDRIK LINDGRENWORLD UNDER-21 QUALIFIER: DIMITRI BERGEWORLD UNDER-21 FINAL Round 1: King’s Lynn, June 18
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE CEO Chris Morton will hand management duties back to Mark Lemon this weekend as the Aces return to action against Wolverhampton on Friday.Lemon missed the recent home win over Lakeside due to international commitments and Morton admitted there were some nerves before they secured the result.He said: “I had a lot to live up to because Mark has done such a great job, and early in the meeting we had our fair share of problems.”COVENTRY boss Gary Havelock knows the Bees face an important run over the coming weeks with home and away clashes with King’s Lynn followed by a trip to Leicester.Havelock said: “We’re not quite halfway through so I wouldn’t say it’s running away from us yet, but one thing we do need to do is get some away wins – and the sooner the better.“It’s such a strange league this year with everybody beating everybody that a couple of away wins and winning the rest of our home ones will get us somewhere near.”KING’S LYNN boss Rob Lyon says he is pleased with the continued improvement of Lewis Rose, who has recently moved out of the reserve position and impressed at second-string.Lyon said: “He’s coming on nicely. He’s gradually been better and better. I said to him I thought it was ironic that his highest score of the season happened to be at No.4!“I hope we can go on a consistent run. We’ve got something there, and you can sort of see signs that there’s something.”LAKESIDE skipper Andreas Jonsson says if the Hammers can add to their away wins at Leicester, they can maintain their strong bid for a play-off place throughout the season.Jonsson said: “The one thing we need to work on is our away form, our results show that, but I’m sure we can do that in the second half of the season to push on and get a place in the play-offs.“We have a good set of riders who can beat anyone around Lakeside. We know how to ride the track, we feel comfortable there, and hopefully we can keep winning our home meetings and keep pushing for the top four.”LEICESTER have parted company with Davey Watt after six matches with the club, and replaced him with Newcastle’s Ludvig Lindgren in a doubling-up role.Lindgren said: “I’m really happy to becoming a Lion and for it to be Leicester who are the only club who have given me the chance to guest in the Elite League for the second year in a row, and now also giving me the opportunity to do some more racing in the Elite. “So I would like to thank the promotion for that and now I need to repay them by giving it everything I’ve got in every heat I ride proudly wearing the Leicester Lions colours.”POOLE boss Neil Middleditch says recent results show the Pirates are beginning to hit the form expected of them, having secured back-to-back wins over Swindon.Middleditch told the Daily Echo: “It was certainly a case of could do better but the boys have stepped up and these past two performances have set the benchmark.“You always have critics and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everybody said we would run away with it but that was never going to happen, you only have to look at some of the teams out there.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter says his side must step up their home form – starting in Thursday’s clash with Lakeside at the Abbey Stadium.Rossiter said: “We can’t keep relying on winning away matches, we’ve got to start doing a lot better at Swindon, but that said I am fairly happy with where we are halfway through the season. “It’s just the way the points have come that’s been a bit peculiar, it would be nice to have more home wins under our belt and we need to avoid any more slip-ups here.”WOLVERHAMPTON returnee Peter Karlsson is keen to secure another Elite League title at the ripe old age of 46.Karlsson said: “We’ve got a team full of riders who are very capable of winning the league and there’s certainly a bit of a buzz right now.“It’s always a different feeling around a place when a team is winning and there’s plenty of positivity here this year. It would mean a lot to me if I could help this club win another title but there’s still a long, long way to go.”
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK have been dealt a further blow to their 2016 side after Dutch rider Romano Hummel quit the club.The 17-year-old informed the Bandits of his decision after suffering from homesickness."We're gutted to say the least," said team manager Scott Courtney. "If he is unhappy about staying over here then we have to accept the lad might not be ready to take on the world just yet."Just as the team was getting into gear and had climbed into the top six in the Premier League standings, we have another setback."EDINBURGH boss Alex Harkess has demanded an improvement from his riders after a 50-40 defeat at Berwick.The result was a fifth consecutive loss on their travels as the Monarchs' cagey season continued.Said Harkess: "It’s hard to win matches when you run ten last places."The bottom line was we were simply not competitive enough in too many positions."GLASGOW team manager Stewart Dickson says consistency on the road could prove vital to their title hopes.While the Tigers remain unbeaten at home, he believes his side are even more capable than the two away wins they have managed so.Said Dickson: "We as a team need to find a bit more consistency on the road."One or two have been dissatisfied with their scores, but we win and lose together as a team!"IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins believes his side's disappointing form will stand him in good stead in the future.Hawkins has endured a challenging opening few months in his debut managerial role, with the Witches winning just three of their last ten meetings.Said Hawkins: "It's been a big learning curve for me and it's been tough because the performances have been bad. "I'm learning all the time but I think it will make me a better manager going forwards."NEWCASTLE team manager George English has told his side they need to cut out their mistakes if they are serious about the title challenge.The Diamonds picked up just a single consolation league point from their away matches at Rye House and Sheffield - and English is adamant it could and should have been more.Said English: "Again, points were dropped when they shouldn't have and this inconsistency must be addressed without delay."We are losing ground in the league chase when we certainly should not be.” PETERBOROUGH No.1 Craig Cook insists he still has plenty more to offer despite making a positive start to life with the Panthers.Cook has scored double-figures in all three of his appearances for Jason Attwood's side so far and bagged an impressive second place on the rostrum in Monday's British Final - but Cook feels he can still offer more!He said: "I'm happy that I've made some massive steps forwards in the past few weeks."I'm still learning how to get the best out of my new engines and I can promise everyone there is still a lot more to come from me."PLYMOUTH boss Lee Trigger believes his side can pull off a home win against Edinburgh on Saturday - despite being without star Jack Holder.The Australian is competing in the opening round of the World Under-21 Championships at King's Lynn and the Devils are left to operate rider replacement.Said Trigger: "Jack is second in our averages so everyone can take his rides and everyone fires at home, so I am confident we will be OK."REDCAR signing Tobias Busch says he is ready to make an impression for the Bears on his return to British racing.The German racer had a spell with Edinburgh in 2010 but feels he is more prepared for his time in the UK this time around.Said Busch: "I had big problems with myself, and my materials in that time but now that has all changed a lot. "I am older, and have more sponsors to get the stuff for England; I will be bringing complete equipment over to compete."RYE HOUSE captain Edward Kennett praised his side after they secured a 48-42 home win over Newcastle.It's now five meetings without defeat in the Premier League for the Rockets who are starting to settle into the 2016 campaign.Said Kennett: "The boys dug deep once again and I'm proud of them for getting another good result."I'm happy with my own performances too; Robert Lambert pushed me hard and fair play to him but I knew I just had the edge."SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey is confident new signing Lewis Kerr will be a popular addition to their side.The Scorpions snapped the 26-year-old up as soon as he was released by Ipswich to replace Andreas Lyager.Said Godfrey: "Lewis is a likeable, British lad who will score points everywhere.“His signing adds extra strength to our team; there will be a feeling of more confidence in the camp going forward.”SHEFFIELD co-boss Marc Bates insisted results are more important than performances following their 49-40 home win over Newcastle last week.The Tigers are proving to be serious contenders in the opening months of the season and Bates is desperate to make up for the disappointment of 2015.He said: "It wasn't our best performance but we got the job done!"We need to keep doing that, keep moving forwards and make sure we reach the play-offs at the end of the season."SOMERSET boss Garry May hailed another all-round team performance as his side bolstered their play-off bid with a 47-46 win at Redcar.Said May: "This was another excellent whole team performance with everyone making valuable contributions at vital times during the match."The boys showed great character when Redcar came back at us but I think we were more than deserving of our win."WORKINGTON team manager Tony Jackson has called on his side to take confidence from their home form into their away meetings.The Comets have smashed the 50-point barrier in their last three fixtures at Derwent Park put have picked up just two league points on their travels so far.Said Jackson: "We know that we need to find a way to transfer our home form to our away matches, where we never all seem to fire on the same night. "That proved to be our Achilles heel last season when our excellent home form was counteracted by poor away form, which cost us a play-off place and we certainly don’t want history to repeat itself!” TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE boss Graham Goodwin has called on them to assert their dominance on home shale to bolster their play-off push.The Colts were due to return to action at home against King’s Lynn last Friday, but after rain caused the meeting to be postponed they will now have to wait until hosting Stoke on June 24 to get back on track. Goodwin said: “We had a very busy period last month, so it was quite nice I think for the boys to have that bit of a break.“The battle at the top of the table is very close. We've been picking up points in our away matches but we must make sure to keep bringing in the big hauls at home if we want to make the play-offs.”BIRMINGHAM are gearing up for their busiest spell of the season after a rare Wednesday night off.The Brummies will begin a run of seven meetings in the space of three weeks when they host King’s Lynn at Perry Barr tomorrow (Wednesday, 7.30).Team manager Graham Drury said: “We've got a big chunk of our season coming up and those meetings will have a huge say on our destiny in not one but three competitions!“It's an exciting yet crucial stage of our season and hopefully we can come out of the end with our good run of form still intact. “Seven meetings in three weeks certainly keeps our riders sharp - and the back end of July gets even more hectic!”BUXTON suffered last-gasp heartache after coming within a whisker of dumping Cradley out of the Knockout Cup.The Hitmen fought valiantly in the second leg of their tie at Monmore Green on Monday, leading for the majority of the meeting before being denied in a last-heat decider.They will now aim to end a seven-meeting winless run in all competitions as they take on Stoke in the National League at Loomer Road on Saturday (7.30).COVENTRY’S interest in the National League KO Cup is effectively over after a 34-56 first leg defeat at the hands of high-flying Kent at Brandon on Friday.Storm boss Laurence Rogers said: “We had no answer at all – being without Marty (Martin Knuckey) and Jamie (Halder), and rider replacement scored us five points.“I’ll give Henry Atkins his due, he battled his heart out and got his first point, but we’re just down on power and Kent are flying, they’re a strong side all the way through.“It was just one of those meetings where there was no way of catching up. They made very few mistakes, and their team-building has been excellent this year as I’ve said before, especially now they have Luke Clifton at reserve.”CRADLEY needed a last heat decider to edge through to the next round of the Knockout Cup with a 46-42 win over Buxton at Monmore Green on Monday. A relieved team manager Will Pottinger said: “We made hard work of it at times but we're through and that's all that matters.“We threw some silly points away at times and we should have had it wrapped up way before we did. We need to learn from tonight's meeting but right now we're just happy to have got another win.”EASTBOURNE manager Connor Dugard believes they have turned a corner after a frustrating start to the season.“We have had a dreadful run of injuries this year but we are still on course,” said Dugard. “We are now up to second place in the National League table, and I am looking to keep our momentum going. “I think when we look back, the match against Cradley will be seen as a turning point in our season.“The fans did their bit too and made with plenty of noise. It turned into a great night, the best so far this year.” ISLE OF WIGHT have made a team change with Nick Phillips coming in as a replacement for Matt Saul at reserve.Team manager Neil Vatcher said: “While we are all really sad to see Matt leave the camp, we are very pleased to be able to announce Nick's inclusion. “We were alerted to Nick's availability a short while ago and Barry (Bishop) and I have both kept an eye on him since.“Nick started the season with Eastbourne and is looking forward to getting back on to the larger, faster tracks and settling in quickly with his new team.” KENT pulled off three more stunning away wins over the last seven days to extend their unbeaten run to 14 meetings.The high-flying Kings roared to Knockout Cup wins at the Isle of Wight and Coventry before a resounding triumph at Buxton in the National League on Sunday.They will now return to action when they take a 22-point lead into the second leg of their Cup clash with Coventry at Central Park next Monday, June 20 (6.30). KING’S Lynn Young Stars put in a strong all-around team performance to earn a hard-fought 51-39 win over Cradley at the Adrian Flux Arena last week.Stand-in team manager for the evening Rob Lyon said: “It was a solid performance, all the boys chipped in and it was a great result for us.“Lewis Whitmore had an excellent debut and everyone played their part, so I’m sure they’ll all be able to take lots of confidence from that performance.” MILDENHALL promoter Kevin Jolly says a change in club captaincy was designed to bring out the best in former skipper Connor Coles – who responded with a maximum against Buxton.Jolly told Speedway Star: “I got exactly the response I wanted from Colesy. I can’t remember being more satisfied with something as a promoter.“He needs to concentrate fully on maintaining this standard, which is why we’ve switched to Jon Armstrong as skipper.”RYE HOUSE saw their National League clash with Kent at Central Park postponed due to rain on Monday.The Raiders were due to return to action after a two-week break, but they will now be forced to wait until their trip to Arlington to take on Eastbourne on Saturday (7.30). STOKE manager Malcolm Vasey says they will return to action high on confidence when they host Buxton at Loomer Road on Saturday (7.30).After a three-week break, the Potters will be looking to extend their winning run to four successive meetings.Vasey said: “We have made several changes and are now on a good run, so we will be looking to continue that.“Since we’ve made the changes I do feel we are a different proposition. We have grown in confidence and there’s nothing like winning that bolsters that confidence within a team.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY JUNE 14:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Workington OFFTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 15:TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v King’s Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 16:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Rye House 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 17:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 7.30, Coventry v King’s Lynn 7.30, Lakeside v Swindon 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30CHALLENGE: Somerset Rebels Select v National League Select 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 18:WORLD UNDER-21 FINAL Round 1: King’s Lynn 7.30ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Ipswich 7pm, Plymouth v Edinburgh 7.15TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Rye House 7.30, Stoke v Buxton 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 19:PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Ipswich 6.30, Scunthorpe v Rye House 6.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Cradley 3.30
MONDAY JUNE 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd round 1st leg: Kent v Coventry 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 21:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Plymouth 7.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 22:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY FINAL 1st leg: Birmingham v Kent 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 23:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Newcastle 7.30, Sheffield v Redcar 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
FRIDAY JUNE 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Plymouth v Ipswich 7.15, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Rye House 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Stoke 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 25:PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Plymouth 7pm, Workington v Somerset 7pmTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 26:PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Rye House 3pm, Coventry v Birmingham 4pm, Eastbourne v King’s Lynn 3.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 5: Rye House 2pm
MONDAY JUNE 27:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Workington 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Eastbourne 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY FINAL 2nd leg: Kent v Birmingham 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 28:PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Somerset v Peterborough 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v King’s Lynn 7pm
