MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…
PETERBOROUGH promoter Ged Rathbone declared ‘speedway is the winner’ following a spectacular weekend of Premier League Fours racing.A packed programme of 73 races across two days at the East of England Showground came down to a three-way, last-heat decider for trophy glory.Plymouth and Workington went into the 16th and closing contest in the Fours Final locked together in the standings with hosts Peterborough only a couple of points behind.And it was home captain Ulrich Ostergaard who made the best start before finding himself swamped with the decisive move arriving later on the opening lap as Brady Kurtz swept to the front to take victory for the Devils on 30 points, one ahead of Workington with the Panthers third and Berwick fourth.But despite seeing his own club miss out, Rathbone was able to reflect on a hugely successful weekend with bumper crowds packing the Showground for the first-ever two-day Fours Festival.Rathbone said: “I thought it might be our day as we started well in the Final, but we just couldn’t keep it going.“Plymouth rode very well all weekend and deserved their success, but speedway is the winner as far as I’m concerned.“I’m very glad I made the suggestion of giving the Fours a big shake-up. Supporters are a huge part of this sport and they have turned out in force.“The weekend has been a fantastic success and we’ve also learned a lot to make sure it continues to get bigger and better year-by-year.“We’ve had proved we are capable of putting on a top show and we'll look forward to hopefully being able to do the same again in the future.”Saturday’s semi-finals had thrown up bags of drama and top-quality racing with Workington edging out Glasgow on count-back of race wins despite having gone into the last heat of the opening event three points adrift.Plymouth served notice of their potential for the Final with a dominant victory in the second semi, whilst the third also went to the wire as Berwick got the better of holders Edinburgh by just a point.The weekend also featured a Sunday lunchtime Individual event involving riders from the defeated clubs, with victory going to Scunthorpe’s Ryan Douglas ahead of Steve Worrall (Newcastle) and Ben Barker (Ipswich).BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2016BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOSH BATESBRITISH FINAL: DANNY KINGPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: SOMERSETPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS WEEKEND: PLYMOUTHPREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, September 11ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Coventry, October 8
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: KRYSTIAN PIESZCZEK
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE headed into the World Cup break on top of the Elite League table after successive away wins at Belle Vue and Coventry.Aces star Craig Cook said: “I believe we’ve got a stronger side than last year and we’re so hungry for that league title. As a unit we get along exceptionally well, which is half the battle when you’re going for that top spot.“It’s a hell of a team to be in right now and we’re really enjoying ourselves. We can take great confidence into the second half of our year.”COVENTRY skipper Chris Harris admitted the Bees were frustrated to miss out at home to Belle Vue on Friday in a damaging result to their outside play-off chances.Harris said: “It’s disappointing, and it was one of those nights for us. We were all up and down, and I had a terrible night.“If you’re not scoring points for the team you’re not earning money, and I suppose it rubs off on the rest of the team when the captain is having a bad night. KK (Krzysztof Kasprzak) had bike problems as well, and it’s just frustrating all-round.”KING’S LYNN promoter Keith Chapman said he was “devastated” with the abandonment of the Stars’ clash with Swindon after heavy rain caused lengthy delays.Chapman said: “I did everything I possibly could to give the riders the conditions they wanted after what was a very heavy downpour.“Sadly this was to no avail, but I can honestly say I did my very best to get this meeting on. I would like to apologise to the fans for the frustrating delays, and would urge everyone to please continue supporting us.”LAKESIDE kept their play-off push moving forward with a home win against top-four rivals Swindon at Purfleet, preventing the Robins from taking a point.Hammers coach Kelvin Tatum said: “It was a little bit dicey at one stage when they got within six, and we probably should have been more in control at that point in truth.“Swindon put up a decent fight, but we got the job done and got the three points which was the main thing. We also stopped them getting anything which could prove very important at the end of the season, so it was a job well done for us in the end.”LEICESTER boss Norrie Allan says his team have become a good unit to work with after several changes in the first half of the season.Allan told Speedway Star: “I'm proud of the seven guys we've got in the Leicester line-up right now; none of them may be an out-and-out No. 1 but they certainly give it their all and they certainly put a shift in.“They gel together well as a team, they're a good group of riders and we feel we can have some good times between now and the end of the season.”POOLE reserve Bjarne Pedersen was delighted in his display in the Pirates’ comfortable home win over Coventry, as they close in on the top four with matches in hand.Pedersen said: “That was a good result and I am glad I am settling back into the groove again. “It felt before I was still learning the track here despite my previous experience but things seem to be in place now and I was happy with tonight.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter has vowed to hit back after the World Cup break, with the depleted Robins going down Lakeside to end a week of three successive defeats.Rossiter said: “It was a shame we couldn’t get a point, but looking at the positives, Nick (Morris) was back to his old self and Doyley was also superb. Full credit to Stuart Robson as well, he was a great guest for us down at reserve. “It’s been a tough week for us but there were some positive signs tonight, and if we can get Sedgy (Justin Sedgmen) firing again we should be fine.”WOLVERHAMPTON favourite Sam Masters believes fear factor has played a crucial role in their Monmore Green dominance this season.Masters said: “In the Elite League the boys really have it dialled in around Wolverhampton. We've been strong at our home track all year and teams don't like coming to face us.“Swindon came to cause an upset and move above us in the league but we weren't about to roll over and let them win. We wanted to make sure we didn't have any slip ups and I think we produced one of our best performances of the season.”
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK will hand a debut to new Polish signing Dawid Stachyra in their home clash against joint league leaders Glasgow on Wednesday.Team manager Scott Courtney said: "Dawid is a legitimate performer and he wants to be a Bandit and that means a lot to me."The Bandits will be looking to make it six home wins on the spin as they look to bolster their own push for a place in the end of season play offs.EDINBURGH could find themselves potentially without their top five riders for Friday's vital home meeting against Sheffield on Friday.Sam Masters, Ryan Fisher and Kevin Wolbert could all be representing their home countries in the Speedway World Cup race-off while the Riss brothers (Erik and Mark) are absent on German league duty.Monarchs team manager Alex Harkess told the Edinburgh Evening News: "Under normal circumstances I think we would probably have cancelled the fixture or postponed it anyway.“However because of all the bad weather and rain-offs we have endured so far this year, we are simply too far behind with our home fixtures to allow us to lose another Friday and that is why we have got to run it.”GLASGOW's Nike Lunna is hoping to make a memorable comeback by helping his side extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.The Finnish racer drops down to reserve for the Tigers for their visits to Berwick and Redcar after seven weeks out with a broken bone in his hand.Said Lunna: "It hasn’t fully healed yet but I can use it, so I can’t be off the bike. It’s been so boring over the last seven weeks – but now I am back and enjoying it even more.""I can’t wait to come back and to give 100% for the Tigers all the way to the finals.”IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins has told his side to be wary of their opponents when they host Plymouth at Foxhall on Thursday.Said Hawkins: "Plymouth have got a good side I think and they’ll be on a high from the weekend (winning the Premier League Fours) so we’re going to need to be at our best or else we’ll get beat."We have to be on top of our game again because we can’t afford anymore slip ups at home for our play-off hopes and for our season in general.”NEWCASTLE star Lewis Rose believes his side can charge up the Premier League table as the Diamonds face right meetings in August.Rose told Speedway Star: "Being busy keeps you in a certain flow and the more time on the bike you spend, the more comfortable you feel."We went to Somerset the other week and the team did really well; there won't be too many teams who go there and get a league point so we have to take that as a positive."PETERBOROUGH promoter Ged Rathbone believes Danish racer Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen will demonstrate his potential during the second half of the Premier League campaign.Rathbone told Speedway Star: "When I signed Nikolaj during the winter, I felt he was a rider who would really boost his average and challenge for the No.1 spot."That hasn't happened as yet, but there is no doubt in my mind he has the ability to be a top rider in the Premier League."PLYMOUTH team manager Lee Trigger has spoken of his relief and joy after his chosen quartet were crowned Premier League Fours Champions at the weekend.Said Trigger: "That is the first major silverware we have achieved with the Devils; we have a trophy to show for our efforts and that will always be in the record books."It was a fantastic achievement for the club and reward for the riders after all the bad luck we have had this year."REDCAR will be looking to continue their much improved form when they host Glasgow on Thursday.After a nightmare run of 12 meetings without a win, the Bears have enjoyed the month of July much more picking up a victory over Scunthorpe and a consolation league point away at Plymouth.RYE HOUSE will be looking to return to winning ways when they host joint league leaders Somerset on Sunday.The Rockets have suffered a trio of consecutive defeats and will be keen to add three more league points to their tally to close in on the play off pack.SCUNTHORPE star Ryan Douglas hopes victory in the individual meeting during the Premier League Fours weekend will provide him with another boost for the remainder of the season.Said Douglas: "I finished second in my semi-final, which is what I needed to do to get through, and then once you’ve reached the final, everyone has got a chance to win it, and I took mine.”"I was chuffed to win the meeting, because it was a strong field, with a lot of good riders in the line-up."SHEFFIELD co-promoter Damien Bates insists his side will need to improve if they are to secure an end of season play off place. It comes after the Tigers crashed out of the Knockout Cup after suffering a heavy 107-73 aggregate defeat to Newcastle.Said Bates: "The business end of the season is approaching now and everyone needs to start raising their performances again."We're in a decent position but there's still plenty of work to be done before we're guaranteed a play off spot."SOMERSET begin a hectic schedule of 15 meetings in five weeks with a home fixture against Berwick on Friday."To use a well-worn sporting cliché, we will be taking it one match at a time," said Rebels team manager Garry May."Although Berwick may be having an inconsistent season, they have shown in the Fours Championship that they are not to be taken lightly; but in saying that I would still expect us to take the win and the three league points which go with it.”WORKINGTON team manager Tony Jackson hopes his side will build on their encouraging performance in last weekend's Premier League Fours.Said Jackson: "It was very disappointing to go so close to winning the Fours but I told the lads to take heart from their performance where they showed just how competitive they are against the top riders from all the other clubs.“Hopefully we can now carry that momentum into this next batch of league fixtures, which will ultimately make or break our play-off aspirations for this season!”
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE youngster Joe Lawlor believes he is making steady progress in his first full season of National League racing.Said Lawlor: “National League is a big step up from Midland Development League. It’s hard but I’m enjoying it, and I know it’s something I have to do if I want to progress my career in the sport.“I suppose the biggest challenge for me has been away. A lot of the National League tracks are places I’ve never been to before and you only have a limited number of laps to learn about them.”BIRMINGHAM emerged with four more National League points following a 51-37 victory in an incident-packed meeting against Stoke at Loomer Road.Team boss Graham Drury said: “It was a good performance, but I don’t really take any great deal of joy going to a meeting like that and winning it.“When your opposition lose two riders within the first two races it isn’t good for the meeting as a whole, and it was a shame things turned out like that. “It was one of those nights with a lot of crashes, and it was a long night for everybody concerned, but we came away with four points which was the main thing.”BUXTON suffered a comprehensive 58-32 defeat against Cradley at Monmore Green on Monday night.Hitmen manager Jason Pipe said: “You might have predicted that we would lose tonight but to lose in that manner is not acceptable. “I could have expected double figures from some riders and others were being beaten by first year riders when they should be doing better. “I promise the Buxton public that we will have at least one new face by the time we face Coventry in our next meeting. That is a match we should be looking to win and break our home duck for the season.”COVENTRY were unable to end their recent losing sequence when they were beaten 52-38 at the Isle of Wight, paying the price for a poor start.Boss Laurence Rogers said: “The second half of the meeting was fairly even, but at the beginning we were really a two-man side.“Mitchell (Davey) and Liam (Carr) were doing their bit, although I’d also say Callum (Walker) did pick up points and we were unlucky in Heat 2 because we were on a 5-1 when Nick Phillips nearly took Tyler Govier into the bar, and Tyler won the re-run.”CRADLEY stormed to their biggest win of the 2016 season as they thrashed Buxton 58-32 at Monmore Green.Team boss Will Pottinger said: “We were really happy with that in the end, because the last time we had a wet track it caught us out.“It was a great result, our biggest win of the season, and everyone put in good performances so we’re very happy.“Ever since Richard Andrews has come into the team, he’s given us a bit more strength, and we have Ben Basford back now which gives us a boost.”EASTBOURNE ace Ellis Perks was delighted to claim arguably their biggest win of the season so far as they defeated high-flying Kent 47-43 at Arlington on Saturday night.Perks said: “The build up to this meeting has been massive. There has been a lot of publicity on social media. It is the best crowd we have seen all year.“The pressure was on all the way from start to finish. It is unreal. We are stoked to come away with victory over Kent.”ISLE OF WIGHT stormed to a much-needed 52-38 win over Coventry Storm at Smallbrook last Thursday.The Warriors overcame the loss of reserve Nick Phillips with a dislocated elbow early on to come out on top in an entertaining encounter.They will be back in action as they host high-flying Kent tonight (Tuesday, 7.30) before a home challenge meeting against Exeter on Thursday (7.30). KENT got back to winning ways with a convincing 56-34 triumph over Stoke at Central Park on Monday.The high-flying Kings had suffered back-to-back defeats after narrowly missing out at Eastbourne on Saturday.However, they bounced back with a confidence-boosting performance and will now head to the Isle of Wight tonight (Tuesday, 7.30).KING’S LYNN have reluctantly decided to concede their National League Knockout Cup tie with Eastbourne.Young Stars boss Dale Allitt said: “We are struggling for dates with Eastbourne also to come back in the league, and we also have two Elite League matches to fit in. “Having talked to Eastbourne, it’s very apparent that neither of us can get a date together in the near future. The league cut-off is September 25, so that has to be a priority, and it’s in the interests of everyone that the Cup is allowed to progress, in a situation where we are highly unlikely to go through, being 33 points down from the first leg.” MILDENHALL claimed their first away win of the season as they beat Buxton 53-37 at the D&P Raceway on Sunday. Promoter Kevin Jolly said: “This has been coming for a while and with a little fortune the margin of victory could have been considerably more, that said I am not complaining as every rider gave his all today and made an important contribution to the victory. “The three heat leader all rode superbly and Colesy should have got more for his efforts, but the bottom three really gave the top lads the important backing required to win away.”RYE House are to stage the one-off British 150cc Final on Sunday September 11.The event will take place prior to the Raiders’ National League match against King’s Lynn with up to eight riders competing over qualifying races and a winner-takes-all Final.STOKE were left counting the cost of injury misfortune as they slipped to a 51-37 home defeat against table-topping Birmingham on Saturday. Team manager Malcolm Vasey commented: “I don’t think anyone can complain about the effort we put in, but the disparity between Birmingham and us and in fact most of the National League doesn’t help, then our situation was not helped with the news that we’d lost both Shaun Tedham and Chris Hay in the opening two heats through injury.“I know they lost Zach Wajtknecht but, there really is not much difference between the Birmingham riders and managed to cover his next two rides with their reserves and I have to give credit where it is due because Jack Smith and Jack Parkinson-Blackburn are a probably the best reserve pairing in the National League. “I do think the main body of our team did very well under the circumstances and did their best to keep the score as tight as possible but it was an uphill struggle after we lost Shaun and Chris.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY JULY 26:TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
WEDNESDAY JULY 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Glasgow 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Mildenhall 7.30, King’s Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Glasgow 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30SOLENT TROPHY 2nd leg: Isle of Wight v Exeter 7pm
FRIDAY JULY 29:WORLD CUP RACE-OFF: Belle Vue 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 30:WORLD CUP FINAL: Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY JULY 31:PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30, Rye House v Somerset 4pm, Workington v Peterborough 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pmTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Mildenhall 3.30, Rye House v Birmingham (follows PL fixture)BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 5: Leicester 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 1:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Leicester 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Isle of Wight 6.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 2:PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Scunthorpe 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Lakeside 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v King’s Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 4:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Berwick 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Cradley 7pm
FRIDAY AUGUST 5:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 7.30, Lakeside v Belle Vue 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Rye House 7.30, Plymouth v Berwick 7.15, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Isle of Wight 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 6:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Coventry 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Workington v Newcastle 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd round 1st leg: Berwick v Rye House 7pmTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Eastbourne 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Belle Vue v Birmingham 7.30
SUNDAY AUGUST 7:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Workington 3pm, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30, Peterborough v Edinburgh 5pm, Scunthorpe v Somerset 6.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Coventry 3pm, Mildenhall v Kent 3.30
MONDAY AUGUST 8:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v King’s Lynn 6.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 9:FAST GOLDEN HAMMER: Cradley 7.30
