(SPEEDWAY 1)
BRITISH Youth boss Neil Vatcher is backing Robert Lambert to become World Under-21 Champion in Poland next month.Lambert scored eleven points in the second round of the series in Pardubice last Friday, meaning he is level with Australian star Max Fricke, whilst Krystian Pieszczek is only one point behind.The deciding round takes place at Gdansk on Sunday October 2.Vatcher said: “Robert worked extremely hard for his points in Czecho and was chasing the set-up all night.“Of course at these World Finals there are no easy races, and even though at one point it looked as if he would do enough to reach the Final his 11-point tally takes him in to the last round in joint first place, which gives him a great chance.“Gdansk most certainly will not be a foregone conclusion for any of the riders as this is a top-class field, and the Polish contingent will be on the gas at their home venue.”Josh Bates heads to Gdansk in eighth place, and therefore has a top six finish within range, after both he and Adam Ellis scored five points at Pardubice.Vatcher added: “With the Grand Prix in Torun 24 hours before the event in Gdansk, hopefully some British fans can stay over and try to witness Robert clinch a World title.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
POOLE promoter Matt Ford is relishing an Elite League play-off battle with Wolverhampton which features several of the World’s top riders.The Pirates have recruited Antonio Lindback to replace the injured Hans Andersen, with Tai Woffinden recently back in the Wolves team.The sides meet at Wimborne Road in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday, with the return at Monmore next Monday.Ford said: “I guess that I am like most speedway fans when I say that I am really looking forward to seeing Tonio and Tai back racing each other in British Speedway. “A play-off is always, in its own right, a thrilling night of speedway but on Wednesday night we have four of the current top ten GP riders on show, with Chris (Holder) and Freddie (Lindgren) normally bagging the headlines, but the fact that the attention is on Antonio and Tai speaks volumes.”Wolves boss Peter Adams said: “Our home record has generally been excellent, so we believe we can beat anyone at home, and we’ve had some good away performances over the course of the season as well.“We’ll have to raise our game, but of course everyone else will be looking to do the same, so we’ll see what happens.“The play-offs are always an exciting occasion and this year certainly won’t be any different. We’re pleased to be involved again and we’ll certainly be trying to make the most of it.”(SPEEDWAY 3)
LAKESIDE host Belle Vue on Wednesday in the first leg of their mouth-watering play-off semi-final at the Arena-Essex Raceway.The Hammers sealed their place in the top four thanks to a 58-35 home win over Swindon in their final league meeting of the campaign last Friday.They have elected to operate the rider-replacement facility for the injured Andreas Jonsson, as they go up against a full-strength Aces side.Lakeside coach Kelvin Tatum said: “Naturally, to give ourselves the best opportunity possible, we need to make the most of our home advantage and build up as big a lead as we can ahead of Monday's trip to the National Speedway Stadium.“If you go on the 'A' fixtures, we would have actually won on aggregate and that shows we're more than capable of being able to pull this off.“It's going to take a huge team effort over 30 races but I think we're in for a cracking semi-final tie.”Belle Vue star Richie Worrall said: “We’ve been working hard all year to get to this point and we’re determined to see things through to the end. Even without AJ, the Hammers aren’t just here to make up the numbers.“They’re tricky customers on their home track but on both our visits to Arena-Essex this year we’ve pushed them hard, and we’re buoyed by the confidence we’ve gained from our last few meetings. “Obviously we want to carry a favourable result into the second leg at home and I firmly believe that we are quite capable of doing so. We just have to knuckle down and keep our eye on the prize.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
KING'S Lynn Young Stars will aim for another home win when they take on Rye House at the Adrian Flux Arena on Wednesday.The home side picked up a confidence boosting consolation point from their 47-43 defeat at Mildenhall on Sunday and are looking to build on that as they return to Norfolk.The Young Stars will once again be without Tom Stokes - and the club can now confirm he has decided to quit the sport.Team boss Dale Allitt said: "Tom feels finding opportunities within the sport have been difficult for him and he feels he’s not getting the breaks.“It’s disappointing that the sport has lost a decent young rider but that's how it goes sometimes unfortunately.“Looking at Wednesday's meeting itself though, Rye House clearly have a very strong top three and they will test what we’ve got, so they need to be respected.”Raiders skipper Luke Priest said: “I think that King’s Lynn will be the toughest of our three on the road, but we will go there on the crest of a wave, and aim to do the business. We all want the season to keep going the way it has these last two months.”
(FIXTURES)WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 21:ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Lakeside v Belle Vue 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Rye House 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF Q/F 1st leg: Ipswich v Edinburgh 7.30LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Sheffield v Somerset 7.30TEESSIDE SILVER HELMET: Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Peterborough 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Somerset v Glasgow 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Cradley 7.30, Coventry v Stoke 7pm, Coventry v Rye House (follows previous fixture)KENT COUNTY FOURS: Kent 6.30
