SGB PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE – “There were nearly three weeks between this meeting and the last one and I have had three engines in the bike since then.” Steve Worrall reckons away teams are benefiting from Belle Vue’s lack of meetings at the National Speedway Stadium. Read more in this week’s Speedway Star.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Premiership, Fri June 9 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Premiership, Fri June 2 (7.30)
KING’S LYNN – “My start has been pretty average, I have had some good scores on away tracks but my past few meetings have not been that good.” Nicklas Porsing is searching for more ahead of the Stars welcoming Rye House. Check out King’s Lynn’s programme on Wednesday for the full interview.
NEXT HOME: Rye House, Premiership, Weds May 24 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Knockout Cup, Mon June 5 (7.30)
LEICESTER - “He was fairly unprofessional at the end of the King’s Lynn match by not being ready to go in heat 15.” Boss Jim Lynch outlined the reasons behind Lions dispensing with the services of Kacper Gomolski in last week’s Speedway Star.
NEXT HOME: Rye House, Premiership, Mon May 29 (2pm)
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Premiership, Mon June 12 (7.30)
POOLE – "Really happy to be through to under-21 final. Been a tough few years in U21 but we are on track.” In-form Pirate Brady Kurtz came second with 14 points in Friday’s qualifier in Pardubice.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Premiership, Weds June 7 (7.30).
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Premiership, Mon May 29 (7.30)
RYE HOUSE – “I didn’t make the best of starts – no surprise there! Coming off the first corner, I didn’t feel great but once I moved out and got momentum I felt fast. Luckily, I managed to pick them off one by one.” Chris Harris on his last-to-first victory in heat nine of Saturday’s win over Somerset.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Premiership, Weds June 14 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Premiership, Weds May 24 (7.30)
SOMERSET - “Our rider replacement for Charles Wright only produced three points. I am sure he would have been good for more than that.” Boss Garry May rued the absence of his number three following Saturday’s defeat at Rye House.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Premiership, Fri June 2 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Premiership, Mon May 29 (5pm)
SWINDON - “Freddie is on fire and along with Jason Doyle is one of the fastest riders in the world at the moment. It is always good to be beating those guys.” Nick Morris after helping to end Freddie Lindgren’s 20-heat run of remaining unbeaten by an opponent at Wolverhampton.
NEXT HOME: Somerset, Premiership, Mon May 29 (5pm)
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Premiership, Weds May 31 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON – "I personally felt it was refreshing to meet opposition who gave us a match, which hasn't been the case in our past three home meetings.” Wolves boss Peter Adams did not seem too upset at Swindon snatching a late point on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Premiership, Mon May 29 (6pm)
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Premiership, Weds June 7 (7.30)
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…
BERWICK – “He is the real number one Berwick have been crying out for.” Gary Havelock hails Nick Morris’s 14-point haul as Berwick finally grabbed their first win of the season at the 11th attempt – Saturday’s 50-40 success over Peterborough. It was also the first time Bandits had beaten the Panthers in 18 years.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Championship, Sat May 27 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Championship, Sun June 11 (7pm)
EDINBURGH - “We lost it at the start. It’s difficult to give Workington eight points and hope to do anything.” Boss John Campbell was unhappy with the Monarchs’ slow start at Derwent Park on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Championship, Fri May 26 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Knockout Cup, Thurs June 1 (7.30)
GLASGOW – "They are in blistering form at home.” Boss Stewart Dickson admits it will be a tall order for Glasgow to maintain their record of taking something from every meeting in 2017 when they visit Sheffield on Thursday.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Championship, Sat May 27 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Championship, Thurs May 25 (7.30)
IPSWICH - “Danny hasn’t been the best away from home this year but he has been working hard and looked like his old self.” Boss Ritchie Hawkins hailed Danny King’s 15-point maximum which decided Sunday’s 46-44 win at Scunthorpe.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Championship, Thurs June 1 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Workington, Championship, Sat May 27 (7pm)
NEWCASTLE – "The score suggests this was an easy win but the Panthers gave us a few things to think about.” Boss George English credited depleted opponents Peterborough despite Newcastle’s 58-34 home victory on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Championship, Sun May 28 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Championship, Mon May 29 (3pm)
PETERBOROUGH – "It's a difficult time for us but the management and riders are doing all they can to turn the season around." Carl Johnson tried to stay upbeat despite the under-strength Panthers losing at Berwick and Newcastle over the weekend.
NEXT HOME: Workington, Championship, Mon May 29 (5pm)
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Championship, Fri May 26 (7.30)
REDCAR - “The options available to me during the meeting will keep our top five on their toes – I won't hesitate to give them extra rides if it is likely to score us more points." Team boss Jitendra Duffill wants the presence of reserves Danny Ayres and Ellis Perks to give his Bears team a jolt.
NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Championship, Thurs May 25 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Championship, Sat May 27 (7pm)
SCUNTHORPE – “Some of my riders need to take a look at themselves. I’ve been loyal to them – maybe too loyal.” Promoter Rob Godfrey pulled no punches after the Scorpions were stung by a 46-44 home defeat to Ipswich
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Championship. Mon May 29 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Championship, Thurs May 25 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD – "The forecast wasn't anything like how the weather panned out and that always makes a rain-off even more frustrating.” Co-promoter Peter Mole was annoyed by Thursday’s rain-off against Ipswich.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Championship, Thurs May 25 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Championship. Fri June 2 (7.30)
WORKINGTON – “We are in it to win the league and unfortunately, Adam did not look like changing things overnight.” Captain Craig Cook backs the Comets' decision to bring in James Sarjeant for Adam Roynon. Read more in this week’s Speedway Star.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Championship, Sat May 27 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Championship, Mon May 29 (5pm)
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…
BELLE VUE COLTS - “I’ve invested more money into my engines this year so for me there’s no excuses around Belle Vue; the engine I’m running at the NSS has been tuned specifically for the bigger tracks.” Colts man Rob Shuttleworth is geared up to enjoy plenty of success on home shale this season.
NEXT HOME: Stoke, National League, Fri May 26 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, National League, Sun May 28 (3pm)
BIRMINGHAM – “There have been plenty of encouraging signs this season and the first average changes are always interesting.” Brummies boss Graham Drury is excited to see how his side shape up after a change in riding order.
NEXT HOME: Buxton, National League, Wed May 24 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, National League, Mon June 12 (6.30)
BUXTON – “This will certainly now make us more competitive and hopefully now stop those big heavy defeats we've been on the receiving end of!” Hitmen boss Jason Pipe is confident the signing of Max Clegg can turn their fortunes around.
NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, National League, Sun May 28 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, National League, Wed May 24 (7.30)
CRADLEY – “I have been waiting a long time to do this after a rusty start at Cradley. Things have not been going my way with bike troubles and the like but I told the club I would come good and finally, I have.” Joe Lawlor was delighted to strike his first ever paid maximum as the Heathens won 62-27 away at Buxton on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue Colts, National League, Mon May 29 (7.45 approx, follows Wolverhampton’s 6pm start v Poole)
NEXT AWAY: Lakeside, National League, Sun May 28 (3pm)
EASTBOURNE – “We have been up and down and nobody has really appreciated what we are doing and it showed against Stoke that we are a strong force when everybody is going.” Chairman Martin Dugard believes the Eagles’ big win last time out proves their strength.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, National League, Sat May 27 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, Knockout Cup, Mon May 29 (3pm)
ISLE OF WIGHT – “Interviews said before a wheel was turned safety comes first for me and everyone else.” Warriors’ man James Cockle insisted on Facebook the right decision was made after their clash with Cradley was postponed on Thursday.
NEXT HOME: Plymouth, National Trophy, Thurs June 1 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, National Trophy, Thurs May 25 (7.30)
KENT – Kent put in a strong all-around team display to overcome the loss of Luke Clifton following a heat eight crash and beat Stoke 45-38 at Central Park on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Knockout Cup, Mon May 29 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Knockout Cup, Sat June 3 (7.30)
KING’S LYNN – “To minimise inconvenience for everyone involved, we made an early decision to postpone the fixture against Kent with a new date to be confirmed.” King’s Lynn bosses felt they had little choice but to pull the plug on last week’s clash with Kent due to bad weather.
NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, National League, Fri June 9 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, National League, Fri June 2 (7.15)
LAKESIDE - “I felt good in the challenge meeting I did so I’m sure it won’t take me too long at all to get back into the groove.” Veteran Paul Hurry is confident he can make a quick-fire impact after being handed a remarkable return to the sport by the Hammers.
NEXT HOME: Cradley, National League, Sun May 28 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Stoke, National League, Sat May 27 (7pm)
MILDENHALL – “The team spirit remains very strong and today again this was clear to see, they stick together and the atmosphere is very positive.” Team manager Robert Henry believes team spirit was vital to the Fen Tigers’ win over a Young Lions Under 21 side on Sunday.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue Colts, National League, Sun May 28 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, National League, Mon June 5 (6.30)
PLYMOUTH – “The Development Leagues have been a great starting point for many riders who have progressed on to higher leagues and this new league will hopefully produce some new names in the same way the Midland and Northern League have.” Devils’ co-promoter Laurence Rogers was happy to promote the new Southern Development League with their free Celebration of Speedway meeting last week.
NEXT HOME: Swindon Sprockets, National Trophy, Fri May 26 (7.15)
NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, National League, Sat May 27 (7.30)
STOKE - “I am devastated that we did not get at least a point from this meeting tonight, a match we should have won and deserved to win.” A frustrated Malcolm Vasey could not believe his Stoke side left Kent empty handed on Monday.
NEXT HOME: Lakeside, National League, Sat May 27 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, National League, Fri May 26 (7.30)
MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…
ROBERT Lambert is firmly on course for another World Under-21 title challenge after winning his semi-final in Sweden last weekend.
The King’s Lynn and Newcastle star, who finished third overall in 2016, produced an almost faultless 14-point score at Eskilstuna to head the qualifiers for the three-round Final.
He dropped his only point when he came out in his third ride immediately after the track had been heavily watered due to the watering truck breaking down during the grading break and spilling far too much water on the otherwise superbly prepared track.
Lambert won his four other rides and has now secured his place in the Final, which takes place in Poland (Poznan), Germany (Gustrow) and the Czech Republic (Pardubice) later in the year, with the first round on July 23.
Great Britain’s other two representatives suffered the agony of both narrowly missing out on qualification for the Final.
Adam Ellis missed out by just one point on a run-off for the last remaining spot after scoring 9 points at Eskilstuna.
And it was a frustrating evening for the Swindon youngster as he lost his steel shoe in his third ride, which caused him to drop two points as he was relegated to third place in the race.
Meanwhile Josh Bates finished eighth in a highly competitive meeting at Italian track Terenzano, in which the four qualifiers all finished level on 12 points.
Bates scored nine in a meeting delayed by a day due to rain, and eventually being won by Poole and Peterborough star Jack Holder.
The strength of competition was proved by reigning World Under-21 Champion Max Fricke missing the cut by one point, although the Belle Vue man did gain a place in the Final via the Wild Card selections.
Lambert, Ellis and Bates now turn their attention to the next major Under-21 event – the World Team Cup semi-final at Pocking, Germany on June 3.
The trio will be joined by Dan Bewley with Ellis Perks as reserve as they look to reach the country’s first Final since 2010.
The Young Lions Management would like to thank Direct Digital Controls Limited and Wessex Marine for their sponsorship of the GB Team and also the BSPA for their continued support.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2017
SGBP PAIRS: KING’S LYNN
BRITISH FINAL: Belle Vue, June 19
SGBC PAIRS: Somerset, July 21
SGBC FOURS: Peterborough, August 6
SGBP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Belle Vue, September 16
SGBC RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow, September 24
OTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DATES
BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: JAMES SHANES
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT LAMBERT
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Plymouth, July 6
BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: RORY SCHLEIN; KYLE HOWARTH
NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, September 24
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY MAY 24:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Rye House 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Buxton 7.30
THURSDAY MAY 25:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Glasgow 7.30
NATIONAL TROPHY: Swindon v Isle of Wight 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 26:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Peterborough 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Stoke 7.30
NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Swindon 7.15
SATURDAY MAY 27:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Redcar 7pm, Glasgow v Peterborough 7pm, Workington v Ipswich 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Plymouth 7.30, Stoke v Lakeside 7pm
SUNDAY MAY 28:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Isle of Wight 3pm, Lakeside v Cradley 3pm, Mildenhall v Belle Vue 3pm
MONDAY MAY 29:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Leicester v Rye House 2pm, Swindon v Somerset 5pm, Wolverhampton v Poole 6pm
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough v Workington 7pm, Scunthorpe v Newcastle 3pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Isle of Wight 3pm, Cradley v Belle Vue (follows Wolves fixture)
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Kent v Eastbourne 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2 (500cc/250cc): Scunthorpe (follows SGBC fixture)
WEDNESDAY MAY 31:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Swindon 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Buxton 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 1:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Newcastle 7.30, Redcar v Glasgow 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.30
NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Plymouth 7pm
FRIDAY JUNE 2:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Somerset v Belle Vue 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Sheffield 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v King’s Lynn 7.15
SATURDAY JUNE 3:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Leicester v Poole 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Kent 7.30, Stoke v Buxton 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 4:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Berwick 6pm, Newcastle v Sheffield 6.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st leg: Scunthorpe v Peterborough 5.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Plymouth 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 5:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30
NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Mildenhall 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 6:
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Belle Vue 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 7:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30, King’s Lynn v Rye House 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Eastbourne 7.30
