(SPEEDWAY 1)
BELLE Vue strengthened their National League position with a thumping 62-28 away win at the Isle of Wight on Tuesday.
Guests Danny Ayres (15+3) and Matt Williamson (15) both scored maximums with Colts regulars Kyle Bickley and Rob Shuttleworth both on paid-14 as the visitors dominated on the Island.
Ben Wilson provided the Warriors’ sole race win, with Connor Coles scoring eight points for the hosts.
Colts co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “The boys ran riot, there’s no other way to describe it. I did feel a little sorry for the Warriors because on paper they have a good team, but our guys completely overpowered them.
“Danny was just unstoppable and Matt did a tremendous job; we definitely booked the right guests tonight. We knew we had a shout of a win but we wanted to be certain.
“We did expect a bit more of a challenge than what we got, but I think in fairness we caught them on an off-night as there’s plenty of guys in their side that can perform much stronger than that.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
KING’S Lynn face a vital SGB Premiership double header against Wolverhampton at the Adrian Flux Arena tonight (Wednesday).
The Stars and the Wolves will race both of their scheduled clashes in Norfolk on the same night following postponements earlier in the season.
That means the Stars have six points up for grabs as they bid to keep their outside play-off chances alive and gain ground on fourth-placed Poole.
Wolves, meanwhile, can go a long way towards cementing a top-three finish should they secure a sizeable haul of away points.
The visitors welcome back Mark Riss after time out with a hand injury, but they still operate rider-replacement for Sam Masters. Nicklas Porsing is back for the Stars, who are at full strength.
Riss said: “It was a long time being out, about two months I think, and it feels like the start of the season again.
“I’m glad to be back to help Wolves out, because it’s a big part of the season coming up and we need to keep winning.
“It’s going to be a busy night at King’s Lynn, especially for my first one back for Wolves, but it’s good to be busy and we’ll hopefully get two good results there.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
RYE House begin a crunch run of fixtures with a home SGB Premiership clash against Somerset at Hoddesdon tonight (Wednesday).
The Rockets still have five matches remaining on their own circuit and trail fourth-placed Poole by eight points with three fixtures in hand overall.
Recent signing Krzysztof Kasprzak now moves into the top five for the hosts with Stuart Robson taking over at reserve, whilst the Rebels operate rider-replacement for Patrick Hougaard who has a commitment in Denmark. Kevin Doolan guests for broken wrist victim Jake Allen.
Rye House boss Peter Schroeck said: “We’re really looking forward to this week’s matches. We’re sitting in a really good position in the play-off picture, and we have the belief that this is it; this is our time.
“I also believe that the pressure is on other people rather than on us. We’re going to carry on with our business.
“The aim is for Wednesday to mark the start of a real run for the next few days, and for us to go down to the Oaktree Arena on Friday and get a result there as well. We’ve seen what Leicester have achieved down there, and we are more than capable and confident of doing the same.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
BIRMINGHAM host National League leaders Belle Vue in a powerhouse top-three contest at Perry Barr tonight (Wednesday).
The Brummies collected six points from recent away matches at Buxton and Cradley to give their play-off hopes a massive boost as they set the target for the chasing pack who have matches in hand.
They currently hold a five-point margin over fifth-placed Cradley, and go into the Colts clash with Liam Carr in blistering form having scored back-to-back 15-point maximums at Hi-Edge and Monmore.
But the Colts also arrive on a high, having doubled their lead at the top of the table to eight points after a rampant 62-28 win at the Isle of Wight on Tuesday.
The Brummies continue to operate rider-replacement for the unavailable David Mason, with Alex Spooner stepping in for Kyle Roberts at reserve.
The Colts, who include former Birmingham favourite Jack Smith, have Matt Williamson guesting for Dan Bewley who is en route to Latvia for the European Under-21 Final, with rider-replacement for the injured Lee Payne.
Carr said: “It was a good couple of days for both the team and myself, so hopefully we can take that form into the Belle Vue meeting.
“We'll need to be at our best, but there were a couple of lads struggling on Monday, so I think we should be able to find a bit extra.
“We all know Layne (Cupitt) and Taylor (Hampshire) are much better riders when we get to Birmingham, and if the rest of us do what we did on Monday then there's no reason we won't come away with three points.”
Colts co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “I think it’s fair to say our position in the play-offs is all but confirmed at this point, but that’s not suggesting our boys will be taking things easy between now and then.
“We’ve got to keep digging. There’s a lot of teams still fighting to secure a spot, and Birmingham is a totally different kettle of fish; and our result on the island will have no bearing on that.
“The Brummies have been on form lately and I don’t expect anything less than a powerful display from them, and I’m sure they’ll be keen to repay us for the damage we dealt them last week.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
EASTBOURNE have moved to sign Josh Bailey following news that Mark Baseby could be out for the rest of the season.
Baseby broke his arm in a crash on August 5 and has now been informed that his case will not be removed for another month – although he has now been handed a vice-manager’s role with the Eagles.
Team boss Connor Dugard said: “To expect Mark to go and race with six weeks off isn't exactly fair on him.
“We had the option of rider-replacement but unfortunately that isn't the way to go either. It only takes for someone to get injured and we would have a major problem.
“Josh’s recent scores in the Championship show his recent progression and joining a small track will do his career the world of good.”
(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton (follows previous fixture), Rye House v Somerset 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Belle Vue 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 24:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Swindon v Somerset 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 25:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, Somerset v Rye House 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Lakeside v Mildenhall 8pm
CALEDONIAN RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh 7.30
Results Tuesday August 22, 2017;
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEGUE
Isle of Wight 28 (Connor Coles 8)
Belle Vue 62 (Danny Ayres 15+3)
National League points: Isle of Wight 0 Belle Vue 4
