PIC OF THE WEEK...

Todd Kurtz and Josh Grajczonek race to a heat advantage for league-leaders Sheffield in Thursday’s SGB Championship win against Scunthorpe at Owlerton.
Picture: ANDY GARNER

SGB PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES...

BELLE VUE – “It’s been a wake-up call for us, but the issues of today are not unknown and easy to fix; Kenneth Bjerre will be on fresh engines come our next home meeting. I feel for the boys not getting any kind of consolation, especially after making such a strong start against the Wolves early on in the meeting. Unfortunately, they responded with equal strength.”
Aces manager Mark Lemon reflects on a point-less Bank Holiday Monday for his play-off chasing side, with defeats at both Poole and Wolverhampton.
NEXT HOME: Rye House, Premiership, Wed Aug 30 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, KO Cup S/F, Thur Sept 14 (7.30)

KING’S LYNN – “We had no moans or groans despite a tricky situation, our public was fantastic as were the Wolverhampton supporters that came up to me. A lot of people said they didn’t even want their part refund, that they had enjoyed some great racing and that they realised the situation was beyond our control. I know some people would not have been happy and I understand why, it was not a good situation for our club or for speedway in general.”
Stars promoter Keith Chapman thanks supporters for their understanding during a trying double-header against Wolverhampton in which his side were decimated by injuries.
NEXT HOME: Poole + Rye House, Premiership, Thur Aug 31 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Poole, Premiership, Weds Aug 30 (7.30)

LEICESTER – “All season we have had the same problem, getting our noses in front before tailing off in (heats) 13 or 14. This time we maintained it and there were some big performances in there. I am very pleased and I felt it was just reward because we deserved to beat them last time.”
Lions boss Jim Lynch expresses his delight as the Lions seal the deal for a first away win of the season at Belle Vue last Friday, keeping alive their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Premiership, Fri Sep 1 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Rye House, Premiership, Mon Sep 4 (7.30)

POOLE – “It’s nice to be back on our home track again on Wednesday, and our last trip to King’s Lynn was pretty good so hopefully we can do the same. Hopefully two wins on the card and then Somerset is a track we rode pretty well at last time without a No.1.”
Pirates skipper Hans Andersen tells BT Sport he feels his side can take major points from a crucial fixture schedule this week as they bid to hold on to their play-off place.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Premiership, Wed Aug 30 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: King’s Lynn, Premiership, Thur Aug 31 (7.30)

RYE HOUSE – “All the boys fully believe that we can do it (reach the play-offs), which is the key thing. We’re still on the mission, and the mission is very much alive. As I’ve said before, we’re not under the same pressure as some of the other teams. They’ve been there before and have high expectations. We’ve got expectations too – that’s certain - but we are in a different position where we can do it on our own business terms and just get on with it.”
Rockets boss Peter Schroeck is enjoying the ride as the Hoddesdon men seek to upset the play-off party in a hectic late-season run.
NEXT HOME: King’s Lynn, Premiership, Tues Aug 29 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Premiership, Weds Aug 30 (7.30)

SOMERSET – “I would like to apologise to the Somerset fans who made the trip up to support the team, they must be feeling pig sick, and who can blame them? But hopefully they will understand the situation was not of our making, and that the boys who were out there on track did their very best on what was a very difficult night for us all.”
Rebels boss Garry May on a troublesome visit to Swindon, where a six-man team became five before the start when guest Lasse Bjerre withdrew, and four when Jake Allen crashed out in the early stages.
NEXT HOME: Poole, Premiership, Fri Sep 1 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, KO Cup, TBC

SWINDON – “I’m really pleased with the results, double headers are never easy but we did the job and stayed in one piece, which was the main thing. Obviously it was a worry when David (Bellego) crashed like he did, but luckily he bounced back and was alright, although he’s got an even bigger headache now because he blew his engine completely. Mitchell (Davey) really got settled in, I was impressed with him, and hopefully I might now have found someone for the play-offs in place of Zach (Wajtknecht)!”
Robins boss Alun Rossiter on a profitable double-header against Leicester and Somerset for his side, who are now on a run of 16 successive victories as they close in on top spot ahead of the play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Premiership, Thurs Aug 31 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Rye House, Premiership, Fri Sept 1 (7.30)

WOLVERHAMPTON – “It's good for him (Masters) to have a couple of meetings in his body before the really important stuff starts. Also Mark is back and he is a big key to our team. I think the way we are we need everyone fully fit if we are going to have a shot at the title.”
Skipper Fredrik Lindgren is pleased to see his side return to full strength in time for the play-offs, with Sam Masters and Mark Riss both back after spells on the sidelines.
NEXT HOME: Swindon + King’s Lynn, Premiership, Mon Sep 4 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Premiership, Thurs Aug 31 (7.30)

SGB CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES…

BERWICK – “Can we not re-start the season, please? We are riding as a confident, capable, solid unit now which had we been doing since March, then we would have been up there at the top going for play-off glory. But speedway had dealt us a pretty rough hand up to now, so we just have to make the best and make sure next year starts as this one is finishing.”
Bandits boss Gary Havelock wishes August was the new March with a tough season at least finishing on a positive note with a series of home wins.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Championship, Thur Sept 7 (7.30)

EDINBURGH – “They will have ridden two more matches than us, it’s then up to us to control things. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a match this week, but that’s how things pan out sometimes.”
Monarchs chief Alex Harkess tells the Edinburgh Evening News his side must be prepared for the possibility of Redcar overhauling them into the top four this week.
NEXT HOME: Caledonian Riders’ Championship, Fri Sept 1 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Championship, Sat Sept 9 (7pm)

GLASGOW – “Overall it was a decent performance and three points, but I know there's more to come from this team and we can do better. I'm not going to kid on and say we're back and firing on all cylinders, but it was nice to get a 14-point win. We know there's still work to be done but the win was good and we'll take the three points.”
Tigers manager Stewart Dickson gave a ‘satisfactory – but could do better’ verdict on the home win over Newcastle, after a tough recent run on the road.
NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Championship, Thur Aug 31 (7.30)

IPSWICH – “We are the walking wounded at the moment and hopefully in a few weeks’ time we will be in a lot better shape when it comes down to the play-offs. We are in a very strong position and we need to be focused on getting our fitness levels up by then because at the moment we are struggling as we have a lot.”
Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins is hoping an assortment of riders who have been in the wars of late will regain full fitness in time for the SGB Championship play-offs.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Championship, Thurs Aug 31 (7.30)

NEWCASTLE – “It proves when we have a full set of big-guns racing well it makes a huge difference as we start to realise the potential we always knew the lads had. After skipper Ludvig Lindgren worked for so long on his sick bike overnight into Sunday's fine win at home over Scunthorpe, his extra power gained him 12 points today that won us more league points while Robert Lambert's paid maximum was a brilliant effort.”
Diamonds boss George English was a happy man as his side completed back-to-back wins over Scunthorpe over the Bank Holiday weekend.
NEXT HOME: Redcar, Championship, Sun Sept 3 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Championship, Wed Aug 30 (7.30)

PETERBOROUGH – “It will be great to be back on our own track again after such a long wait. We've had a really tough run of away meetings and we're determined to get our season moving in the right direction again. We've got four home fixtures coming up in the next few days and our aim is to win them all - and I don't see any reason why that can't happen.”
Panthers boss Carl Johnson is pleased to be back in East of England Arena action this week after a break of more than a month in home fixtures.
NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Championship, Wed Aug 30 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Workington, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)

REDCAR – “We still have a glimmer of hope of reaching the play-offs and it's up to us to put Edinburgh under as much pressure as possible. That means winning all of our remaining fixtures at home and I reckon we need at least four to six points on the road too. No easy task given the teams we have to achieve that against, but challenging for league titles is never easy.”
Bears boss Jitendra Duffill says his side will keep on battling in their bid to overhaul Edinburgh for the final SGB Championship play-off place.
NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Championship, Thur Aug 31 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7.30)

SCUNTHORPE – “It was difficult preparing a track, with a temperature of 25 degrees and a wind blowing. I thought we got it spot on, because we needed it to have enough moisture to get through the two meetings. But our riders were happier after some of the shale was removed. Our performance across these two meetings showed that our current riders do prefer it when the track is a little slicker.”
Scorpions promoter Rob Godfrey was pleased with conditions for the club’s double-header against Newcastle and Workington, with his side hitting form for a big win over the Comets in the second fixture.
NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Championship, Sun Sept 10 (5.30)
NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Championship, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)

SHEFFIELD – “If one of them is having an off night, the rest pull together to make sure we keep winning and that is the main thing. The team spirit is fantastic, everybody is helping each other to succeed and if we keep riding like we are then we will continue to progress.”
Tigers boss Simon Stead is enjoying his first season in management with his side now on a winning run which extends to eleven matches on the trot.
NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Championship, Thur Aug 31 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)

WORKINGTON – “I did have a run of bad meetings but that was down to bike problems more than confidence, but things turned back around a bit last week and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. I scored some steady points for Workington but I got two double figure scores in the National League again and I got a taste of Premiership racing guesting for Swindon as well.”
Comets star Matt Williamson is pleased to be back in the points after a tough run of results earlier in the month.
NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Championship, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Championship, Thur Sept 7 (7.30)

TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES…

BELLE VUE COLTS – “It was a big ask to go out and beat Cradley on home turf with only five riders, knowing full well that they were fighting for their play-off place, but we never once threw in the towel. We just need to write this off as a bad night. We’re already comfortably in the play-offs ourselves and I think with our full septet, we could easily have given them a run for their money.”
Co-boss Graham Goodwin is keen for his riders to quickly put a tough night at Cradley behind them with bigger matches to come over the coming weeks.
NEXT HOME: Cradley, KO Cup, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, National League, Mon Sept 4 (6.30)

BIRMINGHAM – “A few of our lads had some problems with their machinery and it's been a recurring issue over the last few meetings, so they need to make sure they get those sorted before our next fixture. But they shouldn't let their heads drop too much; they've pushed a very strong Belle Vue side all the way and thanks to our run of nine league points from the last seven days, we're still well in with a shout of making those play-offs.”
Brummies boss Graham Drury is still targeting a top four finish despite the setback of a first home league defeat in over two years against Belle Vue.
NEXT HOME: Kent, National League, Wed Sept 6 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, National League, Fri Sept 15 (7.15)

BUXTON – “It was unfortunate that things never worked out for Shelby at Cradley but I'm pleased he is coming back for these last five meetings. He's shown in the past that he can score some points around Hi-Edge and this could really help us out. Hopefully we can avoid that wooden spoon at the same time, as that's now a two-horse race between ourselves and the Isle of Wight.”
Hitmen boss Jason Pipe tells buxtonhitmen.co he has recalled Shelby Rutherford for the closing weeks of the campaign with Jamie Halder released.
NEXT HOME: Kent, National League, Sun Sept 10 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, National League, Sun Sept 3 (3pm)

CRADLEY – “We had a large chunk of luck, but we had quite a lot of bad luck last week so I'd like to think that it's shared itself out a little bit. Hard luck on Belle Vue, but sometimes it happens. I've been in that situation before – I think everyone has! – but it was our night and we had a bit of luck.”
Heathens boss Will Pottinger reflects on the changing fortunes of speedway after a win over the league leaders on Bank Holiday Monday kept his side in play-off contention.
NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, National League, Mon Sept 11 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, KO Cup, Fri Sept 8 (7.30)

EASTBOURNE – “Everyone has played their part today. If we carry that form on for the rest of the year there is no reason why we cannot take every trophy possible.”
Skipper Georgie Wood believes the Eagles’ home form in their win over Kent last weekend shows there are serious league and KO Cup trophy chances at Arlington this season.
NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, National League, Sat Sept 2 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, National League, Thur Aug 31 (7pm)

ISLE OF WIGHT – “James’s (Cockle) absence was also unfortunate but the Colts were so strong I doubt the skipper’s presence would have made a massive difference, anyway what’s done is done and we now look forward to next week and the visit of Eastbourne.” Warriors promoter Barry Bishop had no complaints after a hefty home defeat at the hands of league leaders Belle Vue.
NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, National League, Thur Aug 31 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Stoke, National League, Sat Sept 23 (7.30)

KENT – The Kings are just four points off the National League play-off places after a 54-36 home win over second-placed Eastbourne at Central Park on Bank Holiday Monday.
NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, National League, Mon Sept 4 (6.30)
NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, National League, Wed Sept 6 (7.30)

LAKESIDE – “There is a bit of frustration because we will require the use of guests on a regular basis now with the injury to Zach Wajtknecht and clashes for Alfie Bowtell and Ben Morley. It is not going to make a tough run-in any easier and we have to try to make the right choices at the right times from what we have available to us.”
Hammers manager Kelvin Tatum knows some key decisions lie ahead as the Purfleet men look to reach the play-offs in their first National League campaign.
NEXT HOME: Stoke, National League, Sun Sept 3 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, National League, Fri Sept 1 (7.15)

MILDENHALL – “You can’t really argue with that can you? The whole team were firing today and paid 57 points from the top five says it all really. It was great to see Armo back to his best with his new engine and his decision on the last bend of his third ride to let Jordan (Jenkins) through says everything about the man, it was a classy move from a classy individual.”
Fen Tigers boss Robert Henry reserves special praise for veteran Jon Armstrong after his side topped the 60-point mark in a home win over Stoke.
NEXT HOME: Buxton, National League, Sun Sept 3 (3pm)
NEXT AWAY: Stoke, National League, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)

PLYMOUTH – “October 6 is going to be a great day with the Golf Day being staged that day as well and we aim to have a carnival atmosphere for the Final that night. We have some ideas we are looking at which we will release nearer the date to make it a real party night. We know the Fen Tigers will be a tough opponent over two legs but the lads really want to bring success to the club so will be well up for it.”
Devils boss Laurence Rogers is relishing the prospect of the National Trophy Final against Mildenhall in early October.
NEXT HOME: Lakeside, National League, Fri Sept 1 (7.30)
NEXT AWAY: Kent, National League, Mon Sept 11 (6.30)

STOKE – “We were up against things from the start losing Shaun due to illness, we tried various riders to make the side up but had to go with six riders. Mildenhall were very good and deserved the win on the day, and we have to accept that.”
Potters boss Malcolm Vasey on a day to forget for his side at West Row, with reserve Shaun Tedham’s absence leaving them one rider short from the start.
NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, National League, Sat Sept 2 (7pm)
NEXT AWAY: Lakeside, National League, Sun Sept 3 (3pm)

MAJOR EVENTS LATEST…

TICKETS for the SGB Premiership Riders’ Championship at Belle Vue on Saturday September 16 are now on sale.
All eight top-flight clubs will be represented in the National Speedway Stadium showpiece event which is expected to be one of the highlights of the season.
British Champion Craig Cook, who is likely to be a Grand Prix rider in 2018, will be going for a home victory, and the line-up is also set to include World Championship leader Jason Doyle, representing Swindon, and in-form Wolverhampton skipper Fredrik Lindgren – who won the event at Coventry last year.
Tickets can be purchased online via the link on the homepage of www.bellevueaces.co .
Adult tickets start at £20 in the South Stand, and are available at £23 in the grandstand and £25 for premium grandstand seating.
Equivalent concession prices are £15, £18 and £20, whilst juniors (12-15) are priced at £8, £10 and £10. South Stand tickets for children are free, with grandstand seating priced at £8. Juniors must be accompanied by a paying adult, and a South Stand ticket must still be selected for the junior even though no payment is required.
The ticket office at the stadium is open between 10am and 4pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 6pm on racedays. Booking fees apply.
Belle Vue season ticket holders’ seats will be held until September 1, after which unclaimed seats will go on general sale.
Gates open at 6.15pm on the night with racing getting underway at 7.30pm.
*GREAT Britain’s Robert Lambert continued his individual brilliance by being crowned European Under-21 Champion last weekend.
Two weeks on from his success at Under-19 European level, the King's Lynn and Newcastle racer pulled off another super performance in Daugavpils, Latvia.
Lambert dropped just one point from his five rides, and clinched another individual honour after taking the chequered flag in his final outing.
The Norfolk-born racer finished ahead of Polish sensation Bartosz Smektala, while former Scunthorpe man Andreas Lyager beat Russian World Cup youngster Gleb Chugunov in a run-off for third.
Said Lambert: “It's been a good couple of weeks with two Gold medals; the European Under-19s first and now the Under-21s too. I dropped one point, but I finished on top and that's what we came here to do!”

BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2017
SGBP PAIRS: KING’S LYNN
BRITISH FINAL: CRAIG COOK
SGBC FOURS: PETERBOROUGH
SGBP RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Belle Vue, September 16
SGBC RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow, September 24
SGBC PAIRS: Sheffield, October 8

OTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DATES
BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: JAMES SHANES
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT LAMBERT
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: ZACH WAJTKNECHT
BRITISH SEMI-FINALS: RORY SCHLEIN; KYLE HOWARTH

NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: TBC
NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester, September 24

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY AUGUST 29:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Rye House v King’s Lynn 7.30

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Rye House 7.30, Poole v King’s Lynn 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough v Newcastle 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 31:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Poole 7.30, King’s Lynn v Rye House (follows previous fixture), Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Ipswich 7.30, Sheffield v Glasgow 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Eastbourne 7pm

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Leicester v Wolverhampton 7.30, Rye House v Swindon 7.30, Somerset v Poole 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Lakeside 7.15
CALEDONIAN RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 2:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Newcastle 7pm, Glasgow v Sheffield 7pm, Ipswich v Redcar 7.30, Workington v Peterborough 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Isle of Wight 7.30, Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30, Peterborough v Glasgow 5pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Lakeside v Stoke 3pm, Mildenhall v Buxton 3pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Rye House v Leicester 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn (follows previous fixture)
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Belle Vue 6.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Kent 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Workington 7.30, Ipswich v Berwick 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7pm

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 8:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Workington 7pm, Edinburgh v Ipswich (follows previous fixture), Peterborough v Scunthorpe 7.30, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Mildenhall 7.15
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Belle Vue v Cradley 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm, Glasgow v Scunthorpe 7pm, Workington v Newcastle 7pm
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Lakeside 7pm, Eastbourne v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture), Stoke v Kent 7pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough v Workington 7pm, Sheffield v Ipswich 3.30, Sheffield v Redcar (follows previous meeting), Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 5.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Kent 3pm, Mildenhall v Cradley 3pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11:
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Eastbourne 7.30, Kent v Plymouth 6.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Ipswich 7.30