(SPEEDWAY 1)

THE line-up has been confirmed for the SGB Premiership Riders’ Championship at Belle Vue on September 16.
All eight top-flight clubs have two representatives in the meeting, with Wolverhampton skipper Fredrik Lindgren the defending the title he won under the former Elite League banner at Coventry last season.
Lindgren’s World Championship rival Jason Doyle is also included with home representation coming from British Champion Craig Cook and Max Fricke.
LINE-UP (not in draw order): Jason Doyle (Swindon), Fredrik Lindgren (Wolverhampton), Nick Morris (Swindon), Jacob Thorssell (Wolverhampton), Brady Kurtz (Poole), Craig Cook (Belle Vue), Hans Andersen (Poole), Kim Nilsson (Leicester), Josh Grajczonek (Somerset), Chris Harris (Rye House), Scott Nicholls (Rye House), Robert Lambert (King’s Lynn), Max Fricke (Belle Vue), Richard Lawson (Somerset), Danny King (Leicester), Thomas Jorgensen (King’s Lynn).

(SPEEDWAY 2)

POOLE have their play-off destiny in their own hands after their battle for fourth place with Rye House shifted in the Pirates’ favour on Wednesday.
The Pirates were emphatic 59-33 winners at home to King’s Lynn whilst the Rockets’ recent good run hit the buffers with a 33-58 defeat at Belle Vue.
Poole now lead Rye House by four points, and although the Rockets have a match in hand the Pirates can secure play-off qualification with seven points from their two remaining away fixtures at King’s Lynn and Somerset.
Hans Andersen banked a paid maximum (11+4) for the his side at Wimborne Road, whilst reserve Timo Lahti kept up his strong spell with 16+2 from seven rides.
With No.1 Brady Kurtz adding 13, the Pirates had too much power for the struggling Stars, for whom Thomas Jorgensen scored 9+2.
Andersen said: “It was a good performance tonight, we did what we had to do and we can move on to tomorrow and try and do the same.
“The play-offs are still there for us and we want to be there, that's for sure.”
King’s Lynn promoter Keith Chapman said: “We knew it would be tough. They might not have enjoyed their best season in recent times but when you look at their home results lately, they have really got back on track at Wimborne Road.
“Wolverhampton and Belle Vue have lost there recently so they were always going to be a totally different side to the one we faced earlier in the season.”
Meanwhile Belle Vue recovered from a recent indifferent spell to defeat the Rockets and move back to second in the table, for the time being at least.
Danish star Kenneth Bjerre struck back after a tough Bank Holiday with a 14+1 paid maximum, whilst skipper Craig Cook piled up 15+1 from six rides and Rohan Tungate added 12.
Reserve Jack Smith was involved in two early 5-1s on his way to his best score yet in the SGB Premiership.
Smith said: “I approached this meeting differently to how I have been doing and tried something new and it paid off. I always try to do my best every time and I felt really good, I enjoyed my night.
“I’m still learning in every race I ride but I can’t describe how much of a boost this one has given me, and I really hope I can go out in our next meeting on Friday and produce more of the same.
“What made it an even better night was getting the win over Rye House. They’re a solid team and to be honest we expected them to come here and do more damage than they ended up doing.”
The Rockets were limited to just one race win, from Stuart Robson, whilst Ben Barker recorded a string of second places to end with 10+2.
Boss Peter Schroeck said: “It was a tough, tough meeting. They did to us what we did to Poole on Monday. All the boys got stuck in and rode their hearts out; they tried everything to make it happen, but the Aces were on fire tonight.
“Not having Bomber (Chris Harris) definitely made a difference, both in points and mentally. We found the missing part of the puzzle with Krzysztof (Kasprzak), and then we got that part ripped away from us again in Bomber.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

PETERBOROUGH boss Carl Johnson insisted it was a case of safety first after their home SGB Championship fixture with Newcastle was brought to an early halt.
The Panthers drew 30-30 with the Diamonds in a clash which was abandoned after 10 heats as referee Barbara Horley called off the contest – with the result standing – due to what were described as 'unsafe track conditions.’
Johnson said: “It didn’t go the way we wanted or expected it to. We can only apologise to the fans as we know how frustrating it is for a meeting to be abandoned like that.
“But no-one wants to see riders getting injured and we probably arrived at the correct decision in the end as conditions weren't good for them.
“The surface of the track broke up a little too much. We worked as hard as we could on it, but it just wasn’t to be in the end. We’ll work hard to get it right for our next home meeting against Glasgow on Sunday.”
Panthers guest Ryan Douglas top-scored with 8+1 for the home side whilst Steve Worrall tallied eight for the Diamonds, who collected two league points as a result of the draw.
Newcastle boss George English said: “I think we'd have taken a draw if we'd been offered it beforehand. The lads in the main dug in deep and scored well when needed, so to maintain a level par with the Panthers down here is good.
“The track sadly didn't live up to expectations tonight and it was the first meeting here since the Fours event on August 6.
“The surface was cutting up badly with massive ruts appearing, and it simply, in plain terms, was dangerous to race on, so undoubtedly the correct decision was taken to abandon the meeting and declare the result a draw.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

SWINDON have the chance to secure leadership of the SGB Premiership ahead of the play-offs when they host Wolverhampton at the Abbey tonight (Thursday).
Wolves are the only team who can knock the Robins off the top, and to do so they will need to break the home side’s 16-match winning run – which is currently one short of the best top-flight league sequence for over 30 years.
Tero Aarnio and Alfie Bowtell guest for Swindon’s injured reserve duo Bradley-Wilson Dean and Zach Wajtknecht, whilst Wolves call up Steve Worrall to guest for Kyle Howarth and use rider-replacement for Rory Schlein, both of whom are racing in the Championship.
Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “Wolves are a formidable side, they’ve had another excellent season and of course there’s every chance we could find ourselves meeting them again in the play-offs.
“For me it’s still too soon to be thinking about who we might pick if we finish top. There’s a lot that can happen still, and nothing is guaranteed as we’ve seen before.
“Wolves will give us a very tough match, I’m absolutely sure of that, but I shall just say to our boys we need to keep on doing what we’ve been doing. There’s no pressure on them, they just need to make things easy for themselves.”
Wolves captain Fredrik Lindgren said: “It certainly would be nice to end it (Swindon’s run). They are also up at the top and will be one of the main players in the play-offs as it looks.
“It would be good to beat them early on, before the play-offs. We had a tough meeting with Belle Vue and we will have a tough one against Swindon.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

FOURTH-PLACE SGB Premiership rivals Poole and Rye House both visit King’s Lynn tonight (Thursday) in a crunch double-header at the Adrian Flux Arena.
The Pirates are four points clear of the Rockets, who have a match in hand and complete their away programme tonight, with two home fixtures to come – whilst the Pirates round off at Somerset on Friday.
It’s also a big night for the home side, whose current sequence of ten defeats in eleven has put them under serious threat from Leicester in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon and the relegation race-off.
The Stars are awaiting news on the fitness of Kai Huckenbeck following a crash on Tuesday, whilst there are concerns over whether Robert Lambert can do two meetings, but he is hoping to do both. Simon Lambert again stands in for Nicklas Porsing.
Poole are expected to be at full-strength with Paul Starke returning, whilst Chris Harris is back for the Rockets, but they operate rider-replacement for Ben Barker who is racing in the Championship.
King’s Lynn promoter Keith Chapman said: “I think enough has been said about last week now, this double-header sees us tackle our last two home meetings of the season and we need the points for obvious reasons.
“It has been a tough year and more recently, a tough spell for everyone but the team is determined to give everything and I hope our public turn out in force to back us in this final push.
“We know we have to give the supporters something to shout about too but even in these past two away meetings, the effort has been there from the boys.
“Things really came together in the home meeting against Leicester and even in the Wolverhampton meetings, we had individuals like Josh Auty getting stronger all the time on our track.”
Rye House boss Peter Schroeck said: “We’re very optimistic about getting the result. We’ve got no choice. Steve (Jenson, co-promoter) and I spoke to the boys straight after the Belle Vue match and got them settled again, to keep their eyes on the prize of the play-offs.
“We can’t do anything about what Poole do, but we can focus on what’s on our plate, and that will be our approach.
“I still have a feeling about destiny. If it’s meant to be for us this year, then it will be for us to take.”

(SPEEDWAY 6)

SHEFFIELD host Glasgow in a big top-three SGB Championship clash at Owlerton tonight (Thursday).
The hosts are four points clear at the top of the table and currently boast an 11-match winning streak – but their closest home match of the season by far was on Glasgow’s previous visit.
On that occasion there were never more than two points between the sides and the visitors led with three heats to go, only for Kyle Howarth and Josh Grajczonek to post a crucial 5-1 in Heat 13, with Grajczonek winning the final race for a 46-44 victory.
Sheffield go into tonight’s clash without Todd Kurtz (hand injury) whilst Glasgow also have rider-replacement in operation for the injured Nike Lunna. The visitors also bring in Mason Campton to guest for Dan Bewley.
Sheffield promoter Damien Bates said: “Whenever Glasgow are in town, they give us a real test, and I expect tonight to be no different.
“But it’s no fluke that we are top of the table and they are third. We have two good teams here who could meet in the play-offs at the end of the season.
“We know we have an opportunity to lay down a marker for the title. We know how hard it will be but, with the backing of our fans, we know we have the opportunity to underline our strength if we can beat them.”
Glasgow boss Stewart Dickson said: “I know it sounds predictable but we need to make starts and gate with them. It’s a fast, fast track and if we’re not there at the first bend with them it will be hard to pass - whereas they might be able to pass us because they’re racing on the track every week.
“We need to give them something to think about. We have got riders who can ride that place - we scored 44 there in May.
“We weren’t riding above ourselves then, we were riding to our capabilities when we scored 44 then, and we need to do the same.”
Meanwhile Redcar continue their play-off chase as they host second-placed Ipswich at the Media Prima Arena.
A win would take the Bears into the top four ahead of Edinburgh, although the Monarchs will then have two matches in hand.
The Witches cover injured duo Cameron Heeps and Justin Sedgmen with rider-replacement and guest Kevin Doolan, whilst James Sarjeant stands in for Nathan Greaves (SGBP commitment) at reserve.
Bears boss Jitendra Duffill said: “Ipswich are having a great season so far and this isn't going to be an easy one. Danny King and Rory Schlein are a powerful top two and the Witches will be keen to do much better than they did earlier this year.
“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.”
Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “We are capable of doing well on Thursday and it is a place we have enjoyed good success in the past.
“Their home form has let them down as they have been really good on the road. It is a good track to race on and somewhere I used to enjoy going myself and we still have a strong team going there.”

(SPEEDWAY 7)

THE Isle of Wight face another tough home fixture tonight (Thursday) as National League title contenders Eastbourne visit the Smallbrook Stadium.
The Warriors suffered a heavy defeat against Belle Vue last week but are hopeful the return from illness of skipper James Cockle will improve their fortunes – as well as Connor Coles facing his former club after losing his place with the Eagles earlier in the season.
Isle of Wight promoter Barry Bishop said: “The fixture list has dealt us a really tough finish at home with nearly all the play-off challengers visiting the Island during the run-in.
“Eastbourne have maintained their push towards the top of the table despite several injuries and absences and there is no doubt they will come here gunning for a win to keep the play-off push on track, however I know that if the Warriors apply themselves in the right way, then we can cause a surprise.
“I also know that win, lose or draw it will be another great night of family fun for the last week of the school summer holidays and I would urge all Warrior fans to make this meeting if they possibly can.”

(FIXTURES)

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
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP REPLAY 2nd leg: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30, Peterborough v Glasgow 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Lakeside v Stoke 3pm, Mildenhall v Buxton 3pm
Results Wednesday August 30, 2017

SGB PREMIERSHIP
Belle Vue 58 – Craig Cook 15+1
Rye House 33 – Ben Barker 10+2
Premiership points: Belle Vue 3 Rye House 0

Poole 59 – Timo Lahti 16+2
King’s Lynn 33 – Thomas Jorgensen 9+2
Premiership points: Poole 3 King’s Lynn 0

SGB CHAMPIONSHIP
Peterborough 30 – Ryan Douglas 8+1
Newcastle 30 – Steve Worrall 8
Abandoned after Heat 10 (track conditions) – Result stands
Championship points: Peterborough 1 Newcastle 2