BRITISH SPEEDWAY LATEST NEWS AND FIXTURES 2023

Feature photo by: Steve Feeney

Wolverhampton got their 2023 Premiership campaign off to a winning start against King’s Lynn on Monday at Monmore Green. Wolves beat the Stars 56-34 with skipper Sam Masters leading the way with a 14+1 paid maximum.

HERE’S our latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.

PREMIERSHIP NEWSROUND…

TIGERS ON TOP
SHEFFIELD lead the early Premiership standings after a stunning home and away double over Roses rivals Belle Vue in the opening week of the season.
The result were especially sweet for the Tigers as they had been edged out in the Grand Final last October as the Aces took the league title.

Team boss Simon Stead said: “We’re obviously delighted with how we’ve started the season – two really good results against a very good Belle Vue team.
“I’m proud of how the lads have applied themselves – it’s early doors and we can’t get carried away, but it’s a really positive start.”

DANYON’S WITCHES BONUS
IPSWICH reserve Danyon Hume has revealed his relief at securing a team place back at Foxhall – all down to the signing of star man Emil Saydutdinov.
The duo were always part of the Witches’ first-choice side, but had the deal for the former World No.3 not proved possible, the club may well have been forced into an alternative team-building strategy.

Hume said: “As time went on it was getting closer and closer to the start of the season and everyone was waiting on Emil. So it was a bit worrying, but Chris (Louis) got it over the line, and I trusted he would. He said he would.
“I remember it was three weeks before the start of the season and still nothing was finalised, but overnight it all happened. And here I am.”

WOLVES WAIT ON BECKER
WOLVERHAMPTON are awaiting news on the likely period of absence for American star Luke Becker, who suffered a broken fibula in a crash in Slovakia on Sunday.

Former British Champion Scott Nicholls stepped in to superb effect in Monday’s 56-34 win over King’s Lynn, being one of two unbeaten riders along with skipper Sam Masters.
Said Masters: “It was a really good effort from the boys and a good confidence boost too. We’re stoked with the result and it’s such an awesome way to start off our season.

“Unfortunately Luke’s picked up that injury and we’re going to miss him of course.”

*ELSEWHERE: PETERBOROUGH are waiting for news on the fitness of No.1 Nicki Pedersen after his opening-night crash, with the Panthers hosting LEICESTER on Easter Monday… the Lions’ first appearance back at this level will be at IPSWICH in the KO Cup on Thursday, whilst in the same competition SHEFFIELD host KING’S LYNN in a repeat of last year’s League Cup Final… BELLE VUE and WOLVERHAMPTON have a traditional Easter Monday home and away clash to come, also in KO Cup action.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP INS AND OUTS…

NB. Ins and Outs refer to each club’s final declaration of the 2022 season. Rider movement relates to their clubs in the Premiership last year.

BERWICK
Thomas Jorgensen 9.53, Rory Schlein 8.18, Leon Flint 7.00, Jye Etheridge 6.29, Jonas Knudsen 5.00, Connor Coles 2.00, Nathan Stoneman 2.00.
IN: Jorgensen, Schlein, Coles (from Plymouth).
OUT: Chris Harris (to Glasgow), Ricky Wells, Theo Pijper.

BIRMINGHAM
Nick Morris 10.13, Justin Sedgmen 7.04, James Wright 5.51, Stefan Nielsen 4.82, Alfie Bowtell 4.28, Ty Proctor 4.00, James Pearson 4.00.
IN: Morris (from Leicester), Wright (from Scunthorpe), Bowtell, Proctor.
OUT: Josh Auty, Claus Vissing (to Glasgow), Ashley Morris, James Shanes.

EDINBURGH*
Josh Pickering 8.92, Craig Cook 8.24, Kye Thomson 6.60, Paco Castagna 4.93, Lasse Fredriksen 4.00, Jacob Hook 4.00, Kyle Bickley 2.86.
IN: Cook (from Glasgow), Bickley.
OUT: Sam Masters (to Oxford), James Sarjeant (retired).

GLASGOW
Chris Harris 8.76, Benjamin Basso 8.52, Tom Brennan 6.71, Claus Vissing 5.00, Marcin Nowak 5.00, Lee Complin 4.00, Ace Pijper 2.00.
IN: Harris (from Berwick), Vissing (from Birmingham), Nowak, Complin (from Plymouth), Pijper.
OUT: Craig Cook (to Edinburgh), Ulrich Ostergaard (retired), Broc Nicol, Danyon Hume (to Redcar), Connor Bailey (to Redcar).

OXFORD
Sam Masters 10.58, Scott Nicholls 8.24, Lewis Kerr 7.72, Jordan Jenkins 4.72, Cameron Heeps 4.33, Henry Atkins 2.00, Luke Killeen 2.00.
IN: Masters (from Edinburgh), Kerr (from Redcar), Jenkins (from Redcar), Atkins, Killeen.
OUT: Troy Batchelor, Aaron Summers (retired), Dillon Ruml, Paul Starke (to Plymouth), Jack Thomas.

PLYMOUTH*
Kyle Howarth 8.36, Richie Worrall 7.97, Ben Barker 7.80, Paul Starke 5.11, Dan Gilkes 4.55, Jake Turner 4.00, Ben Trigger 2.00.
IN: Howarth (from Leicester), Worrall (from Leicester), Starke (from Oxford), Gilkes (returns from injury), Turner, Trigger.
OUT: Edward Kennett, Hans Andersen, Michael Palm Toft (to Scunthorpe), Ben Morley, Lee Complin (to Glasgow), Connor Coles (to Berwick).

POOLE
Steve Worrall 8.05, Richard Lawson 7.97, Ben Cook 6.09, Anders Rowe 5.08, Zach Cook 4.92, Kyle Newman 4.29, Adam Roynon 3.47.
IN: Rowe (from Scunthorpe), Newman (from Redcar), Roynon (from Scunthorpe).
OUT: Danny King (to Redcar), Drew Kemp, Nathan Ablitt.

REDCAR
Erik Riss 8.24, Danny King 8.05, Charles Wright 7.40, Danyon Hume 5.68, Connor Bailey 4.32, Jason Edwards 3.80, Jake Mulford 2.00.
IN: King (from Poole), Hume (from Glasgow), Bailey (from Glasgow), Mulford.
OUT: Lewis Kerr (to Oxford), Jordan Jenkins (to Oxford), Kyle Newman (to Poole), Kasper Andersen.

SCUNTHORPE
Ryan Douglas 9.38, Michael Palm Toft 6.76, Jake Allen 6.30, Simon Lambert 5.20, Connor Mountain 4.72, Zaine Kennedy 4.27, Joe Thompson 3.27.
IN: Palm Toft (from Plymouth), Mountain (from Leicester), Kennedy (returns from injury), Thompson (from Leicester).
OUT: Tero Aarnio, James Wright (to Birmingham), Anders Rowe (to Poole), Adam Roynon (to Poole).

*Official team declaration to be issued.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSROUND…

BEARS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE
REDCAR built a 16-point lead over Berwick in their delayed KO Cup first leg at the ECCO Arena, with the return fixture now set for April 29.

Bears reserve Jake Mulford was withdrawn with a lower back injury after a Heat 2 crash but colleague Jason Edwards racked up 13+1, with Danny King and Charles Wright both in double figures.

BSN SERIES IS GO
THE new BSN Series competition gets underway this week with several clubs in action for the first time this season.
The nine Cab Direct Championship clubs have been split into three groups, meeting over a home and away mini-league. The three group winners plus the best second-placed club will qualify for the semi-finals.

OXFORD and POOLE meet in the opener at Cowley on Wednesday, before the return at Wimborne Road on Good Friday, whilst Scottish rivalry is resumed with EDINBURGH facing GLASGOW at Armadale on Friday and the return taking place at Ashfield on Sunday (5pm).
Meanwhile SCUNTHORPE will race at the earlier time of 5pm on Good Friday in their home clash with REDCAR.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE INS AND OUTS…

BELLE VUE
Jack Smith 8.36, James Pearson 8.00, Sam Hagon 6.18, Matt Marson 5.48, Luke Muff 4.78, Paul Bowen 4.56, Freddy Hodder 4.52.
IN: Pearson, Hagon (from Oxford), Marson, Muff (from Mildenhall), Bowen.
OUT: Jake Mulford, Nathan Ablitt (to Kent), Harry McGurk (to Workington), Sam McGurk (to Workington), Archie Freeman (to Berwick).

BERWICK
Connor Coles 8.80, Greg Blair 7.75, Danny Phillips 6.86, Archie Freeman 5.29, Mason Watson 4.41, Josh Embleton 3.92, Jamie Halder 3.04.
IN: Coles (from Leicester), Phillips (from Armadale), Freeman (from Belle Vue), Embleton (from Armadale), Halder.
OUT: Kyle Bickley (to Edinburgh), Luke Crang (to Workington), Ace Pijper (to Workington), Ben Rathbone, Kieran Douglas.

EDINBURGH (formerly Armadale)
Kyle Bickley 9.58, Jacob Hook 8.00, Alex Spooner 6.93, Adam Roynon 6.00, Mickie Simpson 4.46, Dayle Wood 3.00, Kyran Lyden 3.00.
IN: Bickley (from Berwick), Hook, Spooner (from Mildenhall), Roynon (from Plymouth), Simpson (from Leicester, Wood.
OUT: Lee Complin (to Mildenhall), Danny Phillips (to Berwick), Tom Woolley (to Kent), Josh Embleton (to Berwick), Elliot Kelly (to Workington), Gregor Millar.

KENT
Ben Morley 9.29, Nathan Ablitt 7.20, Tom Woolley 6.78, Rhys Naylor 4.52, Joe Alcock 4.36, Connor King 4.16, Sam Woolley 3.27.
IN: Ablitt (from Belle Vue), Woolley (from Armadale), Naylor (from Plymouth), Alcock (returns from injury).
OUT: Max Clegg, Danno Verge (retired), Sam Woods, Chris Watts.

LEICESTER
Dan Thompson 9.73, Joe Thompson 9.11, Max Perry 5.67, Tom Spencer 5.26, Ashton Boughen 4.95, Vinnie Foord 3.85, Max James 3.00.
IN: Boughen, James.
OUT: Connor Coles (to Berwick), Mickie Simpson (to Edinburgh).

MILDENHALL
Alfie Bowtell 10.67, Lee Complin 7.27, Ben Trigger 6.00, Josh Warren 5.79, George Congreve 4.50, Arran Butcher 4.36, William Richardson 3.00.
IN: Bowtell, Complin (from Armadale), Trigger (from Plymouth), Congreve, Butcher (from Oxford), Richardson.
OUT: Jason Edwards, James Shanes, Alex Spooner (to Edinburgh), Jack Kingston, Sam Bebee, Luke Muff (to Belle Vue).

OXFORD
Jordan Jenkins 9.47, Nathan Stoneman 8.67, Henry Atkins 7.24, Jody Scott 5.88, Jacob Clouting 4.07, Luke Killeen 3.00, Jacob Fellows 3.00.
IN: Killeen (returns from injury), Fellows.
OUT: Sam Hagon (to Belle Vue), Arran Butcher (to Mildenhall).

WORKINGTON
Connor Bailey 8.86, Luke Crang 7.23, Harry McGurk 7.11, Ace Pijper 6.90, Sam McGurk 5.38, Elliot Kelly 3.30, Luke Harrison 3.00.
*Club new to NDL this season.
IN: Bailey, Crang (from Berwick), H.McGurk (from Belle Vue), Pijper (from Berwick), S.McGurk (from Belle Vue), Kelly (from Armadale), Harrison.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE NEWSROUND…

FEN TIGERS WIN OPENER
MILDENHALL duo Alfie Bowtell and Lee Complin both dropped just one point to Kent’s Ben Morley in a 53-37 win at West Row on Sunday.
It was a successful start for the Fen Tigers but the Royals suffered a major blow with new signing Nathan Ablitt missing the meeting due to illness.

Home skipper Lee Complin said: “It was a good opener for us – it’s what you need from an opening meeting, get the points on the card and now we move on.”
New Kent boss Jamie Willis said: “Naturally we are disappointed with the defeat and the scores not being closer, but all the riders gave 100 per cent for themselves and their team-mates, so I can’t complain on that front.”

CHAMPIONS LAUNCH DEFENCE
DEFENDING NDL champions LEICESTER race for the first time in 2023 on Easter Saturday when they host BERWICK at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park… it’s a busy weekend for the Bullets as they are also in action at BELLE VUE on Good Friday (1pm)… KENT and MILDENHALL clash again on Easter Sunday, this time at Iwade in the first leg of their KO Cup semi-final.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY APRIL 4:
PAUL STARKE TESTIMONIAL: Plymouth 7pm

WEDNESDAY APRIL 5:
BSN SERIES: Oxford v Poole 7.30

THURSDAY APRIL 6:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Ipswich v Leicester 7.30, Sheffield v King’s Lynn 7.30

FRIDAY APRIL 7:
BSN SERIES: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Poole v Oxford 7.30, Scunthorpe v Redcar 5pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Berwick 1pm

SATURDAY APRIL 8:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Berwick 7pm

SUNDAY APRIL 9:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Kent v Mildenhall 12pm
BSN SERIES: Glasgow v Edinburgh 5pm

MONDAY APRIL 10:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Peterborough v Leicester 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 12pm, 2nd leg: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 8pm

TUESDAY APRIL 11:
BSN SERIES: Plymouth v Poole 7pm

WEDNESDAY APRIL 12:
BSN SERIES: Oxford v Plymouth 7.30
CHALLENGE: Birmingham v Coventry Bees Select 7.30

THURSDAY APRIL 13:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30, King’s Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, Leicester v Peterborough 7.30

FRIDAY APRIL 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Oxford 7.30
BSN SERIES: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Belle Vue 7.30

SATURDAY APRIL 15:
BSN SERIES: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Redcar v Birmingham 7.30

SUNDAY APRIL 16:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Mildenhall v Kent 4pm

MONDAY APRIL 17:
PREMIERSHIP R1: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Leicester v Ipswich 7.30

TUESDAY APRIL 18:
BSN SERIES: Plymouth v Oxford 7pm