BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/06

Feature photo by: DAVE PAYNE …WORKINGTON gained their first points of the season courtesy of a last-heat decider against Scunthorpe in the BSN Series with a 47-43 victory on Saturday at the GT Tyres Arena.
The Comets fought back from an early four-point deficit to go six up themselves, but a 5-1 from tactical substitute Steve Worrall and Connor Mountain in Heat 14 narrowed the gap back to two, setting-up the tense finale.

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

MAJOR EVENT LATEST

THE draw has been made for the Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final at Belle Vue on Monday May 12.
Defending champion Dan Bewley will launch his bid for a fourth successive title in Heat 4 when he goes up against previous winners Danny King and Charles Wright along with the in-form Anders Rowe.
The clash of Great Britain’s Grand Prix riders comes in Heat 6 when Bewley and Robert Lambert go head-to-head along with treble champion Chris Harris and Lewis Kerr.

The other previous winner in the line-up, Adam Ellis, kicks off his challenge in Heat 3 against Lambert, Steve Worrall and Drew Kemp.

DRAW: 1 Leon Flint, 2 Chris Harris, 3 Dan Gilkes, 4 Tom Brennan, 5 Dan Thompson, 6 Lewis Kerr, 7 Kyle Howarth, 8 Connor Mountain, 9 Drew Kemp, 10 Robert Lambert, 11 Steve Worrall, 12 Adam Ellis, 13 Danny King, 14 Dan Bewley, 15 Anders Rowe, Charles Wright.

BRITISH FINAL TICKETS: www.bellevue-speedway.com/events

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST

WHAT A START FOR COOK
NEW Oxford Spires signing Craig Cook enjoyed a highly successful opening day culminating in a 15-point maximum at Birmingham as his side completed a Bank Holiday home and away double victory.
Cook said: “I was making some fast starts tonight. It’s years of experience of doing it – I am quite technically minded and I can work on the jetting, the ignition, how I release the clutch, so it’s all working how I want it to.

“I’m feeling very positive – I’ve got good people around me. I also work with Jamie (Courtney) at Berwick and there’s no stress in Jamie’s teams. It’s good to be in his teams, because when I have got stress around me, it rubs off on me. It’s a positive atmosphere and I like being part of it. I’ve now got a mid-week break and the chance to take the bikes back to the workshop and do a little testing.
“I’ve enjoyed my first couple of meetings with Oxford. We’re making progress and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

WITCHES KEEP IT GOING
IPSWICH overcame a stern Bank Holiday test from rivals King’s Lynn to maintain their 100 per cent record in 2025 with a 53-37 win, despite some injury concerns.
Manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “Jordan (Jenkins) didn’t complain but you could see he is uncomfortable on the bike, but I am really pleased he showed such commitment to ride through the pain barrier today and contribute important points to the team, that really pleased me.

“Danny (King) took a knock in his crash and when I saw him on the deck, part of me was worried he was done for the day which would have made our task even harder.
“He stepped up and contributed really vital points after that, so both of them showed true commitment which is what we are all about.”

IT’S THE 57 TIGERS
SHEFFIELD struck a 57-point total for the third successive home match as they secured the aggregate point against champions Belle Vue following a narrow defeat on Bank Holiday Monday lunchtime.
Manager Simon Stead said: “From start to finish the lads were superb, we dominated the champions from the get-go and we put another big win on the board.
“We’re still working our way into the season and there’s still a few little things here and there the lads want to tweak, but it’s been a great start and they deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done so far as a group.”

STARS LET IT SLIP
KING’S Lynn boss Rob Lyon admits the second half of their Bank Holiday Monday fixture at Ipswich was “a puzzle” with his side going from 24-18 up to losing 53-37.
Lyon said: “For us it was okay, but we were disappointed that we fell away so badly.
“We used all our options to the best possible way we could, and it was working a treat, but fair play to Ipswich, they dug in and did the job.
“I think our boys are a little shell-shocked that we were well in it after Heat 9 and then we dropped off a cliff a bit, which is a bit of a puzzle.”

BRUMMIES SEEK MORE DEPTH

BIRMINGHAM remain winless from six ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixtures with CEO Nigel Tolley asking further questions after home and away defeats to Oxford on Monday.
Tolley said: “The track was so slick down at Oxford it was unbelievable and our riders couldn’t get on with that.
“But up here with the depth greater, I was expecting us to win and get the aggregate point.
“We’ve had temperatures of 24/25 degrees, baking the track with no rain and we just still can’t get the water into the track and we still haven’t got the depth we’d like.”

ACES’ MIXED FORTUNES
BELLE Vue boss Mark Lemon admitted the heavy away defeat at Sheffield was a disappointment after a stirring Bank Holiday comeback to defeat the Tigers at home on Monday lunchtime.
Lemon said: “Bank Holiday Mondays are always nail-biters here. To come away with a home win was the most important thing.

“We stuck to our processes and eventually got back in it. It took some special performances towards the end of the meeting.
“To keep winning at home is pretty important. The meeting at Owlerton was hugely disappointing.”

USEFUL WORKOUT FOR GILKES
LEICESTER newcomer Dan Gilkes was able to take the benefit of racing in the British Semi-Final on his new home track prior to an appearance there in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership, and he duly made it through the meeting and into next week’s British Final with ten points.
Gilkes said: “It’s about consistency and working on my gating. I made a couple of good gates and a couple not so good, but I put myself in good positions.
“Today was about qualifying and not doing anything silly, and when you’re in a points scoring position to not drop any points, so all in all I’ve enjoyed my night.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
IT’S a blank week in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as the build-up continues to Monday’s Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final at Belle Vue. Premiership racing re-commences on May 15 with meetings at Leicester, Oxford and Sheffield.
 
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST

TIGERS ARE SEMI BOUND
GLASGOW have become the first team to book their place in the BSN Series semi-finals – but boss Cami Brown still wants to see more from his side.
He said: “We need to ride better on Friday. If we ride like that again, we won’t win. I said that to the boys after the (Berwick) meeting. We have to improve.
“The younger lads will need to chip in with more or we will be in trouble against Edinburgh.
“But overall I’m delighted with the effort, they all rode their hearts out. The racing was outstanding again.”

PIRATES HAVE PLENTY AT STAKE
POOLE and Oxford are set to clash in a BSN Series Southern group decider on Wednesday at Wimborne Road, with the winners to progress into the semi-finals.
Pirates promoter Dan Ford said: “Obviously this fixture was supposed to have been our opener on Good Friday and we were expecting a bumper crowd on that occasion. But the weather intervened and now we find ourselves with a mini-final on our hands against, arguably, our fiercest rivals.
“There is everything to ride for, not least pride on both sides and I would like to remind anyone that purchased a ticket for the Good Friday fixture and hasn’t sought a refund, that it will be valid for this group decider.
“In addition, I can only urge anyone who does not hold a ticket for the event, ensure they do so as soon as possible as there is so much at stake and this meeting has all the ingredients of being another great moment.”

HEEPS OUT FOR CHEETAHS
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck is optimistic that heat leader Cameron Heeps won’t spend too long on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury in a Heat 13 crash against Plymouth last week.
Schroeck said: “Luckily it’s not too bad, it’s not good enough to race on Wednesday (at Poole), but after Wednesday we’ve got a couple of weeks off to give him a bit of time to recover.
“He’s having physio on it and nothing is broken, so we’re going to run rider replacement and as he’s second in the averages so it gives Sam (Masters) a ride as well, and that should be enough rather than relying on someone else from another team.”

WIN ON THE BOARD FOR COMETS
WORKINGTON opened their home season with an exciting 47-43 win over Scunthorpe – although stand-in boss James Wilson admitted it was a little too close for comfort!
Wilson said: “Saturday was fantastic, we left it late which is not good on the nerves but we saw some excellent racing from both teams.

“It was a solid effort from one to seven, Antti (Vuolas) and Troy (Batchelor) were both outstanding in the later stages of the meeting – getting that 5-1 in Heat 13 probably sealed the deal for us on the day and that’s why they were in Heat 15.
“Also it was great to see Vinnie (Foord) and Jye (Etheridge) flying as well. Jye was determined to rectify a bad night on Friday and he did that superbly, going unbeaten in his last three rides.”

VICTOR THE MONARCHS’ HERO

EDINBURGH boss Alex Harkess said flying reserve Victor Palovaara deserved a 21-point maximum from last Friday’s clash with Berwick, where the Swede piled up 19 from seven rides as the Monarchs edged to a narrow win.
Harkess said: “I’m very pleased we won obviously but we didn’t half make it hard for ourselves. We only had two riders who won a race but Victor won six of them!
“I was very sorry he didn’t get his maximum because he deserved it. We need improvement elsewhere in the side.”

BANDITS STILL IN CONTENTION
BERWICK manager Stewart Dickson insists his side have every chance of defending a four-point lead when they head to Redcar on Friday in the second leg of their MAXiCab KO Cup tie.
Dickson said: “Four points is a slender lead, but it’s still four points Redcar have to claw back and we can defend.
“I was pleased with the performance of our reserves; they imposed themselves on the Redcar pair and those points were vital.
“It will be tough at Redcar and they will come at us. We simply have to do our job and that would be enough to get through.”

BEARS PRAISE FOR SECOND STRINGS
REDCAR boss Gavin Parr says he’s delighted with the progress of youngsters Jake Mulford and Jason Edwards as they support the Bears’ powerful top order.
Parr said: “Jake has just moved into the main body of the side this season but he looks like he has been at No.2 forever, he’s been superb.
“Jason is just getting better and better every week, he has never let me down and I know I can count on him in Heat 15.”

GLADIATORS LOOK TO LASSE
PLYMOUTH promoter Mark Phillips says Lasse Fredriksen could a trump card for the Gladiators whilst he rides at reserve in the early stages of the season, having made an impressive home debut against Oxford.
Phillips said: “I don’t think anyone could doubt how impressive Lasse was, and I wouldn’t imagine he’ll be at reserve for long if he continues that kind of form, but we will be taking full advantage of it while we can.
“Having a rider who is capable of scoring double figures at reserve is going to be a real positive for us this season.”

KEY CLASH FOR SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE face an important BSN Series clash with Workington at home on Friday with the aggregate point also crucial to their chances.
The margin of the Scorpions’ defeat at Redcar currently makes them outsiders in the group, but a hefty home win and the right result involving the other clubs could leave the three sides tied on match points at the end of the Northern schedule.

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE opening meeting of the 2025 Cab Direct Championship takes place this Saturday at the Coliseum as Plymouth host 2023 champions Glasgow… There’s a big MAXiCab KO Cup tie at the ECCO Arena on Friday as Redcar take on Berwick, trailing by four points from the first leg… Poole and Oxford are set to resolve the Southern section of the BSN Series when they meet at Wimborne Road on Wednesday… In the Northern section, qualification is still open with Scunthorpe facing Workington on Friday before the Comets take on Redcar on Saturday… Glasgow have won the Scottish section but both sides will still be fired up at Ashfield for a Scottish derby on Friday with Edinburgh in town.

WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST

YOUNG STARS SHINE
KING’S Lynn are top of the early NDT table after a hard-fought home win over Birmingham which saw two riders – Ashton Vale and Max Perry – withdraw by mid-meeting.
Manager Jason Pipe said: “I did feel we would pull away later on, which we did, but the victory by 14 points actually surprised me in the end, I thought it was going to be a lot tighter.
“That’s two wins now, we’re top of the league on five points, and we’re feeling quite confident about our chances.”

FOX CUBS OFF THE MARK
LEICESTER captain Will Cairns scored an 18-point maximum and secured the win for his side when he took Heat 15 from the back against Birmingham for their first NDT points of the season.
Manager Jen Crossland said: “The main thing for the Fox Cubs team was to get a win under our belts, and they worked well together in the pits, helping each other with bikes.
“Will was outstanding, Cooper (Rushen) and Sonny (Springer) both rode really well too, and when you look at them that’s two more 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old, and that’s what it’s all about at this level.”

HARRIS STEPS IN
LUKE Harris will join Kent Eagles in the NDT next month as a replacement for the injured Charlie Wood – although he will race against them first, as he is set to appear for a Thurrock Hammers side in a challenge match at Iwade on June 1.
Manager David Graveling said: “We are most grateful to Luke for agreeing to step into the side and help us out.
“We already know what he is capable of, he has done numerous laps around Iwade, is very experienced at this level and will surely prove the ideal replacement while Charlie works on his fitness.”

THE WEEK AHEAD
EDINBURGH race their second home fixture of the WSRA NDL season when they host Belle Vue on Saturday… in the NDT Leicester move into back-to-back home matches as they take on King’s Lynn on Sunday.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY MAY 7:
BSN SERIES: Poole (45) v Oxford (45) 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 9:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Redcar (43) v Berwick (47) 7.30
BSN SERIES: Glasgow (46) v Edinburgh (44) 7.30, Scunthorpe (43) v Workington (47) 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 10:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Glasgow 7pm
BSN SERIES: Workington (39) v Redcar (51) 3pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Belle Vue 7pm

SUNDAY MAY 11:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Leicester v King’s Lynn 3pm

MONDAY MAY 12:
ATTIS INSURANCE SPORTS DIVISION BRITISH FINAL: Belle Vue 7.30

WEDNESDAY MAY 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole v Scunthorpe 7.30

THURSDAY MAY 15:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Leicester (44) v King’s Lynn (46) 7.30, Oxford (37) v Belle Vue (53) 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 16:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Poole 7pm, Plymouth v Edinburgh 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (44) v Steelers (46) 3pm

SUNDAY MAY 18:
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Glasgow 2pm

MONDAY MAY 19:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Birmingham v Ipswich 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue (44) v Leicester (46) 7.30, King’s Lynn (33) v Sheffield (57) 7.30