BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAY 19, 2025

(SPEEDWAY 1)

HAGON’S SUCCESSFUL TITLE DEFENCE

SAM Hagon successfully defended his British Under-21 Championship in an extraordinary finish at Glasgow on Sunday.
Berwick star Hagon recovered from failing to score in the opening race to make it into the semi-final, where he overtook Jake Mulford to take the last remaining place in the decider.

The Final was led by Joe Thompson for two and a half laps before Hagon came through on the inside, but there was major drama at the end when Hagon hit the fence on the run to the finishing line.
He took the chequered flag in front before crashing on the first bend, whilst behind him Luke Harrison also came to grief after clipping Thompson, and William Cairns was also caught in the carnage.

Thankfully all riders walked away with Thompson finishing second, Harrison third and 15-year-old Cairns was just off the rostrum. Jody Scott was the other rider to miss out in the semi.
Hagon said: “This meant so much more than the first victory.

“To be honest I’ve struggled ever since winning the first one and my first three rides today were c**p.
“A huge thank you to (Berwick owner) Jamie Courtney and Mark Courtney who have put so much into me the last few weeks. It all really began to click at Berwick last night
“And for everyone who doubted me … this is what I can do. It is going to be one to celebrate!”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

DAN Thompson has confirmed he suffered a broken scaphoid in the Heat 4 crash which wrecked his British Under-21 Final hopes.
Thompson was hot favourite to take the title on his home Cab Direct Championship track of Glasgow, but disaster struck when he crashed heavily on the first bend of his opening ride.

He said: “I tried again in the re-run but struggled with the pain, and couldn’t race how I can.
“After going for X-rays in Glasgow I’ve got a broken scaphoid and I’m feeling very second-hand.
“A frustrating outcome with much bigger meetings ahead of me.”

Thompson was due to represent Great Britain back at Ashfield this weekend in the FIM SGP2 qualifier, whilst the news is a further injury headache for ROWE Motor Oil Premiership leaders Ipswich – who had seen Jason Doyle hurt in Warsaw on Saturday – as well as for the Tigers, for whom he had been piling up the points in the second tier.
 
(SPEEDWAY 3)

DANISH star Michael Jepsen Jensen has stood down from his team place with Birmingham citing concerns over his schedule and the travel.
Jepsen Jensen has been the top performer for the Brummies in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership this season and his departure is a major blow for the Perry Barr club.

He said: “From the beginning, the club knew I was going to give it a try and see where it goes.
“I appreciate their understanding and support throughout, but now I feel the need to be honest with myself and fair to the fans in all the leagues I race in.

“The truth is, I’ve realised that what I need right now isn’t more racing; I need a clear head, strong fitness, time to go for bike rides and runs, and to trust the process I’m following.
“The travel has taken a toll on both my body and mind and it’s made it impossible to train and recover the way I need to. Finishing my time in British racing wasn’t an easy decision, but I believe it’s the right one.”
Birmingham have been granted a 14-day facility to cover for Jepsen Jensen and will immediately be on the hunt for a new signing.

(SPEEDWAY 4)

BELLE Vue host Leicester as two of the current top four in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership clash in tonight’s (Monday) televised fixture in Manchester.
The match is a repeat of the 2024 Grand Final which was won by the Aces, but when they met in the East Midlands last month it was the Lions who edged the contest in a tremendous last-heat decider.

World Championship leader Brady Kurtz leads the home side, who won on the road at Oxford last week, whilst the visitors go into the meeting on a run of three successive wins.
Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “It’s a free hit really. We’re only two points up from the home match so we need to get 45 for the aggregate point, but it’s certainly not a track that riders don’t enjoy going to.

“I think they all like it, but it’s one of those where you have to get your set-up right, and that’s up to them to sort out.
“We go there in confident mood. I know it’s going to be tough, they’re a good side, but so are we and I believe we’ve got a chance there.”

BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Norick Blodorn, Jaimon Lidsey, Zach Cook, Dan Bewley, Tate Zischke, Jake Mulford.

LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Drew Kemp, Joe Thompson.

(SPEEDWAY 5)

ROWE Motor Oil Premiership leaders Ipswich will be without two riders for their trip to Birmingham tonight (Monday).
The Witches, who suffered an injury crisis last summer to derail their title hopes, saw both Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson involved in crashes over the weekend.

Doyle suffered a dislocated hip when he came to grief in the FIM Grand Prix of Poland in Warsaw, and it was put back in on Saturday night. He escaped with no broken bones and has pledged to be back “very soon.”
Ipswich will use rider replacement for Doyle at Perry Barr whilst Danyon Hume guests for Dan Thompson who broke his scaphoid at Glasgow on Sunday.

The Brummies welcome Matej Zagar back into the side but have rider replacement for Michael Jepsen Jensen who has relinquished his team place.
Promoter Nigel Tolley said: “Losing MJJ is a massive shame but we thank him for all he’s done in the opening months of the season and we wish him the best.

“We know Ipswich are a very strong team, even without their No.1, and we know outsiders will expect nothing but an away win.
“So that takes the pressure off a meeting like this one and it means our six riders can go out there and express themselves knowing they’ve got little to lose in a sense and everything to gain.”

Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “We didn’t perform that well there earlier in the year and they ran us close, so we will need to improve on that performance, but we will go there with great confidence.
“I still believe on paper they are a good team, Zagar is back which is a massive bonus for them, and I think it will be a tight, tough test.”

BIRMINGHAM: Tobiasz Musielak, Paco Castagna, Michael Jepsen Jensen R/R, Keynan Rew, Matej Zagar, Jonas Jeppesen, Jason Edwards.

IPSWICH: Jason Doyle R/R, Adam Ellis, Emil Sayfutdinov, Danny King, Tom Brennan, Danyon Hume, Jordan Jenkins.

(SPEEDWAY 6)
KING’S Lynn look to make ground on the top four when they host in-form Sheffield in an intriguing ROWE Motor Oil Premiership clash at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday.
The Stars return home after recent defeats at Ipswich and Leicester, whilst the Tigers ended Ipswich’s 100 per cent start to the season with a narrow win at Owlerton on Thursday.

Lynn once again operate rider replacement for the injured Ben Cook as they face a visiting side led by Saturday’s FIM Grand Prix of Poland winner Jack Holder, and with a host of former Stars riders in their ranks.
King’s Lynn manager Rob Lyon said: “We’ve got a couple of matches left in May, one at home to Sheffield and one away at Birmingham, and these are crucial matches for us now.

“We need to be getting some points on the board from these matches, and I think we need to take stock at the end of May and see where we’re at.
“Sheffield are a good team, and we can all see the way things are shaping up, but last year we were good against Sheffield at home and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same again.”

Tigers boss Simon Stead said: “There’s been a bit of a lull with gaps between our home meetings, so we’re looking forward to getting some away fixtures under our belt.
“You can get carried away with home form but the reality is that some away results will come into play.

“We now have to make sure that we take what we can from our home performances, keep riding well as a team on the road and hopefully we’ll continue to put some more points on the board.”

KING’S LYNN: Chris Harris, Jan Kvech, Ben Cook R/R, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Richard Lawson, Nicolai Klindt, Ashton Boughen.

SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Anders Rowe, Josh Pickering, Justin Sedgmen, Chris Holder, Lewis Kerr, Leon Flint

(FIXTURES)

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

THURSDAY MAY 22:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich (49) v Leicester (41) 7.30, Oxford (33) v Sheffield (57) 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 23:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Scunthorpe (35) v Oxford (55) 7.30 ; 1st round 1st leg: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30