BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/13

Feature photo by: PHIL McGLYNN …SHEFFIELD moved top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table for a few days on Thursday night, but only after a huge scare against King’s Lynn in a 47-43 win at Owlerton.
The Tigers held a comfortable eight-point lead after nine races but were stunned by a hat-trick of Stars 5-1s in Heats 10-12 to put the visitors four up with three races remaining.
However, Jack and Chris Holder got the home side over the line with 5-1s in Heats 13 and 15 to neutralise the effect of the Stars’ high-scoring reserve Jan Kvech and grind out a victory.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST

 WITCHES BACK ON TOP
IPSWICH overcame their injury concerns to return to the top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table with an impressive 54-36 win over Leicester on Monday.
Jason Doyle, Dan Thompson, Danny King and Jordan Jenkins are all riding with knocks, and boss Ritchie Hawkisn believes they will gain in strength over the coming weeks.

Hawkins said: “We want to be the best team all season and to get to the halfway point with the injury troubles is very promising and pleasing.
“We are in a good place where I can see the progression and I would have taken this at the start of the season, without the injuries.
“Where I think we are at as a side I think we can grow going into the play-offs.”

ACES SQUEEZE THROUGH
BELLE Vue captain Brady Kurtz returned to the team with a 14+1 paid maximum in a hard-fought home win over King’s Lynn on Monday.
Kurtz combined with Dan Bewley for 5-1s in Heats 13 and 15 to secure a 48-42 victory after the Stars had held a narrow lead for much of the meeting.
Kurtz said: “I don’t remember the last time we went out in heat 15 for the win like that. I was a bit nervous!
“It’s always cool to get a win in the last heat decider. It was a strong performance in the end from the boys.
“We definitely struggled at the start, I’m not sure exactly why. Next week the aim is to get firing from the word go.”

TIGERS HEED LYNN WARNING
SHEFFIELD were thankful to Jack and Chris Holder for steering them to victory in an awkward encounter with improving King’s Lynn which went down to the wire.
Manager Simon Stead said: “It might not have been as convincing, but we got it over the line, got the points and that’s the most important thing. I think the lads dug deep and showed great character.
“This was always a potential banana skin fixture for us with us not being at home for so long plus Picko (Josh Pickering – shoulder injury) has, statistically, been our best rider around Owlerton so far this season.
“We did miss him a lot but thankfully the rest of the lads did enough collectively to get the job done.”

BEST YET FOR LIONS
LEICESTER hit the 60-point mark for the first time since returning to the top-flight with their emphatic win over Belle Vue on Thursday, although they were quickly brought down to earth as they went down by 18 points at Ipswich four nights later.
Manager Stewart Dickson reflected on the Aces result saying: “Belle Vue had a tough night, but we can only beat what’s in front of us, without being boastful, and we’ve now racked up three really big (home) scores, which will be important for us because we’re going to need to get aggregate points as King’s Lynn are chasing us.

“The track was a little tricky for the first couple of races. We’d put a splash of water on at 7.05pm because it was still 25 degrees, and we were making gates whilst they were getting filled in. But then when it dried off, we were still dominant from the starts and the racing lines came again.”

STARS SO CLOSE
KING’S Lynn underlined their recent improvement with two battling away displays to go down by four points at Sheffield and six at Belle Vue – having suffered 24-point defeats at both venues in April.
The Stars led 37-35 at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday with two races remaining but they then conceded two 5-1s to home duo Brady Kurtz and Dan Bewley.

Manager Rob Lyon said: “Six points is more than achievable to get the aggregate in the return leg, as I said at Sheffield on Thursday.
“That’s four and six, and we’re confident we can get three points out of the return legs. If we’d had Jan (Kvech) I’m pretty confident we would have been coming away with a win, but that’s speedway.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
OXFORD enjoyed a perfect May Day Bank Holiday the last time they faced Birmingham, taking all five available points on the day, and the Brummies make their second visit of the season to Cowley on Thursday… Meanwhile the identity of the first KO Cup Finalists will be known by the end of the week as Leicester defend an 18-point lead in the second leg of their semi-final at Sheffied… Monday’s action is headlined by a clash of two of the top three in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as champions Belle Vue host Ipswich… Elsewhere, Birmingham take on King’s Lynn with three points on offer after a 49-40 Stars win in the reverse fixture.

CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
POSITIVE COMETS
WORKINGTON boss James Denham said he took several positives from a 51-39 win over Plymouth which got the Comets off to a successful start in their first league match of the season.
Denham said: “Both Jacob (Hook) and Antti (Vuolas) dusted off old engines out of the workshop, it seems like they have found something hidden away that they didn’t know about!
“Tate (Zischke) had to jump on his second back for his last ride as he bent his forks but he really needed that win in his last ride.
“He will build on this as he determined and wants to do well – he just needs to think ahead instead of behind.”

PIRATES ON TRACK
POOLE skipper Zach Cook praised the Wimborne Road track staff after a convincing 55-35 win over Bewick in hot conditions in Dorset.
Cook, who scored paid-14 in a strong performance, said: “It was a good one tonight. The track staff did well, they’ve worked hard and have been up against the weather, but they’ve done good, we’ve had no dust and it’s been reasonably safe out there.
“Everyone was making decent starts and we kept their race wins to the minimum, which is always good and so everyone can take some positives out from tonight.”         

CASTAGNA PRAISES MONARCHS
EDINBURGH captain Paco Castagna was delighted with the team’s efforts to snatch a 45-44 away win at Oxford.
The result was a major boost to the Monarchs’ hopes of a top four place in the Cab Direct Championship, even if they were unable to follow it up at Redcar 48 hours later.
Castagna said: “We needed that! We thought before the meeting we could win, and to be honest the track was very challenging early on for us, but I think it was also for them.
“We are a good team, we’ve got good energy and we have to keep doing this for the rest of the season. We’ve got a new team now and it’s the first meeting with all seven of us together.”

TIGERS HAPPY WITH NAGEL
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown is backing new signing Villads Nagel after an eventful debut in the win over Plymouth.
Nagel scored 3+1 in his first appearance at Ashfield despite suffering some mechanical issues, and Brown says there’s much more to come from the Danish youngster.
He said: “Villads will obviously take some time to settle. He’s disappointed tonight but that’s because he’s a young lad hungry to impress.
“I’m sure he’ll get it right very soon. He’s been hugely impressive so far.”

CHEETAHS BOUNCE BACK
OXFORD captain Sam Masters underlined the importance of the Cheetahs’ win at Scunthorpe on Friday, 48 hours after they slipped up at home to Edinburgh.
Masters said: “We needed the win tonight. We’d had a couple of losses at home and those put us on the backfoot a little bit, but today we’ve responded to that.
“Scunthorpe is not an easy place to visit. To come away with an eight-point victory is really impressive – I’m so pleased with the efforts from the boys.
“It was a last-heat decider and those are always nerve-wracking, but we got it done.”

SCORPIONS SEEK A RESPONSE
SCUNTHORPE captain Simon Lambert said there were no excuses as the Scorpions slipped to a disappointing home loss against Oxford.
The hosts were beaten 49-41 at the Eddie Wright Raceway putting further pressure on their upcoming away matches.
Lambert said: “We didn’t get off to a good start in Heat 1, when Steve (Worrall) touched the tapes – I think Sam (Masters) dragged him in. The same nearly happened to me in the re-run.
“We should have done better, and we got beaten by the better team tonight. Oxford’s guest Antti Vuolas was superb – it’s a bitter pill when the guest only drops one point for the visitors
“Apologies from myself and the team to the fans for our performance as a team tonight. But we’re not dead and buried by any means.”

KING THE KEY
REDCAR boss Gavin Parr has hailed Danny King as the star performer for the Bears this season – a fact underlined by them losing at Berwick on Saturday when King crashed out in his first ride.
Parr said: “Danny is an invaluable asset, he’s having a season that we know he can have. Last season he struggled with injury, but this is the Danny King of old.
“Danny is in the engine room, and he is the engine that is making us look like a formidable side.”

BANDITS LOOKING FOR LIGHT
BERWICK have launched a joint appeal along with Berwick Rangers FC to replace the halogen lighting on the main floodlights at Shielfield Park with energy-saving LED bulbs.
Club director Jamie Courtney explained: “The logistics of replacing over 100 bulbs on eight 50-foot towers are mind-boggling with a level of expertise and hire of equipment which simply doesn’t come cheap.

“They may have cost just over £6,000 to install in the 1970s, but prices have risen a bit since then.
“It’s work that needs to be done and in the long run could save us up to 85 per cent in running costs.
“If you feel mindful to back the appeal then look up the story and details of how to donate on our website berwickspeedway. com/news/help-us-light-up-shielfield-park .”

KLINDT STARS BUT NO POINTS
PLYMOUTH suffered a fruitless Northern tour with 53-37 and 51-39 defeats at Glasgow and Workington in the space of under 24 hours.
However, Gladiators No.1 Nicolai Klindt was in outstanding form with 15 points from six rides at Ashfield and then a full 18-point maximum at the GT Tyres Arena against his former club.
Klindt said: “I said I wanted to go unbeaten, and I did. Everything worked perfectly and I made slight adjustments during the meeting to gain more power in my bike.
“I’m very pleased, and it’s nice to get a welcoming hand every time I’ve been here this season.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
EDINBURGH bid to turn the tables on Redcar when the sides meet at Armadale on Friday with the Bears having triumphed 50-40 on Teesside last week… Elsewhere, Glasgow host Scunthorpe having triumphed in a Super Heat after a 45-45 draw at the Eddie Wright Raceway in mid-May… Berwick host Workington on Saturday with both sides having taken home wins last weekend.

WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST

 STEELERS STUN CHARGERS
STEELERS boss Simon Lambert praised his side as they put 59 points past Oxford Chargers at the Eddie Wright Raceway with no fewer than four riders unbeaten.
Nathan Ablitt, Luke Harrison, Mickie Simpson and Jamie Etherington all scored paid maximums, the latter two for the first time in the NDL, and Etherington did it from seven rides.
Lambert said: “The boys were superb. We had four riders on paid maximums and two of them took their first-ever maximums at this level. I was so pleased for both Jamie and Mickie.”

PIPE LINES UP TEAM TALK
KING’S Lynn Young Stars boss Jason Pipe will tell his riders to ignore their big away win at Leicester from earlier in the season when they host the Fox Cubs at the Adrian Flux Arena in the NDT this Wednesday.
Pipe said: “Just because we won at their place by 22 points, somehow I don’t think it will be the same here tomorrow evening.
“Since we last raced against the Fox Cubs, they now have a couple of riders back from injury and these Fox Cubs can’t be taken lightly. They’ll be seeking revenge and this meeting won’t be easy.
“It would be great to see a decent crowd again to cheer on the boys. It was encouraging to see the support shown to the riders in our last home meeting.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
A BUSY weekend ahead for defending WSRA NDL champions Leicester, who visit Middlesbrough on Saturday before facing home and away clashes with Oxford on Sunday, starting at midday at the Hydroscand Arena with the Cowley return at 6.30pm… There are also two more matches in the NDT with Plymouth hosting their return against Birmingham on Tuesday, whilst leaders King’s Lynn are in action against Leicester Fox Cubs on Wednesday.
 
FIXTURE PICTURE…
 
TUESDAY JUNE 24:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Plymouth (41) v Birmingham (48) 7pm

WEDNESDAY JUNE 25:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: King’s Lynn (53) v Leicester (31) 7.30

THURSDAY JUNE 26:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Oxford v Birmingham 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Sheffield (36) v Leicester (54) 7.30

FRIDAY JUNE 27:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (40) v Redcar (50) 7.30, Glasgow (45) v Scunthorpe (45) 7.30

SATURDAY JUNE 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough v Leicester 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (500cc/125cc support): Redcar (follows NDL fixture)

SUNDAY JUNE 29:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Oxford 12pm, Oxford v Leicester 6.30

MONDAY JUNE 30:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, Birmingham (40) v King’s Lynn (49) 7.30

WEDNESDAY JULY 2:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Workington 7.30, Poole (47) v Glasgow (43) 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 3:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester v King’s Lynn 7.30, Sheffield v Birmingham 7.30

FRIDAY JULY 4:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Glasgow (46) v Oxford (44) 7.30, Redcar v Workington 7.30

SATURDAY JULY 5:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Scunthorpe 7pm, Workington v Berwick 3pm

SUNDAY JULY 6:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Middlesbrough 1pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (250cc): Belle Vue (follows NDL fixture)

MONDAY JULY 7:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue (43) v Birmingham (47) 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (43) v Sheffield (47) 7.30, Oxford v Ipswich 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Birmingham v Kent 7.30