BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/21

Feature photo by: Dave Payne… WORKINGTON produced a remarkable mid-meeting burst to overcome Edinburgh 47-43 on Saturday, hanging on for victory in a last-heat decider at the GT Tyres Arena.
The Comets were six points down at the halfway stage of the Cab Direct Championship clash only to stun the Monarchs with a hat-trick of 5-1s to turn the meeting in their favour.
The result still keeps the Comets’ hopes of a late run to the play-offs alive.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST

EXCITEMENT FOR LIONS
LEICESTER skipper Max Fricke admits he’s excited about the Lions’ run-in as they bid to secure a sensational league and KO Cup double.
The East Midlands side confirmed their play-off place by defeating leaders Ipswich on Monday in a meeting where the highlight was Fricke’s superb third to first dash on the last bend of Heat 6.
He said: “It was a difficult meeting. Ipswich are top of the league for a reason, and they pushed us all the way so it was a tough night, but it was great to get a win over them in the end.
“I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s great to be racing a lot and we’re having a good time with this team of guys, and the support we’re getting is amazing.”

TIGERS PULL TOGETHER
SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead said last Thursday’s 46-43 win at Oxford was a demonstration of what can be achieved with a strong team spirit.
Stead said: “We didn’t have things all our own way tonight but it was great to see everyone pulling in the same direction.
“There’s some real great leadership qualities throughout this team and even though the two new lads (Nick Morris and Jye Etheridge) only joined us recently, the team spirit is outstanding.
“Everyone wants to achieve the same thing here and it’s nice to see everyone digging in together and that’s going to be important in the coming weeks.”

LEMON DEFENDS HIS ACES
BELLE Vue boss Mark Lemon says criticism of his team’s away results doesn’t present the full picture of their season.
Lemon said: “We’re the youngest team in the Premiership and that has shown at times.
“We talk about our away form, if you really look into it, we’ve had meetings missing Brady (Kurtz) or Norick (Blodorn), and results haven’t quite gone our way.
“It’s a harsh criticism to be brutally honest. Most other teams have only won one more meeting away than us.”

DAN BACK ON SONG
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins admitted the return to form of Dan Thompson, who scored 12+2, was the big plus point to come out of the 49-41 defeat at Leicester in Monday.
Hawkins said: “We know how good Dan is at Leicester, and he was our best rider again tonight. He has had a really busy period and that is why he didn’t come out for Heat 15 but it was really good to see him back riding like that, that was a big positive.

“I thought Tom (Brennan) was a lot better than the points he got, he was a bit unlucky at times.
“It was a superb ride from Jason (Edwards) to win Heat 8, so there were positives, and we picked up a lot of seconds and thirds but just didn’t have enough heat winners tonight.”

STARS IN THE MAJOR POINTS
KING’S Lynn’s riders enjoyed a bumper pay-night against Oxford by running up a 63-27 victory to make it three wins on the trot, establishing the Stars in a clear fifth place in the Premiership table.
Manager Rob Lyon said: “I’ve been saying all along that we picked this team for a reason, and whilst I’m sure with all due respect we will come across some stiffer opposition in our remaining matches, I think we’ve proved that in the times when we have had a full team, we can do some damage.

“It’s a solid team, and that makes a massive difference. But you can’t legislate for injury, all teams suffer from it from time to time, that’s the way it goes.
“It was a really good team performance, and special mention to the track staff because the track was really good today.”

BRUMMIES FALL SHORT
BIRMINGHAM suffered double defeat on the road at the hands of King’s Lynn and Belle Vue, and preparations now turn to an emotional farewell to Perry Barr on Bank Holiday Monday.
Manager Chris Adams said: “We move onto next Monday for our meeting against Leicester in which we will be hoping to secure a win in front of our home crowd as we bring the curtain down on racing at Perry Barr.
“It will be a tough meeting but if we dig deep, all score some points, we can do it.”

SPIRES UNINSPIRED
OXFORD rounded off their away campaign with a big 63-27 loss on a forgettable night at King’s Lynn, with their last two Premiership matches of the season to come against the Stars and then Leicester.
Manager Peter Schroeck said: “I didn’t expect to win here, but I did expect to score more points. But we weren’t in the best shape to take on a King’s Lynn side who are very strong around this track.

 “This can be quite an intimidating track and I was pleased how Mitch (McDiarmid) and Victor (Palovaara) did on their first visit here. “Of course, we wanted to do better here, but we will bounce back, and we’re looking for good results in our two concluding meetings for the Spires this season.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
LEAGUE leaders Ipswich face King’s Lynn in a big local derby at Foxhall on Thursday… Meanwhile Sheffield are chasing a first win of 2025 against Leicester with the sides also being potential play-off opponents… There is a high noon War of the Roses showdown at the National Speedway Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday as Belle Vue face Sheffield… Elsewhere, the curtain comes down at Perry Barr with a Midlands derby between Birmingham and Leicester, whilst Oxford face King’s Lynn at Cowley.
 
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
 
PIRATES STILL WANT MORE
POOLE promoter Dan Ford says his side need to maintain a ‘must win’ mentality even with play-off qualification confirmed.
The Pirates are keen to fend off Glasgow and finish top of the table, and to do so they are likely to need a positive result at Oxford on Wednesday.
Ford said: “For this league match we do not have that many points in hand as far as the aggregate point is concerned, just six, and that will take some defending at Cowley. 
“It effectively means we will need to be on our A-game if we are to move off the 28 league points we have accumulated so far. That at least means we have to go into the meeting believing it is a must-win affair, and in some respects that helps with the mindset.”

SO SOLID TIGERS
GLASGOW continued their charge towards the top of the table with a 20-point home win over Oxford, along with progress in the MAXiCab KO Cup – but manager Cami Brown says they need to get even better!
He said: “This is definitely the best shape the team has been in for some time. With Villads (Nagel) producing amazing scores at No.2 and our reserves chipping in with big points, we look a very strong side.
“But that means nothing right now. No trophies are won in August. We need to maintain this form and get even better if we are going to win silverware.”

EDWARDS: FANS THE EIGHTH RIDER
REDCAR favourite Jason Edwards has paid tribute to the Bears supporters with the side closing in on a play-off place after back-to-back wins over Plymouth.
Edwards said: “No matter where we go the Bears fans turn out in force, whether that is on the back straight at Berwick or on the first bend at Scunthorpe, the Redcar fans are brilliant.
“I’ve been happy this season, it’s been a steady year, I haven’t done anything spectacular but I’m being consistent and I’m gradually getting better which is the main thing.”

USEFUL POINTS FOR MONARCHS
EDINBURGH skipper Paco Castagna said the aggregate point, and three in total for the weekend, was a decent outcome for the Monarchs from their clashes with Edinburgh.
The Armadale side are within touching distance of confirming a play-off place and they will do so with a win over fierce rivals Glasgow on Friday.

Castagna said: “I feel like we should have won (at Workington) and got all three points, but it is not all negative.
“Some of us had a good night, some of us a bad one but again we do it as a team. I felt we were stronger overall we just let the meeting get away from us in those heats (9, 10 and 11). We got the bonus though, so it’s not all bad and that helps us for the play-offs.”

COMETS WILL KEEP FIGHTING
WORKINGTON boss James Denham admits his side are now outsiders for a play-off place after being limited to two points from a trio of weekend fixtures against Edinburgh and Oxford.
Denham said: “There are definitely things to work on, and while the play-offs are probably out of reach for us now, we still have four fixtures to go and we will put everything into them.
“We are four down to Glasgow on aggregate ahead of our home fixture next weekend [3pm, August 23] and I’m confident if we start well enough against them we can do the job and pick up the aggregate point as-well. But it will be tough, they’re fighting for top spot.”

CHEETAHS’ WELCOME WIN
OXFORD manager Peter Schroeck said the home win over Workington on Sunday came as a welcome boost after a tough run of results saw Cheetahs’ play-off hopes come to an end.
Schroeck said: “We don’t put too much pressure on the riders, but when the team is losing, they start putting pressure on themselves.

“It was tough for them, travelling all the way back from Glasgow and riding again the next day. But they put the shift in and we deserved to win.
“It was great to get all three points, including the aggregate point. I knew we could rely on Sam (Masters) in Heat 15 and he did the business. I’m really pleased for Cam (Heeps) and Jordan (Jenkins), who played their part in our victory – this is a big boost to their confidence.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
LEADERS Poole complete their regular programme against Oxford on Wednesday… Meanwhile Glasgow, who could deny them top spot, face an away weekend double at Edinburgh on Friday with the Monarchs looking to confirm a play-off spot, and the Tigers are then at Workington on Saturday with the match being must win for the Comets… Redcar are also close to confirming a top four finish, and they face Scunthorpe on Friday… Plymouth round out their home league programme at home to Berwick on Saturday with the Bandits still in mathematical play-off contention.
 WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST
 YOUNG STARS SHINE BRIGHT
KING’S Lynn rounded off their victorious NDT season with a hard-fought 46-44 win over Plymouth, meaning the newly crowned champions have won seven of their eight matches.
Manager Jason Pipe said: “I told the lads to relax and enjoy themselves because it was a celebration night, but obviously it’s always nice to finish the season off with a win.

“Full credit to Plymouth, they ran us close and in my eyes they have given us our toughest two meetings in this competition, and I would say for the fans that was the best home match of the season of the four.
“I’d also like to say a big thanks to the supporters, I was absolutely over the moon with the attendance. It was great to see such a good crowd.
 
SIMPSON SETBACK
STEELERS and Plymouth Centurions have suffered a blow with Mickie Simpson suffering leg and pelvis injuries in a grasstrack crash in the Netherlands last weekend.
Simpsin said: “I spent the night Friday in Zwolle Hospital and on Saturday I had surgery to put a rod, some pins and screws into my right femur.  A huge thank you to Dr K Van Edmond who performed the procedure and was very happy with the outcome.

“I also sustained a small fracture in the right side of my pelvis, which was not a concern and with the pain from the femur being much higher, raised no concerns.
“Recovery time is not exactly known at the moment, though I imagine this has put an end to my season. I have no doubt we will be back better than ever in 2026.”
 
THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE top two in the WSRA NDL are both in action at 3pm on Sunday as leaders Oxford host the Steelers at Cowley, whilst Leicester take on Middlesbrough at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park.
 
FIXTURE PICTURE…
 
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (42) v Poole (48) 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 21:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich (44) v King’s Lynn (46) 7.30, Sheffield (42) v Leicester (48) 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 22:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 23:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Berwick 7pm, Workington (42) v Glasgow (48) 3pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 24:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester (56) v Middlesbrough (34) 3pm, Oxford v Steelers 3pm

MONDAY AUGUST 25:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue (35) v Sheffield (55) 12pm, Birmingham v Leicester 7.30, Oxford (27) v King’s Lynn (63) 7.30

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27:
MAXICAB KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Poole v Glasgow 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 28:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (42) v Belle Vue (48) 7.30, Leicester v Birmingham 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 7.30, Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 30:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (43) v Belle Vue (46) 6pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Plymouth (36) v Kent (54) 7pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (250cc/125cc): Redcar (follows NDL fixture)\

SUNDAY AUGUST 31:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Berwick 6pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (43) v Sheffield (47) 7.30