BRITISH SPEEDWAY APRIL 17, 2026
(SPEEDWAY 1)
LIONS ROAR IN KO CUP DEFENCE
PREMIERSHIP KO Cup holders Leicester fired themselves back into contention to defend the trophy with a shock 49-41 win at Sheffield on Thursday.
It means the Northern section will be decided in the one remaining meeting which is the reverse fixture between the Lions and the Tigers back in the East Midlands next week.
Sheffield will need to win that match to progress whilst a draw would be enough for Leicester to top the group and reach the Final again.
The Lions produced a super-solid display at Owlerton with all of their riders scoring between five and nine points, and reserves Drew Kemp and Joe Thompson outscored their counterparts 13-3.
Kemp and former Tigers skipper Kyle Howarth secured the win with a 5-1 in Heat 14, whilst Jack Holder (12+1) and brother Chris (10) top scored for the hosts.
Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “It was a full seven-rider performance, which is the way the team was built this season, although obviously when I look at the scores there was a big difference at reserve.
“But my top five also rode very well tonight. We got off to a difficult start with Dougy (Ryan Douglas) having problems in Heat 1, but we recovered well and whilst it’s probably a surprising result it does show what we’re capable of when we all click.
“There’s a good feeling in the camp, which is always the way when you win, and we’ve given ourselves a real chance of qualifying for the Final, which didn’t look the case at 7.30pm – but it’s not over yet. We’ve still got a job to do next Thursday, and there’s still something for Sheffield to aim for.”
Sheffield manager Simon Stead said: “Sometimes you’ve got to roll with the punches and acknowledge that you were beaten by the better team.
“That was certainly the case tonight – but you’ve got to remember it’s early days, it’s only our second home meeting.
“For whatever reason, Leicester were more at it than we were and we have to hold our hands up, acknowledge that we weren’t good enough and make sure we come out swinging in a week’s time.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
GLASGOW open their home season with a BSN Series clash against Berwick tonight (Friday) with their opponents racing for the first time in 2026.
The Tigers started the campaign well with a 45-45 draw at Edinburgh last week, and they hand home debuts to Mario Hausl, Kevin Juhl Pedersen and Sam Hagon tonight.
Boss Cami Brown says his side need to be wary of the former Tigers returning to Ashfield with Victor Palovaara, Nick Morris and Jack Smith all having raced for Glasgow in the past.
Brown said: “It was a terrific opening draw at Edinburgh for us. That’s a very good start. But we know how strong Edinburgh and Berwick are at Ashfield as well.
“So we’ve got to really get dialled in very quickly at Ashfield for our first home team meeting.
“Berwick look very good this season. They have three former Glasgow riders in their side and it’s very solid. It’s a real early test for us at home.”
Bandits boss Stewart Dickson said: “It is important that we make a good start to the season, and that’s something we haven’t done in the past couple of campaigns.
“It is a slight concern that Lasse (Fredriksen), Victor and Reid (Battye) have not been able to get any competitive laps under their belts because of the rain-offs but they are fully fit and raring to go.
“Last year we allowed Glasgow the win at Shielfield largely due to mechanical breakdowns. I don’t want to see that happening again in either meeting.”
GLASGOW: Chris Harris, Mario Hausl, Leon Flint, Kevin Juhl Pedersen, Kyle Howarth, Sam Hagon, Freddy Hodder.
BERWICK: Peter Kildemand, Jye Etheridge, Victor Palovaara, Lasse Fredriksen, Nick Morris, Jack Smith, Reid Battye.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
REDCAR host Edinburgh in the first leg of their MAXiCab KO Cup quarter-final at the Ecco Arena tonight (Friday).
The Bears were beaten Finalists last season, and the clubs last met in the competition back in 2022 when it was Redcar who went through in the semi-finals.
The two teams name full-strength line-ups with Nicolai Klindt continuing at No.1 for the hosts whilst the Monarchs will look to build on last week’s home draw with Glasgow in the BSN Series.
REDCAR: Nicolai Klindt, Ace Pijper, Jordan Jenkins, Jason Edwards, Jake Allen, Jake Mulford, Jody Scott.
EDINBURGH: Dan Thompson, Jonatan Grahn, Justin Sedgmen, Paco Castgna, Kye Thomson, Mitchell Cluff, Jordy Loftus.
(SPEEDWAY 4)
KING’S Lynn Young Stars have made a team change ahead of the start of the WSRA National Development League season.
The Young Stars have moved to sign former Mildenhall, Kent and Belle Vue rider Jack Kingston after Jacob Clouting informed the club he would be unable to take his place in the side.
Manager Jason Pipe explained: “From having a phone conversation with Jacob on Monday of this week, I fully understand his reasons why he’s came to this decision and I’d like to wish him all the very best in going forward from here. Things have changed in Jacob’s personal life and he needs to prioritise what’s more important to him right now.
“I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of Jacob on a speedway track and hopefully we’ll see him back racing again in the NDL in 2027.
“After recently upgrading his machinery, Jack is hungry to show people what he can do at this level of the sport and hopefully put himself in the shop window for any Championship rides in the future.
“I like Jack’s attitude and confidence and that’s what I like to see in a rider, and I’m sure Jack and his mechanic, Garry, will fit in very well with the rest of the team.”
(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY APRIL 17:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30
BSN SERIES: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 18:
BSN SERIES: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Workington v Scunthorpe 3pm
SUNDAY APRIL 19:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Middlesbrough 3pm
CHALLENGE: Buxton v NDL Nomads 3pm
MONDAY APRIL 20:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP ROUND 1: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (SOUTH): King’s Lynn v Northampton 7.30
