BRITISH SPEEDWAY JUNE 18, 2026
(SPEEDWAY 1)
COMETS’ NEW SIGNING
WORKINGTON have announced the signing of Drew Kemp for the remainder of the Cab Direct Championship season.
Kemp, who races for Leicester in the top-flight, had sat out the second tier in the early months of the campaign but has now agreed a deal with the Comets to replace Craig Cook.
He is set to join the club on an average of 8.07 and is in line to make his debut in Saturday’s home clash with Glasgow.
Promoter Andrew Bain said: “This was an important decision for the club. We felt we needed to make a change if we were to give ourselves the best possible chance of achieving our objectives this season, and Drew was a rider we identified as someone capable of making a real difference.
“He’s still young, but he already has a tremendous amount of experience and we’re pleased to bring him to Workington and we’re excited to see him in action on Saturday.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
GREAT Britain youngster Archie Rolph sensationally qualified for Friday’s SGP3 Final with a 13-point score in Wednesday’s second semi-final in the Czech Republic.
14-year-old Rolph won his first three heats at Pardubice and secured his place in the Final as early as Heat 10.
Having dropped his first point in his fourth ride against Poland’s Dawid Oscenda, Rolph then knew a second place finish behind eventual winner and current European 250cc Champion Franciszek Szcryrba in his final ride would be enough to clinch a third place finish on the night.
To clinch a place on the rostrum wasn’t quite that straightforward, as also in Rolph’s fifth heat was Danish rider Niklas Bager who after four rides was on ten points.
Rolph had to work really hard for his points and after the second lap he managed to pass Bager into second place, which positioned him third overall on the night.
Rolph and his team now travel to Wroclaw in Poland for Friday’s SGP3 World Final.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
GLASGOW reserve Freddy Hodder raced to a stunning paid maximum at Oxford as the Tigers fired up their play-off bid with a 49-41 away victory.
Hodder enjoyed the best night of his Cab Direct Championship career with an unbeaten display from four rides, capping it off with a fine move to pass Anders Rowe in Heat 12.
Although Sam Masters and reserve Darryl Ritchings won the next two races for the Cheetahs, the visitors packed in for second and third places on both occasions to seal an important success on the road.
Oxford skipper Masters scored 14+2 from six rides, and he combined for two early 5-1s with Luke Killeen. Hodder (10+2) was backed up by fellow reserve Mario Hausl with 6+2 as the Tigers dominated in that department whilst Leon Flint reached double figures with 10.
Glasgow boss Cami Brown said: “It’s an absolutely huge win for us. After the disappointment of losing at Berwick, this is just the shot in the arm we needed.
“It was a simply incredible performance from Freddy, he was the hero and he will rightly get all the headlines. To get the first-ever maximum of his career away from home is out of this world.
“But it also must not overshadow equally vital displays from Kevin Juhl Pedersen and Mario Hausl. They made their debuts at Oxford and did a fine job.”
Cheetahs manager Peter Schroeck said: “There wasn’t any lack of effort from the boys tonight, but it just wasn’t our night.
“Fair play to Glasgow, who won it with their bottom end. Freddy Hodder had a great night for them and that made all the difference to the result.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
NORTHAMPTON race their first home match in a month when second-placed Sheffield visit the International Shaleway in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership tonight (Thursday).
The newcomers picked up their first victory last time out on their own track when they defeated Leicester, and they have since gone close in a pair of away matches.
Meanwhile the Tigers have been inactive since the end of May, but they actually moved up the table on Monday due to results elsewhere.
Both sides are missing one rider due to Polish commitments with the Foxes bringing in Lewis Kerr to guest for Niels-Kristian Iversen, whilst the Tigers operate rider replacement for skipper Josh Pickering.
Northampton boss Chris Adams said: “We’re certainly looking forward to being back at home. We won our last match at the Shaleway, and we’re hoping to build on that and make it two.
“Lewi has been riding well and I’m sure he’ll be a good guest – we’re looking forward to seeing him again and it should be another excellent meeting.”
Tigers manager Simon Stead said: “It’s been such a stop-start season so far and it doesn’t really feel like we’ve got going.
“But the fixtures are soon going to be coming thick and fast and whilst it won’t be easy against a Northampton side who have been growing in belief it seems in recent outings, it would be nice if we could restart our fixtures with a positive result.”
NORTHAMPTON: Jaimon Lidsey, Troy Batchelor, Jonas Jeppesen, Lewis Kerr, Nicolai Klindt, Kye Thomson, Luke Harrison.
SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Anders Rowe, Chris Holder, Leon Flint, Josh Pickering R/R, Jye Etheridge, Luke Killeen.
(SPEEDWAY 5)
DEFENDING league champions Ipswich host King’s Lynn in an East Anglian derby tonight (Thursday) which could end with either team in the play-off places.
The Stars moved above their hosts in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership when they defeated Northampton at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday, but they have been dogged by poor starts on their recent visits to Foxhall.
The Witches name a full-strength side and are keen to get back into regular racing after a run of recent postponements, whilst former Ipswich rider Jordan Jenkins and Rising Star Sam Hagon guest for injured Lynn duo Paco Castagna and Jody Scott.
Ipswich boss Paul Hurry said: “I have never known anything like it with postponements, and it’s not just us. I am just thankful that our boys have had meetings with other clubs.
“It will be good to get back into things and get into a routine of racing on Mondays and Thursdays. All the boys will get back in the groove, and it will be good to touch base with everyone again and build that team spirit.”
King’s Lynn manager Rob Lyon said: “Hopefully it will be third time lucky and we can start better there, and then continue that for the rest of the meeting and try to get something out of it.
“We haven’t actually raced Ipswich at home in the league yet because it got rained off, so at the very least we’ve got to keep it as tight as possible because there will then be two matches at home to look to take three points from with the aggregate.
“But we’ll be going to Ipswich to try and win the meeting obviously, that’s the whole point. But we do need to start better to give ourselves a chance.”
IPSWICH: Tom Brennan, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Scott Nicholls, Tobiasz Musielak, Philip Hellstrom-Bangs, Jason Edwards.
KING’S LYNN: Max Fricke, Jordan Jenkins, Chris Harris, Ben Cook, Jan Kvech, Cooper Rushen, Sam Hagon.
(FIXTURES)
THURSDAY JUNE 18:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v King’s Lynn 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Northampton v Sheffield 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 19:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow (41) v Scunthorpe (49) 7.30, Redcar v Oxford 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Buxton 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 20:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick (31) v Scunthorpe (59) 7pm, Plymouth v Oxford 7pm, Workington (42) v Glasgow (48) 3pm
SUNDAY JUNE 21:
BRITISH SEMI-FINAL: Leicester 3pm
BUXTON BEST PAIRS: Buxton 3pm
