BRITISH SPEEDWAY JULY 31, 2026
(SPEEDWAY 1)
LIONS’ SUCCESSFUL KO CUP DEFENCE
LEICESTER have retained the Premiership KO Cup with a ten-point aggregate win over Ipswich to secure the first item of top-flight silverware this season.
The Lions, who had defeated King’s Lynn in last year’s Final, went back-to-back in the competition with a 50-40 win in the second leg against the Ipswich having drawn 45-45 in the opener at Foxhall.
They led throughout the return fixture at the Hydroscand Arena, opening their lead to 14 points after Heat 11, but a spirited Witches fightback ensured the home side were made to wait until Heat 14 before clinching the trophy.
The decisive moment came with a 4-2 in that race from Nick Morris and Drew Kemp, who again played a pivotal role at reserve.
Ryan Douglas top-scored for the Lions with 12+1 and all six of their riders were paid for at least seven points, whilst Tobiasz Musielak produced a strong showing for the visitors with 13 from five rides.
Leicester manager Stewart Dickson said: “It was a good team performance. Everyone contributed, which was good, and we covered for Kyle (Howarth) admirably with the rider replacement.
“I knew Ipswich were going to make us work for it, and we had to wait a bit later before we won it, but the most important thing is we did do so, and we managed to retain the trophy.
“The atmosphere in the stadium was tremendous, and it’s nights like this that are the reason why I’m here.
“Our trophy return is something I promised the Leicester fans when I first came here in 2019, and maybe it was a bit bold to say I would bring trophies to his club, but we have continued to do so.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
IPSWICH manager Paul Hurry accepted opponents Leicester had been the better team across the two legs of the Premiership KO Cup Final.
The Witches went down 50-40 at the Hydroscand Arena on Thursday and were left to rue the fact that they had not been able to take a lead to the East Midlands from the first leg, having been held to a draw at Foxhall.
Hurry said: “It’s a bit disappointing, but we were just not making starts and we were beaten by the better team. They have not been beaten at home all year.
“They made starts and got going, and we didn’t. Drew Kemp made the difference again too, scoring 10 paid 11 points.
“Kevin (Juhl Pedersen) did well. He got his head around the track, and he was really going in the last couple of rides. He got dialled in and it was good to see.
“I think the result is disappointing for everyone, but it is what it is. They all tried their best and it just didn’t quite work on the night. At the end of the day, the better team won.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
SHEFFIELD stormed to their biggest win of the season with a 58-32 trouncing of Northampton in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
For the second week in a row, a six-man Tigers line-up produced the goods in fine style as each rider collected at least one paid win apiece with a blistering start setting the tone for the evening.
The Steel City side opened with four straight 5-1s to cruise into a 20-4 lead, and they were 20 points up after Heat 6 before the Foxes prevented ultimate damage by sharing the last five races overall.
GB youngsters Leon Flint and Anders Rowe starred for the Tigers with 14+1 and 13 respectively, whilst skipper Josh Pickering added 12+1.
Manager Simon Stead said: “I was really pleased with the overall performance and I was really pleased with some super strong individual displays also.
“We’ve made some massive steps in the right direction over the course of these past couple of weeks.
“I understand that people will say we were against a Northampton team that are trailing down at the bottom of the league – but we can only race against what’s in front of us.”
Jaimon Lidsey (9+1) won two races for the Foxes who were without reserve Troy Batchelor who was a late withdrawal with a reported knee injury.
Manager Chris Adams said: “It was a bit last minute so we had to have a quick ring around and we thank Freddy Hodder for jumping on board.
“It was a very difficult night for us though, and it was pretty much done after those first four races which all ended in 5-1s against.
“We finished off a little bit better, but Sheffield were by far the better team.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
SCUNTHORPE have announced the signing of Australian racer Jacob Hook after Dan Gilkes was ruled out with a broken collarbone.
Gilkes suffered the injury in a Great Britain practice session last weekend and he will be replaced by Hook, who rode for Workington last year and will make his Scorpions debut at Oxford next Wednesday (August 5).
Manager David Howe said: “As a club, we are obviously always looking at options, and we had a few irons in the fire.
“After Friday’s win, we were pretty content, but the injury to Dan has forced our hand, and we had to pull the pin. The major issue is that Dan moves to reserve in August, and there is no way we can cover that.
“We have been speaking to Jacob since April, and now we have the opportunity to let him re-build his British career. The team and myself were very happy with the spirit in the camp since we brought Dan into the side, but I think Jacob will fit straight into the environment we have created. We wish Dan the best with his recovery.”
(SPEEDWAY 5)
GLASGOW are hoping it’s a case of third time lucky when they host rivals Edinburgh in the Scottish derby at Ashfield tonight (Friday).
Both sides are well placed for the play-offs in fourth and second places respectively in the Cab Direct Championship, but the Monarchs have been successful at the home of their neighbours on two occasions in other competitions this year.
The Tigers have to contend with the absence of Kyle Howarth, who has stepped away from the sport, with Jonas Jeppesen coming in to guest at No.1.
The Monarchs are at full strength with skipper Paco Castagna returning after missing last weekend’s meetings due to the GP Challenge.
Glasgow manager Cami Brown said: “Edinburgh have already won at Ashfield twice this season which hasn’t happened for an awfully long time.
“It feels like we have our backs-to-the-wall a bit. The boys will really need to dig deep and get the win this time against the Monarchs. We will need to find something special.
“This is our most important meeting of the season so far. We need the boys to up their level and get the victory we really need.”
GLASGOW: Jonas Jeppesen, Mario Hausl, Chris Harris, Kevin Juhl Pedersen, Leon Flint, Freddy Hodder, Sam Hagon.
EDINBURGH: Dan Thompson, Jonatan Grahn, Justin Sedgmen, Paco Castagna, Kye Thomson, Mitchell Cluff, Jordy Loftus.
(SPEEDWAY 6)
OXFORD are the latest team to attempt to break Poole’s unbeaten record when they meet in Cab Direct Championship action at Cowley tonight (Friday).
The Pirates have six wins out of seven in the league so far, with one draw at Scunthorpe, and a third away win could see them top of the table at the end of the meeting.
Both sides operate rider replacement as Mitch McDiarmid and Will Cairns are racing in the second round of SGP2 in Lodz, Poland, whilst Poole have Luke Harrison standing in for the injured Fraser Bowes at reserve.
Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “The situation is the same as last week, when we turned over Berwick. We just need to keep winning.
“We’re now making a habit of winning at home, it’s a good habit to have, and we intend to keep it going. It’s going to be a tremendous meeting against the Pirates and definitely one not to be missed.”
Pirates co-promoter Dan Ford said: “It’s one-all in terms of our visits to Cowley this year so hopefully we can make it 2-1 and keep our league form intact.
“Obviously, being without Will is a bit of a blow, especially as he is in rich form himself at the moment and scored big the last time we were at Oxford.
“We can use Cooper (Rushen) and the two reserves under the rider replacement format so hopefully our big three heat leaders will put in a good shift.”
OXFORD: Sam Masters, Luke Killeen, Edward Kennett, Anders Rowe, Mitch McDiarmid R/R, Dayle Wood, Darryl Ritchings.
POOLE: Richard Lawson, Will Cairns R/R, Lewis Kerr, Cooper Rushen, Zach Cook, Luke Harrison, Kyle Newman.
(SPEEDWAY 7)
REDCAR will look for a BSN Series repeat when they host Berwick in Cab Direct Championship action at the ECCO Arena tonight (Friday).
The Bears slammed the Bandits 58-31 in the first leg of the semi-final recently, and are therefore strong favourites to reach the Final of that competition.
They bring in Ryan Ingram to guest at reserve in place of the injured Ace Pijper, whilst Berwick are at full strength with Peter Kildemand returning at No.1 as they look to improve not just on their last trip to Teesside but also on a 30-point defeat at Poole on Wednesday.
Bandits manager Stewart Dickson said: “While we always go planning to win, we also have to say that realistically we want to keep any deficit as low as possible to give us an opportunity to get the extra point when the teams meet again later in August.
“Too many of the team didn’t perform at Poole. I am expecting a positive reaction this weekend.”
REDCAR: Charles Wright, Simon Lambert, Jake Mulford, Jason Edwards, Jake Allen, Ryan Ingram, Jody Scott.
BERWICK: Peter Kildemand, Jye Etheridge, Victor Palovaara, Jordan Jenkins, Nick Morris, Jack Smith, Reid Battye.
(SPEEDWAY 8)
BUXTON have made a team change at reserve with Will Boraston joining the club ahead of their WSRA NDL clash with Oxford on Sunday.
Boraston, who has experience from challenge fixtures this season at Hi-Edge, replaces Ryan Ashcroft in the Bulls’ line-up.
Manager Laurence Rogers said: “It’s never nice informing a rider that he is being dropped from the side and I’d like to thank Ryan for his efforts in the Buxton race jacket and wish him well.
“I’d also like to welcome Will to the side and look forward to him scoring some points for the team.”
(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY JULY 31:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 7.30, Oxford v Poole 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 1:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm, Plymouth v Poole 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough v King’s Lynn 7.30
SUNDAY AUGUST 2:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Berwick 3pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Buxton v Oxford 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington (125cc) (follows Champ fixture)
