BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/07

Feature photo by: TAYLOR LANNING…

The start of an incredible last lap at the Attis Insurance British Final at Belle Vue with Dan Bewley (red), eventual winner Robert Lambert (yellow), Chris Harris (blue) and Charles Wright (white) all involved in one of the greatest races in speedway history.

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

MAJOR EVENT LATEST

SIMPLY STUNNING!
ROBERT Lambert, Charles Wright, Dan Bewley and Chris Harris put on a title-deciding race for the ages at Belle Vue in the Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final.
All four riders were in contention for victory throughout an incredible four laps in Manchester, with Lambert passing Bewley to lead at the end of lap three only for Harris to storm through to hit the front into turn one.
But as he went wide on the second bend, Wright took his opportunity to lead before coming under threat from Lambert who built speed on the outside whilst Harris tried to go back in between the pair.

Lambert made it around the boards to beat Wright in the race for the finish line whilst a recovering Bewley snatched third place from Harris on the inside in a race which will be talked about for decades to come.
The victory for Lambert, coming seven years after his first victory, ended a run of three straight titles for Bewley and blocked his bid to become the first British rider to take the title for fourth successive season.

Meanwhile with 2019 winner Wright taking runners-up spot, he can now prepare for Wild Card appearances in both rounds of the Grand Prix series to take place at the National Speedway Stadium on June 13/14.
Attention now switches to Glasgow on Sunday and the British Under-21 Final with Sam Hagon defending his crown.
Fellow Finalists from last year Ashton Boughen and Joe Thompson are also included as well as Dan Thompson who just missed out on a semi-final place in the senior Final, with defending British U19 Champion Ace Pijper and 15-year-old Will Cairns also amongst a line-up of top talent at Ashfield.

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST
 
WITCHES ON THE ATTACK
IPSWICH boss Ritchie Hawkins says his table toppers will head to rivals Sheffield on Thursday with the full intention of attacking the meeting.
Hawkins said: “I’m sure it will be a great battle, and we got over the hoodoo of not winning there for a long time last season and we know how to win there and what is required.
“With the form we are in, we have got to attack them and the track. It is not do or die in this meeting, but it will give us a great marker of where we are.”

TIGERS ON COURSE
SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead says there’s still more to come from his side in 2025 – but he’s content with their early season results and performances.
The Owlerton club had to re-structure their side following Tai Woffinden’s injury, with Lewis Kerr and Justin Sedgmen coming in to bolster the line-up.
Stead said: “We’re still working our way into the season and there’s still a few little things here and there the lads want to tweak.
“But it’s been a great start and they deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done so far as a group.”

HOME COMFORT FOR RISS
OXFORD star Erik Riss wants to transfer his impressive form around Cowley to the Spires’ away matches on a more regular basis.
Riss said: “I’m pleased with my form around Oxford – I’ve got it figured out. I know what to do when the track is slick and I know what to do when the track is grippy.
“I’m happy how I’m going around Oxford, I just need to be more consistent away from home. I’m always working hard at it and I want to be scoring good points everywhere.”

LIDSEY LOVING ACES LIFE
BELLE Vue heat leader Jaimon Lidsey says he loves being part of the Aces’ set-up as they look to defend the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership title.
The Manchester side have an important trip to Oxford on Thursday, and Lidsey said: “I couldn’t imagine racing anywhere else. I came here back in 2019, had a few years out but happy being back with the Aces.
“There’s so much stability in the team and the club. You can focus and do your job. I enjoy it more when I’m in front!”

LIONS CONTENT WITH START
LEICESTER vice-captain Sam Masters says last year’s Grand Finalists are on the right course in the early part of the campaign, with recent away wins at Oxford and Birmingham having boosted their prospects.
Masters said: “We’ve got a good bunch of guys, we all get along good and it’s pretty similar to last year so we all know each other enough.
“We know the drill, we know what it takes to get to the play-offs, and it’s not easy so we’ve got to keep plugging away and keep having fun like we are.”

STARS SEEK TO MAXIMISE
KING’S Lynn will look to skipper Nicolai Klindt who could well be in for extra outings at reserve when the Stars go into a vital fixture at Leicester on Thursday.
Manager Rob Lyon said: “Anybody at reserve should be a weapon for us, that’s the way we’re built, but it is harder with six riders rather than seven because you run out of options sometimes, as we did at Ipswich.
“We’ll see what we can pull out of the bag at Leicester, get Nicolai fired up for six or seven rides possibly, and I think we do have a chance.”

PACO’S PREMIERSHIP TARGET
NEW Birmingham signing Paco Castagna is keen to take his opportunity in the top-flight having previously raced for the Brummies at Championship level.
Castagna said: “It’s a good chance for me. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, and now it’s just a matter of settling in first of all, because starting off with a double header was not the easiest of starts!
“I’ve been here for a couple of years before, the track has changed a little bit, but I’ve been here a few times so I’m looking forward to jumping in and seeing what I can do.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE ROWE Motor Oil Premiership resumes this week after a ten-day break with three fixtures on both Thursday and Monday… Leaders Ipswich have a 100 per cent record as they head to Sheffield on Thursday before making their second visit of the season to winless Birmingham on Monday… Champions Belle Vue visit Oxford on Thursday and then host Leicester in Monday’s televised fixture… the Lions also have a key home clash with play-off rivals King’s Lynn on Thursday… meanwhile, the Stars host Sheffield at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday.
 
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST

SUPER CHEETAHS BOOK SEMI PLACE
OXFORD clinched their place in the BSN Series semi-finals with an impressive win at Poole last Wednesday, despite losing Dan Gilkes to a knee injury.
The two rivals could still meet again later in the competition as the Pirates have also qualified as the best group runners-up.

Oxford boss Peter Schroeck said: “Mitch McDiarmid was unbelievable – to ride like that that in his first meeting around Poole, while Sam Masters led us from the front and got us over the finishing line in the final race.
“Not many away teams win around Poole. We only had five riders at the end and we still beat them. I was really proud of the efforts of all our boys and we showed resilience.”

MASSIVE START FOR TIGERS
GLASGOW’S 50-40 win at Plymouth on Saturday means they have now been successful in all four away matches so far in 2025, in three different competitions.
Cami Brown’s buoyant Tigers won the Scottish Cup against Edinburgh before topping their BSN Series group and then opened their Cab Direct Championship campaign with victory in Devon.
Brown said: “Chris (Harris) and Dan (Thompson) were awesome again. But the vital moments came from Ashton (Boughen) winning Heat 8 and then Freddy (Hodder) being the hero again with a big 5-1 in Heat 12.
“Leon (Flint) has had a brilliant 24 hours for the club. He also delivered big time and won the all-important Heat 14 to wrap it up.
“This team is gaining belief every week. The boys are working hard together and the spirit is magnificent. It’s a massive result for us.”

BEARS GOING FOR BIG YEAR
REDCAR star Jason Edwards says the Bears’ impressive start to 2025 gives them the perfect opportunity to challenge for major honours.
The Teesside outfit have already made progress in both the BSN Series and the MAXiCab KO Cup, with the Championship Pairs having been won by Charles Wright and Erik Riss last month.

Edwards said: “With the team we have got we have the potential to go really far this season if we can keep going, but on the whole we have had a good start to 2025.
“We are a real unit who work together and that’s showing with our results. We have started really well, we don’t have the best record in the BSN Series so if we can push on, it’s the chance of silverware for us.”

LUKE WHO’S FLYING!
SCUNTHORPE’S Luke Harrison carded a first-ever maximum at Championship level when he scored 11+1 from four rides in the Scorpions’ emphatic BSN Series win over Workington.
Harrison said: “I’m quite surprised that I scored a paid maximum this early in the season, but I felt it was destined to come as early as Heat 1.

“I felt really comfortable and I was making decent starts. It’s been a tough season until now, because I’ve been struggling to make my machinery work at the starts. Tonight, it worked perfectly and I made a decent start in every race and I can’t ask for any more.
“There were tougher races and I had to make a couple of passes but I’d put myself in the right position and what matters is where I finished at the end of the race.”

CHAMPIONSHIP CHANCE FOR RITCHINGS
DARRYL Ritchings is pleased to take his opportunity with Poole, who will track him at reserve until the end of June as their league title defence gets underway.
Ritchings takes the place of Matt Marson with the Pirates changing their No.7 and still preparing to bring in Will Cairns in that position when he turns 16 at the end of June.

Said Ritchings: “I am absolutely buzzing to be a Poole Pirate, even if it is on a short-term basis. The club has such history so for the management to give me this opportunity I am going to grab it with both hands.
“I’m an out-and-out racer so I will give it 110 per cent in every race and hopefully help the team. I can’t wait to get going on Wednesday.”

COMETS MUST IMPROVE
WORKINGTON manager James Denham says his side must use their blank week to make whatever changes are required to turn around their fortunes.
The Comets endured a torrid weekend with heavy BSN Series defeats at Scunthorpe and at home to Redcar, with Edinburgh next up in the MAXiCab KO Cup.

Denham said: “This weekend was obviously very disappointing and we can only apologise to the fans, but we sincerely thank you for your fantastic support nevertheless.
“At Scunthorpe we were beaten by a better team, a more experienced team around there and fair play to them. But Saturday was even more dismaying, they were far superior out of the gates and it something we need to work on going into our next meetings in a couple of weeks against Edinburgh.”

GLADIATORS LET IT SLIP
PLYMOUTH boss Garry May hinted he could look at his options after a home defeat to Glasgow in their Cab Direct Championship opener, which saw the Gladiators lose out despite having held a six-point lead.
May said: “It was a really good match and I gave it a go, but I’m just maybe one or two riders short of a good side to take us to the play-offs.
“Maybe I’ll have a little think about that and see what happens. I’ll see what’s about and what we could bring in and then go from there, but it’s all about costs at the end of the day.”

MONARCHS MISS OUT
EDINBURGH ended their BSN Series campaign with a 50-40 defeat at rivals Glasgow, with attention now firmly switching to the start of the Cab Direct Championship schedule on Friday.
Monarchs No.1 Justin Sedgmen believes more racing is what his side needs as they look to make an impact on the play-off battle.
He said: “Obviously we won here (Glasgow) the last time we came and that was their first meeting. They’ve had a lot of laps since then, and that’s what we need.”

BANDITS EXPLAIN BORKE CHANGE
BERWICK co-owner Jamie Courtney has defended the club’s decision to move early with the replacement of Bastian Borke with Jack Smith after only two matches.
Smith has enjoyed a solid start to life with the Bandits including scores of 8+2 at Glasgow and 7+1 at Redcar.
Courtney said: “I know that Bastian has posted on social media that he thinks he has been unfairly treated but – while also pointing out that Jack is only with us on a 28-day contract – we have never been a club which hires and fires riders on a whim.
“We believe that we have been fair to both Bastian and the club with this decision. The future is still to come.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
CHAMPIONS Poole open their Cab Direct Championship schedule at home to Scunthorpe on Wednesday… the Pirates then move into a Northern tour with visits to Edinburgh on Friday and Glasgow on Saturday… there is also league action for Scunthorpe who host Glasgow on Friday, whilst Plymouth take on Edinburgh on Saturday.

WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST

NEW DATE FOR HARBOUR MASTERS
POOLE have put back by a fortnight the date for their National League Riders’ Development Individual Meeting, branded as the Harbour Masters Championship.
The meeting was to take place on May 21 but has been switched to June 4 to avoid a clash with the all-English UEFA Europa League Final between Tottenham and Manchester United.

Promoter Dan Ford said: “Normally, we would be happy to run the meeting regardless of other sporting events, but with such a major all-English final we felt it was only right to give supporters the chance to enjoy both occasions.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone on the new date for what promises to be a fantastic night of racing and a great chance to showcase some of British Speedway’s future stars.”

PARKER MAKES HIS MARK
EDINBURGH boss Scott Wilson praised reserve Mark Parker for his 11+3 contribution in the Monarchs Academy’s win over Belle Vue last weekend, making it back-to-back victories at home.
Wilson said: “I had to change thing around a bit, try to use Mark Parker, who was going really well in races where we could get advantages, picking up seconds and thirds, he had a couple of wins too.
“I was really pleased with his performance, we got there in the end and overcame what was a tricky Belle Vue side.”

COLTS CURSE THEIR LUCK
BELLE Vue are still to get off the mark in the WSRA NDL after a 49-39 defeat at Edinburgh despite a stunning 18-point maximum from teenager Will Cairns.
Colts co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “There’s not really much I can add about William.  It was a faultless performance from him.

“With a bit more luck and fewer falls, we could easily have won. he falls in heat 14 and 15 made the score look a lot different from the reality, but we know we are capable of overturning 10 points for the aggregate bonus when we go back to the National Speedway Stadium.”

YOUNG STARS SHINE AGAIN
KING’S Lynn are still 100 per cent in the National Development Trophy having romped to a 53-31 win over injury-hit Leicester Fox Cubs in the East Midlands last Sunday.
Young Stars boss Jason Pipe said: “Unfortunately Leicester were a bit weakened by their injuries, although I was still a bit surprised with how many points we won by, and the reason was that from one to seven they all played their part.
“We’re all chuffed with the result, thanks to the fans who supported us, and it was also good for the boys to see our senior manager Rob Lyon there watching.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THERE is one fixture in the WSRA NDL this week as Middlesbrough race at home for the first time in 2025, hosting the Steelers on Saturday afternoon at the ECCO Arena.
 
FIXTURE PICTURE…

 WEDNESDAY MAY 14:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole v Scunthorpe 7.30

THURSDAY MAY 15:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Leicester (44) v King’s Lynn (46) 7.30, Oxford (37) v Belle Vue (53) 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 16:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Poole 7pm, Plymouth v Edinburgh 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (44) v Steelers (46) 3pm

SUNDAY MAY 18:
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Glasgow 2pm

MONDAY MAY 19:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Birmingham v Ipswich 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Belle Vue (44) v Leicester (46) 7.30, King’s Lynn (33) v Sheffield (57) 7.30

THURSDAY MAY 22:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich (49) v Leicester (41) 7.30, Oxford (33) v Sheffield (57) 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 23:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Scunthorpe (35) v Oxford (55) 7.30 ; 1st round 1st leg: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 24:
FIM SGP2 QUALIFIER: Glasgow 7pm
MAXICAB KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Workington v Edinburgh 3pm; Q/F 1st leg: Plymouth v Poole 7pm

SUNDAY MAY 25:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester (48) v Belle Vue (42) 3pm, Oxford v Edinburgh 3pm

MONDAY MAY 26:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v Oxford 12pm
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Birmingham v King’s Lynn 7.30, Sheffield v Leicester 6.30
WSRA NATONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Steelers v Leicester (at Sheffield) (follows Prem fixture)

WEDNESDAY MAY 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Scunthorpe 7.30
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Poole v Plymouth 7.30