BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/20

Feature photo by: TIFFANI GRAVELING…KING’S Lynn have clinched the National Development Trophy title after a thumping 59-31 win at Kent on Sunday.
The Young Stars needed to win the meeting to put themselves into an uncatchable position, and they did so with a powerful display at Iwade.
Skipper Jody Scott broke the track record in Heat 1 on his way to 14 points, whilst youngsters Cooper Rushen (pictured) and guest Jordy Loftus both scored 11+1 paid maximums from four rides. Luke Harrison also scored 11+1 from five.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST
TIGERS LOOKING STRONG
SHEFFIELD boss Simon Stead says he is content with recent team moves, with Nick Morris and Jye Etheridge coming into the side as the Tigers boosted their play-off prospects with a big win over Belle Vue.
Stead said: “Integrating two new guys at this stage of the season into a home meeting is never easy.
“Obviously Jye hadn’t done any laps here before Heat 2 for a couple of years nearly, and the same for Nick as well.
“It was the sort of result and performance we needed and it keeps August’s record looking really strong for now which can be really important in this run up to the business end.”

LIONS’ RUN GOES ON
LEICESTER moved up to second place in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table with a 50-40 win against Oxford in a meeting where the Spires never allowed them to fully break away.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “I don’t think it was ever in doubt, but at the same time we never got the lead that we were hoping to get, so it was important to get the 5-1 in Heat 15.
“With a six-point lead going into that race it could have gone either way, but we got the gate choice for that race, and gates one and three were certainly better.
“Sam (Masters) and Dougy (Ryan Douglas) rode well although it was a bit of a close one at times, but that was a good 5-1 to give us a ten-point cushion which is a bit more for us to go with to Cowley.”

TIME TO STEP UP
BELLE Vue captain Brady Kurtz admits it’s tough to put his finger on why the defending champions tend to find life tough on their visits to Roses rivals Sheffield, following a 55-35 defeat on Monday.
Kurtz said: “Sheffield is a very tough track to come to if you’re a little bit down on confidence.
“It’s never been our strong track, we’ve never had too much success here in my entire time here at Belle Vue.
“It’s another tough one for us. We all tried to learn as much as we could and try to find something working in case we come back for the play-offs.
“I hope the boys learnt what they did wrong or right. All we can try and do is focus on the home match now.”

IF IT’S NOT BROKE…
IPSWICH will name an unchanged side both in personnel and riding order when they host Belle Vue this Thursday, after a switch to move Adam Ellis to No.2 paid dividends last week against Oxford.
Manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “We have stuck with the same riding order as last week, it worked really well for Adam, and it will be good to see it against one of our rivals for the title and I didn’t feel the need to change anything after last week.
“If we can take three points it will put us in a good position at the top, but we have got to face Sheffield home and away and Leicester before the league season finishes.
“Nearly all our meetings now are against our play-off rivals bar King’s Lynn next week, so a lot can change before we find out who we will be racing against in the play-offs.”

WELCOME BOOST FOR STARS
KING’S Lynn hit back from recent league and KO Cup defeats to Leicester by taking a four-point win from Birmingham on Monday, as they now prepare for a busy schedule back at the Adrian Flux Arena.
Manager Rob Lyon said: “We had a good guest in Lewi Kerr, who probably was the match winner in lots of ways, but it was a good team performance overall.
“It was good to get a bit of a morale boosting win to be honest, and it sets us up for several home matches which we’ll be looking to win.”

BRUMMIES CLOSE, BUT…
BIRMINGHAM put on a much-improved performance but still ended up on the wrong end of the scoreline when they were beaten 47-43 at home by King’s Lynn on Monday.
Manager Chris Adams said: “We didn’t start off too well again but then from Heat 5 we got going and we came on top.
“It was that Heat 14 which proved costly in the end though and it left us with too much to do in the last one sadly.
“We gave them a real run for their money and it was a real shame we couldn’t turn it around.”

GOOD SHOW FROM MITCH
OXFORD youngster Mitch McDiarmid recorded his first race win in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership with an excellent ride in Heat 14 at Leicester on Monday, as he continued to cover for the unwell Victor Palovaara in the club’s most senior side.
McDiarmid said: “I was able to get some good points on the board tonight. It was the first-time I’ve raced here and it went well.

“All the boys were trying hard tonight and working together. I was against some really good riders tonight, but we just carried on working at it throughout the night.
“It was a nice feeling to win my last race. The track was slick, but I got my head wrapped around the fastest way around here. Even when I didn’t get out in front, I knew I could get through.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THERE is a full programme of meetings on both Thursday and Monday with leaders Ipswich hosting Belle Vue before making the trip to another play-off rival, Leicester… Sheffield are also close to securing a top four finish as they head to Oxford on Thursday… King’s Lynn will look to complete a double over Birmingham when they meet at the Adrian Flux Arena… the Stars then host Oxford on Monday, whilst the Brummies travel to Belle Vue.
 
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
 
PIRATES READY FOR KNOCKOUT CLASHES
LEAGUE leaders Poole turn their attention to the BSN Series this week as they host fierce rivals Oxford in the first leg of their semi-final.
Promoter Dan Ford said: “I look back at that league meeting of two weeks ago and we had seven no scoring rides. If each of those had been converted into a third place then instead of just winning by six we would have won by a score of twenty!
“It is just such small margins that we need to address. We just haven’t been too dominant at home, especially in the course of the last month or so, but now is the time to turn that around.
“This is knockout speedway now, all the way here at Wimborne Road and we need to get into a mindset as such. A win in itself is not enough, we ideally need to win big.”

TIGERS ON COURSE
GLASGOW overcame Workington in a tricky encounter last Friday with a 48-42 win despite the absence of Danish star Villads Nagel, and they now prepare for two more crunch home meetings.
Manager Cami Brown said: “We are pushing hard to finish top of the league before the play-offs and this is a big result.
“All the boys delivered real grit and it was a gutsy performance to get over the line.
“We now face two more meetings next week against Edinburgh on Wednesday in the KO Cup and then Oxford. It’s a massive week for the club.”

MONARCHS KEEP IT ROLLING
EDINBURGH remain solidly in third place in the Cab Direct Championship after a 48-42 home win over Scunthorpe which saw Justin Sedgmen score a 15-point maximum and skipper Paco Castagna rack up a 14+2 total.
Castagna said: “I was pleased to equal my best score around Armadale so I can’t really complain, can I?
“I said to the boys that it’s been a few years since we made the play-offs, but now I feel that we deserve the play-offs. We all know we can get there.”

GOOD WEEK FOR BEARS
REDCAR’S play-off boost enjoyed a major boost over the last week with a crucial away win at Oxford backed up by home success over Berwick, even though the Bandits took the aggregate point in the latter.
Manager Gavin Parr praised the efforts of Jason Edwards and reserve Ace Pijper as the Bears continue to race without the unwell Erik Riss.
Parr said: “Jason is turning into a trump card, he’s scoring big points week in, week out. Ace is getting better each match and he was comfortably third ahead of Cameron Heeps in Heat 15 (at Oxford), which is a really good sign.”

BLOW FOR CHEETAHS
OXFORD suffered a damaging week in their bid to reach the play-offs as they were beaten by Redcar at Cowley, and then at Workington in an important away match.
Skipper Sam Masters admitted the home defeat hurt the team especially as it came against their direct rivals.
He said: “While it’s nice to score paid 20, it’s not about me, it’s about the team and unfortunately we lost. We win as a team and lose as a team.
“Rider replacement isn’t so good when you’ve got one-or-two riders not performing at their best. It was a tough night for us, for sure.
 “We tried our best, but Redcar have one of the strongest teams on paper. Leon Flint is doing awesome at the moment. Sometimes guest riders work for you, sometimes against you, but he definitely was a big plus for Redcar.” 

BANDITS ARE CLICKING
BERWICK enjoyed a positive weekend as they secured an aggregate point at Redcar and then all three from a convincing home win over Scunthorpe.
Whether the run of form comes too late for the Bandits to make the play-offs remains to be seen, but their recent signings have clearly boosted the team.
Co-promoter Steven Dews said: “We showed glimpses at Redcar but this was the first time the new-look team has really clicked.
“Just as important as the top four was the fact that Sam (Hagon) and Jack Smith stepped up and we were able to turn race wins into heat advantages.
“We know that we are not favourites to reach the play-offs and all we can do is win our remaining fixtures and see where it leaves us come September.”

COMETS STILL FIGHTING

WORKINGTON took Glasgow all the way to a last heat decider at Ashfield on Friday, and followed it up with an impressive home display to defeat Oxford.
The Comets are currently bottom of the table but they are the team with matches in hand, and as such they could still have a say in the play-off race – depending on results over a hectic weekend to come.
Manager James Denham said: “I’m really proud of the lads this weekend. On Friday we went toe-to-toe with one of the strongest sides in the league. Glasgow have a top-quality heat-leader trio, and yet we kept them under pressure right until the last race.
“(On Saturday) we had to dig deep after a slow start and the way the boys responded was first-class. Once we levelled the scores, we never looked back, and the heat advantages in the closing stages were a testament to our efforts all weekend.
“We have a very busy weekend coming up next week, with three fixtures on the bounce and we need to be bagging points in all of those ideally if we are to keep our playoff hopes alive.”

DOUBLE DEFEAT FOR SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE have slipped to eighth in the table after two defeats over the weekend, despite a battling showing at Edinburgh on Friday.
The Scorpions only went down by six points at Armadale but they then suffered an 18-point loss at Berwick 24 hours later.
Reflecting on the Edinburgh match, manager David Howe said: “It was a big improvement on our previous away performance at Glasgow last weekend. We were in the meeting and challenging, and we just fell short.
“Jake Allen was fantastic, while Simon Lambert also had a really good meeting, scoring plenty of points from reserve.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE race for the Cab Direct Championship play-offs continues as third-placed Edinburgh host Workington on Friday, whilst fourth-placed Redcar taking on Plymouth with both visiting sides looking to keep their hopes alive… the Gladiators and the Bears then head south-west to meet at the Coliseum on Saturday… also on Saturday, Glasgow face Oxford who are almost in last-chance saloon, with Workington and Edinburgh meeting for the second time in 24 hours… there is also Sunday action at Cowley as Oxford face Workington… two other competitions resume as Glasgow and Edinburgh race their MAXiCab KO Cup quarter-final to a conclusion at Ashfield on Wednesday, whilst Poole face Oxford in the opening leg of their BSN Series semi-final.
 
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST
TITLE JOY FOR YOUNG STARS
KING’S Lynn have become the first winners of the National Development Trophy in its current format, with a 59-31 win at Kent on Sunday making them uncatchable in the league table.
Manager Jason Pipe said: “I couldn’t have asked any more of any of the riders, and I think any nerves really disappeared after around Heat 6.
“When we got that early lead and I looked further down the programme I thought we always come on strong in the second half of meetings, so with that early lead I thought we’d be alright.
“It’s just so pleasing, and I said to the riders before the meeting that if they wanted the chance to celebrate this title in front of our home crowd at King’s Lynn on Wednesday, they’d got to go away from here with no less than two points.
“We’ve made Buster’s (Keith Chapman) day as well! He rang me back to send his congratulations, he’s chuffed to bits and we’re all really pleased for the riders.”

EAGLES MAGNANIMOUS IN DEFEAT
KENT Eagles had no complaints after their outside chances of securing silverware in the NDT were ended with their home defeat to new champions King’s Lynn.
The Eagles have still enjoyed a successful first year as part of a new operation keeping the sport in focus in their area of the country, and their Sunday lunchtime meetings have attracted encouraging crowds.
Manager David Graveling said: “Congratulations to King’s Lynn for clinching the National Development Trophy at Iwade today. We thank all our riders for a sterling effort against a very good team.”

COLTS OFF THE MARK
BELLE Vue co-boss Steve Williams admitted it was a relief to see his side finally put a win on the board as they overcame Middlesbrough 46-43 in the WSRA NDL despite the loss to injury of Jack Kingston.
Williams said: “The win has been a long time coming. We send our best wishes to Jack because he’s been a revelation since signing.
“Jack Shimelt had a great meeting, all the boys dug deep. Like anything, confidence is the key. Jack and Harry (Fletcher) really pushed on today. They know what they are capable of doing.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
NDT Champions King’s Lynn will celebrate their title success at home to Plymouth on Wednesday in the only third tier fixture scheduled for this week.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13:
MAXiCAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Glasgow (41) v Edinburgh (49) 7.30
BSN SERIES SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Poole v Oxford 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: King’s Lynn (40) v Plymouth (47) 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 14:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich (45) v Belle Vue (45) 7.30, King’s Lynn (47) v Birmingham (43) 7.30, Oxford (30) v Sheffield (60) 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 15:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30, Redcar v Plymouth 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 16:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow (46) v Oxford (44) 7pm, Plymouth v Redcar 7pm, Workington v Edinburgh 6pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (41) v Workington (49) 6pm

MONDAY AUGUST 18:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue (48) v Birmingham (42) 7.30, King’s Lynn v Oxford 7.30, Leicester (36) v Ipswich (54) 7.30

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 (48) v Glasgow (42) 6pm

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 v King’s Lynn 7.30