BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2025/22

Feature photo by: PAUL ROSE… BIRMINGHAM said farewell to their Perry Barr home on Monday night with a 58-32 Premiership loss against Leicester.
The Stadium is closing at the end of the current season, but a capacity crowd were in attendance for one final time to say their emotional goodbyes.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST
 
WITCHES LEAD THE WAY
IPSWICH head into the final week of regular league competition with the opportunity to secure top spot ahead of the play-offs, following a comfortable home win over King’s Lynn.
Manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “The boys still had more left in them if they needed it, but it is another one ticked off before a couple of meetings against Sheffield.

“We have taken all the full set of aggregate points so far this season and we needed to get that one done after the Cup disappointment.
“We have done very well since then and had a good run of results, so I am happy that is done, and we can move onto bigger things now in the next few weeks.”

ACES FIRE A WARNING
BELLE Vue captain Brady Kurtz raced to a 15-point maximum against Sheffield and insists the 54-36 win over their Roses rivals leaves the Aces pleased to be coming into form at the right time of the season.
Kurtz said: “I think we can be really proud of that win. It would have been nice to win the bonus obviously. But we lost that at Sheffield, not here today.

“I think a good performance like that is all we need in the play-offs. I’d like nothing more than another title to be fair. I’ve always been pretty open about the fact that the British league means a lot to me.
“It would be great to get another win. It’s been pretty special to win two already. To do the back-to-back is something we haven’t done yet. One more to tick off.”

TIGERS TAKE CONSOLATION
SHEFFIELD did just enough to secure the aggregate point at Belle Vue on Monday, and boss Simon Stead believes they will quickly bounce back from a hefty 54-36 defeat.
Stead said: “We’ve been strong so far this month, I think we’ve shown a lot of positives and the atmosphere in the team remains good.

“As we’ve said though, we did just about get the aggregate point and certainly when we get to the play-off stage, without that you’re not progressing are you?
“But we need to make sure we get back on good terms ourselves and make sure we get back firing.”

LIONS WIN BIG
LEICESTER boss Stewart Dickson insists he’s unconcerned over who his team will face in the play-offs next month, having put the sentiment to one side to run up a 58-32 win over Birmingham in the final meeting at the venue.
Dickson said: “We know it’s a shame, and you could see beforehand with the crowd coming in that people were upset even talking about it.
“I’m not being blasé, but I’m not overly fussed whether it’s second, third or fourth (in the table) – it will be what it will be.
“We’ll see who we’ve got, and that will be a nice feeling because there are three clubs that are not going to have that.”

STARS SHINE AT OXFORD
KING’S Lynn boss Rob Lyon highlighted the contribution of reserve Ben Cook in a full seven-rider unit after their rampant 55-35 win at Oxford – the Stars’ sixth victory out of six against the Spires this season.
Lyon said: “I don’t want to keep harping on about it, but the Ben Cook injury was pretty damaging for us, and he was out for a long time.
“He’s back now and you can see that team is solid with him in it, and we’re producing some good results.”

SPIRES’ LAST CHANCE
OXFORD skipper Maciej Janowski says the Spires will do all they can to collect a final victory of this season against Leicester next week.
The Cowley side were well beaten 55-35 by King’s Lynn on Bank Holiday Monday with Janowski and Charles Wright reaching double figures.

Janowski said: “I did alright in the meeting, although I know that I can do better. It was nice to be involved in a couple of 5-1s. 
“We haven’t done as well as we would have liked during this season. But we have one last home meeting next week and we will do all we can do to win that for the fans.”

BRUMMIES SAY FAREWELL
BIRMINGHAM CEO Nigel Tolley was in emotional mood after the final speedway meeting at Perry Barr on Bank Holiday Monday.
The Brummies were thrashed 58-32 by Midlands rivals Leicester in front of a capacity crowd as the curtain came down on racing in the Second City after its return in 2007.
Tolley said: “It was great to see Perry Barr so busy – it just makes you wonder, doesn’t it!
“I really am grateful for all the volunteers and everyone involved in Birmingham Speedway.
“We are a big family and I think that’s the best way of describing it.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE race for top spot in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership continues on Thursday as the top two meet at Owlerton with Sheffield hosting leaders Ipswich… Belle Vue travel to King’s Lynn in their final match before the play-offs… Leicester host Birmingham in the Brummies’ last match at senior level… King’s Lynn then complete their season at home to Sheffield on Monday.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
HIGHS AND LOWS
GLASGOW were brought down to earth after a dramatic last-heat win at Edinburgh when they suffered a heavy defeat at Workington 24 hours later – which manager Cami Brown believes could be a timely wake-up call.
Brown said: “I’m not sure whether it was just a hangover from such a strong performance at Edinburgh. But no matter what, that’s no excuse.
“We had a big travelling support which had come to Workington and we’ve let them down a bit.
“We’ll have to address that at Poole on Wednesday and Ashfield against Edinburgh on Friday. But this is definitely a big wake up call.”

PIRATES SEEK CUP LEAD
POOLE switch their attentions to the MAXiCab KO Cup this week with the home leg of their semi-final against Glasgow taking place at Wimborne Road.
Promoter Dan Ford said: “The Tigers have a fierce heat-leader trio about them , but equally in Richard (Lawson), Anders (Rowe) and Zach (Cook) we are a good match for them.
“I am hoping that we can set our stall out against Glasgow and do a similar job on them as we did to Oxford in the BSN semi-final first leg a fortnight ago.”

COMETS IN THE MIX
WORKINGTON’S season remains very much alive after an impressive 56-34 home win over title-chasing Glasgow to leave them still in with a chance of making the top four.
Manager James Denham said: “That was the kind of performance I was looking for. Every rider dug deep and the way the boys went on the attack from Heat 1 set the tone.

“Beating a strong Glasgow side by that margin at home shows the character and hunger in this team. The fans were brilliant as always – they played their part – and I couldn’t be prouder of them all.
“Fraser (Bowes) and Antti (Vuolas) were fantastic, it’s a shame Kyle (Howarth) spoiled their maximums in the last heat, but it is what it is, and they were on fire all meeting.”

MONARCHS HOLDING ON
EDINBURGH remain in the top four despite a home defeat by Glasgow which leaves Workington still with a mathematical chance of catching them for a play-off place.
The Monarchs can still take full control of their own destiny if they can turn the tables on the Tigers at Ashfield on Friday.
Manager Alex Harkess said: “It was a very disappointing finish. I felt our team tried very hard but there were one or two points slipped away that we should have had, especially in heats when we seemed to have made the gate.
“In the end that was crucial because there was never going to be much in it. Michael Palm Toft, who started by blowing an engine, did so well to win Heat 14 and get us level going into the last race.”

BEARS ARE A GOOD UNIT
REDCAR boss Gavin Parr is pleased with the contribution of his lower-order riders over recent weeks as they close in on a place in the play-offs.
Parr said: “Everybody seems to be coming into some form at the right time. Jody (Scott) has done brilliantly after his shock to the system when he initially moved into the main body, but he has stepped it up again which is fantastic.

“Ace (Pijper) had a blip at Plymouth, but he has been fantastic for us recently.
“Jake (Mulford) needed to get back from his European exploits, but he seems to have hit form now which has been helped by being settled and not travelling around Europe.”

CHEETAHS LOOK AHEAD
OXFORD rounded off their league schedule with a narrow home defeat against Poole with a late crash involving Jordan Jenkins proving pivotal to the outcome.
Manager Peter Schroeck said: “We got back in the meeting and took it all the way to a last-heat decider. But one or two things went against us on the night and that cost us. It was a decent meeting, but it just didn’t go our way.
“Cheetahs are still involved in a couple of the cup competitions, so our season isn’t over quite yet and we’re still chasing silverware. But now our league meetings are concluded, so we can start planning for next season, when we intend to be come back stronger.”

ONE TO GO FOR SCORPIONS
SCUNTHORPE boss David Howe said last Friday’s 55-35 defeat at Redcar was very reflective of a season which has fallen short of expectations.
Howe said: “It’s been the way of our season. The league table doesn’t lie, and it hasn’t worked out.
“As a unit we’ve very rarely had six or seven riders perform at the same time, and I can’t put it down to luck, I think you earn your results.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…

EDINBURGH and Redcar still need a point to officially confirm their play-off places ahead of their trips to Glasgow and Scunthorpe respectively on Friday… Victory for the Tigers is needed in the Scottish derby if they are to finish top… Workington will hope to still be in the fight for the top four when they travel to Berwick on Saturday before hosting the Bandits at the GT Tyres Arena on Sunday… Poole and Glasgow clash in the first leg of their MAXiCab KO Cup semi-final at Wimborne Road on Wednesday.
 
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE/NATIONAL TROPHY LATEST

CHARGERS IN CHARGE
OXFORD still lead the WSRA NDL after a win over the Steelers on Sunday, with their advantage trimmed to four points as they missed out on the aggregate point.
The Chargers remain in a healthy position as they know wins in their remaining two matches will secure the league title.
Reserve Max Broadhurst said: “It was hard coming here earlier in the year and only scoring one or two points, so it’s really nice to be involved in two 5-1s and put more points on the board.
“Every meeting we win is another step to the championship – I’m hoping we can win it at the end of the season.”

LION CUBS BATTLE ON
LEICESTER took maximum points from a home clash with Middlesbrough, defeating the Tigers 51-38 to narrow the gap at the top of the table to four points with a match in hand over leaders Oxford.
Manager Jen Crossland said: “The performance was great. Today was crucial. We’ve got to win all of our matches to try and catch Oxford, so we’re going to go for it now.
“Ryan Ingram produced an outstanding performance today, Cooper (Rushen) and Ben (Trigger) were also outstanding, but Ryan is just coming through the ranks and doing really well.”

STEELERS MAKE THEIR POINT
A DEPLETED Steelers side did enough to take the aggregate point from WSRA NDL leaders Oxford on Sunday, courtesy of an excellent 16-point haul from Luke Harrison in the No.1 position.
Harrison said: “It was a tough afternoon for the team. Half the team is out injured, while we were using rider replacement for one of our main riders.
“It would have been asking a lot for us to win today, so the main focus was to pick up the aggregate point and we did that.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
ONE match in each competition on Saturday as Middlesbrough host Belle Vue in the WSRA NDL whilst Plymouth face Kent in the NDT. The meeting at Redcar also features the latest round of the British Youth Championship at 250cc and 150cc levels.
 
FIXTURE PICTURE…
 
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27:
MAXICAB KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Poole v Glasgow 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 28:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (42) v Belle Vue (48) 7.30, Leicester (58) v Birmingham (32) 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow (47) v Edinburgh (43) 7.30, Scunthorpe (35) v Redcar (55) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 30:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Workington 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (43) v Belle Vue (46) 6pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Plymouth (36) v Kent (54) 7pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (250cc/125cc): Redcar (follows NDL fixture)

SUNDAY AUGUST 31:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Berwick 6pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn (43) v Sheffield (47) 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Oxford (40) v Leicester (50) 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar (51) v Workington (39) 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh (52) v Steelers (38) 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick (44) v Plymouth (46) 7pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
MAXICAB KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Glasgow v Poole 5pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue (39) v Edinburgh (49) 1pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROPHY: Kent Eagles v Birmingham 12pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMERSHIP PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: TBC v TBC 7.30