BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2026/08

Feature photo by: Mia Durkin…SHEFFIELD secured the aggregate point from their Roses clashes with Belle Vue on Bank Holiday Monday, whilst a home win meant the Aces remained top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table.
The injury-hit Manchester side fought back from six points down to take the honours at lunchtime 50-40 for a fourth successive league victory.
The Tigers turned the tables at Owlerton with a 54-36 result, although that didn’t fully reflect the meeting as the gap was just four points with four heats to go before the hosts came up with a big finish.

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

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP LATEST

HOW IT STANDS
BELLE Vue have a three-point lead at the top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table having completed one-quarter of their fixtures.
The Aces are the only team to take an away win so far, having been successful at King’s Lynn, whilst closest chasers Sheffield and Leicester both have an aggregate point on the board.
All teams in the Premiership are off the mark with Northampton’s win over Leicester last week seeing them join King’s Lynn and Ipswich on two points.

THOUGHTS WITH DAN
BELLE VUE CEO Mark Lemon summed up the mood of the club and the wider speedway community after his side raced without Dan Bewley in their Bank Holiday double-header against Sheffield.
The Aces managed a home win to keep their points total ticking along, but all thoughts remain with Bewley after the World No.3 suffered a broken femur in a crash in Denmark last week.
Lemon said: “I’m not going to lie, Dan’s injury has left a real dampener and it’s hard to pick yourself up from that, let alone what Dan’s thinking.
“To lose a guy of his calibre, in his prime and riding on the crest of a wave and looking like a real candidate for a potential World Championship, and to take him out of the Belle Vue team is absolutely devastating and we’re all thinking of him, and we just pray it can be a fast recovery.”

TIGERS ACHIEVE MINIMUM TARGET
SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead admitted three points from a possible five was his minimum expectation from their home and away Bank Holiday clashes with Belle Vue.
The Tigers went down by ten points at the National Speedway Stadium but hit back to win 54-36 at home with a dominant display in the closing stages.
Stead said: “Fair play to Belle Vue and their patched-up team, they didn’t really give us any chance to pull away in the first three quarters or so of the meeting.
“But full credit to our lads who continued to get stuck in, they dug deep and came up with another big finish to earn us three league points which was the minimum requirement from us over the two meetings.”

LIONS GO FOR JOE
LEICESTER have made a change in their Rising Star position with Joe Thompson reclaiming his spot at the expense of Dan Gilkes.
Thompson spent a successful 28-day stint with the Lions earlier this season before Gilkes came back in having recovered from a knee injury, but boss Stewart Dickson has now elected to revert to Thompson.
He said: “There’s no lack of ability with Dan but I do feel there’s a lack of confidence at the moment, and unfortunately the Premiership season is too short to allow it to run away from us.
“I very much appreciate Joe agreeing to come back in, because he could have taken umbrage after doing very well only for us to bring Dan back, as we honoured the agreements we had previously made.”

FOXES OFF THE MARK
NEWCOMERS Northampton collected their first ROWE Motor Oil Premiership points with a dramatic comeback victory on Thursday.
The Foxes recovered from six points down to win 48-42 at the International Shaleway with two big 5-1s in the closing stages turning the meeting in their favour, to the delight of another big crowd.
Manager Chris Adams said: “I’m really pleased. It was a great team effort, and tonight proved what we can do as a team.
“Every race counts, and you have to keep picking away at those points. We had ten race wins, only six last places, and it all adds up at the end of the night.”

*EAST ANGLIAN duo Ipswich and King’s Lynn are both preparing for their returns to action after recently being frustrated by the weather.
The Witches have been inactive since May 7, as a home match with Belle Vue was called off due to rain shortly before the meeting, and a subsequent trip to King’s Lynn was also postponed.
That was also a second successive call-off for the Stars, who had also lost out on a trip to Leicester meaning they haven’t raced since May 11.
Ipswich will be first to get back into action as they host Northampton this Thursday (May 28), whilst King’s Lynn are at home to Leicester next Monday (June 1).
 
THE WEEK AHEAD…
LEICESTER have two meetings coming up in the next week as the Lions host Sheffield on Thursday before travelling to King’s Lynn next Monday… Thursday’s other meeting is at Foxhall as Ipswich take on Northampton, who collected their first victory last week.
 
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP  LATEST

HOW IT STANDS
DEFENDING Champions Poole are the early pace-setters having won both of their opening two matches against Redcar, which also enabled them to secure the aggregate point.
There are four teams on the four-point mark with Scunthorpe, Edinburgh and Glasgow having won their opening two home fixtures, whilst Plymouth secured a useful away win at Workington.
The Comets, Oxford, Berwick and Redcar are yet to get off the mark although the Cheetahs and the Bandits are yet to race at home with just one away defeat apiece to their names.

RYAN FLYING FOR SCORPIONS
16-YEAR OLD Ryan Ingram was the toast of Scunthorpe after they defeated Glasgow 49-41 in a thriller at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
Ingram racked up 11+2 at reserve, ending his night with a remarkable effort in Heat 15 to partner maximum man Josh Pickering to a match-clinching 5-1.
He said: “Picko is pretty unstoppable around here and he was likely to win Heat 15, but it was nice to be out there and back him up. We’re now firing as a team and giving him some support.
“David (Howe) and Rob (Godfrey) contacted me at the end of last season and offered me a place at Scunthorpe and it wasn’t something I could turn down.
“I wasn’t expecting it to go this well, and I’m not really sure how I’m doing it. It’s nice they put their faith in me, while they don’t really put any pressure on me – they just let me go out there and ride my bike.”

TIGERS EXPECT BOMBER BOUNCE-BACK
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown has thrown his faith behind No.1 Chris Harris who experienced a rare low score in the defeat at Scunthorpe last Friday.
The Tigers skipper was involved in incidents in his first two rides as he failed to finish either, but Brown is backing the club legend to bounce back.
He said: “Obviously Chris has had a nightmare and it’s so unlike him. He was leading Heat 1 and ends up falling, and doing the same in Heat 5.
“Chris is a world class rider and naturally he’s fuming that he’s not contributed more. It’s just a very rare off night for him. Knowing Chris, he’ll come back all guns blazing.”

BANDITS’ ROAD TO RECOVERY
BERWICK are hoping for good news on their injured duo ahead of their return to action in mid-June.
The Bandits have been without No.1 Peter Kildemand since early May due to a broken collarbone, whilst impressive reserve Reid Battye suffered a broken nose and fractured vertebrae in a crash the previous week.
Kildemand is now eyeing a comeback in the next week or so, whilst Battye is waiting for another scan to determine when he can consider returning to training, with regular oxygen chamber therapy taking place.

CHEETAHS WAIT ON RISS
OXFORD are hoping to have German star Erik Riss back in action by early June – which would bring an end to a two-month absence due to continuing vision issues.
Manager Peter Schroeck said: “I appreciate it’s been frustrating, although it’s been the most frustrating for Erik himself. But I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“Erik is travelling to Germany this week, to do some intense practice on his own track. He is feeling that he is ready to try racing again, but wants to make sure he is 100 per cent with his vision before he does so.
“He wants to be ready for our meeting against Redcar next week.”

SPECIAL NIGHT FOR SOUTHWICK
LOCAL youngster Charlie Southwick said his first experience of Championship level racing with Poole had been a night to remember.
Southwick scored paid-two in the win over Oxford, having been denied a point in his opening ride due to crossing the inner white line with both wheels.
He said: “Well, I’m really happy with how things went. It’s boosted my confidence, knowing I can mix it with the big boys now. I can carry that into the National League.
“I knew I was under pressure having to replace Cooper [Rushen], because he always goes so well round here. It was a really special night. I’m not going to lie — starting my Championship racing with Poole, the club I have grown up with, is just brilliant.”

CUP FEVER IN PLYMOUTH
PLYMOUTH promoter Mark Phillips is urging his riders to seize the opportunity for silverware with dates now confirmed for their MAXiCab KO Cup semi-final against Redcar.
The sides will meet at the ECCO Arena on June 12 with the return at the Coliseum the following evening, and those will be the Gladiators’ next fixtures.
Phillips said: “Cup meetings always carry that extra edge and to have a place in the Final on the line makes this incredibly exciting.
“We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position and now we have a fantastic opportunity ahead of us. We hope the supporters will come out in big numbers and create an unforgettable atmosphere for the riders.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
CHAMPIONS Poole clash with Glashow in a repeat of the 2025 Grand Final at Wimborne Road on Wednesday… On the same night, Oxford host Edinburgh with the Monarchs well placed for the aggregate point… Redcar bid to get back to winning ways when they face rivals Scunthorpe on Friday… It’s two away matches in two days for the Scorpions, who are at Workington on Saturday… Meanwhile the BSN Series semi-finals get underway with Edinburgh hosting Poole on Friday.

ALSO… GLASGOW stage World Championship action on Saturday with Ashfield playing host to a Grand Prix Qualifier, with Chris Harris, Adam Ellis and Anders Rowe all in action representing GB.

WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE LATEST

HOW IT STANDS
A PERFECT weekend for Edinburgh Monarchs Academy means they top the early WSRA NDL table having secured home and away wins over Middlesbrough.
The Tigers also have five points but they have now completed half of their fixtures, with their away win at Oxford having been cancelled out by the home loss to the Academy.
Leicester have won their one match so far whilst Buxton and King’s Lynn are yet to complete in the league, and champions Oxford will look to bounce back from double defeat to Middlesbrough as they bid to get off the mark.

DOUBLE JOY FOR ACADEMY
EDINBURGH made it two wins out of two at the start of their WSRA NDL campaign with double success over Middlesbrough.
The Monarchs Academy ran up a 57-33 victory at Armadale and then won the away return 54-36 despite having made team changes due to injuries.
Manager Scott Wilson said: “I was pleased with the performance on track, of course, but equally as pleasing was the team effort off track. Already at this early stage there’s a fantastic spirit among the team, everyone wants to help each other out.
“’A very satisfying first weekend of our season and well done to all of the team for two fantastic results and performances.”

THE WEEK AHEAD…
LEICESTER will take an eight-point lead into the second leg of their NDL Challenge against Buxton, with the sides meeting at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park on Sunday.
 
FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY MAY 27:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (36) v Edinburgh (54) 7.30, Poole v Glasgow 7.30

THURSDAY MAY 28:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich v Northampton 7.30, Leicester v Sheffield 7.30

FRIDAY MAY 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30
BSN SERIES SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Edinburgh v Poole 7.30

SATURDAY MAY 30:
FIM GRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: Glasgow 7pm
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington v Scunthorpe 6pm

SUNDAY MAY 31:
NDL CHALLENGE 2nd leg: Leicester (49) v Buxton (41) 3pm

MONDAY JUNE 1:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn v Leicester 7.30

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford v Redcar 7.30
HARBOUR MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole 7.30

THURSDAY JUNE 4:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: Ipswich (38) v Sheffield (52) 7.30, Northampton v King’s Lynn 7.30

FRIDAY JUNE 5:
FIM ATPI GRAND PRIX OF MANCHESTER: Belle Vue 7pm

SATURDAY JUNE 6:
FIM ATPI GRAND PRIX OF MANCHESTER: Belle Vue 7pm

SUNDAY JUNE 7:
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Redcar 5pm
DERBYSHIRE INDIVIDUAL: Buxton 3pm