BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2026/21
Feature photo by: STEPHEN WALLER…IPSWICH boosted their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership play-off hopes with a 50-40 win over Leicester in damp conditions at Foxhall.
The Lions led by four points in the early stages but the Witches turned the meeting with consecutive 5-1s in Heats 8 and 9 to notch a victory on their anniversary celebrations.
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 remain nine points clear of Leicester after the Lions were beaten at Ipswich on Thursday. Sheffield, Ipswich and King’s Lynn are separated by just three points, with the Stars just outside the play-off places having raced one match more than their rivals.
WITCHES HOLD FIRM
IPSWICH skipper Danny King played a vital role in his side’s rearguard action at King’s Lynn on Monday to see them come away with a league point.
Having defeated Leicester at home last week, the Witches are keeping their points total ticking along in a bid to secure a top four finish.
King said: “We can’t let it slip. We have to be on our game. We have held our own all year, and it is important for us and the club to make the play-offs. We’ll keep fighting. We are still in a good position, and it’s down to us to get the play-offs over the line.
“We need to get some points on the road, and we have a couple of away meetings coming up against Leicester and Northampton, as well as a tough home match against Sheffield.”
LIONS WITH WORK TO DO
LEICESTER manager Stewart Dickson has stressed a play-off place is not yet secure following a 50-40 defeat at Ipswich on Thursday.
The Lions were without middle order duo Dan Thompson and Nick Morris at Foxhall but kept the deficit to a manageable level.
Dickson said: “It gives us a fighting chance of the aggregate point, but we do still have to win a couple of meetings. We do still have work to do.
“It was an okay performance, and conditions were tough for both teams but in fairness they got on with it. It went roughly the way I thought it would, with us missing a couple of riders.”
STARS WILL FIGHT ON
KING’S Lynn have little margin for error in their last three matches following their 48-42 win over Ipswich on Monday.
The Stars missed out on the aggregate point and now cannot be sure over what will be required to move into the top four.
Manager Rob Lyon said: “A win is a win. It’s hard to say how it leaves us, but really it depends on how we perform in our last three matches and how the other results go.
“There was a really good crowd tonight, it shows there’s definitely the interest there, and that’s encouraging. We got the win which was the main thing, and we’ll see where it takes us.”
FOXES BID TO FINISH WELL
NORTHAMPTON have two home matches remaining to wrap up their debut Premiership campaign at the Shaleway.
The Foxes face King’s Lynn this Thursday followed by Ipswich the following week, meaning they take on two sides in direct battle for play-off places.
Manager Chris Adams said: “We’ve run close all year, and finally in the last few weeks we’ve managed to get a couple of wins over the line, and one of those was against King’s Lynn last month.
“It’s always been close when we’ve met them this season whether we’ve been home or away, so I’m sure it’s going to be another entertaining meeting and hopefully we can get another win.”
CAIRNS SEEKS CONSISTENCY
BELLE Vue youngster Will Cairns is targeting more consistent displays as he bids to help the Aces lift the league title.
17-year-old Cairns has enjoyed some terrific rides for the league leaders in his debut Premiership campaign – but he’s ambitious for even better results.
He said: “I just need to find some consistency at that level now. I’ll go out and I’ll run a bad last in Heat 2 which is supposed to be the easiest race of the night, but then I’ll go win a Heat 4 or a Heat 8 with a GP rider so yes, I just need to find some consistency and build on that.”
KILLEEN MAKING PROGRESS
SHEFFIELD’S Rising Star Luke Killeen is pleased with his progress over recent weeks as he plays an increasing role in the Tigers’ battle to secure a play-off place.
Killeen raced to five points in their curtailed clash with King’s Lynn at Owlerton last week and he admits he’s now fully getting to grips with the venue.
He said: “That’s the same set-up I started the year on and it’s the same engine I started the year on.
“I think that engine that I had in the meantime where I started to pick up my form was helping me ride this place, and now I’m able to ride this place, I’ve at least got a couple of engines I can perform on. It’s nice to know the points are showing now too.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
ALL six Premiership clubs are scheduled to be in action on Thursday with the top two meeting as Leicester host Belle Vue, third placed Sheffield travel to Ipswich, and fifth placed King’s Lynn need a win at Northampton to keep the pressure on… Then a busy Bank Holiday Monday sees Belle Vue and Sheffield meet twice, starting in Manchester at midday and then moving to Owlerton in the evening, whilst Leicester face Ipswich at the Hydroscand Arena.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP LATEST
HOW IT STANDS
POOLE, Edinburgh and Glasgow have secured their play-off places with the Pirates favourites to finish top, whilst Scunthorpe are in pole position to also clinch a top four finish. The Scorpions can only be knocked out if they lose their final two fixtures and either Redcar or Plymouth win their last two whilst also overturning significant race points difference margins (71 and 80 points respectively). Workington can avoid the wooden spoon if they win at home to Redcar on S aturday, which would drop Oxford to the bottom of the table.
PIRATES CHASE TOP SPOT
POOLE co-promoter Danny Ford wants to see his side maintain their momentum into the play-offs by extending their unbeaten home sequence to 29 matches.
Ford said: “We want to finish top, it is the Pirate Pride in us to be top of the table and we also want to sign off our regular season with another win.
“Our home form has been good and we have the aggregate point against every team in the league and we trail by four against Plymouth, having lost 43-47 there in August, an away score that has haunted us this month.”
TIGERS BATTLE ON
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown admits his side will have to box clever in terms of guest bookings when it comes to the play-offs, as the Tigers have two riders missing.
Brown said: “It’s good to reach the play-offs, that’s the minimum requirement really at this club. Now it’s making it count when it matters in the play-offs.
“We’ve reached the play-offs 10 times out of the last 11 seasons which is a decent record. We’ve then gone on to make five Grand Finals but only won the title once. That isn’t a decent record.
“This year we go into it on the back foot having to use two guests, those choices will be pivotal on whether we can go all the way.”
MONARCHS PUSHED HARD
EDINBURGH star Kye Thomson admits depleted Berwick put up a strong challenge despite their injuries last Friday.
The Monarchs came through with a 49-41 win which ultimately proved enough to secure their play-off place without the need for further points.
Thomson said: “They pushed us for three-quarters of the meeting, they were great out of the gate and made it tough. It was a stop-start meeting tonight, dragged on, and I hope everyone’s OK after their crashes.
“I was happy with my score tonight, I was feeling under the weather and still have a few issues from my crash at Poole a couple of weeks ago. My mum was over from Australia so I was happy to put a performance together for her.”
SCORPIONS NEARLY THERE
SCUNTHORPE withstood a strong Workington comeback to move to the brink of confirming their play-off place with a 50-40 win last Friday.
Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We knew beforehand that Workington were the only team to beat us at Scunny so far this season, and they did that for a reason, but the last thing we needed was for lightning to strike twice.
“Maybe we thought it was going to be easier than it was, and we did make hard work of it, but in the end, we managed to do what we needed to do and it was a relief to get those three points on the board.”
BANDITS MISS OUT
BERWICK’S play-off hopes were ended with a 49-41 loss at Edinburgh on Friday when they suffered the double blow of Jye Etheridge and Victor Palovaara both crashing out.
The duo did return for a remarkable home win over Redcar, and boss Stewart Dickson said he was proud of the efforts at Armadale too.
Dickson said: “Despite the injury setbacks we kept battling away and in a lot of ways it was one of our best away results this season.”
CHEETAHS END WITH DEFEAT
OXFORD completed a difficult Championship season with a heavy defeat at Poole last Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a season where the Cheetahs were unable to challenge for a play-off place.
Promoter Jamie Courtney said: “No question it’s been a tough, frustrating and disappointing campaign. We believed we assembled a team to push for silverware and progress in all three tournaments. Obviously that turned out not to be the case.
“Despite everyone at one stage or another stepping up, what we really missed was the big-hitting second heat leader – the role intended to be filled by the luckless Erik Riss, a big-hearted character who just cannot catch a break as he tries to put his illness behind him.”
GLADIATORS’ HARD FOUGHT WIN
PLYMOUTH overcame a tough Workington challenge at the Coliseum despite having to operate rider replacement for the injured Scott Nicholls, as they continue to prepare for the MAXiCab KO Cup Final.
Manager Garry May said: “When I saw the Workington team when they sent it to me and I couldn’t get a guest for Scott, I thought I was up against it.
“I spoke to my riders all the way through the meeting telling them what was going on, and they just produced when I needed them to produce. I can’t fault any of my riders, they’ve given me 110 per cent.”
ONE TO GO FOR COMETS
WORKINGTON co-boss Barry Collins says all focus is on Saturday’s season finale at the GT Tyres Arena as the Comets host Redcar looking to avoid the Championship’s wooden spoon.
Collins told the club website: “We’ve had a tough season for one reason or another, but the lads are firmly focused on next Saturday now.
“We’ve got Redcar at home in our final meeting of the season (3pm) and everyone is determined to go out there, put on a performance for our supporters and finish the season on a high. It would mean a lot to everyone involved with the club to sign off with a win.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
PLYMOUTH meet Glasgow in a Tuesday night fixture at the Coliseum, before heading to leaders Poole to complete their regular league campaign on Wednesday… Scunthorpe will look to officially secure their play-off place when they host Edinburgh on Friday… If the Scorpions do trip up, Redcar could keep their mathematical hopes alive when they host Glasgow… The Bears then travel to Workington on Saturday, whilst Berwick host Edinburgh at Shielfield Park.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE LATEST
HOW IT STANDS
EDINBURGH remain four points clear at the top after Leicester lost their 100 per cent record at Oxford last Sunday. Buxton continue to hold second spot with the Chargers moving up to fourth ahead of Middlesbrough.
CHARGERS DENT LION CUBS
OXFORD became the first team this season to defeat Leicester in the WSRA National Development League thanks to a 47-43 win on Sunday.
The Lion Cubs did take the aggregate point but they lost an eight-point lead on the day as the Chargers hit back strongly.
Chargers star Senna Summers said: “We had a job that we needed to do and we did it. We knew it was going to be hard – Leicester have five riders who are either in the Championship or have been in that league, and they are strong all the way down to reserve. We’ve done well to beat them.”
LAMBERT TAKES CASEY CROWN
SIMON Lambert was the winner of the Steve Casey Memorial Meeting at Buxton on Sunday, with the event raising funds for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.
Lambert praised the improvements to track conditions at Hi-Edge after defeating Dayle Wood, Jack Roberts and Luke Harris to win the Final.
He said: “It was a tough meeting out there and I was pushed all the way. The track is the best I’ve seen it since Buxton returned this year.
“It’s good to see the track open and I’m really pleased to get the victory.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
WITH Wednesday’s clash between King’s Lynn and Middlesbrough postponed it means there is no NDL league action this week, although Buxton host the latest round of the British Youth Championship for all categories on Sunday.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
TUESDAY AUGUST 25:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth (41) v Glasgow (49) 7pm
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole (43) v Plymouth (47) 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: King’s Lynn (55) v Middlesbrough (35) OFF
THURSDAY AUGUST 27:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich (39) v Sheffield (51) 7.30, Leicester (29) v Belle Vue (61) 7.30, Northampton (45) v King’s Lynn (45) 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar (42) v Glasgow (48) 7.30, Scunthorpe (45) v Edinburgh (45) 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 29:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick (41) v Edinburgh (49) 7pm, Workington (44) v Redcar (46) 3pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 30:
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Buxton 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 31:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v Sheffield 12pm, Leicester (40) v Ipswich (50) 7.30, Sheffield v Belle Vue 7.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2:
CHAMPIONSHIP BEST PAIRS: Poole 7pm
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester v King’s Lynn 7.30, Northampton (42) v Ipswich (47) 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow (41) v Scunthorpe (49) 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Oxford 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5:
BSN SERIES SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Berwick (31) v Redcar (58) 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v King’s Lynn 3pm
