WELCOME to the latest edition of the weekly BSPA bulletins keeping you in touch with news, views and fixtures from the tracks up and down the country.
BIG EVENT LATEST
THE cream of the Conference League will do battle at Rye House this Saturday, September 15, for the prestigious Conference League Riders' Championship (7pm).
The event, sponsored by www.hirecanalboat.co.uk, features young Rye House sensation Tai Woffinden who has been riding for Scunthorpe at Conference level in a doubling-up role.
Other riders with plenty of Premier League experience include Danny Warwick who represents Sittingbourne, Stoke's Barrie Evans, Oxford star Lee Smethills, Lee Smart of Weymouth and Cleveland veteran Mark 'Buzz' Burrows.
The line-up in full is:
Josh Auty (Scunthorpe), Jey Herne (Weymouth), Simon Lambert (Boston), Tai Woffinden (Scunthorpe), Danny Warwick (Sittingbourne), Robert Mear (Rye House), Ben Taylor (Buxton), Daniel Halsey (Rye House), Andrew Bargh (Oxford), Jonathan Bethell (Stoke), Lee Smethills (Oxford), Tom Brown (Plymouth), Mark Burrows (Cleveland), Lee Smart (Weymouth), Nicki Glanz (Plymouth), Barrie Evans (Stoke). RESERVES: Mark Baseby (Sittingbourne), Matthew Wright (Boston).
-- WOLVERHAMPTON host the British Under-18 Championship next Monday, September 17.
And Monmore Green chief Chris Van Straaten is predicting an exciting night of racing.
"All the youngsters always give their best and this is a very prestigious title for them to go for," said Van Straaten. "We've always enjoyed staging this meeting and we're very proud to do the same again this coming Monday."
Season tickets are not valid as the event is staged on behalf of the British Speedway Promoters' Association - and children aged 16 and under will be admitted free!
LINE-UP:
Joshua AUTY (Redcar/Scunthorpe), Greg BLAIR (Cleveland), Lewis BRIDGER (Eastbourne), Nicki GLANZ (Mildenhall/Plymouth), Joe HAINES (Scunthorpe), Ben HOPWOOD (Plymouth), Kyle HUGHES (Oxford), Sam HURST (Weymouth), Simon LAMBERT (Boston), Sam MARTIN (Berwick/Oxford), Robert MEAR (Rye House), Jack ROBERTS (Buxton/Birmingham), Ben TAYLOR (Buxton), Shane WALDRON (Boston), Tai WOFFINDEN (Rye House/Wolverhampton), Brendan JOHNSON (Oxford).
-- MAGNUS Zetterstrom will defend his Premier League Riders' Championship crown at Swindon on Sunday, September 30 (6pm).
Zetterstrom has been included as Somerset's representative in the field for the final meeting in the new-look 'Super 7even' series which has revamped the sport's major domestic events.
Zetterstrom won the title at Sheffield last year when home favourite Andre Compton crashed out with injury.
"It was a special feeling and I'd love to do it all over again," said Zetterstrom. "It would mean so much to me to be the top man in the Premier League for the second successive season!"
King's Lynn are the only club to have two riders in the field - Tomas Topinka and Daniel Nermark - a true reflection of the stunning season the reigning league champions have enjoyed with a powerful spearhead leading them to top spot ahead of the play-offs.
Former champion Compton represents Sheffield and there are PLRc debuts for several riders - including teenage sensation Tai Woffinden, representing Rye House.
LINE-UP: Jacek Rempala (Berwick), Tai Woffinden (Rye House), Chris Holder (Isle of Wight), James Wright (Workington), Tomas Topinka (King's Lynn), Jason Lyons (Birmingham), Daniel Nermark (King's Lynn), Andre Compton (Sheffield), Michal Rajkowski (Newport), Kaj Laukkanen (Edinburgh), Gary Havelock (Redcar), Magnus Zetterstrom (Somerset), Shane Parker (Glasgow), Kyle Legault (Mildenhall), Christian Henry (Newcastle), Rusty Harrison (Stoke).
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
ARENA ESSEX-LAKESIDE boss Jon Cook has revealed their move to recall Andreas Messing was due to a series of continental bookings this month for Lubos Tomicek.
Cook said: "We really had no option but to make this change as Lubos would have missed several important meetings for us during September due to his continental commitments.
"Andreas is a rider I am keen to see in action as he was initially recommended to me by Nicki Pedersen and Adam Shields when I was at Eastbourne."
BELLE VUE youngster Billy Forsberg feels he has got to grips with British speedway having collected impressive scores in his last two outings at Kirkmanshulme Lane.
Forsberg said: "One of the reasons I wanted to come to England was to learn how to ride on different kinds of shapes and surfaces, and I think this is happening.
"It may be different if the surface changes, I'll have to see. When I came, I thought I'd have to make starts to get points. This is true, but I am managing to get some points from the back as well."
COVENTRY skipper Scott Nicholls says the Bees will go into the play-offs full of confidence having topped the Elite League table with a record run which now stands at 16 straight wins.
Nicholls said: "The record says a lot about us, and it says it at the right time of the season. You could have these consecutive wins at the start of the season, but it's now that it's really important.
"We had a fantastic win at Poole, where perhaps we haven't performed at our best over the seasons. The tea spirit is there, and everyone is coming into form at the right time."
EASTBOURNE have moved in to sign Roman Povazhny for a fourth spell with the club as a replacement for long-term injury victim David Norris.
Eagles boss Trevor Geer said: "I'm very pleased Roman has agreed to ride for us again, he is such a nice guy who's very popular with fans and fellow riders. I'm positive he can do a good job for us.
"It also means no more rider replacement, which to be truthful has been a little unpopular with the fans. Rider replacement also gives us no real leeway if any one of our riders has a bad night or picks up an injury."
IPSWICH promoter John Louis has stressed that he still wants to see club asset Daniel King ride for the Witches again, despite the controversy of his winter loan move to Peterborough.
Louis said: "There is no way I intend to sell Daniel. He is a talented young English rider, and I want to hold on to him and hopefully have him back at Foxhall.
"There is no point having a rider who does not want to ride for you, and last winter was not an ideal situation, but it was in the best interests of Daniel. But times change and he knows he would be welcome back at Ipswich."
PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales expects a tough battle from Coventry at the Showground on Wednesday even though the Bees have already made sure of top position in the Elite League table.
Swales said: "This looks like being a really hard match and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top as both teams have points to prove, and they could come here and turn us over if we are not careful.
"In all honesty the aggregate point is a long shot, but I think we have enough current form to win the match. The 'A' match here with them was superb, and I cannot see anything but the same this time."
POOLE promoter Matt Ford is apportioning no blame for the situation which has resulted in the Pirates, amongst other clubs, not completing their Elite League fixtures before Thursday's cut-off.
Ford said: "It has just been bad luck, not bad planning. It's no-ones fault really, it has just rained so much. It's just been a one-off year of bad weather for all the teams which happens in speedway occasionally.
"It's no reflection on Poole whatsoever because we completed our home fixtures on time. But there is nothing we can do other than perhaps moving all Elite League fixtures to Dubai so we are guaranteed some warm weather."
READING promoter Malcolm Holloway insists his side can compete against local rivals Swindon when the teams clash in the Knockout Cup this week - despite several absentees in the first leg.
Holloway said: "In Adam Shields we have a guest who has a very good record at Blunsdon, and Travis (McGowan) and Janusz (Kolodziej) go well there so we will be hoping to produce a damage limitation job.
"We will be looking to carry on where we left off last time out at Smallmead against Peterborough. I was well chuffed with that performance and the way everyone pulled together in the pits, especially after conceding a 5-1 in the opening heat."
SWINDON have moved quickly to replace the injured Mads Korneliussen by snapping up Polish World Cup star Damian Balinski - who joins the Robins thanks to hard work from his Leszno team-mate, Swindon captain Leigh Adams.
Manager Alun Rossiter said: "I've been working hard with Leigh for two and a half years to get Damian to ride for us and we've finally got him. We have good relations with Leszno, with the president and people that run the club and that helped get the deal done.
"He is a very exciting rider and a crowd-pleaser too. He will benefit from already knowing several of the people around him at Swindon and, because of that, this is the only British club Damian would have come to."
WOLVERHAMPTON skipper Peter Karlsson insists he doesn’t want the season to end.
Karlsson is in good form and was denied a maximum in their 55-38 home win over Ipswich by an ignition problem in his last ride.
“I’m back to fitness after the hand injury and things are going well for me,” said Karlsson.
“But I’ve got some Mondays off now because of the play-offs which is a bit frustrating because I want to keep racing!”
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK's season of never-ending misery saw two more riders injured at Glasgow on Sunday with Stanislaw Burza now out of the closing weeks, and new signing Matej Kus suffering concussion.
Promoter Peter Waite said: "I’m beginning to wonder what’s left to go wrong. Every time we do something to improve things injuries set us back again. I really can only despair, but I am hell-bent on getting more wins and that means yet another manic week ahead."
BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury has booked Coventry’s in-form American Billy Janniro for the Second City Trophy on September 26.
Janniro joins Bees colleague Rory Schlein in the line-up along with other Elite League stars David Howe and Joe Screen.
“The fans have contributed their views to the line-up and I’ve responded with these riders,” said Drury.
FORMER Edinburgh rider Blair Scott made his return to the sport after a two year absence when the club staged a challenge match at Armadale last Friday.
Scott said: "I definitely want to make my comeback next year. I've had the itch for some time, I just miss my speedway. I want to get back on a bike, and hopefully someone will show an interest in me."
GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson has targeted two of the clubs' remaining away fixtures if the Tigers are to stage a dramatic late run into the play-offs.
Dickson said: "I don't think we will beaten at home again, but if we are to make it into the top four we have to win at Mildenhall and Redcar. If we do not achieve that, the Young Shield would be a more than acceptable substitute.
ISLE OF WIGHT gave their hopes of a top four finish a boost by taking the aggregate point from their clashes against play-off rivals Sheffield last week.
Co-promoter Dave Pavitt said: "It's certainly an exciting and desperately close race for these top four league places and the point we gained at Sheffield was an absolute necessity. We'll be scrapping for every single available point and we intend to reach the play-offs."
KING'S LYNN manager Rob Lyon is calling for his team to maintain their focus during home matches against Glasgow and Birmingham this week as the race for the play-offs intensifies.
Lyon said: "We can't afford to slip up, and we need to avoid cracking under the pressure with another three teams breathing down our next. We have had a bit of a bad patch, but I feel the team are now coming through it."
MILDENHALL suffered a double blow over the weekend to their hopes of reaching the Young Shield as they went down to double defeat to rivals Rye House at Hoddesdon and West Row.
In addition, impressive reserve youngster Mark Baseby will be out for the rest of the season after suffering severe ligament damage around his collarbone in a crash against Newport last week.
RECENT signing Paul Clews was the Newcastle hero with paid 18 as the Diamonds overcame Somerset despite the mid-meeting loss of Jonas Raun due to a broken ankle and hand.
Team boss George English said: "It was an excellent match with some superb racing. Paul Clews had a brilliant night and grabbed the match clinching points in Heat 14, and his fellow reserve Sam Dore, despite scoring paid two points, worked so hard for them with a great deal of determination."
NEWPORT racked up their club record Premier League away win at Berwick as they topped the 60-point barrier last Saturday.
Promoter Tim Stone said: "I'd have been happy to win by two points, but you can't stop things when they are going well. Berwick were weakened on the night, but all of our boys did the job and it was a great result for us."
REDCAR's top duo of Gary Havelock and James Grieves will continue to ride this week despite fitness concerns, Havelock being drained of energy due to the rare condition of an under-active thyroid gland, and Grieves with muscle damage to his back and knee. Bears co-promoter Gareth Rogers said: "We want to keep on course for participation in the end of season Young Shield competition, and with our match against Glasgow being the final home one in the Premier League there is an added dimension of seeking to finish the current campaign on a high note."
RYE HOUSE skipper Chris Neath says that recent signing Stefan Ekberg is doing a fine job as a replacement for the injured Stuart Robson.
Neath said: "Stefan has come in and he's scoring similar points to what Robbo would have done. Over the last two years we have definitely lacked another double-figure points scorer in Robbo's absence, and Stefan has done the job that Stuart would probably be doing himself."
SHEFFIELD reserve James Birkinshaw will miss the rest of the season after shattering his hand in a crash against the Isle of Wight last week.
He said: “It’s really frustrating because it was my first meeting back after a shoulder injury, I want to be back next March, fit and ready for another season.”
SOMERSET manager Steve Bishop admits the weekend defeat at Newcastle could prove costly in their push for a play-off place.
He said: “The league table doesn’t lie and if we haven’t made it into the top four then we will have to accept that and look towards the Young Shield instead.”
STOKE star Lee Complin broke Billy Hamill's 11-year-old track record at Loomer Road last weekend - but the Potters still slipped to defeat against Birmingham. Complin said: "It was a nice feeling but I would much rather that the team had won. I didn't make the best of starts but just got a good run and racing line and went for the win more than the time."
WORKINGTON manager Ian Thomas insists his side are up for revenge against Birmingham on Saturday.
The Brummies are unbeaten by the Cumbrian club in four outings so far this season – and Thomas wants his team to put the record straight.
He said: “When we beat King’s Lynn, the reigning champions, that left only Birmingham as the bogey side for 2007.
“It seemed too good an opportunity to miss in filling-up a blank week-end and we full expect to take our revenge this time.”
FIXTURE PICTURE
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 11: PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Redcar 7.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Peterborough v Coventry 7.30 CRAVEN SHIELD: Poole v Reading v Arena Essex-Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Glasgow 7.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Plymouth 7.30 ALAN PEARCE MEMORIAL TROPHY: Birmingham 7.45
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 13: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Eastbourne 8pm, Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30 ELITE LEAGUE KOC: Swindon v Reading 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Glasgow 7.30, Sheffield v Workington 7.45
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14: ELITE LEAGUE KOC: Arena Essex-Lakeside v Eastbourne 8pm, Reading v Swindon 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Rye House 7.30, King's Lynn v Birmingham 7.30, Somerset v Redcar 7.30 CONERENCE LEAGUE: Oxford v Scunthorpe 7.30 CHALLENGE: Plymouth v Wimbledon 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15: ELITE LEAGUE KOC: Eastbourne v Arena Essex-Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm CHALLENGE: Workington v Birmingham 7pm
SUNDAY SPORT TROPHY: Stoke v Sheffield 7.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 16: PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Birmingham 4pm, Newport v Newcastle 3pm, Rye House v Stoke 2pm CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Stoke (follows PL fixture), Scunthorpe v Plymouth 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 17: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINALS: Coventry v Peterborough/Poole 7.30, Swindon v Peterborough/Poole 7.30 SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30 BRITISH UNDER-18 FINAL: Wolverhampton 7.30 SIDECARS: Reading 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 18: PREMIER LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Glasgow 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE KOC: Isle of Wight v King's Lynn 7.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Reading v Belle Vue 7.30 ELITE LEAGUE KOC: Poole v Coventry 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Workington 7.30, Somerset v Edinburgh 7pm, Somerset v Newcastle (follows previous fixture) MIDLAND SHIELD: Birmingham v Stoke 7.45 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Oxford 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Ipswich v Eastbourne 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Newport 7.45 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Cleveland v Oxford 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21: PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Plymouth v Oxford 7.30 JUNIOR MEETING: Arena Essex-Lakeside 8pm
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22: PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Mildenhall 7pm, Rye House v Somerset 7pm MIDLAND SHIELD: Stoke v Birmingham 7.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Cleveland (follows PL fixture)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23: PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Redcar 4pm, Mildenhall v Berwick 4.30, Newcastle v Birmingham 6.30, Newport v Isle of Wight 3pm CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Buxton v Stoke 3pm, Oxford v Plymouth 7.30 DAVID NIX MEMORIAL: Scunthorpe 3pm BRITISH UNDER-15 CHAMPIONSHIP: Northside 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF FINAL 1st leg PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Stoke 5.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Oxford 7.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26: PREMIER LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Isle of Wight 7.30, Stoke v Berwick 7.30 SECOND CITY TROPHY: Birmingham 7.45
