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…

PETE Toogood has warned Workington not to take anything for granted when they stage the next major Superb 7even event later this month.

The hugely successful Derwent Park club will host the Premier League Four Team Championship Finals on Saturday, July 26 - and they're looking to add the silverware to the Pairs title won by Daniel Nermark and Kauko Nieminen last month.

They'll start the showpiece event as favourites with Nermark and Nieminen joined by former Grand Prix star Carl Stonehewer and teenage talent Joe Haines.

But British Speedway Chairman Toogood said: "I have no doubt Workington will be a fitting venue for such a big occasion and I congratulate the management on their stadium improvements and their ambition.

"However, knowing Ian Thomas (Workington boss) as I do, he'll not be taking anything for granted which is the right attitude. I can understand why the Workington quartet will start as favourites because they're all fine riders, particularly on their own track - but there are seven other teams who will have something to say about it.

"The good people at Workington are working hard to make the event a success and I have no doubt it will be. It's a fair track and a good venue and I'm sure a lot of fans will make a weekend of it by heading up to Cumbria.

"We had a terrific crowd at Somerset for the Pairs and it underlines the interest there is in the Super 7even series. We were delighted with that, there was a good atmosphere and good racing and I'm sure the same will apply at Workington on July 26."

Workington will face Somerset, Sheffield and Edinburgh in their semi-final group with King's Lynn, Newcastle, Berwick and Reading doing battle in the other group.

LINE-UP:
GROUP A - SOMERSET: Jason Doyle, Emil Kramer, Jordan Frampton, Simon Walker. WORKINGTON: Daniel Nermark, Kauko Nieminen, Carl Stonehewer, Joe Haines. SHEFFIELD: Andre Compton, Ricky Ashworth, Ben Wilson, Joel Parsons. EDINBURGH: William Lawson, Andrew Tully, Mattew Wethers, Ryan Fisher.

GROUP B - KING'S LYNN: Kevin Doolan, Tomas Topinka, Shaun Tacey, Rusty Harrison. NEWCASTLE: George Stancl, Josef Franc, Jason King, Christian Henry. BERWICK: Adrian Rymel, Mikal Makovsky, Norbert Magosi, Tero Aarnio. READING: Ulrich Ostergaard, Mark Lemon, Tom P Madsen, Chris Mills.

SUPER 7EVEN DATES AND VENUES:
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Arena-Essex, Friday April 25 - TAI WOFFINDEN
BRITISH FINAL: Swindon, Thursday May 29 - SCOTT NICHOLLS
PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday June 27 - WORKINGTON
PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Workington, Saturday July 26 - 7pm
ELITE LEAGUE BEST PAIRS: Swindon, Sunday August 17 - 6pm
ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham, Wednesday August 20 - 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 21 - 3.30
www.super7even.com or www.speedwaygb.com

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

BELLE VUE boss Chris Morton was delighted with the home debut of Patrick Hougaard, who scored seven points in the Aces' dramatic win over Coventry.

Morton said: "It was a stunning start by Patrick to win his first race on a track he had never seen before.

"It wasn't looking good for us, but we always felt confident we could pull it back although obviously we were fortunate to get a 5-0, and we took advantage."

COVENTRY manager Peter Oakes said the Bees were devastated by the nature of Monday's defeat at Belle Vue where they saw an eight-point lead wiped out in the last four races.

Oakes said: "We did all the hard work in eleven races and threw it away in four, and that was one of the hardest defeats to take.

"That's not just a personal thing, that's throughout the team. After Heat 13 you could see the transformation on both sides of the pits when they'd got a 5-0."

EASTBOURNE manager Trevor Geer praised the recent improvement of reserve Simon Gustafsson as the Eagles defeated Coventry in a battle of two depleted teams at Arlington.

Geer said: "Simon did a good job for us. He is more aggressive in his riding now and he is all the better for it.

"It was a good meeting. You would rather have something like that than a walkover win."

IPSWICH are still using the rider replacement facility for injured skipper Chris Louis - but manager Pete Simmons is not ruling out the possibility of a new signing.
Simmons said: "There are people out there who could come in for us, but it isn't quite that straightforward.

"But I can assure Witches fans we are fully aware that rider replacement isn't doing the job we want."

LAKESIDE promoter Stuart Douglas says that two recent solid home performances will help Lubos Tomicek regain form after a difficult spell in the main body of the Hammers team.

Douglas said: "He looked happy again and was confident. Lubos is a confidence rider, and after looking quick in his first ride he continued to enjoy his riding which is important.

"We hope he can keep it going now to give us that consistency we are going to need."

PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales says the Showground track knowledge within the Wolverhampton ranks will lead to another tough fixture for his team this Thursday.

Swales said: "Despite the Wolves position we can take absolutely nothing for granted and we will be giving them the utmost respect. They have a lot of riders who ride Alwalton well and I cannot see this match being anything other than yet another hard one.

"Niels-Kristian Iversen will probably be out to prove a point but he isn’t the only rider in their ranks that could spring a surprise."

POOLE are currently in the driving seat for a top-two finish after collecting an emphatic sixth away win of the season at Coventry on Friday.

Pirates boss Neil Middleditch said: "Coventry struggled with injuries but it was still a great win for us. When we fire together, we all fire together.

"I've always said you don't take your luck, you make your luck. I had a full team, and I didn't have that luxury myself earlier in the season."

SWINDON manager Alun Rossiter says popular Dane Mads Korneliussen will quickly get over the disappointment of failing to qualify from last weekend's World Championship semi-final.

Rossiter said: "He won't wallow in this. Mads is a positive person and he will pick himself up. He knows he has a job to do for Swindon Speedway.

"We've got a meeting against Belle Vue on Thursday when he goes head-to-head with his brother-in-law, Charlie Gjedde, so that will be plenty of motivation for him."

WOLVERHAMPTON will not make any team changes until after next week’s World Cup competition.

The Parrys International Wolves are keen to bolster the team in a bid to move away from the bottom two.

But club owner Chris Van Straaten said: “Anything we do won’t happen immediately.

“It must be emphasised that anyone racing outside the UK at this stage of the season has difficulty in committing to all UK club fixtures.

“In this country we have regulations which prevent riders from picking and choosing when they ride over here. Other major leagues allow a squad system which allows riders more flexibility.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

BERWICK went down at Scunthorpe by nine points last Friday despite losing Tony Atkin with a hand injury in his first ride - and promoter Peter Waite felt an away win was possible.

He said: "We came so close, we really should have just pushed that little more to take the victory, but too many points were lost where they shouldn’t have been. We’re working hard with Michal (Makovsky) to get him back to his invincible best sooner than later."

BIRMINGHAM have signed Australian Lee Herne – the son of Brummies legend Phil.

Herne, who came to the UK for a holiday, is linking up with the Perry Barr club as cover for the injured reserve James Birkinshaw.

Manager Graham Drury said: “I feel sure he can do a good job for us and if he rises to the challenge we will look at making him a permanent asset of the club.”

EDINBURGH co-promoter Alex Harkess backed the decision to abandon the Monarch's Premier League match at Stoke last Saturday, even though his side held a narrow lead at the time.

Harkess said: "It was the right decision. While we might have won, we would have been very frustrated if we had got to Heat 12 and lost it in these conditions. We would far rather go back in dry weather when I believe we should be capable of winning."

GLASGOW co-promoter Stewart Dickson believes that, injuries permitting, the Tigers should be able to enjoy a much-improved second half of the season.

Dickson said: "I feel I am now seeing some signs which would suggest to me that things could certainly be a whole lot brighter, and I think we will see a continuation of that improvement."

ISLE OF WIGHT co-promoter Dave Pavitt has praised the way in which reserve James Holder has adapted to Premier League racing this season.

Pavitt said: "Watching James race to his first maximum score in Britain was very pleasing indeed and it very much looks as if signing him at the start of the season has turned out to be something of a masterstroke."

KING'S LYNN are hoping to take over at the top of the Premier League this week with a home match against Redcar to be followed by a trip to Scunthorpe.

Team manager Rob Lyon said: "This was our dream at the beginning of the season. We had a slow start in the Premier Trophy but the boys have pulled it together, and by the end of this week I would like us to be in a very commanding position leaving all the other teams with the work to do."

MILDENHALL promoter Simon Barton apologised to the club's supporters after the Fen Tigers' latest heavy home defeat at the hands of Sheffield.

Barton said: "We knew it was going to be difficult but to give Sheffield what must have been their easiest meeting ever was just not acceptable. I wish we could make further changes to our team but it is proving extremely difficult to find any suitable riders.”

NEWCASTLE chief Darryl Illingworth was left to bemoan an inaccurate weather forecast as he postponed the club's home clash with Rye House on Sunday morning to prevent a number of wasted journeys.

Illingworth said: "We could have probably got the track into a reasonable state, but no way could it have taken the amount of extra rain which was supposedly coming our way. In the event, there was rain in the area, but probably not enough to have caused the meeting to be abandoned once it had started."

READING reserve Danny Warwick is likely to be out for around another fortnight as he attempts to regain full fitness after a recent shoulder injury.

Promoter Malcolm Holloway said: "I watched him practice after last Sunday’s meeting against Somerset and he still looked a little tentative on the track. I’ve told him not to rush himself back and to take another couple of weeks to get himself ready.”

REDCAR skipper Gary Havelock was axed in an economy measure and then re-instated two days later after sponsors and supporters clubbed together to help the club.

Havelock said: "Hopefully it’s a situation which helps everyone. It helps (promoter) Glyn (Taylor) out, I still get paid and the fans are happy because I’m still riding for the Bears. The reaction and the support I’ve had from fans in the area since Thursday has been amazing.

RYE HOUSE manager John Sampford said he would have preferred going into the Rockets' upcoming Northern tour having had a trickier meeting than their home clash with Glasgow turned out to be.

Sampford said: "I would have preferred to have some sterner challenges ahead of the tour, but there's nothing you can do about the way the fixtures fall. It's a shame. There was plenty of effort there, but as their own manager pointed out, three of the team were coming here for the first time and that is always difficult."

SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey says the standard of racing in the club's first Premier League season continues to get better and better.

Godfrey said: "If you want entertaining, come here because we haven’t had a bad meeting all year. The crowds are increasing and it’s because the racing here is out of this world. Some people think speedway is first out the gate but at the Eddie Wright Raceway you are guaranteed great racing."

SHEFFIELD rider Lee Smethills has suffered a cracked vertebrae after a crash at Mildenhall.

Smethills was detained in hospital where a scan revealed no serious internal injuries and he is now back at his North-West home resting.

“It’s a shame for Lee because he’s just started riding with a bit more confidence,” said Tigers co-promoter David Hoggart.

SOMERSET team manager Steve Bishop has described Friday's clash with high-flying Workington as a "must-win" meeting - and he is confident that the Rebels will do just that.

Bishop said: "Workington, on paper at least, look like giving us our toughest test at home so far this season. But we have been riding really well at the Oak Tree Arena and although I am anticipating it to be a lot closer than some of our matches have been, I still expect us to win through."

STOKE manager John Adams took some encouragement from the Potters' performance in their 54-39 defeat at title-chasing Edinburgh.

Adams said: "We were just seven points adrift with two races to go and they got maximum points from them to give the score-line a flattering look. Everyone chipped in against one of the league's form teams and Buzz Burrows had a lot of bad luck."

WORKINGTON No.1 Daniel Nermark is just one meeting away from the 2009 Grand Prix - bringing back memories of the days when Comets legend Carl Stonehewer was a regular member of the series.

Club owner Keith Denham said: "He really is a great spearhead for the Comets and he is showing this season exactly why we signed him. It would be a remarkable achievement if he made next year’s Grand Prix line-up as a Premier League rider."

CONFERENCE LEAGUE NEWS…

PLEASE visit the official website www.speedwaygb.com and click on latest news and press releases in the Conference League section for a comprehensive round-up from the third tier.

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY JULY 8:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Scunthorpe 7.30

WEDNESDAY JULY 9:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Ipswich 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Isle of Wight 7.45, King's Lynn v Reading 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 10:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Ipswich v Coventry 7.30, Peterborough v
Wolverhampton 7.30, Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Redcar 7.45

FRIDAY JULY 11:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Swindon 8pm, Lakeside v Wolverhampton
8pm
PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Rye House 7.30, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30,
Scunthorpe v King's Lynn 7.30, Somerset v Workington 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE KOC: Plymouth v Weymouth 7.30

SATURDAY JULY 12:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Stoke v Redcar 7.30, Workington v Isle of Wight 7pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Buxton 7pm, Weymouth v Plymouth 7.15
BRITISH UNDER-15 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 1: Redcar 3pm

SUNDAY JULY 13:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Rye House 4pm, Mildenhall v Stoke 4.30, Newcastle
v Berwick 5.30, Reading v Edinburgh 6pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Boston v Scunthorpe 7pm, Buxton v Sittingbourne 3pm

MONDAY JULY 14:
WORLD CUP EVENT 2: Coventry 7.30

TUESDAY JULY 15:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Edinburgh 7.30

WEDNESDAY JULY 16:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Reading 7.45, King's Lynn v Somerset 7.30
JUNIOR MEETING: Belle Vue 7.30

THURSDAY JULY 17:
PREMER LEAGUE: Redcar v Rye House 7.30, Sheffield v Somerset 7.45

FRIDAY JULY 18:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Birmingham 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Buxton 7.30
PAUL HURRY TESTIMONIAL: Lakeside 8pm
EXMOOR CHASE: Somerset 7.30

SATURDAY JULY 19:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Birmingham 7pm, Rye House v Redcar 7pm, Stoke v King's Lynn 7.30, Workington v Mildenhall 7pm
BRONZE HELMET: Weymouth 7.15

SUNDAY JULY 20:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Mildenhall 4pm, Newcastle v Birmingham 5.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Boston v Buxton 7pm, Sittingbourne v Weymouth 12pm

MONDAY JULY 21:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30, Coventry v Lakeside 8pm, Ipswich v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Reading v Berwick 7.30

TUESDAY JULY 22:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Berwick 7.30

WEDNESDAY JULY 23:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Redcar 7.45, King's Lynn v Scunthorpe 7.30