:: SOLO & SIDECAR NEWS POSTINGS FOR THE PAST 7 DAYS ::
BRITISH BRIEFS
UK SOLO NEWS - Posted 2 September, 2010
Story by BSPA Press Office
IPSWICH director of speedway Chris Louis says he particularly enjoys the team-riding element which should be prevalent in Saturday's Elite League Pairs.
The prestigious meeting will be staged at the Foxhall circuit which Louis played a major part in re-shaping last winter to produce better racing.
All nine Elite League clubs will be represented, the majority with their top two riders, and the 4-3-2-0 scoring system means avoiding last places will be imperative.
Louis said: "I still feel the most exciting element of speedway is good, hard team-riding to keep the opposition behind, something we don't see anywhere near enough today.
"With the skills of the pairings on show, we should be in for a real treat of team-riding, and I hope the Witches fans get behind Scott (Nicholls) and Danny (King) as we look to put some silverware in the cabinet."
RYE House star Kyle Hughes is hoping home advantage can help Great Britain when they complete in the World Under-21 Team Cup Final at Hoddesdon on Sunday.
Hughes is in the GB side to take on Sweden, Denmark and Poland, and skipper Tai Woffinden and Joe Haines are former Rye House riders. The quintet is completed by Lewis Bridger and Josh Auty.
Hughes said: "We’ve been wild-carded into the Final because it’s our home track, but I think that we would have qualified anyway because we have a strong team.
"We stand as good a chance as anybody else, and obviously this is a good British track because it is quite tight and technical. I’m not going to predict who is going to win the Final, but I just hope it is us and that we deliver our best out there."
IVERSEN GOES WILD
SGP NEWS - Posted 1 September, 2010
Story by FIM Speedway Grand Prix
Danish international Niels Kristian Iversen has been handed the wild card for the FIM Dansk Metal Nordic Speedway Grand Prix at Vojens on September 11.
The former SGP regular, who raced in the series full-time in 2006 and 2008, missed out on qualification for next year’s World Championship in the GP Challenge on this circuit on August 21. But he will be determined to make up for that disappointment and push to produce his best form in front of his home fans.
The Peterborough, Holsted, Zielona Gora and Indianerna star is joined in the meeting by track reserves Nicolai Klindt and Patrick Hougaard. The duo did the same job in the FIM Dansk Metal Danish SGP at Copenhagen’s PARKEN Stadium on June 5.
Klindt, who wears No.17, represented his country in the FIM Speedway World Cup and joined Iversen in the team which narrowly missed out on the gold medal to huge favourites Poland. He has also been a key player in helping British Elite League champions Wolverhampton to second place in the table behind Poole and giving them a shot at retaining their crown.
Meanwhile, rider No.18 Hougaard races his Danish league home meetings at Vojens and will hope to make the most of his local knowledge if called upon. Klindt and Hougaard will only take to the track if one of the 16 riders in the main field touches the tapes; breaches the two-minute time allowance for getting to the start line, or suffers an injury and cannot take a ride.
Due to injury, Russian rider Emil Sayfutdinov (No.3) has withdrawn from the FIM Dansk Metal Nordic Speedway Grand Prix and his place will be taken by Australian Davey Watt (No.20).
BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN
UK SOLO NEWS - Posted 1 September, 2010
Story by BSPA Press Office
BIG EVENT LATEST
RICKY Ashworth is facing an anxious wait to discover whether he will have the chance to defend his Premier League Riders' Championship crown.
He looks like missing out to Josh Auty as the automatic Sheffield qualifier - and that means he would need a wildcard entry for the showpiece event on Sunday, September 26 at Owlerton.
He said: "I'm desperate to defend my title and now it looks like I will have to wait and see whether I get the chance.
"Fair play to Josh, he's had a great season and he's been flying right from the start. I have been too inconsistent at times and that's really what has cost me an automatic place, as seems likely.
"I feel like there's a dark cloud hanging over me at the moment because of the PLRC, it's a major part of my season and I'm kicking myself that I haven't been able to book my place as Sheffield's number one.
"And I'm not holding my breath over the wildcard because you just don't know what the organisers will come up with. I'd love to do it but right now I have to wait for the nod."
Sheffield boss Eric Boocock is backing Ashworth's claims to be in the meeting.
He said: "It doesn't matter where the meeting is, it could be in Swindon, Wolverhampton, Coventry, I don't care, the principle is that Ricky is defending champion.
"And as long as the defending champion is still a Premier League rider then he should be allowed to defend his title.
"The problem is you have too many people who moaned about Ricky winning it on his own track. That's harsh because we won the Pairs with Ricky and Josh and that was at Somerset!
"If the lad has won the PLRC the jumped into the Elite League then I would have been against him defending his title, but he's a Premier League rider, he's the reigning champion, so he gets my vote - and I'd say that about any other champion as long as he was still in this league."
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST
BELLE VUE are counting the cost of a serious crash in their heavy defeat at Coventry, with Ulrich Ostergaard suffering a double fracture of his left leg and Peter Karlsson a shoulder injury.
Aces boss Chris Morton said: "The injuries made the match pretty pointless and it could have been so significant for us in terms of the play-offs in view of Peterborough's shock home defeat by Eastbourne.
"It was a bitter blow to lose two of our best riders. It made things very difficult because we could only put out one rider in some races."
COVENTRY star Ben Barker secured his first Elite League maximum in the Bees' big win over Belle Vue - and now says they are fully focused on Friday's crunch showdown with Peterborough at the Showground.
Barker said: "The whole team are riding with confidence, and the crowd are getting right behind us. I think we hardly had a last place all night.
"We can do it at Peterborough. It's not one of my favourite tracks but I will be going there and giving it one hundred per cent to score a lot of points. If we can get a win there, it would be one hell of a performance from us and it would put us in with a chance."
EASTBOURNE turned the formbook upside down with their first away win in 15 months, becoming the first visiting side to win at high-flying Peterborough this season.
Former Panther Joonas Kylmakorpi raced up a 15-point haul for the Matej Zagar-less Eagles, and Simon Gustafsson also played a vital part at reserve with 14+1 as the duo shut out Troy Batchelor in the last race to secure the win.
IPSWICH were defeated in their Bank Holiday away clashes against Lakeside and Swindon, and their bid to avoid the wooden spoon may now depend on winning at Eastbourne on Thursday.
The Witches are also building up to their staging of the Elite League Pairs at Foxhall on Saturday, with Scott Nicholls and Daniel King representing the home side.
LAKESIDE boss Jon Cook has quashed speculation that the Hammers could change their racenight next season, pointing out that Friday is the best for the club.
Cook told the official Lakeside website: "We have polled fans on a preference of racenight should the Elite League move to a midweek single race day of either Wednesday or Thursday, with the former being a clear winner, but I think it's increasingly unlikely that the League will be heading down that path.
"Rather, tracks like ourselves and Coventry are determined that British Speedway puts itself first in its winter planning to allow regular use, at least 3 in every 4 weeks, of our Friday racenight."
PETERBOROUGH co-boss Wayne Swales is urging a rapid response to the Panthers' shock home defeat by Eastbourne - with play-off rivals Coventry set to visit the Showground on Friday.
Swales said: "All I can do is apologise to the supporters for what happened. It was more a case of what didn’t go wrong, rather than what did.
"The performance wasn’t good enough and quite simply we cannot afford to produce another display like that. We didn’t get out of the starts all night long and that cost us dear. We have to learn our lessons quickly."
POOLE promoter Matt Ford wants to see the Pirates complete a 100 per cent home record when they face Peterborough in their final home fixture ahead of the play-offs on Wednesday.
Ford said: "I don't know where it went wrong for them on Monday, I don't think too many of us saw that result coming, but there is absolutely no doubt that they will be even more fired up and determined to wrestle our unbeaten home record away.
"In a way that is a good thing as it ensures that our riders will be put to the test and we need as much competitive action to keep us sharp for the play-offs. I also don't believe that we have seen the very best of the Pirates in recent matches."
SWINDON star Simon Stead summed up the relief in the Robins' camp after their poor run of results was ended with a win over basement club Ipswich at Blunsdon.
Stead told the Swindon Advertiser: "It's been really frustrating for everyone involved in the club - the riders, the fans and the management. Tonight is a step in the right direction. I thought as a team we rode well, so there's plenty of positives to take.
"A win's a win, regardless of how it comes around. You can only beat the opposition that you've got in front of you, and we did that and we did it well."
WOLVERHAMPTON skipper Tai Woffinden feels his side are timing their run to perfection as they prepare to defend their Elite League title in the play-offs.
Woffinden said: "It's good at Wolves right now, we have a great bunch of guys and we all get on great, we're really excited about the play-offs and what we might be able to achieve.
"Freddie (Lindgren) is on fire, these last couple of weeks he's really come good and he is the best rider in the league right now. By the time the play-offs come around I want to be up there with him."
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST
BERWICK enjoyed a terrific Bank Holiday weekend with recent signing Marcin Rempala once again showing his worth with two big performances in the Bandits' home and away wins over Workington.
Team boss Ian Rae said: "They worked magnificently once again proving their team mentality is at an all-time high and again got the points they deserved to remain in equal sixth in the Premier League, and we have higher in our sights - just watch and observe!”
BIRMINGHAM promoter Graham Drury has paid tribute to club owner Tony Mole after the Brummies' long-term future was secured as they gained permanent planning permission at a council meeting last week.
Drury said: "Tony Mole has invested so much time and money into this, he deserves all the praise. He is a remarkable man who refused to let this go, he was determined to see it through and now he's delivered what he wanted which is great. This has to be the biggest result in the club's long and proud history."
EDINBURGH are closing in on the Premier League title following their comfortable home win over Somerset - although Newcastle delayed the celebrations by taking maximum points from Glasgow later in the weekend.
Monarchs skipper Matthew Wethers said: "It was a good night for the whole team, everybody chipped in with something, and our new boy Ashley (Morris) turned in a couple of good rides. We must just try to keep on winning."
GLASGOW No.1 Joe Screen suffered mild concussion in the home defeat against Newcastle on Sunday, and missed the return fixture the following day. He is hopeful of returning for the Tigers' trip to Scunthorpe on Friday.
KING'S LYNN will have Chris Mills back in their side with Adam Roynon at reserve for Wednesday's home clash with Edinburgh - and manager Rob Lyon is expecting a very different outcome to the Monarchs' big away win in the KO Cup on their last visit.
Lyon said: "That was a horrible match and I would like to think that our new number one, Olly Allen, will score a hatful of points. I also think the rest of the team feels more solid and less vulnerable, and with Adam Roynon now riding at reserve I believe we have every chance of beating the Monarchs this time round."
NEWCASTLE moved into the top two by completing a weekend double over Glasgow, with a 53-37 win at the Scottish venue backed up by a big 62-33 victory at home.
Manager George English said: "We know we’re unlikely to get the better of the leaders, Edinburgh now, but we are fully intent of holding this second place and making a real mark in the Play offs for the Elite League challenge - and if we make it to that then the top flight side had better watch out!”
NEWPORT defeated Sheffield 47-43 at the Hayley Stadium on Sunday and now travel to Birmingham on Wednesday and Somerset on Friday. The Wasps' next home fixture is their re-arranged clash with Glasgow on Saturday (7pm).
REDCAR stage their annual Stars of Tomorrow event at the South Tees Motorsports Park on Thursday, with 12 riders competing over 12 qualifying heats with the top eight qualifying for the semi-finals.
Line-up: Ashley Birks, Robert Branford, Jason Garrity, Jack Hirst, Gary Irving, Nick Morris, Tom Perry, Paul Starke, Jamie Swales, Richard Worrall, Steve Worrall, Adam Wrathall.
RYE HOUSE star Kyle Hughes is building up to one of the biggest meeting of his career when he represents Great Britain in the World Under-21 Team Cup Final on his home circuit this Sunday.
Hughes said: "It’s going to be one of the biggest days of my life, and I’m really looking forward to it. There’s quite a lot of pressure. Obviously, I’ve not got the regular experience of riding against Elite League riders, but to be picked in the team gives me that shot. I just need to go for it; it’s on my home track, so there’s no reason I can’t outpace any of them."
SCUNTHORPE boss Richard Hollingsworth couldn't hide his frustration as the Scorpions were beaten at home by local rivals Sheffield, a result which will damage their league position.
Hollingsworth said: "That was hugely disappointing and quite simply not good enough. We might not have had the rub of the green tonight but we were vying for sixth spot and had beaten Sheffield convincingly on their last three visits. We had one of the best home records in the Premier League but now we have lost three times and have no say in who our opponents are in the Young Shield."
SHEFFIELD'S win at Scunthorpe on Monday, in addition to a point gained at Newport 24 hours earlier, has put the Tigers into the top four and in with a great chance of a play-off place.
Manager Eric Boocock said: "To be honest, we would have been there already but we have wasted so many points it's unbelievable. Hopefully we can put that right against Somerset and get all three points to keep up the pressure."
SOMERSET promoter Debbie Hancock has underlined the importance of the Rebels' next two home matches against Newport and Edinburgh.
She said: "We must not let our great away win at King's Lynn go to waste by dropping points in either of our two remaining home matches. Hopefully that will be enough to see us through to the Young Shield,though there are a few clubs vying with us for a place in that competition."
STOKE promoter Dave Tattum admitted he didn't have great expectations for the Potters' trip to Rye House on Monday, which ended with a 61-31 defeat.
Tattum said: "With essentially four of our riders not having even seen the place prior to today it was always going to be difficult. I do feel we could have done with a meeting under our belts after a two week lay off due to the weather with the new riders having come in as we looked a team of individuals."
WORKINGTON completed their League season with a second home defeat as the injury-hit Comets were beaten by Berwick.
Richard Lawson returned from a shoulder injury, but the Comets were without Peter Kildemand (broken hand) and Kenny Ingalls (broken leg), and they went down to 47-43 defeat which leaves them out of contention for the top four and now looking towards the Young Shield.
BRITISH BRIEFS
UK SOLO NEWS - Posted 1 September, 2010
Story by BSPA Press Office
GREAT Britain captain Chris Harris stormed into the top eight of the World Championship standings with a brilliant second place in Sunday's Croatian Grand Prix.
Harris is now in good shape to qualify automatically for the 2011 series as he is seven points clear of ninth position after banking a bumper 21-point haul at Gorican.
The Coventry skipper dropped just one point from his first six rides, including the semi-final, before being edged out by Greg Hancock in the Final.
In the title race, defending champion Jason Crump's third place has tightened his battle with Polish leaders Tomasz Gollob and Jarek Hampel, with just ten points now covering the top three.
Harris said: "That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to get into that top eight and be in the Grand Prix for next year and many years to come.
"It would have been nice to have won it, but congratulations to Greg. I’ll keep fighting and I’ll make sure that I finish in the top eight by the end of the year."
NEWCASTLE kept the Premier League title race open by taking maximum points from a 53-37 win at Glasgow on Sunday.
Diamonds' No.1 Kenni Larsen top-scored at Ashfield with 13 points and reserve Dakota North added an impressive 12+2.
The win did come at a cost with captain Jason King crashing in his first ride and missing out on the rest of the meeting with a knee injury - whilst Glasgow's top man Joe Screen suffered mild concussion in a separate accident.
Newcastle boss George English said: "We’re right back on track now, and these four points, coupled hopefully with another three on Monday will knock us back into the top three at least.
"It was a good result and we’re only hoping Jason King won’t be too badly hurt and will take his place in the side for the return."
PETERBOROUGH manager Wayne Swales pulled no punches after the play-off chasing Panthers crashed to a shock home defeat against Eastbourne.
The Eagles, with Matej Zagar absent but with Joonas Kylmakorpi and Simon Gustafsson in inspired form, were 47-43 winners, leaving the Panthers facing a huge clash with fast-finishing Coventry at the Showground on Friday.
Swales said: "It was an appalling meeting for us. Words fail me really, we were so poor. We didn’t ride as a team tonight, and we simply weren't good enough from 1-7.
"I’m hoping that this was the kick up the backside that we need, but it could prove very costly. I’m not saying that the wheels have fallen off, but they’ve certainly gone a bit loose."
COVENTRY kept up the pressure on the top four with their biggest win of the season against injury-hit Belle Vue at Brandon.
Krzysztof Kasprzak and Ben Barker both scored paid maximums in the Bees' 65-27 win which takes them above the Aces in the Elite League table.
But the meeting was marred by an horrific Heat 4 crash which left Belle Vue's Ulrich Ostergaard with a double leg fracture and team-mate Peter Karlsson with a shoulder injury. Coventry captain Chris Harris was the only rider involved in the accident who was able to continue in the meeting.
Harris said: "Belle Vue were very unfortunate with injuries and we wish the guys all the best, but our boys showed their capabilities and we do have some real talent in this team.
"The crash was just one of those things but fortunately I managed to get off the back of the bike. I know what it's like to go in like that, I've done it a few times and it hurts, but I was lucky this time."
SHEFFIELD made major gains in the race for the Premier League play-offs with a 51-41 away win at Scunthorpe.
The win lifted the Tigers into the top four, and their chances were further boosted by Workington's double defeat against Berwick over the Bank Holiday, which puts the Comets out of play-off contention.
Ricky Ashworth scored 11 for the Owlerton club a the top of a solid all-round display, whilst the Scorpions were heavily reliant on David Howe (16).
Sheffield boss Eric Boocock said: "It was perfect. They tried a couple of tactical rides but we were too good for them and I was really pleased with our lads.
"We want to make the top four, it's going to be tough and very tense, but we want to get in there and achieve as much as we can."
KING'S Lynn have recalled Chris Mills as they bid to get back in contention for honours in the final stages of the season.
The Stars will now have Adam Roynon at reserve as he has a new September average, which means they have space to bring back Mills in the top five. Cal McDade remains in the side as Roynon's reserve partner.
Promoter Buster Chapman said: "Speedway is ultimately governed by averages and on this occasion Chris had to sit out for the month so we could make the necessary changes, it wasn’t nice for him but he understood the reasons and is now raring to get back on the bike and score some points. He is a great guy and is very popular with the King’s Lynn fans.
"We gave a number of the Young Stars a chance to shine and Cal certainly did that. He showed us he has got the talent and determination and we believe he will score some vital points for us."
GOLD FOR GREG IN GORICAN
SGP NEWS - Posted 30 August, 2010
Story by FIM Speedway Grand Prix
American star Greg Hancock admits it was time to “stop looking for excuses” after storming into the World Championship’s top eight with victory in the FIM Valvoline Croatian SGP on Sunday.
The 40-year-old held off a furious last-bend charge from rejuvenated British champion Chris Harris to win the final ahead of third-placed world champion Jason Crump and Sweden's Freddie Lindgren.
Hancock endured a tough start to his SGP season, but has bounced back to form in style since the FIM Speedway World Cup last month.
While Tomasz Gollob remains top of the SGP standings, Hancock’s 22-point haul in Gorican has left him sixth in the World Championship and inside the top-eight automatic qualification places for 2011.
The Piraterna and Zielona Gora rider admits he has been distracted by other matters away from the track this season.
So the Californian was delighted to claim his first SGP win since he triumphed in Latvia last term.
He said: “It has been hard all year and I probably haven’t had the focus I needed. Then I started blaming the engines, blaming this and that, but deep down, it was all me.
“I’ve got it figured out now and I’ve still got my goals set as high as possible in the Grand Prix. The win was totally amazing and it makes me feel really, really good.
“I’ve got all kinds of things going on around the world and they can get distracting. I just lost the focus on No.1 and that’s speedway for me. I had to put my mind back into that and stop looking for excuses.”
While Hancock’s World Cup break helped him regain his focus mentally, he admits it also allowed him to make some changes to his machinery.
He added: “We have a good set-up working and I owe a great deal of thanks to the guys at Prodrive in England. They’ve been working really hard to help me make some adjustments to my bike.
“I take my hat off to them and to the engine tuners, who have been working hard too. Those guys at Prodrive have really helped me to turn something around.
“The World Cup break helped a lot because it gave us a chance to get back to square one. It gave me the chance to start doing some testing with the equipment the guys in England did for me.
“It feels like we are going in the right direction. There are three rounds to go and anything can happen. My goals are high.”
Hancock’s struggles in the opening half of the season even prompted questions as to whether this would be his final year in the World Championship. But the Swedish-based man was delighted to silence his doubters with his 11th SGP victory.
He said: “When you’re not going well, you can start putting words in everyone’s mouth.
“They try and ask you those questions you don’t care to hear. But I have no plans for going anywhere other than up, up, up.”
While the day belonged to Hancock, Gollob increased his lead over fellow countryman Jaroslaw Hampel at the top of the championship to seven points. But the pair are now under severe pressure from Australian hero Jason Crump, who is just 10 behind Gollob.
Meanwhile, Harris blasted into eighth place with a tremendous 21-point haul and has put himself in prime position to qualify for next season.
The Cornishman achieved his best result since he won the British SGP in Cardiff in 2007 and is now determined to cement his spot among the sport’s biggest names.
He said: “That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to get into that top eight and be in the Grand Prix for next year and many years to come.
"It would have been nice to have won it, but congratulations to Greg. I’ll keep fighting and I’ll make sure that I finish in the top eight by the end of the year.”
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER EIGHT ROUNDS):
1 Tomasz Gollob 117, 2 Jaroslaw Hampel 110, 3 Jason Crump 107, 4 Rune Holta 82, 5 Kenneth Bjerre 81, 6 Greg Hancock 75, 7 Chris Holder 73, 8 Chris Harris 72, 9 Freddie Lindgren 65, 10 Hans Andersen 64, 11 Andreas Jonsson 61, 12 Nicki Pedersen 55, 13 Magnus Zetterstrom 52, 14 Tai Woffinden 37, 15 Emil Sayfutdinov 33, 16 Janusz Kolodziej 12, 17 Davey Watt 12, 18 Thomas H Jonasson 8, 19 Adrian Miedzinski 6, 20 Antonio Lindback 6, 21 Piotr Protasiewicz 5, 22 Jurica Pavlic 5, 23 Scott Nicholls 4, 24 Matej Kus 3, 25 Leon Madsen 3, 26 Ludvig Lindgren 2, 27 Nicolai Klindt 1, 28 Linus Sundstrom 1.
FIM VALVOLINE CROATIAN SGP POINTS: 1 Greg Hancock 22, 2 Chris Harris 21, 3 Jason Crump 17, 4 Fredrik Lindgren 11, 5 Tomasz Gollob 10, 6 Jaroslaw Hampel 8, 7 Chris Holder 7, 8 Rune Holta 6, 9 Kenneth Bjerre 6, 10 Tai Woffinden 6, 11 Davey Watt 6, 12 Andreas Jonsson 6, 13 Magnus Zetterstrom 6, 14 Jurica Pavlic 5, 15 Nicki Pedersen 4, 16 Hans Andersen 3, 17 Matija Duh 0, 18 Joszef Tabaka 0.
BRITISH BRIEFS
UK SOLO NEWS - Posted 30 August, 2010
Story by BSPA Press Office
MARCIN Rempala scored his second successive paid maximum at Berwick to help his side recover from a sticky start against Workington.
The Pole was unbeaten from five rides as the Bandits fought back from 15-9 down in the early stages to secure a resounding 57-33 win.
The Comets, meanwhile, suffered a further injury blow with Kenny Ingalls taken to hospital for treatment on a suspected broken ankle.
Berwick boss Ian Rae said: "I have to admit to being a little concerned early on with the Comets opening up that early and convincing lead which made us all think they had the firepower to take a win
"But once the lads got to grips with things they proved their desire to win still rings loud, strong and long, and again our team spirit lifted as the Comets found no answers to battle back late on. It was another team performance to get a lot of pride from."
REIGNING Premier League Riders Champion Ricky Ashworth is playing a waiting game over his chances of defending the title next month.
Ashworth won the meeting at Sheffield last season but is currently just behind his team-mate Josh Auty in the Tigers' averages - which would leave him needing one of the two wildcard positions to take part.
Ashworth said: "Fair play to Josh, he's had a great season and he's been flying right from the start. I have been too inconsistent at times and that's really what has cost me an automatic place, as seems likely.
"I feel like there's a dark cloud hanging over me at the moment because of the PLRC, it's a major part of my season and I'm kicking myself that I haven't been able to book my place as Sheffield's number one.
"And I'm not holding my breath over the wildcard because you just don't know what the organisers will come up with. I'd love to do it but right now I have to wait for the nod."
VALVOLINE ANNOUNCED AS NEW SPONSOR OF FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX EVENT
SGP NEWS - Posted 29 August, 2010
Story by FIM Speedway Grand Prix
BSI Speedway, rights holders of the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix series (SGP), has announced Valvoline as the new title sponsor of the Grand Prix to be held in Gorican, Croatia, on 28 August, and will be known as the 2010 FIM Valvoline Croatian Speedway Grand Prix.
Paul Bellamy, managing director, BSI Speedway, said: “It is great to have Valvoline on board for the Grand Prix in Croatia. The package, that includes onscreen TV graphics, stadium signage and press backdrop branding, is one that I am sure will benefit Valvoline and their drive to increase visibility of the brand in the Croatian market and other European countries like Poland that correspond to our TV footprint.”
This is the first title sponsorship of a world championship speedway event that Valvoline has been involved with and it is one that they are looking forward to as Paul Taylor, passenger car brand manager (Valvoline EMEA) explains: “This official partnership has mutual benefits and Valvoline is excited it can be a part of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix through this sponsorship. This opportunity will help to strengthen our brand awareness in the Croatian market and we look forward to an exciting event.”
2010 JACK MILNE CUP
USA SOLO NEWS - Posted 29 August, 2010
Story by Ryan Evans
Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell won the Jack Milne Cup for the second straight year as speedway returned from its hiatus at the world famous Costa Mesa Speedway.
Former National Champion Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz was off the starting line first when the tapes went up but McConnell was on his left hip as they entered turn one. Schwartz couldn’t quite get across McConnell to the inside line and left an opening that McConnell was able to exploit. McConnell charged to the lead on the back straight while Schwartz got behind him with hopes of forcing a mistake. Schwartz chased McConnell the rest of the way but the leader was unfazed. McConnell was first to the checkered flag, Schwartz settled for second, “Battling” Buck Blair was third, Jimmy “Little Animal” Fishback finished fourth, and “Flyin” Mike Faria was fifth.
Gary Hicks opened the heats with a win over Fishback. Blair defeated McConnell in the second heat. “Fast” Eddie Castro beat former Youth National Champion Brad Pappalardo in the third heat. Tyson Burmeister finished round one with a win over Schwartz.
Round two started with Hicks and Burmeister tangling in turn one and ending up in the wall. Both riders restarted with Hicks getting his second straight victory. McConnell beat Fishback for his first win of the evening. Faria beat two-time Youth National Champion Austin Novratil in the next event. Schwartz ended the second round with his first victory
Castro began the final round by beating Novratil. McConnell made it two straight victories by beating Gino Manzares. Faria held off Fishback for his second straight win. Schwartz beat Blair to end the heats with his second consecutive win.
Pappalardo beat Joey Holt and Michael Raines in a runoff for the final place in the semis.
Blair and Schwartz finished one-two in the first semi to book their places in the main event. Faria won the second semi with McConnell following him into the main event. Fishback won the Last Chance to fill the final spot in the main.
The Support Main Event required three attempts to complete after red flags halted the first two tries. Aaron Fox led the third start but drifted off the cherished inside line and Ryan Tovatt took the lead. Fox fought back and tried to regain the lead the third time they entered turn three but spun around and went down. His fall brought out the red flag for the third time and the referee awarded the victory to Tovatt. Rudy Laurer was credited with second, Archie Perez was third, Geoff Herkner was fourth, and Fox was credited with fifth.
C.J. Sanborn led the Support B Main Event for two laps before Mike Salyer slipped by on the inside to get to the front. Sanborn never looked back from there and he went on to victory. Sanborn held on to second, Chris Popanz was third, Gene Stone finished fourth, and Jonni Jade was fifth.
Rocco Scopellite led all four laps en route to victory in the Youth 250cc Main Event. Max Ruml was second, Samuel Ramirez finished third, River McDougall was fourth, and Nicky Reimer finished fifth.
Broc Nicol put together four smooth laps to win the Youth 200cc First Division Main Event. Kurtis Hamill finished second, Hayley Perrault was third, Dillon Ruml finished fourth, and Nick Varner was fifth.
Maverick Molloy scored an impressive victory in the Youth 200cc Second Division Main Event. Michael Wells finished second, Brian Pintar was third, and Chase Sanborn finished fourth.
Kale Fredholm held off his brother, Kole Fredholm, and Margi Hamill to win the Youth 200cc Third Division Main Event.
The Jack Milne Cup honors the 1937 World Speedway Champion who was an integral part of the founding of Costa Mesa Speedway. A Legends Night was held in conjunction with the event and included Harry Oxley, Bruce Penhall, Steve Lucero, Sonny Nutter, and Dubb Ferrell to name a few.
BRITISH BRIEFS
UK SOLO NEWS - Posted 29 August, 2010
Story by BSPA Press Office
SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey feels the Bank Holiday Monday clash with rivals Sheffield will be crucial to their hopes of finishing above the Tigers.
The Scorpions are putting on 30 heats of racing with admission prices raised by just two pounds, as the Premier League clash is followed by a National League fixture between the hosts and Buxton.
Godfrey said: "We’re not only looking to defeat Sheffield but we are desperate to win the bonus point as it seems like it might give us a chance of finishing above them.
"Not only should that give us a pick of opponent in the Young Shield but local bragging rights are always nice to have and it would be the first time we’ve ever achieved it.
"There are quite a lot of fans who like to travel from far and wide to come and see our Bank Holiday double-headers. I know there are fans that regularly come from North Wales and Oxford and they are just the long distance ones I’ve heard about.
"If they are prepared to come that distance to visit us then we have something special. I really believe it is the standard of our racing that attracts so many to travel and we have two first-rate opponents this week to boot."
NEWPORT manager Neil Street is to be honoured with a special meeting at Queensway Meadows on September 17.
The event will be co-ordinated by Street's grandson, current World Champion Jason Crump, and Australian team manager Craig Boyce, who are putting together "Neil Street's Kangaroo Cup" with a parade of riders of that nationality competing in an individual contest.
Wasps promoter Steve Mallett said: "'We were pleased to make the stadium available to honour not only one of Newport Speedway's greatest servants but one of the most revered names in the history of the sport as Neil has been a rider, manager, engine innovator and engine tuner in his long career.
"I have an idea of which Australian riders are being approached by Jason and Craig. Once confirmed then fans from near and far can look forward to something special on September 17."
BIRMINGHAM'S future has been secured after city councillors granted full planning permission for the continuation of speedway at Perry Barr.
The Brummies have operated on a temporary licence for the last four seasons and have had to make strenuous efforts to reduce noise levels for the surrounding area.
The steps have included the planting of trees to act as a buffer, temporary stands which also deflect the noise, a banning of airhorns on the terraces and strict time restrictions over when racing can take place.
Brummies co-promoter Graham Drury said: "This is a massive result, the biggest result this club has enjoyed in the four seasons since we have been back in the sport.
"Speedway is a wonderful family sport and the councillors complimented us on the work we had done to meet their requirements, they also noted how many youngsters come and enjoy the sport at Perry Barr and also the heritage of the club. We will continue to work with our neighbours and ensure a smooth relationship.
"I'm particularly pleased for (owner) Tony Mole who has worked so hard for this outcome, he deserves it."
GLASGOW have handed Australian rider Jake Anderson a route back into the Premier League as fellow countryman Mitchell Davey makes way.
Andersen joins the Tigers having had previous spells this season with Birmingham and Somerset, and he will make his Glasgow debut against Newcastle on Sunday.
Co-promoter Alan Dick said: "There is no doubt that Mitchell was having a tough time and I think it was essential for everyone that we took him out of the firing line as it could have serious implications for him long term. His confidence is at an all time low and he is not scoring any points.
"The National League racing has done a lot for Jake and he is improving all the time, and we hope that he can score a few points for us in the coming meetings. He will miss a couple of our meetings as Dudley are racing on the same day, but by and large he will be with us for the rest of the season."
REDCAR'S Charles Wright is recovering at home after a high-speed crash at Sheffield on Thursday.
The meeting was abandoned with one heat still to run when Wright came down heavily and suffered a deep cut millimetres from the femoral artery in his right leg.
He has since been released from hospital although Bears boss Brian Havelock reports him to be "very groggy."
Havelock told the Evening Gazette: "The end of the handlebars went through his race-suit. It was a nasty crash and I'm told if they had got his artery, he'd have been dead in minutes."
EDINBURGH are five points away from the Premier League title after Friday's impressive home victory over Somerset.
The Monarchs put in their best Armadale display for some time with a 58-35 win, and two more victories will now be enough even if Newcastle win all of their remaining fixtures.
Club chairman Alex Harkess said: "That was a good performance in a match which could have been difficult, and the most pleasing thing was that we didn’t throw away any of the silly points we have been losing recently."
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