HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Scott Nicholls seen here on his way to 14+1 paid-maximum for Leicester in Saturday's 62-28 Championship Shield win against Scunthorpe. Picture: STEVE DIXON
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES...
BELLE VUE "Coming here to Belle Vue is a real game-changer for me because it's so different to what I'm used to at, say, Wolverhampton and Edinburgh. But I think that can be a very good thing. If you don't push your boundaries and jump outside the box you're never going to improve." American star Ricky Wells is excited by the challenge of his winter move to the National Speedway Stadium to line up for the Aces this season. NEXT HOME: Peterborough (PSC), Wed Apr 10 (7.30pm) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Apr 18 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "I think I scored one last place all last season and I got one in my opening meeting tonight. It's obviously hugely disappointing and I need to sort it quick." Stars skipper Robert Lambert is searching for solutions after starting the campaign some way below his blistering form of 2018. NEXT HOME: Ipswich (PSC), Mon Apr 15 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole (PS), Thur Apr 11 (7.30)
IPSWICH "I would go as far as saying Cam was the quickest bloke there tonight. For me to have the reserve racing like that and not have to give him any extra rides was a luxury. Hard work is paying off for him but one meeting does not make your season, there is a lot of racing to do." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins had praise for reserve Cameron Heeps after his paid maximum against King's Lynn "“ but also had a warning for him to keep his feet on the ground! NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur Apr 18 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn (PSC), Mon Apr 15 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "We've been speaking to certain riders about coming in, and hopefully it should happen if not in time for this week, at least in time for next week when we start our league matches. I can confirm we have sent a contract out to a rider and are waiting for that to come back." Panthers boss Carl Johnson provides an update on the club's rider search as they look to return to strength for the start of the league campaign following the pre-season departure of Craig Cook. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton (PSC), Thur Apr 11 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue (PSC), Wed Apr 10 (7.30)
POOLE "I rode badly for most of last year so I rode quite a bit over the winter back home, doing motocross, speedway and dirt track. I've tried to fix some of the things that went wrong last year and did a lot of work, so it was a good winter and I enjoyed it." Skipper Josh Grajczonek says he's in a good place for the Pirates' title defence "“ with Monday's Premiership Shield win at King's Lynn a clear statement of intent. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn (PS), Thur Apr 11 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon Apr 15 (7.30)
SWINDON "We all want everything to be perfect when we start. We don't want to risk any problems, we want to ensure every effort has been made to ensure the track is ready and the extra few days will help us achieve that." Robins chairman Terry Russell says the club have taken the sensible decision to put their season-opener back by a week after extensive track alteration at the Abbey Stadium. NEXT HOME: Poole (PSC), Thur Apr 18 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon Apr 15 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "Wolves is a club I've always wanted to race for and Chris Van Straaten has targeted me a few times over the years but it's somehow never worked out. I'm very grateful of the opportunity and it's a track I obviously like. It holds very special memories for me." Seven-time British Champion Scott Nicholls is delighted to link up with the Monmore club in the early weeks of the season as a replacement for injured Swede Jacob Thorssell. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Mon Apr 15 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur Apr 11 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES...
BERWICK "I've seen Berwick racing down here at Newcastle many times but I cannot remember as dominant a performance from any Berwick team ever before." New Bandits boss Gary Flint hailed a spectacular effort from his side to win 51-39 at Brough Park and make it seven Championship Shield points out of seven over the weekend. NEXT HOME: Glasgow (CS), Sat Apr 13 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (CS), Fri Apr 12 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "This is always a tough track to come to with some of us not riding here for a few years. I had one meeting here last year, which gave me a bit of an idea of the setup. But it was our first meeting and we kept it close throughout. It was just down to experience. Eastbourne are a tough team to beat here." Youngster Zach Wajtknecht top-scored in the Brummies' first official meeting back at second-tier level as they were beaten 52-38 by fellow newcomers Eastbourne at Arlington. NEXT HOME: Somerset (CS), Wed Apr 17 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset (CS), Wed Apr 10 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE "I haven't ridden speedway since last June. Helping Ben (Morley) home for a 5-1 was great and the track rode absolutely fantastic. Darren [Prodger], Neil [Hollebon] and Roy [Prodger] did a great job today and got plenty of water and moisture into it and that made for some great overtaking round the outside." Eagles skipper Edward Kennett marked his return to competitive action with a paid maximum in his side's 52-38 win over Birmingham last Saturday. NEXT HOME: Somerset (CS), Sat Apr 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset (CS), Wed Apr 24 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "I'll be looking for more of the same, and I plan to pick up where I left off last season. I've been very happy at Edinburgh with their fans, and I stay with good people and just enjoy myself. I know Justin Sedgmen of course, though not all that well, but it will be good to have another Aussie in the team." Monarchs star Josh Pickering is looking to make his third season in British Speedway his best yet as he prepares for the start of the Armadale campaign. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton (Ch), Fri Apr 12 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe (KOC), Sun Apr 14 (5.30)
GLASGOW "I'm looking to come back and make a serious impact on the team, and hopefully get the silverware we deserve. It's the perfect place for me - the fans have been great and the way everything is run is absolutely fantastic, so it was an easy decision for me to come back." Tigers star Paul Starke is hoping his second season with the club is a successful one in terms of trophies at Ashfield after falling short in 2018. NEXT HOME: Berwick (CS), Fri Apr 12 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick (CS), Sat Apr 13 (7pm)
LEICESTER "I've always said home form is crucial - we need to win our home matches and make the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena a fortress. All in all I'm pleased with another good, professional job, but I'm not getting carried away "“ there's a long way to go!" With scores of 57 and 62 on their home circuit so far in the Championship Shield, Lions boss Stewart Dickson knows the Lions' campaign could not have started in much better fashion. NEXT HOME: Sheffield (CS), Sat Apr 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (CS), Fri Apr 19 (7.30)
NEWCASTLE "With the abject standard of our gating all night letting us down so badly, there was no way we could have put up a decent fight, not when we give the opposition yards head start going into the first bend. We let ourselves down, no excuses." Diamonds boss George English leads the inquest after a second successive home defeat at the start of the season, the latest coming at the hands of Berwick in the Championship Shield. NEXT HOME: Sheffield (CS), Sun Apr 14 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (CS), Fri Apr 19 (7.30)
REDCAR "We had contributions from everybody again and I've been very impressed by what I'm seeing from them. Credit to our track staff again as the track was superb and we saw another spectacular meeting which had everything." Bears promoter Jitendra Duffill is pleased with his side's early home form, with wins over Newcastle in the Tyne-Tees Trophy and then Sheffield in the Championship Shield. NEXT HOME: Leicester (CS), Fri Apr 19 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe (CS), Fri Apr 26 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "We will continue to take Jedd around with us and give him track time at every opportunity, because he's a talent. You never know how things will go in speedway and it might be that Jedd gets another chance with either us or another team sooner rather than later." Scorpions promoter Rob Godfrey expresses sympathy after making an early team change to drop Australian youngster Jedd List in favour of Danny Ayres. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh (KOC), Sun Apr 14 (5.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30)
SOMERSET "I'm sure many will be looking to see how our new reserves, Anders and Henry, will fare in the first Championship level meetings. Both my boys are assessed at the minimum of 2.00 and I believe that they can both develop those averages as the season progresses." Rebels boss Garry May is looking forward to working with second-tier debutants Anders Rowe and Henry Atkins in order to provide his side with lower-order strength for their Championship return. NEXT HOME: Birmingham (CS), Wed Apr 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne (CS), Sat Apr 13 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "We were really solid right through the team and some of the younger lads have made a great start to the season here. This is a show of strength really. It will be hard for them away from home until they get more experience. But with good scores at Owlerton it will give them confidence." Tigers No.1 Danny King expects Owlerton to become a fortress this season after an impressive 56-34 win over Redcar in the Championship Shield on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Leicester (CS), Sun Apr 21 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Newcastle (CS), Sun Apr 14 (6.30)
NATIONAL LEAGUE LINE-UPS will be confirmed upon publication of official team declarations.
FIXTURES at NL tracks this week"¦
ISLE OF WIGHT: Vince Mapley Memorial Trophy, Thurs Apr 11 (7pm) STOKE: Pride of the Potteries, Sat Apr 13 (7pm)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
WEDNESDAY APRIL 10: PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Somerset v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 11: PREMERSHIP: Swindon v Belle Vue OFF PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SHIELD 2nd leg: Poole v King's Lynn 7.30 VINCE MAPLEY MEMORIAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight 7pm
FRIDAY APRIL 12: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30 RED BOX PROPERTY TROPHY: Edinburgh v Wolverhampton 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 13: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Eastbourne v Somerset 7.30 PRIDE OF THE POTTERIES: Stoke 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Sheffield 6.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 5.30
MONDAY APRIL 15: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: King's Lynn v Ipswich 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 16: BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: Isle of Wight 7pm
WEDNESDAY APRIL 17: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Birmingham v Somerset 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 18: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Swindon v Poole 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 19: BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: Somerset 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Poole v Swindon 11.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 5.30, Redcar v Leicester 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Eastbourne v Birmingham 3pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Stoke 1pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Kent 7.15
SATURDAY APRIL 20: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Leicester v Sheffield 7.30 CRAIG COOK TESTIMONIAL: Glasgow 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 21: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30, Sheffield v Leicester 4pm POULTEC CHALLENGE: Mildenhall 3pm
MONDAY APRIL 22: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v King's Lynn 2pm PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 12pm, Swindon v Ipswich 7.30, Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 8pm CHALLENGE: Kent v Belle Vue 4pm
WEDNESDAY APRIL 24: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Leicester 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Somerset v Eastbourne 7.30