HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Robert Lambert hits the front in Saturday's British Under-21 Final race-off to claim his third successive title. Picture: DAVID PAYNE
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "We expected things to be a little tougher this time. Peterborough have had some experience of our track this year and they have riders who know how to ride it as well as we do so it was a challenge." Aces star Kenneth Bjerre said his side could be well satisfied with their first Premiership win of the season as they overcame the Panthers in Manchester on Monday. NEXT HOME: Poole, Mon May 6 (12pm) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Thur May 2 (7.30)
IPSWICH "With the amount of points we are getting at reserve we should be getting results and points everywhere. We are built as a solid team, we should score throughout, and we expect the reserves to score points. However, the reserves are scoring more than we could have ever hoped for and they are beating number ones and heat leaders not just their opposite numbers." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins is concerned that his side aren't taking full advantage of the current points bonanza being enjoyed by in-form reserves Cameron Heeps and Jake Allen. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Mon May 6 (2.15) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon May 13 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "I'm proud of the boys and I'm finding a bit of form now, I've sorted my stuff out and it's good "“ I just need to continue it and keep pushing the boys." British Under-21 Champion Robert Lambert returned to the Adrian Flux Arena to win a vital Heat 15 against Swindon to secure another home victory for his side in the Premiership Supporters' Cup. NEXT HOME: Poole (PSC), Mon May 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Mon May 6 (2.15)
PETERBOROUGH "Our middle order guys weren't making enough starts and it's just one of those things. We are having riders having good nights and off nights, but none clicking all on the same night." Panthers boss Carl Johnson laments his side's current lack of consistency which cost them the chance of taking at least a point at Belle Vue on Monday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur May 9 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon May 6 (7.30)
POOLE "I hope some thinking time since that last meeting, coupled with these two quick fire meetings this week, will help the riders make amends for what was still a poor performance against the Robins in front of a big Bank Holiday crowd." Pirates co-promoter Danny Ford wants to see a positive reaction from his side when they return to Wimborne Road this week after their Good Friday defeat to Swindon. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur May 2 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset (Ch), Wed May 1 (7.30)
SWINDON "I think Zach finishing second at Berwick on Saturday (in the British Under-21 Final) gave him the lift he needed, and he showed what he's capable of tonight. His race to beat Erik Riss was pretty special." Robins boss Alun Rossiter praised the return to form of reserve Zach Wajtknecht, who scored six points in the narrow Supporters' Cup defeat at King's Lynn on Monday. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Mon May 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon May 20 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "We're trying to find a bit more consistency at home because we want to be winning a bit more easily at home. But we can't complain too much; we're still using rider replacement for Nick and we've still had some pretty solid results so we'll take it for sure." Wolves star Sam Masters says the Monmore side are happy to still be ticking along with wins as they await a return to full strength with winter signing Nick Morris yet to appear in 2019. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Mon May 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Mon May 20 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK After last weekend's successful staging of the British Under-21 Final, the Bandits turn their attention back to Championship Shield business this week as they look to protect their group leadership with home and away clashes with Edinburgh. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh (CS), Sat May 4 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "It's been a really tough decision to make because we were anticipating one of, if not the highest crowd of the season tonight. We know it's a big call to make so early on and it's a very frustrating situation to be in for the first time since taking over as owners." Brummies promoter David Mason took an early decision to postpone the club's home clash with local rivals Leicester due to a poor weather forecast at Perry Barr. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (CS), Wed May 1 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Sun May 5 (5pm)
EASTBOURNE The Fineprint Eagles message will be beamed out to shoppers in The Beacon, in Eastbourne town centre, which is a retail magnet for people from miles around, as well as the hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers who stay in the resort every year. The Beacon (formerly known as the Arndale) has been massively extended and Eastbourne Speedway have taken space on one of the centre's digital displays. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun May 5 (3.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham (CS), Wed May 1 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "You can't win matches if you don't win heats, we didn't have any till the last third of the match. 8 or 9 seconds I think we had and that's not good enough. It's disappointing all round." Monarchs boss Alex Harkess didn't enjoy their derby defeat at Glasgow on Sunday with his side limited to just two race winners at Ashfield. NEXT HOME: Berwick (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick (CS), Sat May 4 (7pm)
GLASGOW Craig Cook scored another home maximum for the Tigers in their home win over Edinburgh on Sunday "“ and they now need big points from this weekend's clashes with Newcastle as they look to close in on group leaders Berwick. NEXT HOME: Newcastle (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Newcastle (CS), Sun May 5 (6.30)
LEICESTER "Before every meeting I set myself some goals, and one of those goals has been to win Heat 1, which I hadn't done so far this season. So to hop out and win Heat 1 was a fantastic start for the night and it just went from there." Lions' second-string Ellis Perks contributed an important 12 points, winning his first four rides, as his side defeated Newcastle in their Championship opener on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Sat May 4 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sun May 5 (3.30)
NEWCASTLE "While we got a reasonable share of the heat wins, the 11 last places were a challenge too great to overcome, and if you get last places you can't take any advantage in those heats, so we were lacking strength-in-depth tonight, sad to say." The Diamonds missed out at Leicester last weekend with boss George English admitting they needed more from certain areas of the side. NEXT HOME: Glasgow (CS), Sun May 5 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30)
REDCAR The Bears will look to get back on the winning trail after recent defeats to Leicester and Scunthorpe when they host the Scorpions in the Championship Shield on Friday. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset (KOC), Wed May 8 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "We did have a couple of moments of bad luck during the meeting and we did have to dig deep, but we're a team from one-to-seven and if we all ride well, we will pull through and that's what we did against Redcar." Scorpions captain Jason Garrity was pleased with Friday's win over Redcar at the Eddie Wright Raceway which keeps them in with a chance of reaching the Championship Shield semi-finals. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri May 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (CS), Fri May 3 (7.30)
SOMERSET "Everyone showed plenty of effort and whilst it was hard to pull Anders (Rowe) out of his final ride because he had been trying desperately hard and wasn't by any means off the pace, I just thought Henry was going the better of the reserves and had more of a chance of giving us some breathing space with the right result in heat 14, and boy did he deliver." Garry May's decision to switch his reserves in Heat 14 of the Rebels' clash with Eastbourne paid dividends, as Henry Atkins teamed up with Nico Covatti for a vital 5-1. NEXT HOME: Poole (Ch), Wed May 1 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "I was happy enough with how I rode overall but I just didn't quite have enough in the first couple of bends in the final and I got shut out a little. But after only just missing out on the Final in the British Under-21s at Berwick on Saturday as well it's been a pretty good weekend and I've learned a lot." Tigers youngster Drew Kemp gave a positive reaction to his weekend's racing at Shielfield Park and then with a fourth place back at Owlerton in the Top Gun Individual. NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Sun May 5 (5pm) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30)
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "I couldn't be happier with my performance, and for the team to have done as well as they did, I don't think we expected to win by so much. I think we expected things to be much closer." 15-year-old Jordan Palin served full notice of his potential with an 11+4 haul on his National League debut for the Colts in their recent home win over Stoke. NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Thur May 23 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat May 18 (7.30)
CRADLEY "I can't wait to get started with Cradley now. I've already done some meetings in the Championship with Newcastle but I'm really keen to get moving with the Heathens. It's a club which will always be special to me, the management look after us and the fans are awesome." Heathens skipper Max Clegg is looking forward to his return to the club this season, with their fixtures set to begin on Bank Holiday Monday against Mildenhall. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Mon May 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight (KOC), Thur May 9 (7pm)
ISLE OF WIGHT "We were in close touch until the last two races, but they went against us as the Fen Tigers found their gating skills and our riders hit trouble. That said, this was our best performance at Mildenhall for some time and we look to build on our home win last week when we entertain Plymouth this coming Thursday." Co-boss Kev Shepherd said there were still encouraging signs from the Warriors' defeat at Mildenhall on Sunday as they look to make progress in the National Trophy competition. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (NT), Thur May 2 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Cradley (KOC), Mon May 20 (7.30)
KENT The Kings will host a strong Thurrock Hammers side on Bank Holiday Monday with Ben Morley, Alfie Bowtell and Nathan Stoneman included in the visitors' side. A strong turn-out of Hammers fans are expected in the bid to secure a return for the sport to the Essex area. NEXT HOME: Thurrock Hammers (Tunnel Trophy), Mon May 6 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Stoke, Sun May 12 (3pm)
LEICESTER "Ryan is very happy to get a slot with us after it looked like he was going to miss out this season. He also showed last year that he could ride the Leicester track, he had a home average of just under five and I know he was involved in several Heat 2 5-1s for Coventry, so that's the thinking behind it." Lions promoter Stewart Dickson explains the late recruitment of Ryan MacDonald for their National League team after Kelsey Dugard quit on the eve of the season. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall (KOC), Sun May 12 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri May 10 (7.15)
MILDENHALL "Jason (Edwards) and Charlie (Brooks) whom I thought were both a little subdued last week showed everything we hoped and expected of them today and things bode well for the coming weeks. This is a side that will improve with meetings and provide plenty of excitement for our loyal support." General manager Phil Kirk says the signs are very positive for another good season at West Row following Sunday's National Trophy win over the Isle of Wight. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (NT), Sun May 5 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Cradley, Mon May 6 (7.30)
PLYMOUTH The Gladiators are awaiting an update on skipper Richard Andrews, who crashed out of their home opener against Kent and has been having extensive treatment on a broken bone in his foot. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri May 10 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight (NT), Thur May 2 (7pm)
STOKE "It is also a significant year for Crewe with it being the 50th anniversary for the Kings as they opened in 1969, and they still have a very active supporters club and I'm sure they will be looking forward to seeing a Crewe Kings side back on track after a long absence from the sport." Potters promoter Dave Tattum is looking forward to reviving the Crewe name as well as including Buxton in this Saturday's three-team tournament at Loomer Road. NEXT HOME: Buxton/Crewe (3TT), Sat May 4 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur May 23 (7pm)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
WEDNESDAY MAY 1: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Birmingham v Eastbourne 7.30 20TH ANIVERSARY MEETING: Somerset v Poole 7.30
THURSDAY MAY 2: PREMIERSHIP: Poole v Belle Vue 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Plymouth 7pm
FRIDAY MAY 3: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Glasgow v Newcastle 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30
SATURDAY MAY 4: CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester v Eastbourne 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm 3TT: Stoke v Buxton v Crewe 7pm
SUNDAY MAY 5:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Leicester 3.30, Sheffield v Birmingham 5pm CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Newcastle v Glasgow 6.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Plymouth 3pm
MONDAY MAY 6: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Poole 12pm, Ipswich v King's Lynn 2.15, Swindon v Peterborough 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Mildenhall 7.30 TUNNEL TROPHY: Kent v Thurrock Hammers 4pm BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich (follows Premiership match)
WEDNESDAY MAY 8: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Berwick 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Somerset v Redcar 7.30
THURSDAY MAY 9: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Poole v Ipswich 7.30, Swindon v King's Lynn 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Isle of Wight v Cradley 7pm
FRIDAY MAY 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30, 2nd leg: Redcar v Somerset 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Leicester 7.15
SATURDAY MAY 11: SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS RACE-OFF 2: Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY MAY 12: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Sheffield v Glasgow 4pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Kent 3pm NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Leicester v Mildenhall 4pm
MONDAY MAY 13: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Ipswich 7.30, Wolverhampton v King's Lynn 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Plymouth 6.30
WEDNESDAY MAY 15: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Birmingham v Eastbourne 7.30