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 leading as Leicester continue their impressive start to the new season. The Lions defeated Eastbourne 53-37 in the Championship on Saturday at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena. Picture: STEVE DIXON
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "I must admit, it was quite a surprise to us all that it came down to a last heat decider, especially given how strongly we started off the afternoon to be leading by 16." Aces captain Max Fricke admits the fightback from Poole to come away from the NSS with a 45-45 draw on Bank Holiday Monday was a major shock to the home side. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur May 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur May 9 (7.30)
IPSWICH "We dropped a lot of points today and we could have made the score better, but I suppose everyone could say that every meeting. We got the win and we are a work in progress really." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins insists there is plenty more to come when his side fires as a full unit, having beaten King's Lynn 48-42 on Monday. NEXT HOME: Poole (PSC), Thur May 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole (PSC), Thur May 9 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "Obviously I would have liked the win but we've taken something from a very good Ipswich team who will be tough to beat around their own track. We had a couple of guys not at their best and that's another reason why I have to be pleased with a point." Stars boss Peter Schroeck took the positives from Monday's six-point defeat at Ipswich, which did at least mean his side added to their Premiership total. NEXT HOME: Poole (PSC), Mon May 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon (PSC), Thur May 9 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "Charles was brilliant, especially after his first ride, he was by far the best rider on show, but overall we're just lacking that consistency at the moment. We're enjoying our speedway, but we know what we need to put right." Panthers boss Carl Johnson praised Charles Wright after a paid-18 haul from seven rides in the narrow defeat at Swindon on Monday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur May 9 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon May 6 (7.30)
POOLE "It really wasn't looking great for us after Heat 8 and I was thinking it was going to be a long afternoon. But the boys have really come together well over the past week following the wins at Somerset and over Belle Vue at home." Co-promoter Danny Ford hails the Pirates' efforts to fight back and secure a draw in Manchester on Monday to complete a positive week of results. NEXT HOME: Ipswich (PSC), Thur May 9 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich (PSC), Thur May 16 (7.30)
SWINDON "We've got to keep still at the start, though. They pushed us hard but we let them back into it, and the riders have to be careful when they're on a warning at the start. We have to learn from that, but we've got the win and that's the important thing." Robins manager Alun Rossiter was frustrated by disqualifications for start-line offences although his side did scrape victory over Peterborough in their home league opener. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn (PSC), Thur May 9 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon May 20 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "We are aware that Jacob is back on a bike, and we will be having discussions with him this week and then update fans accordingly." Promoter Chris Van Straaten is set for talks with Jacob Thorssell to assess whether the Swede is ready to return to British Speedway after his early-season injury absence. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Mon May 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Mon May 20 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "This was the Bandits at their spectacular best proving they want success this season and now we're into our first Shield semi-final in 15 years! This shows we mean business and can't wait for the league to get underway." Manager Gary Flint sounds the battle-cry as the Bandits book their place in the last four of the Championship Shield and now prepare for league competition. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Sat May 18 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed May 8 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "We need someone who can go out and get each meeting off to a good start for us in Heat 1 and someone who can take a bit of pressure off Ulrich (Ostergaard) as well as the rest of the team. Adam Ellis fits that bill perfectly - especially at Birmingham." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers explains this week's double team change which sees Adam Ellis and Nathan Stoneman replace Kyle Newman and Tobias Thomsen. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Wed May 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat May 25 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE "It was always going to be tough but silly mistakes like that; you cannot afford them at this level. It is still early in the season and one loss is not the end of the world. We have to learn from it and come back stronger." Eagles star Richard Lawson was gutted to come down on the last bend of Heat 15 due to a broken footrest, handing Leicester a 45-44 away win in a thriller at Arlington on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sat May 18 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham (KOC), Wed May 15 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "The team's performance wasn't really very good. We were miles behind early on, we fought back a little later on but it was too late." Monarchs No.1 Ricky Wells delivers the verdict on a bad night for the Armadale side at Berwick as their interest in the Championship Shield was officially ended. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe (KOC), Sat May 11 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed May 22 (7.30)
GLASGOW The Tigers remain in the hunt for the Championship Shield semi-finals after winning at Newcastle last Sunday, but are on the lookout for a new reserve after Luke Chessell elected to step down from his team position. NEXT HOME: Sheffield (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Sheffield (KOC), Sun May 12 (4pm)
LEICESTER "We've done very well with our guests over the last two days. Josh gave us a great performance, and he fitted in with the team well as Kyle did last night. He was 20 miles from Edinburgh when we booked him and he did a U-turn in the van, it was an incredible effort from him and thankfully he was OK after a big off in his last ride." Lions boss Stewart Dickson hails the efforts of guests Josh Pickering and Kyle Howarth as well as his regular riders following their remarkable weekend double over Eastbourne. NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Sat May 25 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri May 17 (7.30)
NEWCASTLE "The disaster that was Heat 15, and Steve Worrall's blown first engine in Heat 13 just put us too much on the back foot and it was so disappointing to fail in getting the draw let alone the win." The Diamonds' will be pleased to see the back of their Championship Shield campaign after going down to defeat at home to Glasgow, much to the frustration of manager George English. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun May 19 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri May 10 (7.30)
REDCAR "As for the racing, I honestly feel that you will not see a better speedway meeting anywhere in the country this year. The racing was absolutely phenomenal and we are so lucky to have such a special race track here on Teesside." Promoter Jitendra Duffill hails the entertainment level after the Bears completed their Championship Shield programme with a home win over Scunthorpe." NEXT HOME: Somerset (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset (KOC), Wed May 8 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "I've got everything sorted and things are going well again. I'm not busy enough, though, so I'd love a place with a Premiership side. At the start of the season, I got myself a new engine, but that backfired on me, so I've gone back to my old equipment and got it serviced and it's now flying." Scorpions skipper Jason Garrity believes his current impressive form is putting him in the shop window for higher-league clubs. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri May 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (KOC), Sat May 11 (7pm)
SOMERSET "Of course we want to go all the way in this competition, winning trophies is a good habit to get into and the boys will want the extra meetings that progress brings." Rebels boss Garry May underlines the desire for success as his side launch their KO Cup challenge against Redcar this week. NEXT HOME: Redcar (KOC), Wed May 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "To start our league fixtures off at home with a win is very pleasing. We know we're a solid side throughout, particularly at home and we showed that again today." Captain Danny King struck a paid maximum as the Tigers raced to a 55-35 home win over Birmingham in their home Championship opener. NEXT HOME: Glasgow (KOC), Sun May 12 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (KOC), Fri May 10 (7.30)
NATIONAL DEVELPOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE The Colts are back in National League action when they visit newcomers Leicester on May 18, with Plymouth the next visitors to the National Speedway Stadium. NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Thur May 23 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat May 18 (7.30)
CRADLEY "Mildenhall leave with a point and I think that's only fair based on the meeting as a whole. But we're over the moon with the way we've dug in to get this win and it's certainly something we can build on." Heathens boss Will Pottinger saw his side snatch a dramatic 46-44 win over Mildenhall in their opening fixture thanks to a last-heat 5-1 from Max Clegg and Tom Brennan over the previously unbeaten Danny Ayres. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight (KOC), Mon May 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight (KOC), Thur May 9 (7pm)
ISLE OF WIGHT "We made decisions based on what turned out to be several totally inaccurate weather forecasts and as a result the track was under-watered and we learned from it, however the track was the same for both sets of riders and it was clear that the Gladiators adapted to the conditions more than the Warriors did, which is why they won." Promoter Barry Bishop delivers an honest assessment of conditions for the Warriors' home defeat to Plymouth in the National Trophy last week. NEXT HOME: Cradley (KOC), Thur May 9 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Cradley (KOC), Mon May 20 (7.30)
KENT "Just left the hospital and can't think of anything that doesn't hurt right now. After a CT scan and x-rays, thankfully nothing is broken, however I have a part dislocation and rotary cuff damage to my shoulder - other than that I'm just badly battered and bruised!" Thankfully no lasting damage for Kings' man Alex Spooner after a frightening crash at Central Park on Bank Holiday Monday necessitating a hospital visit. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (NT), Mon May 13 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Stoke, Sun May 12 (3pm)
LEICESTER "The best thing is that they're all looking forward to it, they can't wait to get going. There's absolutely no negativity with the club, it's all positive stuff and I think we're in with a really good chance of making the play-offs." Lion Cubs co-boss Dave Darcy says his new side head into their opening fixtures this weekend in positive spirits as they look to make an impression in the National League. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall (KOC), Sun May 12 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri May 10 (7.15)
MILDENHALL "There is already an excellent team spirit growing amongst the boys and we can take a lot of positives from tonight into Sundays KO Cup tie at Leicester. This is a team that is showing improvement with each meeting and will only continue to get better as the season progresses." General manager Phil Kirk is delighted with the early signs for the Fen Tigers, who had to settle for a point in agonizing fashion from their away match at Cradley on Monday. NEXT HOME: Kent (NT), Sun May 19 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Leicester (KOC), Sun May 12 (3pm)
PLYMOUTH "Ben (Wilson) and Nathan (Stoneman) have been brilliant together and are becoming quite the duo, but a definite unsung hero was without a doubt Scott Campos who scored a big 12 points, only dropping three in total at his old home track." Gladiators boss Matt Bates hailed the displays of his heat-leaders in the win at the Isle of Wight last Thursday, although Campos was subsequently injured at Mildenhall. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri May 10 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Kent (NT), Mon May 13 (6.30)
STOKE The Potters postponed their three-team tournament against Buxton and Crewe due to poor weather in the build-up hampering track preparations, and now prepare to face Kent in a big league clash on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sun May 12 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur May 23 (7pm)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
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 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 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
THURSDAY MAY 16: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King's Lynn 7.30 PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: Ipswich v Poole 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 17: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Leicester 7.30, Glasgow v Eastbourne 7.30, Scunthorpe v Somerset 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Mildenhall 7.15 BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough 7pm
SATURDAY MAY 18: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Sheffield 7pm, Eastbourne v Glasgow 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30
SUNDAY MAY 19: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Leicester 6.30, Sheffield v Berwick 4pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Kent 3pm
MONDAY MAY 20: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Swindon 7.30, Ipswich v Wolverhampton 7.30 PREMERSHIP SUPPORTERS' CUP: King's Lynn v Poole 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Cradley v Isle of Wight 7.30 CHALLENGE: Kent v Wimbledon Select 6.30