HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Eastbourne Eagles got back to winning ways with an emphatic 65-25 Championship win against Berwick on Saturday night at Arlington. Picture: MIKE HINVES
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "Seeing everyone step things up to produce results like that is very satisfying. We seem to have some good set-ups now so hopefully with more hard work and perseverance we can keep it up." Aces skipper Max Fricke scored a paid maximum in the home win over Wolverhampton on Bank Holiday Monday "“ with a further victory at Monmore in the evening sending the Manchester side to the top of the table. NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon June 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon June 17 (7.30)
IPSWICH "They are our two stalwarts. Danny and Cam have been here for so many years like me. It is not just a speedway team, the club means a lot to them, they have the passion for Ipswich Speedway and they put everything into it. We all get criticised and get some stick at times, but it means a lot to them, it's not just a job to them." Boss Ritchie Hawkins pays tribute to long-serving duo Danny King and Cameron Heeps who have moved up to the Premiership with the club this season and been part of the successful early weeks. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur June 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon June 3 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "It's hugely exciting for me to be teaming up with Robert Lambert. We race together for Great Britain in the Speedway of Nations and I believe we can ride well together for the Stars." New signing Craig Cook can't wait to get started in Stars colours as he comes in to replace the injured Erik Riss as part of a double change in Norfolk. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Mon June 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Thur June 6 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "The racing was good again, the track was fantastic again and it's more to our liking at the moment. I'm really pleased with everybody's performances "“ it was a massive team effort, which is brilliant." The Panthers' Premiership challenge is well and truly underway with boss Carl Johnson delighted by back-to-back home wins over a five-day period. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Thur June 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Thur May 30 (7.30)
POOLE The Pirates enhanced their position in the Premiership with an away point at Peterborough, a home win over Swindon and then an away draw at Blunsdon on Bank Holiday Monday evening. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur May 30 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon June 24 (7.30)
SWINDON "We have to take the point after that. Things weren't perfect tonight, like they weren't at Poole this morning, and it's frustrating for everyone that it turned out like that." Bank Holiday Monday did not go according to plan for Robins boss Alun Rossiter, who saw his side restricted to a home draw by Poole after two bruising encounters with the Pirates. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur June 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur June 13 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "We can only apologise to the fans who came to support us tonight because we know that's not good enough. We struggled all night and I guess in the end we were just beaten by the better team on the night." No excuses from returning Wolves star Jacob Thorssell after the Monmore men went down to home and away defeats to Belle Vue on Bank Holiday Monday. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Mon June 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Mon June 3 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "The disastrous early heats, especially losing Captain Kev (Doolan) in Heat 3 really hit us hard and pulled the rug from under our rhythm right at the start, which on a small and slick track like Eastbourne was always going to be tricky to come back from." Bandits boss Gary Flint wants to park the memories of a 65-25 thrashing at Arlington and move on to KO Cup action against Newcastle this weekend. NEXT HOME: Newcastle (KOC), Sat June 1 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Newcastle (KOC), Sun June 2 (6.30)
BIRMINGHAM "I could tell all the guys were keen to do it because of the tough start they've had here, so it was nice to do it. The track was good and I felt good, so I'm so pleased to help the boys get the win which means a lot to everyone here." New signing Adam Ellis made the perfect start with a 12-point maximum in the Brummies' first win of the season against Edinburgh last Wednesday. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (KOC), Wed May 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed July 10 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE "We have fallen a bit short the last couple of home matches by one point. There are tight margins in speedway so it is nice to go home with a smile on my face tonight." Eagles co-boss Will Pottinger saw his side go from narrow home defeats to Leicester and Glasgow, to a rampant 40-point success over Berwick at Arlington on Saturday. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Sat June 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham (KOC), Wed May 29 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "We had a lot of bad luck certainly, and we missed Josh Pickering, but I wasn't happy with the performances of some of our riders. Glasgow took their chances, I don't begrudge them their win and it certainly helps when you have a rider who is going to win nearly every race." Monarchs boss Alex Harkess had no complaints after his injury-hit side were unable to prevent rivals Glasgow progressing to the Championship Shield semi-finals at Armadale last Friday. NEXT HOME: Scottish Open, Fri June 7 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat June 8 (7.30)
GLASGOW The Tigers are through to the Championship Shield semi-finals as group winners having been successful at Edinburgh last Friday with a 47-43 win. NEXT HOME: Sheffield (KOC), Tues May 28 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri June 7 (7.30)
LEICESTER "When it was 9-9 it looked like it could be a tough night, but the way we're built we have strength at the bottom end, and everybody is mucking in. Good teams are tested along the way and it's about how you react to adversity." The Lions kept their momentum going with a 58-32 win over Birmingham despite the loss through injury of Josh Bates, with boss Stewart Dickson pleased with the overall display. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sat June 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Sun June 9 (4pm)
NEWCASTLE The Diamonds return to action this weekend after a break of nearly a fortnight, when they face Berwick in a back-to-back KO Cup clashes. NEXT HOME: Berwick (KOC), Sun June 2 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick (KOC), Sat June 1 (7pm)
REDCAR The Bears are building up to one of the biggest meetings in their 2019 calendar as they host the British Semi-Final at the Media Prima Arena on Friday, with six places at stake for the Final. NEXT HOME: British Semi-Final, Fri May 31 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri June 21 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "Having lost a home meeting to Somerset, we need to win one of these away meetings to restore parity." Scorpions promoter Rob Godfrey is looking for his side to take a positive result from one of their upcoming trips to Somerset and Sheffield, with last week's visit to Glasgow being rained-off. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Fri June 7 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed May 29 (7.30)
SOMERSET "The lads put on a good show and by allowing the track to settle down on its own accord I think we benefitted with a great show of speedway. We had a lot of sponsors and guests in tonight and I can only hope that they will have enjoyed the fare that we served up for them on track." Rebels boss Garry May was pleased with his side's home display against Eastbourne last week as they look to build an unbeaten run in the Championship. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Wed May 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Fri June 21 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "We do understand that the afternoon racing eats into what is a busy social day and often it doesn't allow families to do anything else. We feel that by going to 5.30pm it will do that and will still allow youngsters to get home early enough when they have school the next day." Tigers co-promoter Damien Bates explains the reasons behind the club moving start-time for Owlerton meetings from 4pm to 5.30pm starting this weekend against Scunthorpe. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sun June 2 (5.30) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (KOC), Tue May 28 (7.30)
NATIONAL DEVELPOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "It's a great result for us. We've got another three points on the board and the confidence of the team is really starting to grow. We've got a good foundation to build on, so long may it continue." Teenage sensation Jordan Palin extolled the team spirit in the Colts' camp after he secured a five-ride paid maximum in last Friday's win over Plymouth. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Mon June 10 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Cradley, Mon June 3 (7.30)
CRADLEY "Jack is a rider with plenty of pedigree, particularly at this level. He's a reliable, proven heat-leader in the National League and he'll be a good signing for us I'm sure." Heathens boss Will Pottinger is looking forward to working with new signing Jack Smith, who comes in as a replacement for unfortunate injury victim Tom Brennan. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Mon June 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri May 31 (7.15)
ISLE OF WIGHT "It's a fantastic feeling to get our first league win. The track was is super condition, the boys were looking forward to racing on it and we had a good spirit in the pits." Warriors co-boss Martin Widman was delighted to see his side get off the mark in the National League with last week's 48-42 verdict over Stoke. NEXT HOME: Kent (NT), Thur May 30 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Kent (NT), Mon June 3 (6.30)
KENT "We'll take this confidence into Thursday and we know what we have to do. You have to remember we still have two riders out injured and yet we've come through against such top quality opposition which is to the great credit of the team." The Kings are closing in on National Trophy silverware after overcoming rivals Mildenhall at Central Park on Monday, with boss Chris Hunt optimistic ahead of a trip to the Isle of Wight. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight (NT), Mon June 3 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight (NT), Thur May 30 (7pm)
LEICESTER "They never got closer than seven points so we were fairly comfortable, and I also think that meeting will stand us in good stead for when we go back there in the league." Cubs co-boss Dave Howard was pleased with their defence of a 21-point lead in the second leg of their KO Cup tie at Mildenhall on Sunday, taking his side into the semi-finals of the competition. NEXT HOME: Stoke, Sun June 2 (4pm) NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon June 10 (6.30)
MILDENHALL "Everyone had at least a paid win and at the interval I really felt we were in with a good chance of going on to win the tie. Sadly for us it was not to be but the lads should take confidence." General manager Phil Kirk was pleased with what he saw from the Fen Tigers in their KO Cup exit to Leicester, with a first leg deficit proving just too much to overcome. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Sun June 9 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon June 10 (7.30)
PLYMOUTH The Gladiators were held to a home draw by the Isle of Wight in the National Trophy last Friday, and are now building up to a big league clash with Cradley at the Coliseum this week. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Fri May 31 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Stoke (KOC), Sat June 8 (7pm)
STOKE "I'm not putting too much pressure on myself and thinking what will be, will be and going out and enjoying myself, and I think it's helped me keep nice and calm on the track. I obviously get worked up just before a race but I don't get too mad as I used to, and I feel it's paying dividends and that shows in my scoring." Recent Potters signing Joe Lawlor reveals his new calmer approach after an impressive start to his career at Loomer Road. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (KOC), Sat June 8 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sun June 2 (4pm)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY MAY 28: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY MAY 29: CHAMPIONSHIP: Somerset v Scunthorpe 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Birmingham v Eastbourne 7.30
THURSDAY MAY 30: PREMIERSHIP: Poole v Peterborough 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
FRIDAY MAY 31: BRITISH SEMI-FINAL: Redcar 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Cradley 7.15
SATURDAY JUNE 1: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd round 1st leg: Berwick v Newcastle 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 2: CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield v Scunthorpe 5.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd round 2nd leg: Newcastle v Berwick 6.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Stoke 4pm
MONDAY JUNE 3: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, King's Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Belle Vue 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Isle of Wight 6.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Sheffield 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 6: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Swindon v King's Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 7: CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Plymouth v Stoke 7.15 SCOTTISH OPEN: Edinburgh 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 8: CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Newcastle 7.30, Leicester v Edinburgh 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Stoke v Plymouth 7pm GRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: Glasgow 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 9: CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield v Leicester 5.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Cradley 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 10: PREMIERSHIP: Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Mildenhall 7.30, Kent v Leicester 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 11: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Plymouth 7pm
