The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 11th September in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off semi-final second leg fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.
MEETING SPONSOR
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The Waveney Valley Witches Supporters
LINE-UPS
IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.34 2. Danny King © 6.95 3. Jason Doyle 7.76 4. Dan Thompson 6.06 5. Tom Brennan 7.28 6. Adam Ellis 6.02 7. Jason Edwards (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz © 9.07 2. Norick Blödorn 4.82 3. Jaimon Lidsey 8.13 4. Zach Cook 5.96 5. Dan Bewley 8.94 6. Tate Zischke 3.00 7. Jake Mulford (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon
REFEREE: M. Bates
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 23 | 43 |
| Sheffield | 23 | 40 |
| Leicester | 23 | 39 |
| Belle Vue | 24 | 37 |
| King’s Lynn | 24 | 30 |
| Oxford | 23 | 11 |
| Birmingham | 24 | 6 |
PLAY-OFFS
SEMI-FINALS:
1st Leg: Belle Vue 48-42 Ipswich, 2nd Leg: Ipswich vs Belle Vue (11 Sep)
1st Leg: Leicester vs Sheffield (15 Sep), 2nd Leg: Sheffield vs Leicester (18 Sep)
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are available to purchase in advance here and on the gate and are priced at £24 for adults and £22 for concessions (65+) & students (21 & under). Tickets for children aged 6-16 are £1 whilst children 5 & under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3.50 and are available at the stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.
THE PREVIEW
The Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday in the second leg of their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off semi-final.
Ipswich finished top of the table in the league phase heading into the play-offs but come into the second leg of their semi-final six points behind after a 48-42 defeat at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday night. The Witches return to Foxhall at full strength, fielding the same riding order as in Manchester.
The Suffolk side have been strong on home shale during the league season with just two defeats at Foxhall. Ritchie Hawkins’ side have emerged victorious in all three home meetings against Belle Vue this year, winning by margins of 14, 22 and 44 points.
MANAGER’S NOTES
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“We go into tonight six points down which leaves the tie very evenly poised. We know we are capable of pulling that back, but we have also seen from past experience this year that if we are not on it, we won’t. It should be a cracker of a meeting between two great sides and a proper battle like it was on Monday. The boys are up for it, and we know we have an achievable goal in front of us, but we have got to go out there and perform.
“We will look to pull those six points back as soon as possible and have a very strong start to the meeting. I know if we have a strong start, it is tough for anyone to come back. They are going to battle to the end, and I think it is going to be a meeting not to be missed and I’m sure there will be a great atmosphere. We can’t wait for it.
“When Foxhall is buzzing with a big crowd we know what a difference it can make, we have seen it before when we won the cup, and we have had some great victories at Foxhall in recent years. The atmosphere will be electric and that gives all the boys a boost. They have worked hard all year to get to this position, and you race for nights like these in these big meetings. I’m sure that will be the case on Thursday and I’m sure Belle Vue will bring a strong contingent down knowing they are in a position to make the final again, so it will be a great battle.”
BELLE VUE ACES
The Aces maintained their strong record on home shale in the first leg and bring a six-point lead to Foxhall. They have struggled to match that success on the road with just four victories in the league season, coming against Birmingham, King’s Lynn and twice at Oxford. Belle Vue come to Suffolk at full strength. Current world number two Brady Kurtz and current world number three Dan Bewley are the obvious threats with the Australian aiming to win the world championship and the Brit looking to secure the bronze medal in the 10th round of the Grand Prix in Vojens on Saturday.
The reigning champions have found Foxhall a tough to place to visit in 2025 with three heavy defeats, but the margin has improved on each occasion. They suffered their biggest defeat of the season in the Knockout Cup quarter-final, going down 67-23. In the league season, Ipswich ran out 56-34 and 52-38 winners, and the Aces will need a vast improvement on Thursday night if they are to progress to a third play-off final in four years.
LAST TIME WE MET IN SUFFOLK
Ipswich welcomed Belle Vue to Foxhall last month as they pulled further clear at the top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table. The home team made a strong start to the meeting to establish a lead, but the away side stayed in the meeting with just four points the difference after eight races. However, Ipswich had enough in the tank in the second half of the meeting to secure a comfortable win which saw them pick up three points and go five clear at the summit. Jason Doyle top scored with 12+2.
By Rob Binns