Ipswich Witches Speedway
  • Home
  • News
  • Tickets
  • Fixtures/Results
    • League Tables
    • Archive Results
  • Team
    • Rider Results
  • Admission
  • Media
  • Club
    • Info
    • Honours
    • Club Officials
    • Related Links
  • Contact
    • Raceday Shout-outs
  • Sponsors
    • Become A Sponsor
Ipswich Witches Speedway
  • Ipswich Witches Speedway
  • Home
  • News
  • Tickets
  • Fixtures/Results
  • League Tables
  • Archive Results
  • Team
  • Rider Results
  • Media
  • Club
  • Info
  • Honours
  • Club Officials
  • Related Links
  • Admission
  • Contact
  • Raceday Shout-outs
  • Sponsors
  • Become A Sponsor

THE ATTITUDE HAS BEEN FIRST RATE

Posted on

1 April, 2016

Our first home meeting was disappointing obviously on the basis that we lost and we lost quite convincingly. It was a combination of things. Obviously we have four members of the side that have no more experience of Foxhall than the opposition at the moment. Combine that with the fact they were all nervous and I know everyone wants to win meetings, especially your first one at home but I think the fact that we lost being predominantly down to half the team being nervous at least shows they want to do well. You’re not worried and nervous if you don’t want to do well. In that respect I could cope with that because that was the reason. I did also say that we might take a few weeks to gather up our home strength and I think that is true still and the first meeting showed that.

It was worse than I would have liked but I think when we went to Scunthorpe we put in a much better performance. Again it wasn’t a convincing performance because I think teams will go there and win like Sheffield have done, so we need to do better than that. I’m not saying ‘Oh we went to Scunthorpe and got a draw, everything is ok now’ because it’s not. It did show though that they’ve got one meeting out of the way, away from home they were far less nervous and you could tell that in the team and barring a break down and throwing away a few points we should have won. All in all not a great start to the season but I can see the positives. I still think we’ve got it right and have got a competitive side. As a team with my help and Ritchie’s (Hawkins) help and Danny’s (King) help, we’ve got to get things going at home because we can’t afford to be poor at home.

The one main positive to take is the keenness of the boys in particular Darryl (Ritchings). He’s done a an awful lot of miles to make sure he’s grabbed every opportunity to be with the team and on track. Danny and Nico (Covatti), they are what they are, you’re only ever going to get 100% from them. The track didn’t play into their hands on the opening night but we had to run it slick because it’s a new base and we couldn’t afford to lose it straight away. It’s had a lot of time now since its been ridden on and its had some weather and we can get what we want from it now. Not that they used that as an excuse either but we need to give them what they want and they need more grip and we knew it would be slicker than they would want but it’s how it had to be. Generally the attitude throughout the team has been first rate though.

Ritchie has settled into the role really well, he’s been everything I expected and more really. He’s really up on the rule book and he’s got a good temperament with the lads. They know that he understands, they know when he can sense whether 100% effort is going in or not. That’s what it’s about really, if the effort is there and the results aren’t, then apart from working with them you can’t ask for much more to improve results. Everyone is really comfortable with him and from what I’ve seen he has not put a foot wrong.

The League Cup is a good bedding in competition for this team, that said we don’t want to give it up and it’s not that it’s not important, we were just going to need time. The fact that we are in a competition that’s just the right length of time is a really good thing for us in terms of the Premier League. Like I said that’s not saying ‘well we’re not going to make the semi-finals’, we are going for them 100%. It’s clear now we can’t afford to drop any more points at home and we will need to win away from home. It’s not a difficult equation, we know what has got to be done and we need to start on Saturday against Sheffield.

It’s not been a great start to the season for British Speedway in general, you’d be a fool to say it has. However, I don’t see Tai (Woffinden) announcing he will not ride in the British Final as a big disaster. Of course it’s a shame as I love watching him ride, and ride for the British Championship because certainly at Wolverhampton he’s come up against track experts in Bomber (Chris Harris), Scott (Nicholls), Eddie Kennett has always mixed it with him and there’s always been someone who has popped up, recently it’s been Craig Cook and Danny has got in there too, so I will miss that. I don’t blame him and I don’t think it’s a major problem for British Speedway, the final will still be very competitive. No one should make an issue of it, he is a top world class champion who wants to stay there and any decision he makes to do that should be supported. Of course I’m disappointed, I would have loved to gone to Belle Vue and watched him ride but I don’t have a problem with it.

One of the major issues has been Plymouth going bust after one meeting which I don’t understand how that can happen but for whatever reason it has. There does seem to be some positive news coming from there though, so maybe that is just a blip the sport could have done without. Then there was the National Stadium opening meeting was a major PR disaster, an embarrassment for them and something they obviously did not plan. It needs to be fully investigated to find out how it got to the point where 6000 people had travelled and got into the stadium before anyone made a decision. Namely it was the riders when they rode on it that said it wasn’t fit to ride and that should not happen. We are supposed to have bodies in place, namely the SCB, that ensure everything is right particularly with a new track and that has failed somewhere along the line and needs to be looked at.

Thank you for your continued support,

Chris

Recent Post

  • RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (H)
  • RACEDAY REPORT | BELLE VUE 48–42 IPSWICH
  • RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (A)
  • RACEDAY REPORT | IPSWICH 43–47 SHEFFIELD
  • ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL DATES CONFIRMED

Search Categories

  • 2016 & 2017 Previews
  • 2016 & 2017 Reports
  • 2016 News
  • 2017 News
  • 2018 News
  • 2018 Previews
  • 2018 Reports
  • 2019 News
  • 2019 Previews
  • 2019 Reports
  • 2020 British Final
  • 2020 News
  • 2021 News
  • 2021 Previews
  • 2021 Reports
  • 2022 News
  • 2022 Previews
  • 2022 Reports
  • 2023 News
  • 2023 Previews
  • 2023 Reports
  • 2024 News
  • 2024 Previews
  • 2024 Reports
  • 2025 News
  • 2025 Previews
  • 2025 Reports
  • Aaron Summers
  • Adam Ellis
  • Anders Rowe
  • Ben Barker
  • Cameron Heeps
  • Chris Harris
  • Chris Louis
  • Competitions
  • Connor Mountain
  • Coty Garcia
  • Craig Cook
  • Dan Thompson
  • Danny Ayres
  • Danny King
  • Danyon Hume
  • David Bellego
  • David Wallinger
  • Drew Kemp
  • Edward Kennett
  • Emil Sayfutdinov
  • Erik Riss
  • Ipswich Town Football Club
  • Jack Thomas
  • Jake Allen
  • James Sarjeant
  • Jason Crump
  • Jason Doyle
  • Jason Edwards
  • Joe Jacobs
  • Joe Thompson
  • Jonas Jeppesen
  • Jordan Jenkins
  • Jordan Stewart
  • Justin Sedgmen
  • Keynan Rew
  • Krystian Pieszczek
  • Kyle Newman
  • Mark Riss
  • Michael Härtel
  • Morten Risager
  • Nathan Greaves
  • Nico Covatti
  • Nicolai Klindt
  • Niels-Kristian Iversen
  • Oliver Greenwood
  • Paul Starke
  • ReRun Productions
  • Richard Lawson
  • Ritchie Hawkins
  • Rohan Tungate
  • Rory Schlein
  • Supporters Club
  • Tai Woffinden
  • Tom Brennan
  • Track Shop
  • Troy Batchelor
  • Tru Mix
  • Tru Plant
  • Tru7 Group

Find Previous Articles

THE ATTITUDE HAS BEEN FIRST RATE

Posted on

1 April, 2016

Our first home meeting was disappointing obviously on the basis that we lost and we lost quite convincingly. It was a combination of things. Obviously we have four members of the side that have no more experience of Foxhall than the opposition at the moment. Combine that with the fact they were all nervous and I know everyone wants to win meetings, especially your first one at home but I think the fact that we lost being predominantly down to half the team being nervous at least shows they want to do well. You’re not worried and nervous if you don’t want to do well. In that respect I could cope with that because that was the reason. I did also say that we might take a few weeks to gather up our home strength and I think that is true still and the first meeting showed that.

It was worse than I would have liked but I think when we went to Scunthorpe we put in a much better performance. Again it wasn’t a convincing performance because I think teams will go there and win like Sheffield have done, so we need to do better than that. I’m not saying ‘Oh we went to Scunthorpe and got a draw, everything is ok now’ because it’s not. It did show though that they’ve got one meeting out of the way, away from home they were far less nervous and you could tell that in the team and barring a break down and throwing away a few points we should have won. All in all not a great start to the season but I can see the positives. I still think we’ve got it right and have got a competitive side. As a team with my help and Ritchie’s (Hawkins) help and Danny’s (King) help, we’ve got to get things going at home because we can’t afford to be poor at home.

The one main positive to take is the keenness of the boys in particular Darryl (Ritchings). He’s done a an awful lot of miles to make sure he’s grabbed every opportunity to be with the team and on track. Danny and Nico (Covatti), they are what they are, you’re only ever going to get 100% from them. The track didn’t play into their hands on the opening night but we had to run it slick because it’s a new base and we couldn’t afford to lose it straight away. It’s had a lot of time now since its been ridden on and its had some weather and we can get what we want from it now. Not that they used that as an excuse either but we need to give them what they want and they need more grip and we knew it would be slicker than they would want but it’s how it had to be. Generally the attitude throughout the team has been first rate though.

Ritchie has settled into the role really well, he’s been everything I expected and more really. He’s really up on the rule book and he’s got a good temperament with the lads. They know that he understands, they know when he can sense whether 100% effort is going in or not. That’s what it’s about really, if the effort is there and the results aren’t, then apart from working with them you can’t ask for much more to improve results. Everyone is really comfortable with him and from what I’ve seen he has not put a foot wrong.

The League Cup is a good bedding in competition for this team, that said we don’t want to give it up and it’s not that it’s not important, we were just going to need time. The fact that we are in a competition that’s just the right length of time is a really good thing for us in terms of the Premier League. Like I said that’s not saying ‘well we’re not going to make the semi-finals’, we are going for them 100%. It’s clear now we can’t afford to drop any more points at home and we will need to win away from home. It’s not a difficult equation, we know what has got to be done and we need to start on Saturday against Sheffield.

It’s not been a great start to the season for British Speedway in general, you’d be a fool to say it has. However, I don’t see Tai (Woffinden) announcing he will not ride in the British Final as a big disaster. Of course it’s a shame as I love watching him ride, and ride for the British Championship because certainly at Wolverhampton he’s come up against track experts in Bomber (Chris Harris), Scott (Nicholls), Eddie Kennett has always mixed it with him and there’s always been someone who has popped up, recently it’s been Craig Cook and Danny has got in there too, so I will miss that. I don’t blame him and I don’t think it’s a major problem for British Speedway, the final will still be very competitive. No one should make an issue of it, he is a top world class champion who wants to stay there and any decision he makes to do that should be supported. Of course I’m disappointed, I would have loved to gone to Belle Vue and watched him ride but I don’t have a problem with it.

One of the major issues has been Plymouth going bust after one meeting which I don’t understand how that can happen but for whatever reason it has. There does seem to be some positive news coming from there though, so maybe that is just a blip the sport could have done without. Then there was the National Stadium opening meeting was a major PR disaster, an embarrassment for them and something they obviously did not plan. It needs to be fully investigated to find out how it got to the point where 6000 people had travelled and got into the stadium before anyone made a decision. Namely it was the riders when they rode on it that said it wasn’t fit to ride and that should not happen. We are supposed to have bodies in place, namely the SCB, that ensure everything is right particularly with a new track and that has failed somewhere along the line and needs to be looked at.

Thank you for your continued support,

Chris

Recent Post

  • RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (H)
  • RACEDAY REPORT | BELLE VUE 48–42 IPSWICH
  • RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (A)
  • RACEDAY REPORT | IPSWICH 43–47 SHEFFIELD
  • ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL DATES CONFIRMED

Search Categories

  • 2016 & 2017 Previews
  • 2016 & 2017 Reports
  • 2016 News
  • 2017 News
  • 2018 News
  • 2018 Previews
  • 2018 Reports
  • 2019 News
  • 2019 Previews
  • 2019 Reports
  • 2020 British Final
  • 2020 News
  • 2021 News
  • 2021 Previews
  • 2021 Reports
  • 2022 News
  • 2022 Previews
  • 2022 Reports
  • 2023 News
  • 2023 Previews
  • 2023 Reports
  • 2024 News
  • 2024 Previews
  • 2024 Reports
  • 2025 News
  • 2025 Previews
  • 2025 Reports
  • Aaron Summers
  • Adam Ellis
  • Anders Rowe
  • Ben Barker
  • Cameron Heeps
  • Chris Harris
  • Chris Louis
  • Competitions
  • Connor Mountain
  • Coty Garcia
  • Craig Cook
  • Dan Thompson
  • Danny Ayres
  • Danny King
  • Danyon Hume
  • David Bellego
  • David Wallinger
  • Drew Kemp
  • Edward Kennett
  • Emil Sayfutdinov
  • Erik Riss
  • Ipswich Town Football Club
  • Jack Thomas
  • Jake Allen
  • James Sarjeant
  • Jason Crump
  • Jason Doyle
  • Jason Edwards
  • Joe Jacobs
  • Joe Thompson
  • Jonas Jeppesen
  • Jordan Jenkins
  • Jordan Stewart
  • Justin Sedgmen
  • Keynan Rew
  • Krystian Pieszczek
  • Kyle Newman
  • Mark Riss
  • Michael Härtel
  • Morten Risager
  • Nathan Greaves
  • Nico Covatti
  • Nicolai Klindt
  • Niels-Kristian Iversen
  • Oliver Greenwood
  • Paul Starke
  • ReRun Productions
  • Richard Lawson
  • Ritchie Hawkins
  • Rohan Tungate
  • Rory Schlein
  • Supporters Club
  • Tai Woffinden
  • Tom Brennan
  • Track Shop
  • Troy Batchelor
  • Tru Mix
  • Tru Plant
  • Tru7 Group

Find Previous Articles

Find Us

Address
Ipswich Speedway
Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5TL

Contact
Email: enquiries@ipswichwitches.co
Phone: 07859 802828

Pages

  • Home
  • News
  • Tickets
  • Fixtures/Results
  • Team
  • Admission
  • Media
  • Club
  • Contact
  • Raceday Shout-outs
  • Sponsors

Other Pages

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • X
  • YouTube

Find Us

Address
Ipswich Speedway
Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5TL

Contact
Email: enquiries@ipswichwitches.co
Phone: 07859 802828

Pages

  • Home
  • News
  • Tickets
  • Fixtures/Results
  • Team
  • Admission
  • Media
  • Club
  • Contact
  • Raceday Shout-outs
  • Sponsors

Other Pages

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • X
  • YouTube

Find Us

Address
Ipswich Speedway
Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5TL

Contact
Email: enquiries@ipswichwitches.co
Phone: 07859 802828

Pages

  • Home
  • News
  • Tickets
  • Fixtures/Results
  • Team
  • Admission
  • Media
  • Club
  • Contact
  • Raceday Shout-outs
  • Sponsors

Other Pages

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • X
  • YouTube

Copyright ® 2025

Ipswich Witches Speedway

powered by Painting Pixels Ltd.

Ipswich Witches Speedway
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}