The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches will face ROWE Motor Oil Premiership champions Belle Vue in the quarter-final of the Knockout Cup.
Having won the competition in 2023, the Witches finished as runners-up in 2024 as an injury-hit side were beaten by Sheffield in the final. The draw for 2025 couldn’t get any tougher for Ritchie Hawkins’ side with a two-legged clash against the Aces.
The other quarter-finals feature Birmingham against Leicester whilst Championship champions Poole face Sheffield having been invited into the 2025 competition. Oxford take part in the Knockout Cup next season having opted out in 2024 and face King’s Lynn.
The Brummies or the Lions will face the winners of the Pirates/Tigers tie in the last four, with the Stars or Spires taking on the winners of the Aces/Witches encounter.
PREMIERSHIP KNOCKOUT CUP QUARTER-FINALS Birmingham v Leicester
Poole v Sheffield
King’s Lynn v Oxford
Belle Vue v Ipswich
PREMIERSHIP KNOCKOUT CUP SEMI-FINALS Birmingham/Leicester v Poole/Sheffield
BRITISH Speedway Promoters’ Ltd is pleased to confirm all clubs will return to contest the 2025 season.
The sport’s AGM has been completed where rules, regulations and arrangements for next year have been finalised.
2025 will see the return of a British Semi-Final, which will take place at Leicester, offering the on-track opportunity for riders to qualify for the British Final at Belle Vue. Dates for those events are to be confirmed.
Both the Premiership and Championship will enjoy stability of membership, with no changes to competing teams, and all of the existing competitions taking place once again.
However, an exciting addition to the Premiership Knockout Cup is the inclusion of Championship winners Poole along with all seven regular top-flight clubs.
Meanwhile, the sport is set to build on its commitment to youth development with a potential extension to the National Development League, due to entries from new teams, which is likely to result in an increased number of fixtures for the riders.
A new initiative is also planned from Ipswich on the subject of development, and the club will reveal full details in due course.
During the AGM significant talks were also held regarding the future of the sport over the coming years. We will be providing more updates on the various initiatives and developments during the winter.
BSPL Chairman Rob Godfrey said: “I’m really pleased that all the clubs have come back to the table, and we have consistency in terms of fixtures and competitions.
“We spoke last year about the importance of Youth development so it’s pleasing to see that looks like being extended, and certainly Ipswich are going above and beyond with what they’re planning.
“There is plenty to look forward to next season but also a great deal of work going on further down the line, and we’re all positive about what’s to come.”
Points limit: 40 (for the top six) plus Rising Star.
Knockout Cup draw: Birmingham v Leicester, Poole v Sheffield, King’s Lynn v Oxford, Belle Vue v Ipswich. Ties to be raced in the same week. Semi-finals: Birmingham/Leicester v Poole/Sheffield, King’s Lynn/Oxford v Belle Vue/Ipswich.
It can also be confirmed that King’s Lynn have switched their regular race-night to Monday, which provides assistance in terms of fixture planning and evens out the schedule between Mondays and Thursdays.
Premiership CEO Phil Morris said: “I’m pleased we have strength and continuity in terms of keeping the same points limit, along with the Rising Stars, and the same competing clubs, and we felt there was no need to make change for change’s sake.
“The points limit itself was agreed over a month ago, following several meetings leading up to the AGM, and it’s pleasing that we’re also looking at rule changes and improvements for 2026, so we are trying to look a year in advance.
“In terms of fixture planning, we are looking into doing more Bank Holiday double-headers, and all clubs have discussed which others they can work with in terms of reasonable distances to travel.
“It’s good to have all the teams in the Knockout Cup, including Oxford this time, and we felt it would be great to have eight clubs competing with no byes, so Poole were invited in as Championship champions, and they accepted.
“They will be given a concession to build to Premiership level whilst keeping the majority of their team, and should there be any rider clash, the Premiership team would take priority.”
BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Following the success of this season’s event at Leicester, this meeting will once again take place at Beaumont Park in 2025, running in conjunction with a round of the British Youth Championship.
TESTIMONIALS: Four riders have been granted Testimonial Meetings in respect of their long service to British Speedway. Those riders are: Ryan Douglas, Jason Doyle, Nicolai Klindt and Tai Woffinden.
REFEREES: It has been highlighted that the increase in live transmission of meetings in the UK (TV and streaming) has put referees under the spotlight more than ever before. The SCB made a presentation to the members of the BSP Ltd, whereby continued work with the Association of Referees will take place to assist the referees, and to try and help improve the sport in all areas.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches complete their 2025 team with the signing of Tom Brennan.
The former British Under-21 champion guested for the club in 2024 and is hoping a permanent move to Suffolk will help his career develop further.
“I was really fortunate to finish off the 2024 season with Ipswich which gave me a really good feel for the club and how they ran the club. From that point onwards I knew where I wanted to be, and it was a matter of just trying to confirm that. Ipswich is one of the most professional clubs in the league and it suits my style. I take my racing seriously and I want to be going to a club that can improve and hopefully I can push on with the team. The team is another big thing with Emil (Sayfutdinov) and (Jason) Doyle there, so the reason it is this year is I want to kick on my career, and I believe Ipswich above any team can give me that.”
The 23-year-old says the Foxhall track feels like home to him already having grown up on a smaller, more technical track.
“Foxhall is a very technical track, I grew up at Eastbourne which is also very technical. When I go there it feels like home and it is good going to a club where you can ride good. Obviously, you want to sign for a club where you go well at the track, and I am really looking forward to next year. It has been a long time coming and by the looks of things the team is going to be strong too.”
The Great Britain international has enjoyed a rapid rise in the sport having been a Rising Star just three years ago.
“We have progressed very quickly but at my own pace too and haven’t taken chances that we didn’t need to take. My first year was 2021 and that was my first year of proper, professional racing and from that point onwards I graduated from the Rising Star scheme fairly quickly which was fantastic. From there it has been an upward slope, maybe it plateaued a bit in 2023, we didn’t progress a whole bunch that year but sometimes that happens. The key has been having a support system around me, my family, my sponsors, they keep me on track. We’ve been on an upwards slope, and we don’t want that to stop now, and Ipswich can help me with that.”
Like his teammates, the Speedway of Nations gold medallist’s target in 2025 is winning the league with the Witches.
“The league title is the end goal, lifting the trophy with Ipswich would be unbelievable especially getting a bit of insight into what they did in 2024. They lost Doyley and Emil which were two huge losses and also had other problems with (Jordan) Jenkins unable ride as well. The end of the season did not reflect what Ipswich can do so it will be nice to come back and be part of the team and help them lift that trophy.”
Brennan might just be one of the busiest riders in the world over the winter with trips to Australia and America on the horizon.
“It is a busy winter; we are building bikes as we speak, and I would like to get that done this month as I leave for Australia on 8th December roughly. I go there for a month and a bit before returning in the middle of January and then I go to America at the end of January for a couple of weeks. I’ll be back in the middle of February and before you know it, it will be time to go again! We are trying to keep the ball rolling; speedway is my ultimate aim, and I am always looking to improve, and you can’t be chilling out too much. We want to go at a nice leisurely pace and Australia offers that opportunity for me to race as does America.”
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches welcome back Grand Prix rider Jason Doyle for the new season.
The Australian had no hesitations about a return to Foxhall in 2025 and is looking to win that elusive league title for the club.
“It was a pretty simple decision; obviously other clubs speak to you, but I don’t want leave any stone unturned. After two and a half years, I classify last year as a half-term with the club, we need to push on. The team that we have got for next year, I feel like we have got a chance to finally get that league trophy.”
The world number 13 had his 2024 season cut short in May after suffering two snapped tendons in his shoulder, a torn rotator cuff, four broken ribs and a lung contusion following a crash at King’s Lynn but is back to full fitness ahead of the new campaign.
“I have been quite lucky with the team I have been working with in England. I had the operation in the middle of June, and it has been a rollercoaster to get back to full fitness. As many people know with shoulder injuries, one minute you are ok and the next you are back to square one. At the moment it is really good, and I feel back to 100%.
“I wasn’t ready a month ago, but I am now, it is good that I didn’t rush anything and did everything the right way, the way the doctors said. If it was a broken bone, I would have been back pretty much straight away but when you know you are going to be unsafe on the bike, you need to do the right thing and make sure everything is 100%. I have got a few more years left to push for that top spot and a lot more racing to do with Ipswich.
“Normally I crash at the end of the season, so I get the four or five months off! It was nice to experience the family side with my baby girl Grace which I haven’t done in so many years. I got to do a lot of things outside of speedway, go on holidays to Spain a couple of times and relax a bit as I tried to get back to 100%. At the moment I am lucky to have the right people around me and feel like it is all getting better.”
The 2017 world champion has been given a wild card for the 2025 Speedway Grand Prix series but admits he was worried about his place for next year.
“It was nerve wracking watching the GP qualifier and seeing there was already three Aussies going into the Grand Prix. I’m lucky I won the Warsaw Grand Prix and was up there in the top three in the world before I got injured. I showed a lot of pace and drive to be world number one again. There were a few things I needed to make sure were right before going back in the Grand Prix again, but I am ready to go.”
Doyle is heading back to Australia this winter but won’t be riding down under.
“I am going back for four weeks before coming back. I am not going to race anymore; I was going to go over and do a couple of meetings, but the meetings got cancelled. I was only going to go out for the meetings in Mildura and Adelaide. It is a lot of hassle to bring bikes and equipment back for two meetings and the cost is expensive with the changing of flights and stuff. So, I will just come back here and get ready for the new year and by February I will be back on a bike again.”
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches confirm the signing of Adam Ellis for the 2025 season.
Ellis returned to Suffolk in 2024, having spent time at Foxhall in 2013 and 2014 at the start of his career and says the family-feel of the club makes it an enjoyable place to ride.
“I’m happy to be back and wanted to be from the beginning and I’m looking forward to it. Not much has changed since when I first was with the club, Chris (Louis) and Ritchie (Hawkins) have both got a bit older though! It’s like a family here, everyone gets on really well which makes it nice coming to Ipswich every week. For me, it was a no-brainer, and I think that was the same for many of the other guys in the team next year. We get on well so hopefully we can hit the ground running early on, avoid injuries and finish what we started last year.”
The 28-year-old is hoping the side can keep a clean bill of health in 2025 and is relishing having Foxhall as him home track again next year.
“2024 was up and down but if we had kept the same one to seven as we had at the start of the year until the end, I can’t see how anyone would have beaten us. Next year is going to be pretty much the same again so hopefully we can all stay injury free and have a good year.
“I think everyone hates the track apart from me, so that helps! It is a track I like, and I have always enjoyed coming here. I enjoyed every aspect of last year so hopefully it will be the same again next year.”
The 2021 British champion rode with team manager Ritchie Hawkins at Ipswich at the start of his career with the pair now enjoying a new relationship.
“We don’t crash as much as when I first met him! Everyone knows what Ritchie is like, he does not beat around the bush, if he is happy with you, he will tell you, if he is not happy with you, he will tell you! He is easy to work for.”
Ellis is targeting league success next season with Ipswich but is looking forward to some well-earned rest before preparations begin for the new season.
“It is a team sport, you have your own goals personally, but the main goal is to try and win the league. We have got the team to do that, other teams will be strong as well so it won’t be easy but if we stay fit then we should be up there.
“I will have a few weeks of rest before getting stuff ready for next year. There is a lot that goes into it, and it comes around quicker than you expect, it takes a lot of organising and planning, so it is good to put your feet up before it all kicks off again.”
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches retain club captain Danny King for the 2025 season.
King has been at Ipswich for the past nine seasons and next year will be his sixteenth at Foxhall, but he admits he wasn’t sure if he would be back in Suffolk after a difficult season hampered by injury.
“Certainly, this year, I wasn’t sure. The club knows my situation, I don’t want to go anywhere else; I want to be there. I didn’t have a great year in general with everything that went on with my hand and struggling to carry on racing.
“Speaking to the club it means so much to me to know they want me back and just shows my loyalty to them works both ways. They knew full well that I was not 100% and they know that I have got room for improvement on that average. I did certainly feel that this year though that it might not happen.”
The skipper fractured his hand in two places in April and had an operation to insert two plates but never felt he was fully comfortable on the bike after the surgery.
“It was a tricky injury, I broke my hand quite badly, I’m not sure if everyone knows how bad it was. It was bad, it needed to be plated, and the hand is a tricky one. You can ride with a sore leg but with your hand you need to hold on and I can’t fully close my hand enough to squeeze the handlebar how I want to hold it. I have to force my hand closed which makes it difficult on rough tracks to hold on.
“I felt comfortable enough to race, I didn’t feel like I was going to fall off all the time, but it wasn’t 100%. Fighting that all year was difficult and I was doing everything behind the scenes with physio to try and help and it did, but it was a tricky year. To do it so early in the year and try and finish the year like that wasn’t easy.”
The 38-year-old is heading back to see his surgeon over the winter as he looks to return to full fitness in 2025.
“As soon as the season finished, I got back in contact with the surgeon, and he is seeing me next month so we will see what he says. There is a lot that going on in the hand and a lot that can happen after an operation, and I think that is what has happened, I think it is a scar tissue issue and he did say these things could happen. Hopefully he will be aware of it when I see him and it is not a massive deal and just a little bit of surgery and it will be fixed quickly.”
The 2016 British champion has spent the majority of his career with the Witches and says it is easy to see why riders want to stay at the club.
“I’m so comfortable at Ipswich, I love the club and riders coming to the club don’t want to go anywhere else, that speaks for itself. You have got one of the best riders in the world in Emil (Sayfutdinov) wanting to come back here every year and riders like Jordan (Jenkins) who have only done one season and already he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. It speaks volumes to the type of club we are, and people can see why I have spent so much of my career here.”
King was left frustrated with his performances after the injury but remains as passionate as ever about bringing more silverware to Ipswich.
“My aim is to get back to where I should be and support the team, it was hard on me last year as I knew I wasn’t doing what I should be doing but it wasn’t through a lack of effort that is for sure. I genuinely think a fully fit Ipswich in 2024 went all the way. It is what it is and that is speedway sometimes and we were hit by injuries, so the plan is to avoid injuries and carry on where we left off as a team because the team we have got is capable of going all the way and getting major silverware.
“Getting myself fit so that I am 100% is the main priority because I need to be at 100% to benefit the team and myself, that is the main goal and I am not concentrating on anything else at the moment, just get my hand sorted. Then the plan will be to get out early in the new year and get plenty of practice in so I can hit the ground running because I was disappointed with how my season went and it is difficult as a rider when you feel you are letting people down and that is not what I am about. I give 100% all of the time and it was difficult to do with the hand the way it was. I wanted to do my best, but it wasn’t good enough so next year has to be back to 100%.”
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches have signed Dan Thompson for the 2025 season.
Thompson arrived at Foxhall in the summer of 2023 and is loving his time at the club.
“It’s given me a bit of continuity going into next year, I joined halfway through 2023 so this will be almost my third season with the club. It is definitely a good club to be a part of and it was an easy decision.
“All the people around Ipswich, Chris (Louis) and Ritchie (Hawkins), the fans make it a great club. It is a difficult track but learning it every week has brought me on as a rider and individual and another year will only benefit me.”
The 20-year-old started last season as a ‘Rising Star’ but soon moved into the main body of the team after a string of impressive performances and next year will begin the season at number six.
“Last year was really good, my stint in the main body of the team controlled my average nicely so I come in on a handy average this year and I start at number six, so let’s see if I can push myself into the main body again.
“I was building momentum; I was enjoying my racing and was happy with the clubs I was at and that will be the same again this year. I will be looking for a positive start and, in my eyes, we should have had two or three trophies in the last two years that we have missed out on, and we will try to get them this year.”
The Nuneaton-born rider is determined to add more trophies to the Ipswich cabinet in 2025 after some narrow misses in recent seasons.
“I don’t think any of the riders in last year’s team deserve to go so if anyone has missed out, it is not really fair on them, but changes have to be made for averages and stuff so those of us staying are all grateful for that and we obviously don’t want to leave.
“I want to try and win some silverware with Ipswich; I missed out on the Knockout Cup trophy when we won that through injury. Ipswich had faith in me to join the club so it would be nice to reward them with a bit of silverware that we have come so close to.”
Thompson is hoping to progress further next season and is looking to gain a team spot in Poland to aid his development.
“I would like to be in the SGP2 permanently and would like to get into some form of Polish league at least to try and gain some experience out there. I have changed club in the Championship which I think will help me in the long-term, but I am happy to be back at Ipswich and am looking forward to it.”
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches welcome back former world number three Emil Sayfutdinov for the 2025 season.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed the last two years in Suffolk and being back in British racing.
“I have really enjoyed the last two years here and I decided to be part of the team again. Chris (Louis) has put some good teams together with some good names and we have another opportunity to give 100% and get that gold medal which is our goal.”
The former European champion says he is still gaining experience by racing on these shores and remains determined to win the top-flight title with Ipswich.
“I’m really enjoying it all around and the experience is still making me better. There is a good team atmosphere, and I was thinking about this before signing again and I want to fight again because we wanted to be champions the last two years and we haven’t achieved that yet, but we will try again to do it.”
The multiple Grand Prix winner was pleased with how his 2024 season went after some early issues but admitted it was hard taking so many rides each meeting.
“I had some problems at the beginning of the season but after that I really enjoyed the season. It was so busy because in every meeting in England I was doing six or seven heats all the time, which was hard, but I was enjoying it before the injury. Even at Sheffield it was ok, but a little mistake caused a big crash, that’s life.”
The Speedway of Nations winner suffered a shocking crash at Owlerton which forced him to miss the rest of the British season and he is looking forward to some down time in the winter.
“The injury is fine now, all good, even though the season has finished you still have meetings, awards nights, sponsorship events so I have not rested yet but soon I will be on holiday. I need that time after this injury because I haven’t had time to relax because every day you are pushing to get back quickly.”
Sayfutdinov thinks that consistent points scoring throughout the side could be the key to success to avoid riders having to take extra rides and become tired.
“The team is really strong, but everything is won out on the track. Everyone in this team can score points and that is what we need to keep feeling fresh and not tired. Everyone makes it a good atmosphere and we want to have a successful season. Hopefully a year later we finally get a gold medal.”
The 2025 calendar is now available for £10 including postage from http://ipswichssc.wordpress.com or pick one up for £7 from the monthly ISSC Quiz at Kesgrave Social Club.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches welcome back Jordan Jenkins for the 2025 season.
Jenkins is the club’s Rising Star rider and is delighted to return to Suffolk but admits it has been a stressful wait to get confirmation that he would be back at Foxhall.
“It’s probably been the most stressful two months of my career. I’ve always been in a fortunate position where I’ve had a club to go to no matter what but after riding for Ipswich last year I wanted to be back and made no secret of that. Before the season was finished, I was injured and was speaking to Chris (Louis) and Ritchie (Hawkins) about how much I wanted to be back, but it wasn’t confirmed that I would be eligible to be a Rising Star, so it was a bit up in the air. Chris and Ritchie will be glad to get it done as I have been hounding them every week for the past two months! It shows what a good club Ipswich are.
“With the draft system and the way it is, it means Birmingham had first pick. When a club and a rider want to work together, and you have developed a fan base and sponsors in and around that club I don’t think it should be able to be dictated that way. But that’s all ifs and buts, I’m at Ipswich now and I couldn’t be happier.”
The 23-year-old was not happy with how his 2024 ROWE Motor Oil Premiership campaign went but found form in the second half of the season and he is hoping to pick up where he left off in 2025.
“An honest reflection, last season was terrible. That is not anything to do with the club just my own performances were not great especially in the first half of the season but there are a few reasons for that. We got them ironed out and made a lot of changes and invested a lot of money back into it even though we spent so much money over the winter thinking we were doing the right thing it turned out to be the wrong thing.
“I’m young and still learning and I think there was a turning point halfway through the year, I got my first race win in a really wet meeting and the tide turned. I have made no secret that Foxhall is a tricky track, but it is one I have always wanted to ride and conquer. If you can ride there you can almost go anywhere. I’m really happy to be back there next year and have a bit of stability and hopefully I can pick up where I left off because I was getting solid figures home and away and had a good couple of home performances as well towards the end.”
The East Anglian rider had his season ended early due to a thumb injury which he is still recovering from but is hoping to get back on a bike before Christmas.
“It is pretty frustrating because it was a silly crash, it wasn’t a massive crash, and I walked away with not many injuries, but I knew something wasn’t right with my thumb. It took a long time to get the answers, but it is getting there. It has been nearly two months now; I had my cast removed last week and I am now in a thumb splint for another three weeks just to help the ligaments heal and then I will try and get back on the bike this side of Christmas just to see where I am at.
“As soon as January comes, we will be training hard and riding as much as I can which is something I lacked this year. Press day at Ipswich was the first time on the bike and the following week was our first meeting which wasn’t ideal preparation, but we will put that right this year. It is healing well so I am confident in a few weeks that I will be good to go.”
The 2022 National League Riders champion will be working on improving his starting over the winter as he looks to move out of the Rising Star position in 2025.
“I feel like the way I was riding at the end of last season was good and I was finding speed at tracks I don’t usually find speed at. We are going to fine tune a few things over the winter, and I will be working on my gating, I think that is one thing that lets me down, not being able to consistently make gates. We will put a lot of work into that and once I can conquer that, I have the speed and Ritchie and Chris have always said I’ve got the speed and Ipswich isn’t the easiest place to pass so I’ll look to develop a few techniques and start the season strongly with the aim of leaving the Rising Star berth.
“Who knows, maybe I will even go into the main body, it was tough this year when I went to number two after my second meeting and I wasn’t ready for it, it held me back and knocked my confidence. I don’t want that to happen again but if it came round again, I would have a different mindset and would be better prepared mentally and physically. I don’t want to be stuck at Rising Star, I want to progress and keep moving forward.”
Jenkins has been enjoying a deserved holiday in Cyprus but will be back to work soon, something that the youngster feels is important for him to do with regards to his career after speedway.
“I’ve been in Cyprus for some relaxation and once the hand is fully recovered, I will go back to work for one of my sponsors, DW Mechanical, doing a bit of commercial pipe fitting. I think it is good for a rider to do something different in the winter, it makes you appreciate what you have got with speedway. It also gives me a chance to develop skills, we all know speedway does not last forever and you have got to have something to fall back on. I really want to make it to the top in speedway, but it is an expensive sport that needs supporting and the bikes do not build themselves! I’ll get back to work in a few weeks and get ready for next year.”
