The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches’ ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture against Sheffield on Thursday 25th April has been postponed due to track conditions not being safe for racing after rain during the day.
A decision was made at 6.45pm on Thursday. We thank both sets of riders and the referee for giving it every chance.
A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.
By Henry Chard
All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture with Sheffield.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Sheffield Tigers at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 25th April in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.
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IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 10.22 2. Jordan Jenkins 4.37 3. Danny King 7.28 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.67 5. Jason Doyle 9.12 6. Keynan Rew 4.00 7. Dan Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
SHEFFIELD: 1. Jack Holder 9.00 2. Kyle Howarth 5.67 © 3. Chris Holder 6.67 4. Josh Pickering 6.71 5. Tai Woffinden 8.41 6. Jason Edwards 3.00 7. Dan Gilkes (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead
REFEREE: C. Gay
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 5 | 9 |
| Belle Vue | 5 | 8 |
| Oxford | 5 | 7 |
| Sheffield | 4 | 6 |
| Leicester | 5 | 6 |
| Birmingham | 5 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 3 | 0 |
Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £23 for adults and £21 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 Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches continue their busy week with a fixture at Foxhall against the Sheffield Tigers in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Thursday.
The Witches were racing on Monday night at The National Speedway Stadium against the Belle Vue Aces where they suffered their first defeat of the campaign, going down 55-35 in Manchester without injured skipper Danny King and Jason Doyle who had his flight back to the UK delayed.
The Suffolk side welcome both riders back to the team for the clash against the Tigers. King has been receiving physio since his crash last Saturday and is feeling fit enough to lead the side on Thursday whilst Doyle will be desperate to put the frustrations of Monday behind him with a big performance against Sheffield.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“We have started the season very well, certainly at home and we are looking forward to Thursday, I know the boys are well up for it. We will relish the challenge of facing Sheffield and everything that they bring and I’m sure it will be a cracking meeting in front of a big crowd.
“As things are, we are very hopefully Danny will be back, he is fully focused and desperate to be back, he does not want to be missing many meetings. Jason will be back, and we will be back to our full one to seven, the team that has done so well at the start of this season.
“Both teams have been tipped by many to be there at the end of the season, but it is a long year. It is another tough early test and I’m sure Sheffield will be looking to do a lot better than their recent visits to our place. I’m sure they will want to get one over us and put a marker down for the season and we certainly want to do the same thing with another convincing home performance.”
Sheffield are the reigning champions with the aim of 2024 being to retain their title. The Tigers were runners-up in 2022 before clinching the title in 2023 and despite a lack of home fixtures due to the weather, they have made a strong start to the campaign with two wins on the road already to go alongside their one win at home.
The visitors have two current Grand Prix riders in their ranks with Jack Holder and Tai Woffinden at one and five. Former world champion Chris Holder is at number three to ensure there will be plenty of big-name battles on Thursday night in Suffolk.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway
By Henry Chard
BELLE VUE 55: Brady Kurtz © 12 (Maximum), Norick Blödorn 5, Jaimon Lidsey 10, Ben Cook 8+1, Dan Bewley 12+2, Connor Mountain 6+1, Connor Bailey (RS) 2+1. Team Manager: Mark Lemon
IPSWICH 35: Emil Sayfutdinov © 7, Jordan Jenkins 1+1, Adam Ellis 3+1, Ryan Douglas (G) 11+1, Charles Wright (G) 3+1, Keynan Rew 1, Dan Thompson (RS) 9. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: S. Perkin
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 5 | 9 |
| Belle Vue | 5 | 8 |
| Oxford | 5 | 7 |
| Sheffield | 4 | 6 |
| Leicester | 5 | 6 |
| Birmingham | 5 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 3 | 0 |
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches were defeated for the first time in 2024 suffering a heavy loss at Belle Vue on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
The visitors were without injured captain Danny King and Jason Doyle who had his flight delayed with Ryan Douglas and Charles Wright guesting in their place. The Suffolk side held a 12-point lead for the aggregate bonus point after a 51-39 win at Foxhall in March, but they went home pointless after the home team dominated the contest throughout. Guest Douglas top scored with 11+1.
The hosts started proceedings with a 4-2 in heat one as Emil Sayfutdinov rode well to split the home pairing. Dan Thompson rode brilliantly to round Connor Mountain and win a shared heat two. Belle Vue hit another heat advantage in heat three and Thompson made a flying start to heat four before being passed by British champion Dan Bewley as the points were shared, making it 14-10.
The Aces secured another 4-2 in heat five and added another in heat six. Bewley got the better of Douglas on the opening lap to win a shared heat seven. Heat eight was action-packed as Thompson did battle with Connor Bailey at the front before Bailey retired with mechanical issues. However, Norick Blödorn passed the Ipswich man on the final lap to prevent a heat advantage to the Witches, meaning his side held a 28-20 lead.
Team manager Ritchie Hawkins put Sayfutdinov in as a tactical substitute in heat nine, but the stand-in captain had to work overtime just to split the home pairing, resulting in another heat advantage to the hosts. It looked like the Witches might get their first heat advantage of the night in heat 10 but Brady Kurtz had other ideas and passed Adam Ellis late on to win with Douglas winning the battle at the back. The visitors had no answers to the Aces, and they hit a maximum in heat 11 as Sayfutdinov retired with bike issues. Thompson made another terrific gate in heat 12 but couldn’t keep Jaimon Lidsey behind him as Belle Vue recorded another 4-2 to seal victory and put them 44-28 in front.
Things got worse in heat 13 as the Aces recorded a 5-1 and they secured the bonus point in heat 14 despite Douglas holding off Ben Cook for the win. Douglas completed a good night’s work for himself in heat 15 as he defeated Bewley, but it was a night Ipswich will want to move on from swiftly.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat to Belle Vue.
“It was a tough night at the office, the first one of the year. Everything has gone so well so far so we certainly do not need to dwell on tonight. It was a very tough night, similar to recent visits to Belle Vue where we have just not been quick enough. We were missing a couple of riders and Dougy did a great job replacing Danny. Doyley was a massive loss and maybe he would have given us a shout for the bonus point but overall, I don’t think it made a massive difference to the result.
“If we knew what we need to do there, we would have put it right by now and we are constantly working on it as we will be on every visit there this year. We need to improve around here, and it will be something we will be working on.
“Dan was our star rider, and it was another superb performance carrying on his great run and to do it around Belle Vue shows a lot about him. His starting was brilliant, he is getting quicker and the more he keeps trapping like that and getting on the pace with the top boys like he was tonight, mixing it with the likes of Dan Bewley, it will only bring him on further.”
Thompson once again was terrific from reserve, scoring nine points and making excellent starts all night.
Ipswich suffer their first defeat of the season but stay top whilst Belle Vue move second collecting two league points and the aggregate bonus point.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Sheffield Tigers at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 25th April in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway
By Henry Chard
All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture with Belle Vue.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Manchester to face the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 22nd April in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.
BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz 8.58 © 2. Norick Blödorn 5.88 3. Jaimon Lidsey 7.86 4. Ben Cook 5.94 5. Dan Bewley 8.13 6. Connor Mountain 4.42 7. Connor Bailey (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon
IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 10.22 © 2. Jordan Jenkins 4.37 3. Adam Ellis 5.67 4. Ryan Douglas (G) 7.28 5. Charles Wright (G) 9.12 6. Keynan Rew 4.00 7. Dan Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: S. Perkin
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 4 | 9 |
| Oxford | 5 | 7 |
| Sheffield | 4 | 6 |
| Leicester | 5 | 6 |
| Belle Vue | 4 | 5 |
| Birmingham | 5 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 3 | 0 |
Tickets are available to purchase online in advance here and on the gate.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches are on the road on Monday night as they travel to face the Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
The Witches were in action on Thursday night at Foxhall as they went top of the table after beating Oxford and claimed the bonus point in the process on a wet night in Suffolk. Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has made a change to the riding order ahead of the trip north with Adam Ellis moving to number three and Danny King is missing from the side after a crash at the weekend. The skipper suffered bruising to his lower back and hopes to be back in action for Thursday’s home fixture against Sheffield with a few days of rest and physio. Ryan Douglas guests at number four.
Sadly, there is another late change to the Ipswich line-up with Charles Wright guesting for Jason Doyle. Doyle boarded his flight back to the UK on Monday but due to issues with the plane, all passengers were told to disembark. The Australian looked for alternative flights but could not find one to get back in time. That results in a ‘no facility guest’ which allows a rider up to 75% of Doyle’s average to take his place which at 6.20, Wright fits.
There is no getting away from the fact that it is a track that the Suffolk side have struggled at, losing all 10 of their fixtures raced at the National Speedway Stadium. However, the minimum Ipswich will be looking to take away from Manchester is the bonus point, having beaten the Aces 51-39 at Foxhall last month.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“After another solid win on Thursday we are looking forward to our trip to Belle Vue and a busy week next week with two meetings for us. When you are in the sort of form, we are in you want that, you want to carry on that run. Everything is going smoothly in the camp at the moment.
“The riding order has changed slightly for Monday with Adam moving to number three. I am just experimenting at this stage of the season. We are in a good position, and I think it is a good opportunity to look at something.
“We have not been great at Belle Vue in previous years, we have had good spells where we have been in meetings like in the first half before dropping off. We have been there as a side enough times now and we need to be learning our lessons and improving and with the form we are in, we couldn’t go into it in a better position. It is early in the season, and we have got points on the board so there is no massive pressure on us, but we want to go there and carry on the run. We have the bonus point to go for as well as the meeting, but the focus is on the meeting and the bonus point will take care of itself.”
Having won the title in 2022 and finished top of the table in 2023, Belle Vue will have been disappointed with how last season ended after they exited in the play-off semi-final to Ipswich. The Manchester club have been in the top four the last three seasons, but it has been a mixed start to 2024 with two wins and two defeats to their name so far, although just one of those fixtures has been on home shale.
There are just two changes to the Aces side in 2024 with Connor Mountain and Ben Cook replacing the outgoing Charles Wright and Tom Brennan last winter. Brady Kurtz captains the hosts with Grand Prix rider and British champion Dan Bewley at number five.
Ticket prices can be found here and official programmes cost £3.50. For more information about your visit to the National Speedway Stadium, head here.
For more information about the club head to Belle Vue’s official website.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway
By Rob Binns
Farnham Leisure Ltd – Catering to all of your caravan servicing, accessory fitting and repair requirements. They are a Bailey of Bristol main solus dealer for new Bailey touring caravans, while they also offer a vast selection of used caravans. They also have a camping and leisure shop which boasts a wonderful selection of products.
The Thursday Night Club
IPSWICH 45: Emil Sayfutdinov 9, Jordan Jenkins 0, Danny King © 7+1, Adam Ellis 7+3, Jason Doyle 9+2, Keynan Rew 8, Dan Thompson (RS) 5+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
OXFORD 39: Maciej Janowski 3+1, Scott Nicholls (G) 12, Charles Wright 10, Jacob Clouting NS, Chris Harris © 3+1, Erik Riss 7, Ashton Boughen (RS) 4. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck
REFEREE: W. Jarvis
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 4 | 9 |
| Oxford | 5 | 7 |
| Sheffield | 4 | 6 |
| Leicester | 5 | 6 |
| Belle Vue | 4 | 5 |
| Birmingham | 5 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 3 | 0 |
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches maintained their 100% winning start in 2024 with a 45-39 victory against the Oxford Spires on a rainy Thursday night at Foxhall Stadium in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Ipswich came into the fixture at full strength but there were a host of changes for the Spires. Firstly, Erik Riss was in at reserve for his first meeting as a Spire since he was brought in to replace Nicolai Klindt. This move pushed Lewis Kerr up to number two but he broke his ankle in a crash against the Witches last week so Scott Nicholls guested in his place and top-scored with 12. Rohan Tungate missed his flight from Poland and was due to be replaced by Jacob Clouting but he also failed to arrive on time resulting in Oxford having a non-starter at four.
The visitors took an early lead with a 2-4 in heat one which could have been worse for the Witches if not for a fantastic late overtake on Maciej Janowski from Emil Sayfutdinov. An incredibly tight heat two ended all square after a lengthy video review judged Riss beat Keynan Rew to the finish line by the narrowest of margins with Dan Thompson in third. Heat three was also shared despite the Spires having a non-starter as Charles Wright rode to victory. Thompson and Jason Doyle earned a share of the points in heat four which was won by Ashton Boughen to put his side into an 11-13 lead.
Ipswich took the lead in heat five courtesy of the first maximum of the meeting with Danny King taking the win closely followed by Adam Ellis. The Spires restored the advantage with a maximum of their own in heat six with Riss taking the chequered flag and Chris Harris in second. It was all square after heat seven as Doyle cruised to victory with Rew in third to earn a 4-2 taking full advantage of the Spires non-starter to make it 21-21.
Jordan Jenkins suffered a fall in heat eight which saw him excluded and the heat was awarded, resulting in a heat advantage for Oxford with Nicholls taking the chequered flag with Boughen in third and Thompson splitting them. King and Ellis scored another maximum in heat nine with the Witches skipper again taking the win. Sayfutdinov cruised to victory in heat 10 with reserve substitute Rew finishing in third for a 4-2 as the Witches again made the most of the non-starter. Heat 11 saw reserve substitute Thompson experience bike trouble which led to him pulling up on the second lap but Doyle wheelied over the line to take the victory and earn a share of the points taking the standings to 35-31 to Ipswich.
Riss went down on the third turn in heat 12 which saw King excluded as the cause of the stoppage. The re-run resulted in a heat advantage to the Spires with Wright taking the victory with Rew in second and Riss third. Sayfutdinov and Doyle hit a maximum in heat 13 as they so often do, the Witches number one taking the chequered flag ahead of his teammate on this occasion. Tactical substitute Nicholls took the victory to cancel out the non-starter in Heat 14 with Rew and Ellis earning a 3-3. With the unrelenting rain, both teams agreed that track conditions had deteriorated too significantly for Heat 15 to take place resulting in a 45-39 victory for the Witches on the night and a 93-81 aggregate victory to earn the bonus point.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s victory against Oxford.
“Really tough night for us with the conditions and against a very strong Oxford side but I’m very proud of the boys for how they battled and coped with everything. There was no complaining about the conditions, it was head down and we did what we needed to do. Oxford were very good, certainly missing Rohan [Tungate] weakened them but we needed to take advantage and we did.
“It was a beautiful day but we felt the weather may turn. When we got here we were looking at different forecasts and we thought the rain was coming from 9 but it a bit came earlier. It’s a bit of a leveller when it rains but we coped with it well and when we got into the better gates one and three we took advantage of that.
“I think it shows a lot of the mental strength that this team has already and the confidence it has coming from last season and into this year with a great start to the season. I’m very happy with the boys!
“It’s been a perfect start to the season, I’m absolutely delighted. It’s gone as well as I could ever hoped, all going to plan so far. We just need to concentrate on keeping it up for the next six months.”
Farnham Leisure chose Ellis as their man of the meeting.
The Thursday Night Club went for Sayfutdinov.
Ipswich move up to nine points courtesy of maximum points from their four meetings and their first bonus point of the year. They overtake Oxford to go top of the table.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 22nd April to face the Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.
By Henry Chard
All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture with Oxford.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Oxford Spires at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 18th April in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.
Farnham Leisure Ltd – Catering to all of your caravan servicing, accessory fitting and repair requirements. They are a Bailey of Bristol main solus dealer for new Bailey touring caravans, while they also offer a vast selection of used caravans. They also have a camping and leisure shop which boasts a wonderful selection of products.
The Thursday Night Club
IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 10.22 2. Jordan Jenkins 4.37 3. Danny King 7.28 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.67 5. Jason Doyle 9.12 6. Keynan Rew 4.00 7. Dan Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
OXFORD: 1. Maciej Janowski 8.00 2. Scott Nicholls (G) 5.32 3. Charles Wright 6.20 4. Rohan Tungate 6.63 5. Chris Harris 6.89 © 6. Erik Riss 4.84 7. Ashton Boughen (RS). Team Manager: Peter Schroeck
REFEREE: W. Jarvis
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Oxford | 4 | 7 |
| Ipswich | 3 | 6 |
| Belle Vue | 3 | 4 |
| Leicester | 4 | 4 |
| Sheffield | 3 | 4 |
| Birmingham | 5 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 2 | 0 |
Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £23 for adults and £21 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 Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches return to action at Foxhall on Thursday as they host the Oxford Spires in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
The two sides met at the Oxford Stadium last Thursday with both sides going into that fixture unbeaten, but it was the Witches who emerged victorious on the road to inflict a first defeat of the season on the Spires. That win continued Ipswich’s perfect start to 2024 with four wins from four so far.
The home team are at full strength for Thursday’s test against Oxford as they look to maintain their 100% record this season and a win would see them claim their first bonus point of the year after last week’s 48-42 away win against the Spires.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“It is great to be back at Foxhall after the disappointing rain-off a couple of weeks ago, we are all looking forward to our Mondays and Thursdays together after the start to the season we’ve had, and we are looking forward to this one.
“The start to the season has been as good as we could have hoped for, and I think a lot of that is down to the continuity we have got in the side from last season. The guys we have brought in know the club well. We had a great run at the end of last season, and we have carried on from there at the start of this season.
“I’m sure everyone is excited to welcome Oxford back; it has been a long time since we have seen them race at Ipswich and the bring a very solid side full of riders that know Foxhall well again. I think it is going to be a really tough test. Last Thursday at Oxford was really tight throughout and I’m sure it will be the same on Thursday and they will be coming to turn us over like we did at their place, and they are capable of doing that.”
Oxford have enjoyed a positive comeback to the top-flight, a league they have not raced in since 2007. The club currently sit top of the early table with three wins from four outings and have already tasted success on the road with a win at Birmingham earlier this month.
The visitors are without Lewis Kerr on Thursday after he broke his ankle in a crash last week against Ipswich with Scott Nicholls guesting in his absence. The Spires have also made an early team change bringing in former Ipswich rider Erik Riss to replace Nicolai Klindt in a move that will certainly raise some eyebrows.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway
John Louis’ funeral will take place at the below address on Saturday 4th May at 10.30am. Family flowers only. Donations can be made to St Elizabeth Hospice here.
Seven Hills Crematorium
Felixstowe Road
Ipswich
IP10 0FG
By Henry Chard
OXFORD 42: Maciej Janowski 7, Charles Wright 7+1, Nicolai Klindt 3+1, Rohan Tungate 11+1, Chris Harris © 8, Lewis Kerr 6 (Withdrawn), Ashton Boughen (RS) 0. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck
IPSWICH 48: Emil Sayfutdinov 11+2, Jordan Jenkins 5, Danny King © 6+1, Adam Ellis 5, Jason Doyle 13+1, Keynan Rew 1+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 7. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins
REFEREE: C. Turnbull
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Oxford | 4 | 7 |
| Ipswich | 3 | 6 |
| Belle Vue | 3 | 4 |
| Sheffield | 3 | 4 |
| Leicester | 3 | 2 |
| Birmingham | 4 | 1 |
| King’s Lynn | 2 | 0 |
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches maintained their 100% record in 2024 with an excellent away win against league leaders Oxford Spires on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Both teams came into the fixture yet to taste defeat this season and at full strength, but it was the visitors who held a narrow advantage throughout the tie before sealing the points in the final race. Jason Doyle top scored with 13+1 on an entertaining night’s action in front of a good crowd.
The Suffolk side went ahead in heat one as Emil Sayfutdinov held off a charge from Maciej Janowski to win and Jordan Jenkins picked up a point for a 2-4. It was a 3-3 in heat two before Rohan Tungate did well to keep Adam Ellis behind him to take victory in heat three in another shared race. Doyle won heat four as Chris Harris worked hard to split the Witches pair which resulted in another heat advantage to Ipswich, putting them 10-14 up.
Tungate was a winner again in a shared heat five, getting the better of Jenkins to cross the line first. Doyle and Keynan Rew gated on a maximum in heat six but Janowski and Charles Wright both passed the Witches reserve for the 3-3. Lewis Kerr won heat seven and Danny King rode excellently to prevent a 5-1 to the hosts as he battled past Harris for second. Dan Thompson produced a determined ride to win heat eight ahead of Wright as Jenkins finished third for a heat advantage to make it 22-26 to the away team.
Doyle coasted to victory in a shared heat nine and in heat 10 the hosts clawed two points back as Janowski overtook Ellis for the win and Wright came home in third. Heat 11 was stopped as Kerr hit the fence whilst at the back and the Oxford reserve was withdrawn from the meeting with an injury. Sayfutdinov got the better of Harris to win the re-run as Ipswich recorded a 2-4. King provided another entertaining move in heat 12 as he raced past Nicolai Klindt for three points with partner Thompson amongst the points again for the heat advantage, giving the Witches a 33-39 lead.
Harris rounded Sayfutdinov in style to win heat 13 but with Doyle doing the same to Janowski at the back it was a 3-3. Wright, in for the injured Kerr, won heat 14 as partner Tungate passed both Witches in one move to get Oxford a 5-1 that took the meeting to a last-heat decider. However, as they so often did in 2023, Doyle and Sayfutdinov proved too strong in heat 15 as they raced to a maximum that secured the points and kept up the perfect record this campaign.
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win against Oxford.
“It was another great performance and we carried on from where we left off at Leicester, it was a very similar performance, and we were solid throughout. Everyone contributed and I’m really happy to get an away win on the board early which eases a little bit of pressure on the season as a whole.
“We didn’t run many last places which makes you solid, we had a solid middle order led by an amazing top two. Dan is flying as a Rising Star, and it is great to see.
“Doyley and Adam had a meeting here last year, but the conditions were a lot different in that one because I think there was heavy rain, but they adapted pretty quickly. Adam, I felt looked a lot better than his points. When you have got a number seven that is going well you can give him extra rides, but I felt at this stage of the season and with it being a league match we have a lot of fixtures to go, and we need to keep the boys on track.
“I certainly feel like Keynan and Jordan were not riding bad enough to warrant losing a ride. Dan was riding exceptionally well but it was really nice to see Jordan step up another level after Leicester and he is improving every week. For him, five points from number two is a great return.
“It has been an amazing start to the season, as good as we could have hoped for. We are already gelled from last season but there is more to come I think from most of the side. Other teams will improve as well and there are a lot of solid, good-looking teams about and I’m sure the season will be full of twists and turns.
“It was another good crowd; every time I have been here it has been a great crowd and a good atmosphere. There was a warm welcome and it was lovely to see a bit about John Louis in the programme and on the front cover, that was a really nice touch, so respect for that. I really enjoyed my trip and thanks to all the travelling fans for coming and I hope we have sent you home happy.”
Rising Star Thompson continued his terrific start to the season with seven points from reserve, but Doyle was too good for the Spires, dropping just one point to an opponent all night.
Ipswich collect two points and stay second with maximum points from their opening three meetings. Oxford remain top but suffer their first defeat of the season.
The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Oxford Spires at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 18th April in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway
Our Knockout Cup quarter-final second leg against Leicester will now be on May 30 at Foxhall Stadium.
Our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture at home to the Lions will now be on June 20.
By Peter Thorpe
The first time I came across the name John Louis was back in October 1962. I was reading the results of a Scramble meeting at Ayres Farm, Littleport, Cambs. The report read ‘A 21-year-old junior rider on a 250cc D.O.T. surprised a strong field of senior riders by taking second place overall in a three-race event. That junior was John Louis, and he continued to surprise in the world of scrambling over the next few years and picked up a few titles along the way.
The introduction of John Louis to Speedway is well documented elsewhere, his rapid rise to fame and his on-track achievements, both here and abroad only goes to endorse the thoughts of many. We were witnessing a rare talent, a racer joining the ranks of the very best in the sport in a remarkably short period of time.
John stayed loyal to Ipswich when he could have had the pick of almost any team in the country when his home club moved into the top division. That decision to stay with Ipswich helped the fairy-tale story of the Ipswich Speedway revival to continue. He had been breaking track records in the second division and now he was doing it in the first. An army of support had built for John and the team, it was a promoters delight to have Ipswich with John Louis, visit for league matches.
Off track John always had time for the fans wherever they were from, and that continued into his promoting days where he was just as popular as in his racing time.
Speedway supporters owe a debt of gratitude to JL for his ability to keep speedway running at Foxhall at times when it could easily have been lost.
The word legend gets handed out too easily but, the name John Louis sits very comfortably alongside Ivan Mauger, Ove Fundin, Hans Nielsen, Barry Briggs, Peter Collins. For John Charles Louis is a true speedway LEGEND never to be forgotten.