Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: KING’S LYNN 41-49 IPSWICH – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

KING’S LYNN 41: Lewis Kerr (G) 1, Benjamin Basso R/R, Jan Kvěch 9+1, Niels Kristian Iversen © 15+1, Zach Cook (G) 5, Patryk Wojdylo 6+2, Anders Rowe (RS) 5+1. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH 49: Jason Doyle R/R, Adam Ellis 7+1, Emil Sayfutdinov 13+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 3+1, Danny King © 12, Keynan Rew 13+1, Jordan Jenkins 1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1731
Sheffield1627
Belle Vue1724
Oxford1920
Leicester1519
King’s Lynn*139
Birmingham156
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches got back to winning ways in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership with a win at King’s Lynn on Thursday night in the East Anglian derby.

The hosts came into the fixture without the injured duo of Benjamin Basso and Nicolai Klindt with rider replacement being used for Basso and Zach Cook in as a guest for Klindt. Lewis Kerr was also a guest for the home team in place of Tobiasz Musielak who has left the club. The Witches had rider replacement for the injured Doyle but were otherwise at full strength. The away side went in front early on, but it was all level again after nine heats of racing. However, Ipswich found another gear to power themselves to the win. Emil Sayfutdinov and Keynan Rew top scored with 13+1

The visitors kicked things off with a maximum in heat one courtesy of Danny King and Adam Ellis, but it was all square again after heat two. Sayfutdinov won heat three as the away side went back in front with a heat advantage and they added another 2-4 in heat four as King won again, putting the Suffolk side 10-14 up.

The Stars registered a 4-2 of their own in heat five before King continued his winning streak in heat six and he was joined by Rew for a 1-5. Sayfutdinov took victory in a shared heat seven as the Norfolk outfit registered another 4-2 in heat eight to narrow the score to 22-26.

It was all level after heat nine as King’s Lynn raced to a 5-1 but the away side hit back in heat 10 with a maximum of their own thanks to Sayfutdinov and Dan Thompson. Rew won heat 11 as Ipswich recorded a 2-4 to extend their lead. The Witches edged closer to victory in heat 12 thanks to a 1-5 from Rew and Sayfutidnov which put them 31-41 in front.

The home team kept themselves in with a shout with a 4-2 in heat 13 as tactical substitute Niels Kristian Iversen won but it was game, set and match after heat 14 as Rew won a shared heat 14. King came out to win heat 15 in a 3-3 as Ipswich celebrated yet another win against their local rivals.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win at King’s Lynn.

“Away wins are always great, and it is another one here. I felt it was a meeting we should win but it was one we could certainly slip up in and not. I think it was vital for our league position, keeping a cushion at the top and I felt the boys battled really hard and I am really happy with all of them.

“Emil was class again and Danny started the meeting on fire, and he flies around this place so I kind of expected that from him. After a couple of tough rides, it was great to see him win heat 15 and finish with another win. Keynan took a couple of rides to get his head up because he has not done well here in the past but by his last two rides he was as quick as anyone here and was flying. That was great to see but all six of them contributed so much, Adam produced such vital passing manoeuvres at crucial times getting that extra point and the points Dan and Jordan scored in 4-2s were vital at the time. The whole team contributed when it really mattered, and it was great to see.

“Regarding heat 15, Emil is busy and does it often when we need him and that is the same with Jason, if we can rest them and protect them, that is just looking after your riders a little bit. He had done five heats and that is fine. Keynan had two amazing wins and did six heats so why keep putting him out, Dan is carrying an injury although it didn’t affect him too much at all, it is just about looking after the riders. We need to keep Jordan on track, and he was all over the back of them in heat 15 off gate four which was terrible. It was great to see him ride like that and is hopefully a confidence boost for him. I felt Danny was still capable of winning the race and he showed that to end on a good note, everyone is ending on good races and is happy, so it is just about working as a team.

“We shuffled the riding order with R/R at one and it was similar to when we changed it at Leicester earlier this year and it worked really well. It fits R/R better and it all went as I expected and planned.

“We can’t relax next Thursday and need to make sure we take all three points. That is our biggest danger, King’s Lynn will come with nothing to lose, and they will give everything. I’m sure they are fed up of getting beaten by us every time we meet and will want to change that.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Hard to separate Sayfutdinov and Rew who both notched 13+1 and produced race wins at vital times.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich pick up two points and stay top of the table whilst King’s Lynn stay second bottom with their outside hopes for the play-offs taking a blow.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 1st August in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

AUGUST FIXTURE UPDATES

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Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group‘ Witches supporters should note that there have been some fixture amendments in August. Our fixtures in August are now as follows:

1st King’s Lynn (H)

8th Sheffield (A)

15th Leicester (H)

19th Sheffield (H)

22nd Belle Vue (H)

26th Birmingham (A)

29th Birmingham (H)

RACEDAY PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture with King’s Lynn.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to King’s Lynn to face the Stars at the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday 25th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

KING’S LYNN: 1. Lewis Kerr (G) 6.16 2. R/R for Benjamin Basso 6.73 3. Jan Kvěch 6.00 4. Niels Kristian Iversen 6.27 © 5. Zach Cook (G) 6.59 6. Patryk Wojdylo 5.44 7. Anders Rowe (RS). Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH: 1. R/R for Jason Doyle 9.36 2. Adam Ellis 6.07 3. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.15 4. Dan Thompson 4.84 (RS) 5. Danny King 7.72 © 6. Keynan Rew 4.52 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1629
Sheffield1524
Belle Vue1624
Oxford1820
Leicester1416
King’s Lynn*129
Birmingham156
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

Tickets are available to purchase on the gate.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches are back on the road again on Thursday as they face East Anglian rivals the King’s Lynn Stars in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

Table-topping Ipswich are looking to bounce back from a rare defeat last time out at Leicester where they were beaten 53-37 by the Lions. The Witches are five points clear at the top and with just eight league meetings remaining are keen to secure top spot ahead of the play-offs.

Rider replacement is in operation at number one for the injured Jason Doyle and team manager Ritchie Hawkins has shuffled the riding order for this fixture. Adam Ellis moves to number two with Emil Sayfutdinov switching to number three. Rising Star Dan Thompson returns from injury at number four with captain Danny King at number five.

Ipswich have won on their last five visits to the Adrian Flux Arena, including a super heat victory earlier in the season.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“We travel to King’s Lynn looking to bounce back from last week. It’s a place we go to full of confidence and we always go there looking to win. They have got their injury troubles as we have but we certainly go there focused on getting the win and keeping ourselves in a strong position at the top of the table.

“I’ve mixed the riding order up a bit with using R/R for Jason, I feel it balances it out better to attack the King’s Lynn team. Danny is very good at King’s Lynn and so is Adam, so we have three strong heat leaders there. If the other boys can chip in with a few as well then, we are going to be very strong on the night.

“We are unsure of who will be in the King’s Lynn team but like every week we focus on ourselves. I’m sure they will come up with the best they can do but with everybody riding bar Birmingham it is a tough situation to have with Birmingham having their own injury problems. So, there is not a massive rider pool to get guests from but I’m sure they will do everything they can to put out a strong team because they certainly won’t want to lose to us again.”

THE STARS

King’s Lynn need a major turnaround in the second half of the season if they are to make the play-offs as they currently sit sixth in the table. The Stars have been beaten twice in five home meetings this season and have just one away win to their name so far.

The hosts have been hit by two injuries ahead of this fixture with Nicolai Klindt and Benjamin Basso on the sidelines. Rider replacement will be in operation at two for Basso whilst Zach Cook guests for Klindt. Lewis Kerr guests at number one in place of Tobiasz Musielak who left the club earlier this month.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £23, concessions (disabled, 65 and over, students) £21, children (12-15 accompanied by adult) £5 and children under 12 go free. Official programmes cost £3.50. Facilities include free floodlit parking, seated grandstand, covered standing grandstand, restaurant, fully stocked bar and function room, four licenced bar outlets, merchandise stands, toilets and a first aid room. For travel information head here.

For more information about the club head to King’s Lynn’s official website.

RACEDAY REPORT: LEICESTER 53–37 IPSWICH – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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Image courtesy of Steve Dixon

By Rob Binns

THE SCORES

LEICESTER 53: Max Fricke © 15+1, Richard Lawson 10+1, Sam Masters 7+2, Luke Becker 12+1, Ryan Douglas R/R, Craig Cook 6+1, Sam Hagon (RS) 3, Max James DNR. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

IPSWICH 37: Scott Nicholls (G) 3, Dan Thompson (RS) R/R, Danny King © 4, Adam Ellis 3, Emil Sayfutdinov 15, Keynan Rew 9+2, Jordan Jenkins 3+1, Freddy Hodder DNR. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: M. Wear

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1629
Sheffield1422
Belle Vue1521
Oxford1720
Leicester1416
King’s Lynn*129
Birmingham146
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches suffered their fourth defeat of the season in a tough meeting against the Leicester Lions at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Thursday.

Both sides were forced into using rider replacement due to riders failing late fitness checks. Ipswich were without Dan Thompson for whom this meeting came too soon following his dislocated shoulder at the Speedway of Nations 2. Scott Nicholls guested at number one for the Witches again in the continued absence of Jason Doyle. Ryan Douglas suffered a hand injury in a crash on Tuesday, keeping him out of the meeting for Leicester. After a tight opening, the hosts pulled clear to record a 16-point victory as Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 15.

Lions captain Max Fricke won heat one in a heat advantage for the home side with Keynan Rew splitting the two home riders. Heat two saw Jordan Jenkins initially given a warning for movement at the start before being excluded upon video review forcing him to go off 15m. The Witches reserve came incredibly close to getting round Craig Cook for a point, but the re-run ended in another 4-2 to the hosts. Ipswich skipper Danny King took a fall in the first corner of heat three but managed to remount and finish as Adam Ellis took the chequered flag for a share of the points. Sayfutdinov cruised to victory in heat four with Jenkins in third to take the score to 13-11 to the Lions.

Luke Becker flew to the heat win in heat five with Nicholls rounding Sam Masters on the third bend to limit the damage to a heat advantage. Heat six saw Richard Lawson take the victory with Fricke holding off Sayfutdinov to earn a maximum. The hosts followed that up with another 5-1 with Cook getting ahead of King and successfully keeping him at bay which opened the door for Masters to also pass the Ipswich captain. Lawson and Rew had a fierce battle in heat eight, alternating passes on each bend in the first two laps but the Leicester number two took the win in a shared heat to make it 30-18 to the hosts.

Sayfutdinov won heat nine with Rew gating in fourth before superbly passing both Lions riders on the inside of the second bend to earn the only Witches maximum of the meeting. The hosts hit straight back in heat 10 with Fricke and Lawson earning a 5-1. Sayfutdinov came in as a tactical substitute in heat 11 to take the chequered flag with Nicholls in third for a 2-4. Masters won a shared heat 12 which took the scores to 41-31.

An all-action heat 13 resulted in Fricke taking the victory with Lawson in third for a heat advantage which confirmed defeat for the Witches. The Lions hit a maximum in heat 14 courtesy of Becker and Cook. A shared heat 15 was won by Sayfutdinov to close a disappointing night for the Witches.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Image courtesy of Phil McGlynn

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s defeat at Leicester.

“Tough night at the office for the boys. We fought really hard and worked our nuts off all night again. I certainly can’t criticise any of them for their effort. We weren’t miles off, certainly not as far off as the scoreline suggests but the fine margins all added up. It wasn’t the result we asked for, but we’ll regroup and come again next week.

“Emil and Keynan were definitely our highlights. Some great racing from Emil again, obviously a track we know he’s really good on and Keynan continuing his improvement and form from Speedway of Nations 2. So that’s a positive and I’m sure if we end up going back there later in the year, we’ll be back on form like we have been in the past.

“Leicester are a really good team and they’re starting to come into a bit of form at home but so are we. We’ve certainly done very well at Foxhall this year and hit some big scores. We’ll go into the second leg with a focus on winning the meeting first, but the bonus point is still in our reach. Moving onto King’s Lynn next week, we’ve not lost that for a long time, and we all know the meaning of it. We’ll definitely go there looking to attack them, they’ve got their injuries as well as ours. We’ll be fully determined to walk away from there with another victory under our belts.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Sayfutdinov continued his fantastic run of recent form with a 15-point haul despite the result.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich remain on 29 points with the lead at the top of the table being cut to seven points following Sheffield’s win against King’s Lynn. Meanwhile, Leicester move up to 16 points to maintain their four-point gap behind Oxford in the race for the playoffs.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Norfolk to face the King’s Lynn Stars on Thursday 25th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: LEICESTER – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture with Leicester.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Leicester to face the Lions at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena on Thursday 18th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke 8.31 © 2. Richard Lawson 6.53 3. Sam Masters 6.47 4. Luke Becker 5.93 5. R/R for Ryan Douglas 7.66 6. Craig Cook 4.88 7. Sam Hagon (RS) 8. Max James. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. R/R for Dan Thompson 4.84 (RS) 3. Danny King 7.72 © 4. Adam Ellis 6.07 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.15 6. Keynan Rew 4.52 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66 8. Freddy Hodder. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: M. Wear

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1618
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham146
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

Tickets are available to purchase online in advance here and on the gate.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches resume their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership campaign on Thursday night at Leicester.

The league programme halted last week for the Speedway of Nations and on Monday, the Witches’ home fixture against Belle Vue was postponed due to the bad weather forecast, meaning a two-week break from racing.

Ipswich have Scott Nicholls in as a guest again at number one for the injured Jason Doyle. It was hoped that Dan Thompson had a chance of taking his place in the side despite dislocating his shoulder less than a week ago at the Speedway of Nations 2 but it has come too soon for the Rising Star and rider replacement will be in operation at number two. Freddy Hodder will be at number eight.

The Suffolk side have had the better of Leicester so far this season with four wins from four against the Lions including two away victories and will be aiming to carry on that run on Thursday.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“We are very much looking forward to getting back together as a team after our little break. The initial thoughts on Dan’s injury are that it is not too severe, and the dislocated shoulder went straight back in, and he is not in too much discomfort. We are hopeful of a quick return; Thursday has proved too soon and after visiting the GB Speedway Team physio, he plans to rest and recover this week with an aim to be back next week at King’s Lynn.

“We have had great success at Leicester in the last couple of years, some of them have been down to the superb performances of Dan. To miss him is a blow but the form the rest of boys have been in will give us a chance anywhere. We go there with great confidence with so many recent victories there.

“Scott will carry on at number one, when he is available, he will be in the team, we have made no secret of that, and Leicester is a place I know he will go well around. He will carry on in the role until we can find a replacement for Jason but that is looking a long way off at the moment.”

THE LIONS

Leicester sit fifth in the table just outside the play-off places after what could be described as an underwhelming season so far. The Lions have lost twice at home in the league and have picked up just one win on their travels and although the top four is still well within their reach, they cannot afford anymore slip ups at home.

The hosts are without the injured Ryan Douglas with rider replacement being used at number five. Stewart Dickson has changed both reserves this season with Craig Cook and Sam Hagon replacing Drew Kemp and Joe Thompson. Max James will be at number eight.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £22, concessions £20, children (6-17) £1 and children aged 5 and under go free. There will be 235 free car park spaces available at the stadium with further free car parking facilities on the Beaumont Shopping Complex (maximum time of 4 hours). Three Coach/Mini Bus spaces, 15 Disabled spaces available, 15 Motorcycle spaces, Taxi drop-off point. For travel information head here.

For more information about the club head to Leicester’s official website.

SUPPORTERS COACH FOR KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL

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Ipswich Speedway Supporters’ Club have confirmed that there will be a coach for supporters looking to travel to the first leg of the Knockout Cup on Monday 2nd September.

The Witches will face Sheffield with the price being £30.00 for ISSC members and £35.00 for non-members, £25.00 for Junior Witch members and £30.00 for non-members. The coach will leave at 2pm.

Bookings can be made via the Facebook page or at the stadium on meeting nights and payments are to be made on meeting nights.

IPSWICH V BELLE VUE – POSTPONED

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches’ ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture against Belle Vue on Monday 15th July has been postponed.

With heavy rain forecast all afternoon and evening, a decision was taken at 7.00am on Monday.

A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: BELLE VUE – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture with Belle Vue.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 15th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Chris Harris (G) 9.36 2. R/R for Dan Thompson 4.84 (RS) 3. Danny King 7.72 © 4. Adam Ellis 6.07 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.15 6. Keynan Rew 4.52 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz 8.87 © 2. Norick Blödorn 5.20 3. Jaimon Lidsey 7.58 4. Ben Cook 6.57 5. Dan Bewley 8.13 6. Antti Vuolas (G) 4.57 7. Connor Bailey (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1618
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham146
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

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 STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches return to ROWE Motor Oil Premiership action on Monday evening at Foxhall as they entertain the Belle Vue Aces.

The league programme paused for the Speedway of Nations with the Witches going into the break eight points clear at the top of the table after a win away at Oxford last time out. Just nine league meetings remain before the play-offs in the second half of the season with Ritchie Hawkins’ side focused on finishing top of the pile.

Chris Harris guests for the injured Jason Doyle at number one whilst rider replacement will be in operation for Dan Thompson who dislocated his shoulder at the Speedway of Nations 2. It will be a tough ask for Ipswich to collect the bonus point having been defeated 26-58 at the National Speedway Stadium earlier this month but two points would see them strengthen their grip on first place in the table.

FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…

“We are all looking forward to getting back together after 10 days off, I think it came at a good time for some of the boys. They needed a little bit of rest, and it was great to see a few of our riders in the Speedway of Nations 2 representing their countries. It shows what great futures they have but we are looking forward to some team action on Monday.

“Chris comes in as a guest, we know all about Bomber, he has put in some brilliant guest performances for us, not just this season but the last few times he has guested. He always fits in and goes very well at Foxhall, so it is always great to have him as part of the side and he is more than capable of doing a good job at number one.

“Dan dislocated his shoulder riding at the Speedway of Nations 2, so we will be rider replacement for him, it is too early to know anything else.

“The main job is to get the win on the night and two points, that will keep us in a strong position at the top of the table. The bonus point is clearly a long way off and not that vital to our cause but our recent performances at home have been strong and dominant, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we could challenge for the extra point, but it is not the priority.”

THE ACES

Belle Vue sit second in the table and will be looking to close the gap on leaders Ipswich with a three-point haul at Foxhall. However, their away record in 2024 will need to improve if that is to happen, with just one win from six on the road so far this season. Having beaten the Witches heavily in Manchester, the bonus point will be the minimum requirement for Mark Lemon’s outfit.

The visitors are led by captain Brady Kurtz and British champion and Grand Prix rider Dan Bewley. Norick Blödorn is at number two, and he has been a popular guest for the Witches this season. Antti Vuolas guests at number six after Tate Zischke’s season was ended by injury.

RACEDAY REPORT: OXFORD 45-45 IPSWICH (IPSWICH WIN SUPER HEAT) – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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Image courtesy of Les Aubrey

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

OXFORD 45: Rohan Tungate 8+1, Drew Kemp 1, Maciej Janowski 5+3, Charles Wright 9+1, Chris Harris © 6, Erik Riss 10+2, Ashton Boughen (RS) 6. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH 45: Scott Nicholls (G) 8+2, Dan Thompson (RS) 1, Danny King © 6, Adam Ellis 3, Emil Sayfutdinov 18 (Maximum), Keynan Rew 5+1, Jordan Jenkins 4+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

SUPER HEAT: Sayfutdinov, Nicholls, Janowski, Harris

REFEREE: C. Turnbull

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1516
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham136
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches raced to a dramatic super heat victory over the Oxford Spires on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors had Scott Nicholls guesting for the injured Jason Doyle with the Spires at full strength. This fixture was a restaging of the abandoned clash last month where rain stopped play with the Witches 10 points in front after six races and the Suffolk side started well again, edging in front after the early exchanges. However, Oxford turned things around to lead by eight points after 10 races but three maximums in a row from the away side put them back in front only for a heat 14 5-1 from the Spires to level things again. A controversial heat 15 ended in a 3-3 but Ipswich raced to victory in the super heat as they also picked up the aggregate bonus point having beaten Oxford 53-37 at Foxhall. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with a faultless 18-point maximum.

Nicholls won heat one as Rohan Tungate managed to prevent a Witches maximum as he passed Dan Thompson for second resulting in a 2-4 to the away side and the points were shared in heat two. Danny King held off Charles Wright to win heat three in a 3-3 and Sayfutdinov took victory in heat four, but the away team were forced to settle for a 2-4 again as Chris Harris relegated Jordan Jenkins to third on the last turn, making it 10-14.

Oxford levelled with a 5-1 in heat five despite the best efforts of Nicholls. The Witches edged back in front in heat six as Sayfutdinov was the winner again and Keynan Rew picked up a point for the heat advantage. However, the Spires then went in front in heat seven as Harris and Erik Riss couldn’t be caught. Jordan Jenkins managed to split the home pairing in heat eight but a 4-2 to the hosts gave them a 26-22 lead.

Sayfutdinov bided his time before overtaking Wright to win a shared heat nine. The home team extended their lead in heat 10 to eight points with a 5-1 and Ritchie Hawkins put Sayfutdinov in as a tactical substitute for heat 11. The decision worked out to perfection as Sayfutdinov raced to victory and was followed home by Nicholls for the maximum. The scores were level after heat 12 as King and Rew teamed up for another 1-5 making it 36-36.

Remarkably a third maximum in a row followed in heat 13 as Sayfutdinov and Nicholls came up trumps again to give Ipswich the lead. Heat 14 was stopped with Adam Ellis at the front and Rew in third in a match-winning position, but Rew hit the deck and was excluded. Oxford punished Ipswich in the re-run hitting a 5-1 to level things again going into the last-heat decider. The drama kept on coming as heat 15 was stopped with Nicholls and Tungate clashing. To the shock of most people at the stadium, the referee judged that Nicholls was the cause of the stoppage and excluded the Ipswich guest. However, Sayfutdinov kept his cool to win the re-run and take it to a super heat. Sayfutdinov and Nicholls did the business in the super heat recording a 7-2 to give the travelling side a fantastic victory on the road that strengthened their position at the top of the table.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win at Oxford.

“I am delighted to take three points out of the meeting, we really battled hard for it. I felt we deserved it in the end after being so far up in the original staging and then heat 14 when Keynan crashed, and Adam was leading and then they got a 5-1 in the re-run. Then there was heat 15 where no one felt Scott should have been excluded. After that, to still come through it, I am delighted with the boys, they fought so hard and thoroughly deserve the three points. As a team they deserve to be top of the table for what they have shown the last few months.

“There was very close, tough racing tonight and there was some great racing, I thought it was a real battle between two good teams. It went wrong in heat 15 but Scotty was in front so how he was the one who got excluded, I can’t work that one out.

“Emil was simply sublime, he was so quick, He made a few changes throughout the meeting, and he was so quick, and he was the only guy to win from gate four, I’m pretty sure of that. Whatever gate he had he put in one hell of a performance, and he was a joy to watch for everyone at the stadium, you can’t help but love watching him ride like that.

“It is nice to be top of the table, but we all know it comes down to the play-offs. We don’t want to let our form drop now and it was a massive result off the back of Monday. I think that is great for us to go into the little break for the Speedway of Nations off the back of that performance, it was really important. We are in a very strong position at the top of the league, and we want to finish there but we are well aware it will then start from scratch again.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

No need to think about this one, Sayfutdinov was unbeatable, picking up six wins from six and taking the chequered flag in the super heat.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich pick up three points and go eight points clear at the top of the table. Oxford collect a point and stay fourth.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 15th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.