Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Press Officer at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY GUIDE | KING’S LYNN (A)

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to King’s Lynn to face the Stars at the Adrian Flux Arena on Monday 14th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

LINE-UPS

KING’S LYNN: 1. Niels-Kristian Iversen 6.74 2. Richard Lawson 6.25 3. Chris Harris 6.69 4. Ben Cook 6.04 5. Jan Kvěch 6.49 6. Nicolai Klindt © 6.02 7. Jody Scott (G) (RS). Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 9.07 2. Danny King © 6.65 3. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.87 4. Adam Ellis 5.57 5. Tom Brennan 7.09 6. Dan Thompson 5.09 7. Jason Edwards (G) (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1528
Sheffield1324
Belle Vue1524
Leicester1421
King’s Lynn1512
Oxford158
Birmingham156

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are available to purchase on the gate.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches cross the border on Monday to take on the King’s Lynn Stars in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

Ipswich extended their lead at the top of the table on Thursday with a big win over top four rivals Belle Vue at Foxhall. The visitors remain without Jordan Jenkins who has suffered a knee injury. The Rising Star rider has received the results of his scan and is now awaiting on a timescale for recovery from the experts. Jason Edwards steps in again at number seven after guesting in last week’s win at Oxford.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has made a change to the riding order with Emil Sayfutdinov moving to number three. Tom Brennan rides at number five with Adam Ellis at number four for the trip to Norfolk.

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“It’s our last visit to Lynn this season, it is not massively vital in terms of our league position, but we have got the local rivalry, and we want to get on top of them ahead of next Thursday night, which is a massive meeting at home in the cup. We have not travelled there with the best of circumstances with the team with injuries and what not, but we are getting back to full fitness. We are not there yet but we are in great form.

“Jordan has had his scan results, so we are waiting on the opinion from the experts on that really and what the recovery time will be and then we will know what we are doing with him. We hope he is back sooner rather than later. Jason is coming back in on Monday, and I’m delighted to have him. He was brilliant at Oxford, and he fits in well with our side and is capable of scoring good points.”

KING’S LYNN STARS

As the weeks tick by, the Stars’ play-off hopes look increasingly slim with the club sitting fifth, nine points off fourth-placed Leicester who have a meeting in hand. King’s Lynn have just nine fixtures remaining to turn things around starting against Ipswich. The hosts can take confidence from having beaten the Witches twice at home already this season 48-42 and 51-39.

There’s a new riding order for the hosts since they last faced Ipswich with Niels-Kristian Iversen now at number one. Captain Nicolai Klindt drops to reserve with Grand Prix rider Jan Kvěch now back in the main body of the team at number five.

LAST TIME OUT AT THE ADRIAN FLUX ARENA

The Witches last travelled to Norfolk just a month ago in the league. The visitors welcomed back Jason Doyle to the side after his hip injury with Connor Mountain guesting for the injured Dan Thompson at reserve. The Stars were using rider replacement for Ben Cook with Jody Scott coming in for Ashton Boughen. The two teams traded heat advantages in the opening eight races with the Suffolk side four up. However, Ipswich lost Doyle who withdrew ahead of heat nine after aggravating his injury and King’s Lynn took advantage to race to victory in the closing stages with Ipswich picking up the aggregate bonus point. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 9+1.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £24, concessions (disabled, 66 and over, students) £22, 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 headhere.

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

RACEDAY REPORT | IPSWICH 56–34 BELLE VUE

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By Rob Binns

MEETING SPONSORS

Tru7 Group – Tru7 Group is a diversified supplier to the construction, demolition and agriculture industries. Their premium fleet has state-of-the-art safety technology, and they make sure you have the right vehicle or operator for the job, saving time, fuel and emissions. With service and sustainability core to their business, their fast-growing portfolio offers van, truck and plant rental and sales, demolition and remediation, earthworks, asbestos removal, concrete and aggregates.

RN Euston – RN Euston Limited has supplied steel framed buildings in East Anglia for over 40 years.  Established by Ray Euston the business has grown steadily over the years and now Ray works in partnership with his son Mark.  The company is based in Suffolk and work all over East Anglia where they have gained a reliable reputation.

SCORECARD

IPSWICH 56: Jason Doyle 12+1, Danny King © 13+2 (Paid Maximum), Adam Ellis 3+1 (Withdrawn), Tom Brennan 9+1, Emil Sayfutdinov 8+2, Dan Thompson 11+3, Vinnie Foord (G) (RS) 0. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BELLE VUE 34: Brady Kurtz © 10+1, Norick Blödorn R/R, Jaimon Lidsey 7, Zach Cook 3+1, Dan Bewley 8, Tate Zischke 1+1, Jake Mulford (RS) 5+1. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

REFEREE: S. Perkin

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1528
Sheffield1324
Belle Vue1524
Leicester1421
King’s Lynn1512
Oxford158
Birmingham156

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches stormed to a 56-34 victory over the Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership at Foxhall on Thursday night, overcoming a 14-point deficit to secure the aggregate bonus point in the process.

Jordan Jenkins damaged the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the reverse fixture and is yet to return. Vinnie Foord guested at number seven for Ipswich in his place while Belle Vue were operating rider replacement at number two to cover Norick Blödorn who is also suffering from a knee injury. The visitors won 52-38 at the National Speedway Stadium last week but the Witches looked determined to close the aggregate deficit and held a 10-point lead after seven heats. The hosts kicked on further in the second half of the meeting and extended their advantage on the night to 22 points to claim all three points. Danny King top scored with a paid maximum of 13+2.

Ipswich made the perfect start in heat one with King making the gate while Jason Doyle fought his way past Brady Kurtz on the back straight in the second lap to join his skipper for a maximum. Dan Thompson cruised to victory in a shared heat two. Jaimon Lidsey earned the first race win of the evening for the visitors in heat three, but the two Witches split the Aces pair for another 3-3. Dan Bewley set the pace in heat four, but reserve substitute Thompson and Emil Sayfutdinov left Jake Mulford at the back to earn a third consecutive shared heat and make it 14-10 to the hosts.

Heat five was initially stopped by referee Seth Perkin who handed out a warning to Kurtz for not remaining stationary at the start. The current world number two recovered to win the re-run but had to settle for a 3-3 with Tate Zischke sliding off while at the back before quickly remounting. King flew round the outside from the gate to take the chequered flag in heat six, but Bewley was able to hold off Doyle to limit the damage to a home 4-2. Sayfutdinov and Thompson gated on a maximum in heat seven and faced minimal challenge as the Witches reserve held off Lidsey while Zach Cook fell away at the back after early bike trouble. The 5-1 took the scoreline to 26-16.

Foord skidded off on the second bend in heat eight which saw him excluded. King produced one of rides of the night in the re-run, dodging Cook’s efforts to hold him off round the first bend before passing him on the back straight and then Jake Mulford on the fourth bend in the same move to earn a share of the points. Adam Ellis flew into the air fence at speed in heat nine and was excluded from the re-run, but Tom Brennan made the gate and kept Bewley at bay for the victory in a 3-3. Doyle and King raced to their second maximum of the meeting in heat 10 with the Ipswich number one taking the victory. Kurtz set the pace as heat 11 was shared to make it 40-26.

Mark Lemon brought in Kurtz as a tactical substitute for Zischke in heat 12 while Thompson replaced Ellis after his earlier crash. The Aces raced to a maximum as Foord pulled up with bike issues on the back straight. Ipswich bounced straight back in heat 13 with a 5-1 from Doyle and Sayfutdinov to make sure of the win on the night. Brennan flew round the outside to set the pace in heat 14 while Thompson was locked in a tight battle for second with the Witches reserve defending every effort from Cook superbly to ensure a maximum. Ritchie Hawkins selected Doyle and King for heat 15 who finished the meeting as they started it and secured their third maximum of the night as a pair. Doyle again took the chequered flag while King rounded Kurtz on the fourth bend to secure his paid maximum and make the final score 56-34 on the night as Ipswich secured the aggregate bonus point by a scoreline of 94-86.

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win over Belle Vue…

“It was a great all-round team performance! Awesome to see Danny get a max and Doyley and Emil looking back to their best, their performance was great. Everyone contributed, I thought it was probably the best Tom has ridden the dirt, and Dan Thompson was back to his best as well so I think there is so much progress tonight with the boys, so we’re obviously really delighted. Adam was a little bit unlucky in his third ride with the crash, he got put in a position he didn’t want to be in, so we just rested him for the last race. To get the bonus point as well against the reigning champions is a superb effort!

“Straight after the interval we knew they were going for a tactical substitute against both reserves. They’ve got such a strong heat leading trio, Jaimon [Lidsey] is having a superb season and is going under the radar a bit with how good Dan [Bewley] and Brady [Kurtz] are doing in the GPs. Their top three are flying so it was obviously going to be a tough heat, but I felt heat 14 was going to be a good one for us and heats 13 and 15 were certainly as good as we could’ve hoped.

“I think Danny is having a brilliant season, he’s settled in great to the number two position. It suits him with the dirt on the track and tonight there was plenty of dirt out there for him. He revels in it when there are deep conditions. Other riders were struggling but for Danny it’s his forte and you can see now he’s fit again. Last season he would’ve struggled with them conditions but while his fitness levels are far from perfect, his hand is certainly strong enough to handle it, and you can see how good he is.

“We’ve got the league meeting away at King’s Lynn on Monday where we’re in a great position so in that sense it’s nowhere near as vital as Thursday night, but we’ll obviously have a lot of travelling supporters like we always do so we want to go there and win. It’s our last chance to go there this year so we want to get a win there this season as they’re always really sweet and then a massive meeting next Thursday. I hope everyone is out to support us because we need it and we need to get into the cup final.”

TRU7 GROUP & RN EUSTON RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Captain King was RN Euston’s choice after he went the night unbeaten by an opponent.

Tru7 Group went for Thompson who racked up 11+3 from reserve.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich extend their lead at the top of the table to four points while Belle Vue remain in third.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to King’s Lynn to take on the Stars on Monday 14th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate.

RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (H)

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 10th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

Tru7 Group – Tru7 Group is a diversified supplier to the construction, demolition and agriculture industries. Their premium fleet has state-of-the-art safety technology, and they make sure you have the right vehicle or operator for the job, saving time, fuel and emissions. With service and sustainability core to their business, their fast-growing portfolio offers van, truck and plant rental and sales, demolition and remediation, earthworks, asbestos removal, concrete and aggregates.

RN Euston – RN Euston Limited has supplied steel framed buildings in East Anglia for over 40 years.  Established by Ray Euston the business has grown steadily over the years and now Ray works in partnership with his son Mark.  The company is based in Suffolk and work all over East Anglia where they have gained a reliable reputation.

LINE-UPS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 9.07 2. Danny King © 6.65 3. Adam Ellis 5.57 4. Tom Brennan 7.09 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.87 6. Dan Thompson 5.09 7. Vinnie Foord (G) (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz © 9.11 2. R/R for Norick Blödorn 5.05 3. Jaimon Lidsey 6.94 4. Zach Cook 5.91 5. Dan Bewley 8.95 6. Tate Zischke 3.00 7. Jake Mulford (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

REFEREE: S. Perkin

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1425
Sheffield1324
Belle Vue1424
Leicester1318
King’s Lynn1512
Oxford148
Birmingham156

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are available to purchase in advance here and on the gate and are priced at £24 for adults and £22 for concessions (65+) & students (21 & under). Tickets for children aged 6-16 are £1 whilst children 5 & under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3.50 and are available at the stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches return to racing at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday as they take on the Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

Ipswich were in action at Oxford on Monday where they returned to the top of the table after a narrow two-point win against the Spires which went all the way to a last-heat decider. The hosts remain without the injured Jordan Jenkins due to a knee injury with Vinnie Foord lined up as a guest again at number seven after he was not allowed to ride on Monday by the SCB.

The Suffolk side must overcome a 14-point deficit if they are to pick up the aggregate bonus point after a 52-38 defeat at the National Speedway Stadium but can take confidence from their last meeting with the Aces on home shale which resulted in a 67-23 win for the Witches in the Knockout Cup.

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“We had a superb performance last time we were at Foxhall, and we are going to need another one against the champions. We want to get back to our best at home and show everyone what we have got. We are still missing Jordan and are awaiting further news on him and hopefully there is no problem with using Vinnie this Thursday.

“I know a lot of you will have seen we wanted to use him on Monday at Oxford and what a massive drama that was. Unfortunately, the SCB said he wasn’t going to be allowed to guest so we wanted to put him in the team and then take him out in the same way King’s Lynn have been doing with their Rising Stars. Then we were told Monday morning that we weren’t allowed to do that, but King’s Lynn still would be which to me is completely wrong and I know Chris feels the same way. This is what we work with, and we will do our very best and I’m sure we will all give him a great welcome on Thursday.

“We know Belle Vue will pose a tougher test than they did earlier on in the year, you can see that from our fixture in Manchester last week. We need to concentrate on getting the two points first and if we get into a winning position then we can push on and try and get the bonus point.

“If we want to keep getting all the aggregate points this is as tough a test as you can get. 14 points is a big margin against a top team, but we are capable of doing it if we are all on form.”

BELLE VUE ACES

The Aces sit third in the table, just a point behind Ipswich and look set to make the top four as they look to defend their title come the play-offs. Belle Vue have been dominant at home but less so on the road with just two wins away from home so far this season at King’s Lynn and Oxford. The minimum the visitors will be looking for on Thursday is the aggregate bonus point with a healthy 14-point lead after the fixture in Manchester, but Mark Lemon’s side will remember the drubbing they received earlier in the season at Foxhall in the Knockout Cup.

Two of the worlds best riders visit Foxhall in Brady Kurtz and Dan Bewley. Kurtz is currently second in the Grand Prix standings having won the last two rounds whilst Bewley sits fourth in the world.

LAST TIME WE MET IN SUFFOLK

Ipswich last welcomed Belle Vue to Foxhall at the start of this season in the Knockout Cup. The hosts held a 10-point advantage from the first leg and maintained their superb form from that fixture to grow the aggregate lead to 26 points after heat seven. Ipswich showed absolutely no signs of easing off in the second half of the meeting and cruised to a 67-23 victory on the night with another superb team performance and every rider scoring at least paid nine. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with a 12-point maximum while Tom Brennan also wasn’t beaten by an opposition rider on his full Foxhall debut.

RACEDAY REPORT | OXFORD 44–46 IPSWICH

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Image courtesy of Jeff Davies

SCORECARD

OXFORD 44: Maciej Janowski © 11+1, Rohan Tungate 8+1, Kyle Howarth (G) 4, Charles Wright 3+2, Richard Lawson (G) 7+1, Peter Kildemand 10+1, Luke Killeen (RS) 1. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH 46: Jason Doyle 8, Danny King © 2+1, Adam Ellis 6+2, Tom Brennan 6, Emil Sayfutdinov 12+1, Dan Thompson 7+2, Jason Edwards (G) (RS) 5. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: C. Ackroyd

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1425
Sheffield1324
Belle Vue1424
Leicester1318
King’s Lynn1512
Oxford148
Birmingham156

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches returned to the top of the table after a hard-fought victory away at Oxford on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors were without the injured Jordan Jenkins and were due to track Vinnie Foord as a guest but were forced into a late change on raceday, bringing in Jason Edwards at number seven instead. The hosts were missing Craig Cook and Erik Riss with Kyle Howarth and Richard Lawson deputising for the Spires. Ipswich raced into a 10-point lead early on but were pegged back with the score level after 11 heats. A maximum to the Witches in heat 12 proved crucial as Ritchie Hawkins’ side hung on for an away win. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 12+1.

Jason Doyle won heat one and the Witches were gifted a maximum after Rohan Tungate retired late on in the race whilst in second due to mechanical issues, allowing Danny King through into second. Edwards made the gate in heat two, but Peter Kildemand blasted around the Witches guest at the end of the first lap in a 3-3. Tom Brennan and Adam Ellis roared to another 5-1 in heat three to double the away side’s lead. Lawson led heat four coming out of the second turn, but Sayfutdinov dived under him going into the third turn to take the lead as Ipswich registered another heat advantage to make it 7-17 after the opening exchanges.

Doyle picked up another three points in a shared heat five and Sayfutdinov did the same in heat six. The Spires hit back with a 5-1 in heat seven and followed it up with a 4-2 in heat eight as King slid off at the end of the first lap whilst in third. That pulled the hosts back into tie with the score 22-26.

The Witches responded in heat nine with Sayfutdinov racing to a comfortable win and he was followed home by Dan Thompson for the 5-1. Oxford gated on a 5-1 in heat 10 but Brennan looked like he was going to produce the ride of the night as he first passed Tungate for second before diving under Maciej Janowski on the final turn to lead. However, he couldn’t hold onto the bike after passing the Spires number one and hit the deck which resulted in a maximum to the hosts. King was excluded from heat 11 after going through the tapes and was replaced by Thompson. Doyle and Thompson made the start in the re-run but found themselves at the back by the end of the first lap as the home team levelled the score with a 5-1. Thompson and Ellis put the Suffolk side back in front with a maximum in heat 12, making it 34-38 to the away side.

It looked like Oxford might level the score in heat 13 with Janowski and Lawson leading out of the second turn but Doyle and Sayfutdinov both forced their way past Lawson by the end of the first lap to ensure a share of the points which kept the Witches ahead. Brennan took the chequered flag in a shared heat 14 which took it to a last-heat decider. There was chaos in heat 15 as Janowski led and Sayfutdinov and Doyle filled the minor placings, but Doyle took out both his teammate and Janowski going into the first turn of the second lap and was excluded. Janowski held off Sayfutdinov to win the re-run but second place enough to earn the Witches a narrow victory.

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

Image courtesy of Jeff Davies

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s win over Oxford…

“It was a tough meeting, we started off superbly, but they came back into it, and we got over the line in the end. It is another away win on the board, and we got the result we needed so I am happy with that. All the boys contributed again which is really pleasing to see so I leave here happy.

“Danny touched the tapes in his last ride when he was desperate to make up for a fall earlier on and we had a couple of crashes, but I put that down to them putting everything in it to win. I would rather the boys were out there doing that and giving everything to get in front rather than settling for a third place. I can’t fault them at all tonight; they have all scored and we have come away with a win.

“It has been a really stressful day; we don’t agree with the decision to not allow us to use Vinnie but luckily Jason was practicing yesterday and declared himself fit which gave us the opportunity to use him. I thought he was superb and was unlucky in his last ride to get taken out by Peter. He made great starts, and you could see he had had a little bit of time off the bike but to come in and contribute like that was brilliant.

“You can see Jason and Emil coming back to their best which is vital for us and positive going forward with how good they are starting to look again.

“Heat 15 was a tough one. Maciej made a mistake, and the boys tried to come up the inside and he has come back down. Jason has committed to his move when they came across and it was just a racing incident, and these things happen when the riders are so close, and a win is on the line.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Fans online voted Sayfutdinov the rider of the night after he top scored with 12+1 which included three race wins and the match-winning second place in heat 15.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich go top of the table after picking up two points whilst Oxford remain sixth cut adrift from the top four.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall on Thursday 10th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

RACEDAY GUIDE | OXFORD (A)

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Oxford to face the Spires at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Monday 7th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

LINE-UPS

OXFORD: 1. Maciej Janowski © 6.65 2. Rohan Tungate 5.51 3. Kyle Howarth (G) 5.52 4. Charles Wright 6.57 5. Richard Lawson (G) 6.44 6. Peter Kildemand 4.82 7. Luke Killeen (RS). Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 9.07 2. Danny King © 6.65 3. Adam Ellis 5.57 4. Tom Brennan 7.09 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.87 6. Dan Thompson 5.09 7. Jason Edwards (G) (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: C. Ackroyd

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Sheffield1324
Ipswich1323
Belle Vue1321
Leicester1318
King’s Lynn1512
Oxford138
Birmingham146

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are available to purchase online in advance here.

LIVE COVERAGE

You can watch the meeting live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches are back on the road on Monday as they travel to Oxford in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

Ipswich were at the National Speedway Stadium last Monday where they suffered a 14-point defeat to Belle Vue and lost Jordan Jenkins to injury. The Rising Star rider has damaged the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is still being assessed to determine the extent of the injury and what treatment will be needed. Vinnie Foord had been due to guest but the club were forced into a late change and it is Jason Edwards who now rides at number seven on Monday.

The July averages see Jason Doyle return to the number one spot with Emil Sayfutdinov back at number five. The Suffolk side have won all three meetings at Oxford since the Spires’ return to the top-flight.

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“We travel to Oxford needing to get back on track and start our run-in until the end of the season and the play-offs. This is where we need to start building now and Oxford is a place we have a great record at and they have struggled this season, it is somewhere we need to be winning because they have lost a lot of meetings this year. They have riders that are quite capable and certainly if they all have good days then they can be a very strong team, but we hope they don’t hit form against us. We need to show what we can do.

“Jason goes back to number one in the averages, with Jason and Emil it doesn’t make a great deal of difference which way round they are. Danny at number two seems to have worked very well with either of them so it doesn’t change the balance of the side much. Jason is still recovering from his injury and is building back into it, and it is good to see Emil kicking back into gear the last couple of weeks here and in Poland and that is really positive for us looking ahead to the end of the season when we will really need him.

“We are missing Jordan who damaged his knee at Belle Vue. I had a good chat with him and hopefully it is not too serious, but he needs more tests before he can know the full extent of the damage and then there will be a recovery process. It is a big loss because Rising Stars are really difficult to replace, and he is probably the best Rising Star.”

OXFORD SPIRES

Oxford have endured a difficult campaign so far and barring a miraculous turnaround in results are all but out of the race for the play-offs. The Spires are sixth in the table, 10 points off the top four, and have already lost five times on home shale in the league. One of those defeats was against the Witches back in April.

Craig Cook has replaced Francis Gusts since that meeting, but he is not fit to ride on Monday and Kyle Howarth guests at number three for the home team. Captain Maciej Janowski is now at number one with Peter Kildemand at reserve. Richard Lawson guests in place of Erik Riss who is taking a break from racing to try and resolve some longstanding health issues.

LAST TIME OUT IN OXFORD

The Witches last travelled to Oxfordshire in April of 2025. The visitors came into the fixture at full strength whilst Oxford were without Peter Kildemand with rider replacement in operation at number four. The visitors edged ahead early on in the contest, but the score was level after eight races. However, in the second half of the meeting, Ipswich showed their strength to seal a six-point win to start the season. Jason Doyle top scored with an 11+1 paid maximum.  

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £23 with accompanied children under 16 going free if bought in advance. There is a £2 price increase for adult tickets purchased on the day. £2 parking will be available thanks to Unipart at their site just a short walk from the stadium (approx 800m) please remember to select this option if required when purchasing your tickets as this will be required when arriving at the car park. A free shuttle bus service will be provided to and from the stadium from the Unipart car park site. Unipart postcode is OX4 2PG. Limited disabled car parking is available at the stadium; these spaces are on a first come first served basis. For further information head here.

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

RACEDAY REPORT | BELLE VUE 52–38 IPSWICH

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Image courtesy of Ian Charles

By Rob Binns

SCORECARD

BELLE VUE 52: Dan Bewley 13+1, Norick Blödorn R/R, Jaimon Lidsey 10+1, Zach Cook 7, Brady Kurtz © 14+1 (Paid Maximum), Tate Zischke 4+1, Jake Mulford (RS) 4+2. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH 38: Emil Sayfutdinov 12, Danny King © 6+2, Adam Ellis 7+1, Tom Brennan 6+1, Jason Doyle 4, Dan Thompson 1+1, Jordan Jenkins (RS) 1+1 (Withdrawn). Team Manager: Chris Louis

REFEREE: C. Durno

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1323
Sheffield1222
Belle Vue1321
Leicester1216
King’s Lynn1412
Oxford138
Birmingham136

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches suffered a 52-38 defeat on the road against the Belle Vue Aces on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

Ipswich started the fixture with a full 1-7 but later lost Jordan Jenkins to a knee injury. The visitors were also without team manager Ritchie Hawkins as promoter Chris Louis stepped in. Belle Vue were forced into a late change with rider replacement being operated at two in place of Norick Blödorn who picked up a knee injury. The Aces started strong and held a six-point lead after seven heats. The Witches fought hard to get back into the meeting but a string of 3-3s allowed the Aces to maintain their advantage before a late flurry of points sees them bring a 14-point lead to Foxhall next week in the battle for the aggregate bonus point. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 12.

The Witches took the lead in heat one with Sayfutdinov flying out of the gate and defending the challenge of Dan Bewley for the win with Danny King in third for a 2-4. The Aces responded with a maximum in heat two courtesy of Tate Zischke and Jake Mulford. Jaimon Lidsey took the chequered flag in heat three, but Adam Ellis superbly kept Zach Cook at bay to limit the damage to a heat advantage. Brady Kurtz set the pace in heat four with the two Ipswich riders splitting the Aces for a 3-3 making it 14-10 to the hosts.

Cook jumped the start in heat five, which saw him excluded for touching the tapes. Zischke came in as a reserve substitute in the re-run for his third ride of the meeting, but he finished at the back as Lidsey rode to victory for a shared heat. Jason Doyle split the Aces in heat six for a home 4-2. Kurtz cruised to victory in heat seven but Ellis and Tom Brennan both passed Zischke on the second bend for a 3-3 to take the score to 24-18.

Jordan Jenkins slid off in heat eight which saw him withdraw from the remainder of the meeting. The re-run initially saw King given a warning for not remaining stationary at the start, but he then exchanged passes with Cook in the opening two laps with the Witches skipper coming out on top to earn a 3-3. Stand-in team manager Louis brought in Sayfutdinov as a tactical substitute in heat nine who took the victory, but Lidsey passed Doyle on the final lap to earn a 3-3. Bewley won heat 10 with Ellis winning a tight battle at the back with Zischke to ensure the heat was shared. Sayfutdinov and Kurtz fought tightly at the front in heat 11 but it was the Aces skipper who took the chequered flag in a 3-3 to make his side’s lead 36-30.

Heat 12 was shared again as Ellis and Dan Thompson split the Aces. Kurtz and Bewley hit a maximum in heat 13 to secure the victory for Belle Vue. Reserve substitute Thompson was forced to retire from heat 14 with bike issues but Brennan produced a fantastic ride to take the victory and earn a share of the points. Bewley and Kurtz capped the meeting with another maximum in heat 15 to grow the Aces lead to 14 points in a 52-38 victory.

CHRIS LOUIS REACTION

Image courtesy of Ian Charles

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches promoter Chris Louis reflects on Monday’s defeat at Belle Vue.

“A 14-point deficit, in my opinion, didn’t really tell the story of the meeting; there was a lot of effort from the lads. We had too many problems from reserve, Dan Thompson had clutch issues all night and when he sorted things out, his seat broke and came off in his last ride. He just had one of those nights and Jordan obviously struggled in his first ride then made a few changes and looked a lot more competitive in his second one but then crashed in his third one which made life difficult for us.

“Issues at reserve certainly played a part in the size of the deficit but it wasn’t the difference between losing and winning. All in all, disappointing to lose by 14 but I believe if you look at previous history, we can still go into the home leg for the bonus point knowing that we can do it for sure. They’ve had some disastrous results away from home, so we need to capitalise on that and make sure we get the bonus point out of it.

“Jordan was withdrawn with a knee ligament injury by the looks of things. Hopefully it’s not too bad, he was able to walk on it when he got up to get back. He said it was uncomfortable and painful but it’s too early to say what the damage is.

“It was generally disappointing. It was a tough night for Jason as well. Again, there were a few miscalculations and bike issues. He’s coming back from that injury so he’s a little bit disjointed at the moment. I just feel it was one of those meetings where if you’re not 100% on the top of your game it’s always going to be tough at Belle Vue, so we look forward to the next one.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Fans online voted for top scorer Sayfutdinov who contributed 12 points including two race wins.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich remain top of the table but the wait for a first league victory at the National Speedway Stadium goes on. Belle Vue stay third but cut the gap to the Sheffield Tigers down to a single point.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Oxford to take on the Spires on Monday 7th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

RACEDAY GUIDE | BELLE VUE (A)

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Manchester to face the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 30th June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

LINE-UPS

BELLE VUE: 1. Dan Bewley 9.21 2. R/R for Norick Blödorn 5.45 3. Jaimon Lidsey 7.14 4. Zach Cook 5.73 5. Brady Kurtz © 8.92 6. Tate Zischke 3.00 7. Jake Mulford (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.10 2. Danny King © 6.24 3. Adam Ellis 5.93 4. Tom Brennan 6.86 5. Jason Doyle 9.07 6. Dan Thompson 5.06 7. Jordan Jenkins (RS). Team Manager: Chris Louis

REFEREE: C. Durno

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1223
Sheffield1222
Belle Vue1219
Leicester1216
King’s Lynn1311
Oxford138
Birmingham124

TICKET NEWS

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

LIVE COVERAGE

You can watch the meeting live on British Speedway Network here.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches are on their travels on Monday in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as they take on the Belle Vue Aces.

Ipswich sit top of the table after a convincing win over Leicester last time out where they were able to track a full one to seven for the first time in over month. The visitors will be at full strength again although they will be without their team manager Ritchie Hawkins who is unavailable with promoter Chris Louis standing in.

The Suffolk side head north looking for their first league win at the National Speedway Stadium after they picked up a first ever win there in the Knockout Cup earlier this season.

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“We now start the second half of the season, and we had a great meeting there on opening night. We broke our duck and ended that run of defeats at the National Speedway Stadium and we can take great confidence from that. We got back to winning ways last time out with an all-round solid performance but just because we got the victory it hasn’t made all the injury problems go away. We are still well short of being anywhere near a fully fit side and Belle Vue has always been a tough place for us to go. With the position we are in, we have nothing to lose, and the boys will be focused on getting another victory there in the league this time.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend due to work commitments so Chris will be stepping in. I don’t think it is a bad thing for Chris to step in every now and then and give his take on things to the boys. His knowledge and experience is up there with the best in the world and it will be great for the boys to have another take on things as well which can only benefit them.”

BELLE VUE ACES

The Aces look set for the play-offs again sitting third in the table and as has been the case in previous seasons they have been formidable at home. Six wins from six in the league have been the foundation for success in 2025 with their only defeat on home shale coming against the Witches in the Knockout Cup.

The home team have two of the world’s best riders in their ranks with current world number two Brady Kurtz captaining the side and current world number four Dan Bewley riding at number one. Rider replacement will be in operation at two to cover the injured Norick Blödorn.

LAST TIME OUT AT THE NATIONAL SPEEDWAY STADIUM

The Witches last travelled to Manchester back in March in the first leg of the Knockout Cup quarter-final. Ipswich stormed to an impressive 10-point victory, and it was a solid team performance that saw the Suffolk side celebrating their first ever victory at the National Speedway Stadium, with every rider enjoying at least a paid win.  Jason Doyle top scored with 9+1.

AWAY DAYS

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.

RACEDAY REPORT | IPSWICH 54–36 LEICESTER

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MEETING SPONSOR

Doug Wade Insurance

SCORECARD

IPSWICH 54: Emil Sayfutdinov 9+2, Danny King © 10+1, Adam Ellis 7, Tom Brennan 11+1, Jason Doyle 8+1, Dan Thompson 5+1, Jordan Jenkins (RS) 4+2. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER 36: Max Fricke © 16+1, Luke Becker R/R, Ryan Douglas 9+1, Kyle Howarth 4+1, Sam Masters 3, Drew Kemp 3+1, Joe Thompson (RS) 1. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1223
Sheffield1222
Belle Vue1219
Leicester1216
King’s Lynn1311
Oxford126
Birmingham114

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches registered a dominant win over the Leicester Lions on Monday night at Foxhall in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

For the first time in over a month the hosts had all seven riders available to them whilst the Lions were operating rider replacement for the injured Luke Becker. The home team raced into a big lead early on in the tie and never looked back as they returned to the top of the table in front of their supporters and the TNT Sports cameras. Tom Brennan top scored with 11+1.

Emil Sayfutdinov and Danny King flew from the start in heat one and rode to a maximum and that was followed in heat two by another courtesy of the returning Dan Thompson and Jordan Jenkins. Adam Ellis won heat three and he was joined at the front by partner Brennan who forced his way past Ryan Douglas at the end of the first lap for another 5-1. Jason Doyle was also making his return to Foxhall, and he picked up three points in heat four as Ipswich rode to a 4-2 to put them in a commanding 19-5 lead.

Brennan swooped around the first bend to lead and take the chequered flag in heat five with Ellis riding smartly to work his way into third for a fifth heat advantage to the hosts. Another 5-1 followed in heat six as the Lions had no answer to King and Sayfutdinov. Doyle won heat seven comfortably in the first 3-3 of the evening and Max Fricke got the first race win of the night for the visitors in heat eight but both King and Jenkins passed Joe Thompson to prevent a heat advantage making it 34-14.

Fricke was back out in heat nine as a tactical substitute and duly won but a great move at the end of the first lap from Ellis saw him squeeze past Sam Masters into second to limit the visitors to a 2-4 as Brennan slid off at the back. King raced to victory in heat 10 but the action was all behind him with Sayfutdinov left at the back. However, the Witches number remained patient to first come under Douglas before blasting around Kyle Howarth on the last bend of the race to secure a 5-1. Leicester responded with their first maximum of the night in heat 11 and another followed in heat 12 to leave the score 43-29.

Fricke won a shared heat 13 but in heat 14 Brennan and Dan Thompson teamed up for a 5-1. Brennan rode excellently to muscle his way to the front and stay there to win a shared heat 15 as Ipswich went back to the summit of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership with an impressive display.  

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s win over Leicester…

“I am absolutely delighted to get the win in the fashion we did. I have to admit I was surprised we won so comfortably considering half of the boys are riding injured. That leaves you with doubts in your mind over how they are going to perform but having that one to seven back together certainly gave the boys a spark and they seemed to gel. There is something special about them when they are all together even under the circumstances where in reality they are nowhere near 100% fit and could be doing with more time off.

“We looked a different outfit to the last month and were straight back at it with a big, fast start. We needed it because we knew that the boys would struggle later on to deal with the injuries against a very good Leicester side who do very well at Foxhall. The strong start was extra important and made a massive difference.

“We have spoken a lot about Jason and know the injury he has but the Grand Prix at the weekend gave him a boost. We didn’t know how he would go on a tighter circuit like Ipswich, and he was clearly in pain and not fully fit but with him at the top and Danny as our captain riding injured, the younger guys like Dan and Jordan follow that and want to be like them and part of the team. They put everything into it. Jason will get fitter as time goes on and he has a week off now to recover more and that will do him the world of good.

“Danny has the sort of injury where if he knocks it, it flares up and will settle down after a few days. Hitting it on Saturday, he could have done with another day or two before returning to racing, but he is experienced around Ipswich and to only drop one point was superb and made the world of difference to the result.

“Both reserves did well and were riding through the pain barrier. Dan has had a lot of time off the bike and isn’t race-fit or 100% with his hand but I thought he rode really well. Jordan needs some recovery after his crashes and if we could have found a suitable guest, he would have taken a week off to recover but knowing we couldn’t spurred him on to race and he did a superb job.

“A lot of the boys have got a quiet week which is great for us as a team before Belle Vue next Monday. We know how good we can be if we can keep everyone fit and avoid any more injuries and tonight looked bright for the future.

“It would be great to finish top of the table although you don’t gain anything from it which is something that needs to be looked at and changed. We want to be the best team all season and to get to the halfway point with the injury troubles is very promising and pleasing. We are in a good place where I can see the progression and I would have taken this at the start of the season, without the injuries. Where I think we are at as a side I think we can grow going into the play-offs.”

DOUG WADE INSURANCE RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Sayfutdinov won the award, dropping just one point to an opponent and producing the ride of the night in heat 10.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich add two points to their tally and move back to the top of the table whilst Leicester stay fourth.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to the National Speedway Stadium to take on the Belle Vue Aces on Monday 30th June in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

RACEDAY GUIDE | LEICESTER (H)

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 23rd June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

MEETING SPONSOR

Doug Wade Insurance

LINE-UPS

IPSWICH: 1. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.10 2. Danny King © 6.24 3. Adam Ellis 5.93 4. Tom Brennan 6.86 5. Jason Doyle 9.07 6. Dan Thompson 5.06 7. Jordan Jenkins (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke © 8.73 2. R/R for Luke Becker 7.60 3. Ryan Douglas 7.01 4. Kyle Howarth 5.32 5. Sam Masters 7.51 6. Drew Kemp 4.05 7. Joe Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Sheffield1222
Ipswich1121
Belle Vue1117
Leicester1116
King’s Lynn1211
Oxford126
Birmingham114

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are available to purchase in advance here and on the gate and are priced at £24 for adults and £22 for concessions (65+) & students (21 & under). Tickets for children aged 6-16 are £1 whilst children 5 & under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3.50 and are available at the stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches face the Leicester Lions in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Monday night at Foxhall.

Ipswich were beaten last time out at King’s Lynn and know the threat that the Lions bring to Suffolk having been beaten by them at home last month. The hosts are looking to track a full team for the first time in over a month with Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson hoping to make their returns to the side.

Doyle returned at King’s Lynn but withdrew after two rides having aggravated his hip injury but after another week of rest is looking to compete in the Gorzow Grand Prix this weekend and take his place at number five for Ipswich on Monday. Thompson returns after breaking his scaphoid and is set to return at reserve should he come through a practice session and a meeting this weekend.

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“It is probably our toughest test around Foxhall of any team we have faced this year. They are a side that go very well, and we are hoping to be back at full strength. There are question marks over that, but fingers crossed that Jason and Dan can come through their injury troubles and run outs before Monday night and are fit and ready to compete. As a side it is obvious we need them back, but we need them back fit. Even though the meeting is being shown on TV, we have had some brilliant racing and some great atmospheres at Foxhall this season and the boys need everyone behind them so please come and support them and we will do everything we can to put on a show like we did against Sheffield which was a superb meeting.

“It will be a massive boost if we have Dan back at reserve. We have struggled to cover him sufficiently in his absence and it is unenviable task for anyone coming in because he was in superb form. He has had a long time off the bike so it is unrealistic to be straight on it as he was but has shown in his time with us his mental strength and determination and I know Dan will be delighted to be back if that is the case and we will be even more delighted to have him back with us.

“Jason is planning to ride in the GP at the weekend so is another one we are hoping comes through well. He pulled out of the meeting at King’s Lynn and struggled with the grippy conditions on the day, but he has had another week of rest and recovery, and Jason knows his body and knows what he can do. I will fully support his decisions in racing and when he feels he should be back, and it is a massive boost to have him in the side.”

LEICESTER LIONS

The Lions sit fourth in the table occupying the last play-off position after up and down first half of the season. They have been beaten on home shale twice already but have picked up three victories on the road, including one at Ipswich in May. In their last outing they hammered Belle Vue 60-30 at the Hydroscand Arena.

Luke Becker is set for a long spell on the sidelines after suffering multiple back injuries and rider replacement will be in operation at two.

LAST TIME WE MET IN SUFFOLK

Ipswich last welcomed Leicester to Foxhall just a month ago. The home team were without the key injured duo of Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson with rider replacement being used at number one and Danyon Hume guesting at number six. Ipswich raced into a six-point lead early on but were pegged back by heat seven and the Lions edged ahead in heat nine. Another 2-4 in heat 13 gave Leicester a four-point lead and they held on for the away victory as Ipswich took the aggregate bonus point. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 12+1.

RACEDAY REPORT | KING’S LYNN 51-39 IPSWICH

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Image courtesy of Ian Burt

SCORECARD

KING’S LYNN 51: Richard Lawson 9+1, Ben Cook R/R, Nicolai Klindt © 7+1, Chris Harris 12+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen 2, Jan Kvěch 18+2, Jody Scott (G) (RS) 3+1. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

IPSWICH 39: Emil Sayfutdinov 9+1, Danny King © 8+2, Adam Ellis 4, Tom Brennan 6+1, Jason Doyle 5 (Withdrawn), Connor Mountain (G) 1, Jordan Jenkins (RS) 6+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: P. Carrington

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1121
Sheffield1120
Belle Vue1017
Leicester1014
King’s Lynn1111
Oxford126
Birmingham114

THE REPORT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches were beaten at King’s Lynn on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors welcomed back Jason Doyle to the side after his hip injury with Connor Mountain guesting for the injured Dan Thompson at reserve. The Stars were using rider replacement for Ben Cook with Jody Scott coming in for Ashton Boughen. The two teams traded heat advantages in the opening eight races with the Suffolk side four up. However, Ipswich lost Doyle who withdrew ahead of heat nine after aggravating his injury and King’s Lynn took advantage to race to victory in the closing stages with Ipswich picking up the aggregate bonus point. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 9+1.

Sayfutdinov got his side off to a good start by winning heat one and Danny King worked his way into third for a heat advantage. King’s Lynn recorded a 5-1 in heat two before Tom Brennan won a shared heat three. Doyle returned to action with a win in heat four in a 2-4 to level the score at 12-12.

Sayfutdinov made it two wins from two in heat five as King once again picked up a point to edge the away side in front. It was all square again after heat six as King’s Lynn raced to a 4-2 and a 3-3 followed in heat seven. The Witches went ahead in heat eight thanks to a maximum from Jordan Jenkins and King to make it 22-26.

Doyle was withdrawn from the meeting ahead of heat nine with injury rider replacement in use for his remaining rides, but King’s Lynn hit a 5-1 in his absence to make it level again. The home team followed that up with another maximum in heat 10 to go in front and it was a 3-3 in heat 11. The points were shared again in heat 12 leaving King’s Lynn 38-34 to the good.

There was another 3-3 in heat 13 and the win was sealed in heat 14 thanks to a maximum from Chris Harris and Jan Kvěch. The hosts ended with another 5-1 as Ipswich had to settle for the bonus point.

RITCHIE HAWKINS REACTION

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat at King’s Lynn…

“After being up halfway through to go down to a defeat is really disappointing. I thought the boys gave it everything, but we haven’t quite got the consistency from some of them and are not firing as a whole at the moment. I felt everything else was there and I know if they keep working hard as they are things will soon turn back round.

“We lost Jason, he aggravated his injury in the grippy conditions and couldn’t carry on. He was in a lot of discomfort, and it was definitely for the best to withdraw from the meeting. I don’t think that was the reason we ended up losing the meeting, we can’t use that at all. The difference was that we didn’t up our performance and it probably dropped a bit whereas a couple of their guys really stepped up and won it for them.

“We are missing Dan obviously because he was riding like a heat-leader rather than a reserve which is rare. A side like King’s Lynn will always have a very strong number six, Jan was superb and has hit a great run of form and is doing very well and is making the most of being down there. That is how they are built but we should be good enough in the other positions to account for that but tonight we weren’t, and they were the better team on the night.

“It is a little bit of a tough period for us, but it is not a disastrous time to be having a few issues. I can see what the boys are doing and how hard they are working. Inevitably they will get the rewards for that, and it is not as disastrous as could be seen. Maybe it seems more of a tough period because we have set such high standards and expectations are so high of us. That exaggerates everything into thinking things are worse than they really are whereas in reality we are top of the league in a very strong position and are still in the cup as well.

“We will get through this period stronger and should improve. We have got time on our side to get that right for when we really need to be firing and can’t have any mishaps which is later on in the season. Saying that, we have a very big meeting on Monday. Leicester turned us over the other week, and we don’t want that to be happening again.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Fans online voted for Sayfutdinov who top scored with 9+1 from four rides.

WHAT IT MEANS

King’s Lynn add two points to their total and stay fifth in table. Ipswich collect the aggregate bonus point after their 16-point win at Foxhall over the Stars which keeps them top of the pile.

NEXT FIXTURE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall on Monday 23rd June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.