Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 39–51 WOLVERHAMPTON – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Henry Chard

MEETING SPONSOR

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 sh

TEAMS

IPSWICH 39: Jason Doyle 13, Keynan Rew R/R, Danny King © 6+1, Ben Barker 5+1, Emil Sayfutdinov 10+1, Danyon Hume 5+1, Joe Thompson (RS) 0. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

WOLVERHAMPTON 51: Sam Masters © 10+1, Steve Worrall 4+1, Luke Becker 5+2, Ryan Douglas 12+1, Rory Schlein 8, Zach Cook 10+3, Leon Flint (RS) 2+1. Team Manager: Peter Adams

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Wolverhampton916
Belle Vue914
Sheffield710
Leicester710
Ipswich78
King’s Lynn75
Peterborough82

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches were beaten by Wolverhampton on Thursday night at Foxhall in the Sports Insure Premiership.

The home team were without Keynan Rew who was having to ride for his Polish club in a re-arranged fixture and rider replacement was in operation in his absence. Wolves arrived in Suffolk in good form and looking to go top of the table but there was nothing to separate the two sides after eight races with the scores level. However, the visitors finished strongly with three maximums in the last four races to seal their first away win of the season, taking the aggregate bonus point in the process. Jason Doyle top scored with 13.

Doyle won a shared heat one with Ben Barker third to get Ipswich off to a positive start in heat one. Danyon Hume took victory in heat two and it looked like being another heat advantage with Joe Thompson third, but he was passed late on in the race by Leon Flint, meaning a 3-3. Ryan Douglas prevailed at the front ahead of Danny King after a tight opening lap as the points were shared again. Rory Schlein won heat four ahead of the Witches pair, leaving the hosts 13-11 up.

Sam Masters won heat five as King and Barker managed to relegate Steve Worrall to the back on the opening lap to ensure a share of the points. Doyle won heat six and Hume worked hard to pass Zach Cook to get into third, but he was re-passed by the Wolves reserve, resulting in yet another 3-3. The shared heats kept on coming as Emil Sayfutdinov won heat seven comfortably, but the visitors were level in the tie after heat eight as they hit a 2-4 to make it 24-24 on the night.

Wolves went in front in heat nine as Schlein and Cook hit a maximum. Doyle produced a sensational manoeuvre to win heat 10 as the race was shared. The Australian found himself third entering the second lap but managed to swoop round one Wolves rider and under the other in the same move to hit the front. Sayfutdinov won heat 11 but the Witches were unable to pick up any heat advantages and they found themselves further behind as Wolves hit a 1-5 in heat 12 putting them 32-40 up with just three to race. At this point the West Midlands side had already secured the aggregate bonus point after their eight-point win at home against the Witches last month.  

Doyle and Sayfutdinov kept Ipswich in the hunt to win the meeting after a 5-1 in heat 13 but it was all over in heat 14 as the away side responded with a maximum of their own to secure a further two league points. They added further gloss to their victory in heat 15 with another 1-5 after a highly entertaining final race of the night in which all four riders swapped places on numerous occasions. However, that was of no consolation to the home fans who saw their side defeated on home shale for the second time this season.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s defeat to Wolverhampton.

“It was a very bad night; we were not good enough. We threw too many points away at the start of the meeting and made too many mistakes which we were punished for by the end of the meeting.

“We can’t rely on Doyley and Emil to pull us out of trouble every week, so we need some more points from other areas of the team. We were missing Keynan tonight and throw in Danny not being on it and having a bad night as well, we can’t rely on Danyon to score double figures every week. That left us too much to do but we threw too many points away at the start with silly mistakes that we should not be making so we certainly need to tidy ourselves up in that respect.

“R/R affects us when you have got riders who are not quite on it, you can’t have someone having an off-night and tonight they did.

“I’m sure we will get criticised and that is part of it, that’s fine, we were not good enough and maybe it is deserved tonight. It is early days but also, we have lost two at home already so we can’t be leaving ourselves too much to do in the second half of the season to try and chase the play-offs. We need to improve and pick up some away wins, it makes them more vital now because we have two home defeats. We have two away meetings next week and we need to come away from those two meetings with points.”

FARNHAM LEISURE LTD RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Doyle was chosen by the sponsors after his 13-point haul which included four race wins.

WHAT IT MEANS

Wolverhampton go top of the table picking up two points for the win and another for the aggregate bonus point. Ipswich drop to fifth.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to Manchester on Monday 5th June to take on Belle Vue at the National Speedway Stadium in the Sports Insure Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and online in advance here.

BARKER: IT’S ALWAYS NICE TO COME BACK TO IPSWICH

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By Mike Bacon

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches rider Ben Barker has highlighted the need to grab not just the win, but the bonus point against Thursday’s Sports Insure Premiership opponents, Wolverhampton Wolves, at Foxhall Stadium, 7.30pm.

Barker, who has joined the club on a 28-day replacement for the ill Erik Riss, has settled back into a Witches team he knows well.

And he is aware of the importance of Wolves’ visit.

“We have got to get the bonus point,” he said. (The Witches lost at Wolves by eight points and would need to win by more than that to claim it).

“It’s what the Premiership is all about, the new points system is all about getting bonus points, which will be crucial. We ran them close at their place, so there is no reason we can’t get it at Ipswich.”

Ben is back at Foxhall for a fourth spell and is a short-term replacement for Riss. A big Plymouth Argyle fan he was delighted that both his football team and Ipswich Town were promoted from League One this season.

“That was brilliant,” he said. “I went to the Port Vale as Plymouth clinched the title. But it was nice for Ipswich to go up as well.”

And back at Foxhall, he’s happy to be riding for the Witches again.

“It’s always nice to come back to Ipswich, there are a lot of friendly faces and it’s nice to come back to somewhere I know well,” he said.

“I’m not starting raw if that makes sense, I’ve done so many laps at Foxhall. I love coming to Ipswich, I really do. I have a great bond with the fans.

“Yes, it’s a long trip from down here in Cornwall. I left at 10am last Thursday for the Leicester meeting and didn’t get home until 4.45am the next morning. I had to be at work at 6.30! Luckily my mechanic does most of the driving.”

Ben has had a steady start back in the team with a paid six-point haul against Leicester and he’s excited about the Ipswich team he has joined.

“Look at the team, look at the riders I’m riding among,” he said.

“It’s a great thing, a great team. I’ve ridden against Emil (Sayfutdinov) several times in Poland. Team spirit is clearly high. I’ve ridden with Jason Doyle before and he’s a great guy to have with you, they all are. It’s nice to be part of it.

“Life is good at the moment for me and I’m enjoying my racing.”

Ipswich Witches v Wolverhampton Wolves, Thursday, June 1, Sports Insure Premiership, Foxhall Stadium, 7.30pm.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: WOLVERHAMPTON – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture with Wolverhampton.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Wolverhampton Wolves at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 1st June in a Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

MEETING SPONSOR

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.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.13 2. R/R for Keynan Rew 5.00 3. Danny King 6.79 © 4. Ben Barker 4.42 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.00 6. Danyon Hume 4.00 7. Joe Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

WOLVERHAMPTON: 1. Sam Masters 8.46 © 2. Steve Worrall 6.53 3. Luke Becker 7.11 4. Ryan Douglas 6.43 5. Rory Schlein 7.17 6. Zach Cook 4.00 7. Leon Flint (RS). Team Manager: Peter Adams

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Belle Vue914
Wolverhampton813
Leicester710
Ipswich68
Sheffield67
King’s Lynn65
Peterborough82

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £22 for adults and £20 for concessions (65+). Children 16 and under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3 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 ‘Tru Mix’ Witches take on Wolverhampton in the Sports Insure Premiership on Thursday evening at Foxhall. Ipswich faced a stern test last week on home shale, coming out on top after a last-heat decider against Leicester. The Witches and the Wolves met on May 22 in the West Midlands with Wolverhampton taking an eight-point win and the aggregate bonus point is up for grabs in Thursday’s fixture.

The Suffolk side are without Keynan Rew on Thursday with the Australian having to ride for his Polish club in a re-arranged fixture. Rider replacement will be in operation at number two in his absence.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We go into the meeting against a strong Wolverhampton team who we know like Foxhall, so we know we are going to be in for another tough test. There have been some great meetings at Ipswich already this season and some cracking racing and I think there will be another one this week. I certainly feel we are good enough to overcome missing Keynan with the riders we have to choose from for R/R, I think we should cover him well. It is another meeting with R/R, and it seems to be with us a lot this season. We have got to get the win first and then look towards the bonus point but getting two points is the priority.

“The bonus point isn’t the focus at the start, let’s just get the meeting won, it is going to be a tough meeting and we don’t want to slip up at home, so the priority is the win. We are strong later on in the meeting so we would like to be in a position where we can push on and look to get the bonus point then.

“Wolves always seem to have a team that like Ipswich and they keep a consistent side, and the base of the side is solid. I guess the experience of riding around Wolverhampton and then coming to Ipswich doesn’t hold too many fears for them and they will be confident coming into the meeting. We need to make sure we make a good start, a lot better than last week and try and get their heads down.”

THE WOLVES

Wolverhampton have started the season strongly and head to Suffolk sitting second in the table, a point behind Belle Vue. They boast a 100% record at home and picked up their first point on the road on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon as they took the Aces to a super heat at the National Speedway Stadium, which they ultimately lost. However, that performance and a win against the Manchester side later that evening on Bank Holiday Monday will give them great confidence ahead of the trip to Ipswich.

The visitors are at full strength on Thursday, led by Foxhall track specialist Sam Masters. He is backed up by former Witch Rory Schlein at number five and Luke Becker has now returned to the team after an early-season injury.

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 47–43 LEICESTER – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Henry Chard

MEETING SPONSORS

A&S Aggregates Ltd – They are a trusted supplier of aggregates, landscaping materials and construction services for trade and public projects in Essex and throughout East Anglia. Since the company was founded over a decade ago, they have worked hard to achieve an unrivalled reputation for reliability and quality of service.

Simply Climate Control – Simply Climate Control is a progressive business specialising in the design, supply and installation of heating, ventilation & air conditioning (hvac) systems for retail, commercial, industrial & domestic spaces.

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 47: Jason Doyle 12, Ben Barker 5+1, Danny King © 6, Keynan Rew 1, Emil Sayfutdinov 13+1, Danyon Hume 9+1, Joe Thompson (RS) 1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER 43: Max Fricke 11, Justin Sedgmen 8+2, Richard Lawson R/R, Chris Harris © 12+2, Nick Morris 3, Jake Allen 6+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 3+1. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: C. Gay

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Belle Vue712
Wolverhampton69
Ipswich68
Leicester67
Sheffield67
King’s Lynn65
Peterborough72

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches edged out the Leicester Lions on Thursday night at Foxhall in the Sports Insure Premiership after a last-heat decider.

The visitors were without the injured Richard Lawson with rider replacement in operation in his absence, but they started strongly and led after the opening five races. The Suffolk side managed to turn things around in the middle part of the meeting and held a four-point lead with two to race. However, the away side levelled to take it to a last-heat decider in which Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov prevailed to give Ipswich victory. Sayfutdinov top scored with 13+1.

Justin Sedgmen won heat one for the Lions and it looked like it might be an opening heat maximum to the visitors as Max Fricke went by Ben Barker for second, but Doyle managed to split the Leicester pair on the run to the line, reducing the damage to just a 2-4. Jake Allen made the gate in heat two, but Danyon Hume bided his time to pass the Australian late on in the race in a 3-3. The away side did record a maximum in heat three though thanks to Fricke and Chris Harris. Heat four was stopped due to Nick Morris falling and he was excluded. The Witches took full advantage in the re-run as Sayfutdinov and Hume, in as a reserve switch for Joe Thompson, raced to a 5-1 to hit back immediately but the hosts found themselves 11-13 down after four heats.

Danny King went through the tapes in heat five and was replaced by the in-form Hume and the reserve produced a fine ride to win the race and hold off Grand Prix rider Fricke as the points were shared. The hosts took the lead for the first time in heat six as Doyle won and Barker came second for a 5-1. There was a good battle at the front in heat seven as Harris got the better of Sayfutdinov and with Sedgmen third it levelled the overall score. Barker got his first race win back in Ipswich colours in heat eight as Joe Thompson won the battle at the back against his twin brother Dan for a 4-2 which edged Ipswich ahead in the tie, with the score 25-23.

Hume came in for Keynan Rew in heat nine, but the race was stopped as Morris hit the deck again and was excluded. King won the re-run ahead of Dan Thompson with Hume third for a 4-2. Doyle won a shared heat 10 and Sayfutdinov did the same in heat 11. Hume was back out again in heat 12 in a reserve switch and was amongst the points with Harris leading but then fell which resulted in a heat advantage to the Lions with King in second. That left the score at 37-35 with three to race.

Sayfutdinov won heat 13 ahead of Fricke with Doyle third for a 4-2 to Ipswich. Leicester levelled the score with a maximum in heat 14 taking it to a last-heat decider. Doyle and Sayfutdinov came up trumps in heat 15 and were in a 5-1 position when Harris fell and the race was awarded, handing Ipswich a narrow win.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Thursday’s win over Leicester.

“I’m pleased with another win, we certainly scraped through it and Leicester put in a great performance. They looked like a team in form and rode really well so credit to them. I think tonight was a meeting where the coin toss at the start actually played a big part in the meeting.

“I felt one and three were going to be better because four didn’t look as good as the other three and it certainly proved that way. They got ahead at the start of the meeting and then when we had a run of one and three, we pulled it back and got ahead ourselves and managed to hang on until the end. Having Doyley and Emil in heat 15 fills you with confidence and they did the business again.

“Gate four didn’t look like it was going to be as grippy as the other three and you certainly saw during the meeting that gate four was slicker than the other ones, so the other three had an advantage over gate four. I think if you look at the gate stats or the heat results you can probably see that.

“Danyon was brilliant at the start of the meeting, he struggles a little bit with arm pump which is not down to his fitness, he trains hard and is a fit lad, but it is one of those things he suffers with. Having an extra ride when Danny touched the tapes, it was a very important race he won, and he did such a good job at the start of the meeting. His arms locked up and we couldn’t get that down by the end of the meeting and you can see that by his scores, certainly in heat 14 he got into a great position and then struggled to keep it going for four laps. It is something he has worked on his whole career, and he is trying but for him to take seven rides again probably proved a bit too much in quick succession tonight.

“Keynan had a tough night tonight, track conditions were different tonight, it has been slicker because of the threat of rain in recent weeks but there was a lot more dirt on it tonight and that was different to ride, and he struggled. That is probably the first poor meeting he has had this season but that is part of his learning and experience, and we know that is going to happen. Luckily, we still managed to get the win and going into heat 15 and having Emil and Doyley available, the best two riders in the league fills you with confidence and they did the business again.”

A&S AGGREGATES & SIMPLY CLIMATE CONTROL RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Top scorer Sayfutdinov was chosen by A&S Aggregates.

Simply Climate Control went for Hume after his performance from reserve.

WHAT IT MEANS

The two sides swap places with Ipswich going into third and Leicester dropping to fourth. The two sides meet on 8th June with the Witches taking a four-point lead in the battle for the aggregate bonus point.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Wolverhampton Wolves at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 1st June in the Sports Insure Premiership. Tickets can be purchased online in advancehere and on the gate.

DOYLE: IT’S BEEN A GOOD START TO THE YEAR FOR US

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By Mike Bacon

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches No.1 Jason Doyle has revealed how much he enjoys having Emil Sayfutdinov alongside him in the Witches pits.

The pair have formed a terrific partnership for the Suffolk side, who entertain Leicester Lions at Foxhall on Thursday night (7.30pm), with Doyle praising the former World No.3.

“I’ve ridden in teams a few times with Emil, with Leszno, in Poland for one,” the former world champion said.

“It’s always great to have someone with Emil’s capabilities, professionalism and how good he is on track. It always shows you there are things to learn from the top boys and it’s nice to have him in the team and to see him flying round some of the tracks for the first time back in England for so many years, is amazing.”

Doyle and Sayfutdinov have been in terrific form all season, although they couldn’t stop the Witches heading to an eight-point defeat at Wolves on Monday – despite the pair rattling in two 5-1 maximums during the meeting.

However, the pair will lead a Witches team on Thursday who have already ridden the Lions twice so far this season and beaten them home and away in the Knockout Cup. But Doyle knows it will be a tricky test.

“We need to always have good meetings at home,” he said. “We lost to Belle Vue early on, but we have moved on since that and are looking good at Foxhall.

“Leicester will be tough. They have a team of riders who all ride Foxhall well.

“It’s been a good start to the year for us. There’s a long way to go and we need to stay injury free and keep pushing for those play-offs. Last year we started so well and tailed off, so we need to concentrate on this for the season and bring some silverware home for the club.”

Doyle admitted team spirit at Foxhall is high, and he reserved special praise for fellow Aussie, Keynan Rew.

“The mix of boys we have in the team is good,” he said.

“There are no big-headed people. Young Joe Thompson is new to this league and we’re trying to get him into, I guess the rhythm. It’s a lot harder for these boys, but so long as they can keep going and pick up their points, it’s up to myself, Emil and Danny (King) to pick up the big points and win meetings.

“The first few meetings for Kenny (Keynan) showed him British speedway is not easy, as some people seem to think.

“So, it’s nice to get him flying. He’s going to be a great asset for the club and he’s great to have in the team, he’s an easy kid to get along with and he is going to do well for Ipswich.”

Aside from the domestic racing, Doyle has made a good start to the Grand Prix series, reaching two finals, albeit suffering two falls in both finals. Not that it’s concerning him.

“I can definitely say it’s a great start to the GP campaign,” he said.

“No podiums, but to get the points to be up there on the leader board is a great feeling. There’s a lot more to come from myself so hopefully we can make more finals and see where it takes us.”

Ipswich Witches v Leicester Lions, Sports Insure Premiership, Thursday night, Foxhall Stadium, 7.30pm.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: LEICESTER – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture with Leicester.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 25th May in a Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

A&S Aggregates Ltd – They are a trusted supplier of aggregates, landscaping materials and construction services for trade and public projects in Essex and throughout East Anglia. Since the company was founded over a decade ago, they have worked hard to achieve an unrivalled reputation for reliability and quality of service.

Simply Climate Control – Simply Climate Control is a progressive business specialising in the design, supply and installation of heating, ventilation & air conditioning (hvac) systems for retail, commercial, industrial & domestic spaces.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.15 2. Ben Barker 4.42 3. Danny King 6.71 © 4. Keynan Rew 5.00 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.00 6. Danyon Hume 3.93 7. Joe Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke 8.27 2. Justin Sedgmen 4.98 3. R/R for Richard Lawson 7.71 4. Chris Harris 7.64 © 5. Nick Morris 6.71 6. Jake Allen 4.00 7. Dan Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: C. Gay

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Belle Vue712
Wolverhampton69
Leicester57
Ipswich56
Sheffield55
King’s Lynn55
Peterborough72

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £22 for adults and £20 for concessions (65+). Children 16 and under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3 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 ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Leicester Lions in the Sports Insure Premiership on Thursday evening at Foxhall. The home side are finding some form on home shale having won their last three outings in front of their own fans. The Witches were in league action on Monday night at Wolverhampton and narrowly lost by eight points after a tight encounter, so Thursday represents a quick opportunity to return to winning ways and move back into third spot in the table.

The Suffolk side race as a full one to seven for the first time at home since early April with Ben Barker back at the club, coming in as a 28-day replacement for the unwell Erik Riss. The Cornishman knows Foxhall well having had three previous spells with the Witches and will hope to hit the ground running on Thursday.

The two sides have met already this season in the Knockout Cup with Ipswich winning both home and away to progress to the semi-final of the competition.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“Leicester did very well at our place on opening night, but I think we have improved during the season and built our confidence up a lot more since then. I would expect us to be a tougher test for them and we go into it with confidence and looking to carry on our winning ways at home.

“It was nice to see the reaction from the fans and the excitement for Ben coming back and I’m sure it won’t take him long to settle in at Ipswich. He has done a lot of laps at Foxhall so he will be straight back on it from heat one.

“Hopefully we can have our first dry meeting of the season at home, and it will be good to get back together. We have had two meetings this week and being together is important because we have a good atmosphere going on that we want to keep going so it will be nice to have a consistent run of meetings together.”

THE LIONS

Leicester are making their return to the top-flight of British Speedway in 2023 for the first time in five years. After an underwhelming stint in the Premiership last time out where they failed to make the play-offs in any of their five seasons, the early signs this year are much more positive. The Lions currently occupy third spot in the table after picking up all of their points on home shale including Monday’s big win over Sheffield but their only fixture on the road ended in defeat at Belle Vue.

The visitors are led by Grand Prix rider Max Fricke but there is plenty of strength in depth in this Leicester side with the likes of captain Chris Harris in the middle order. Justin Sedgmen impressed in the defeat at Foxhall earlier this season scoring 8+1 from number two and could be key from that position again. The away team are without Richard Lawson on Thursday after he crashed on Monday with rider replacement in operation at number three.

RACEDAY REPORT: WOLVERHAMPTON 49-41 IPSWICH – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (A)

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Picture courtesy of Phil McGlynn

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

WOLVERHAMPTON 49: Sam Masters © 12, Steve Worrall 7+2, Craig Cook (g) 4, Ryan Douglas 7, Rory Schlein 10+1, Zach Cook 5+1, Leon Flint (RS) 4+2. Team Manager: Peter Adams

IPSWICH 41: Jason Doyle 14+1, Ben Barker 4, Danny King © 8, Keynan Rew 3+2, Emil Sayfutdinov 9+2, Danyon Hume 3, Joe Thompson (RS) 0. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Belle Vue712
Wolverhampton69
Leicester57
Ipswich56
Sheffield55
King’s Lynn55
Peterborough72

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches were defeated at Wolverhampton on Monday night in the Sports Insure Premiership.

Wolves raced into a six-point lead after just two races and were keeping the away side at arm’s length until a maximum to Ipswich in heat nine put them just two points behind. There were just four points between the two sides going into the last three races, but Wolverhampton finished strongly to secure victory. Jason Doyle top scored for the Witches with 14+1.

The Wolves pair of Sam Masters and Steve Worrall made the start in heat one but Doyle soon passed Worrall and despite his best efforts couldn’t find a way past Masters, resulting in a 4-2 to the hosts. That was followed by a 5-1 to the home team in heat two before a first 3-3 of the evening in heat three. It was another race win to Wolves in heat four as Rory Schlein took the chequered flag ahead of the Witches pair, leaving the hosts 15-9 up.

Doyle got the first heat win for the visitors in heat five with Ben Barker third for a first heat advantage of the evening to Ipswich. Emil Sayfutdinov won a shared heat six and Ipswich skipper Danny King led heat seven but was overtaken by Schlein as it ended in another 3-3. Worrall won heat eight as Barker managed to get past Leon Flint for second to reduce the damage to a 4-2 but the Wolves held a 27-21 lead after eight races.

Ipswich team manager Ritchie Hawkins brought in Doyle as a tactical substitute in heat nine and he followed partner Sayfutdinov home for a maximum to the away team that put them just two points behind. Wolves restored their six-point lead with a 5-1 of their own in heat 10. Doyle won heat 11 ahead of Schlein with Barker picking up a point for a heat advantage to the Suffolk side. King won heat 12 for Ipswich in a 3-3 leaving things finely poised with Wolves leading 38-34 with three to race.

The Wolves pair of Masters and Schlein hit a 5-1 in heat 13 to put them on the brink of victory and the win was confirmed with another maximum in heat 14. Doyle and Sayfutdinov did hit back in the final race of the night with a 1-5 to reduce the margin of the defeat to eight points.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Picture courtesy of Phil McGlynn

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat to Wolverhampton.

“I thought it was a decent performance seeing as it is early doors in the season. I come away disappointed that we didn’t get a little bit closer in a sense, but I was fairly content with our performance as a team. It was the first time here for Keynan and it has been a long time since Emil has been year and they have picked up a lot of experience which will help us later in the season.

“It is probably one of the few tracks left in the country where you have a big home advantage because it is tighter than other tracks. I thought Keynan took to it well, better than his score suggests and Emil after his first ride was extremely good again. I felt they did well and Ben bar heat one rode well in his first meeting back for us and overall, I didn’t think it was a bad performance for this stage of the season.

“This is probably the first time this year where I have thought about the aggregate bonus point. Certainly, going into heat 15, that was a vital 1-5 that made the bonus point realistic for us. Wolverhampton will be happy to come to Ipswich with an eight-point lead, but it is one that is achievable for us to pull back as well. That is another exciting factor to add into the mix next week.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Doyle was the leading light for Ipswich, recording three race wins on his way to top scoring with 14+1 from six rides.

WHAT IT MEANS

Wolverhampton stay second after adding another two points to their tally whilst Ipswich drop to fourth. Wolves take an eight-point lead to Foxhall on 1st June with the aggregate bonus point up for grabs.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 25th May in the Sports Insure Premiership. Tickets can be purchased online in advance here and on the gate.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: WOLVERHAMPTON – SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R1 (A)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture with Wolverhampton.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to Wolverhampton to face the Wolves at the Ladbroke Stadium on Monday 22nd May in a Sports Insure Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

WOLVERHAMPTON: 1. Sam Masters 8.21 © 2. Steve Worrall 6.62 3. Craig Cook (g) 7.11 4. Ryan Douglas 6.49 5. Rory Schlein 7.20 6. Zach Cook 4.00 7. Leon Flint (RS). Team Manager: Peter Adams

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.15 2. Ben Barker 4.42 3. Danny King 6.71 © 4. Keynan Rew 5.00 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 8.00 6. Danyon Hume 3.93 7. Joe Thompson (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: W. Jarvis

SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Belle Vue712
Wolverhampton57
Ipswich46
Leicester45
Sheffield45
King’s Lynn44
Peterborough60

TICKETS

Tickets are available on the gate.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches return to Sports Insure Premiership action on Monday as they make the trip to Wolverhampton. The Witches have had a week off this week but head to the West Midlands in good form having won their last four fixtures in all competitions. Monday’s fixture will be only their second meeting on the road this season in the league, the other being the victory at Peterborough back in March.

The visitors have made a team change ahead of this clash with Ben Barker coming in as a 28-day replacement for the unwell Erik Riss. Riss has been side-lined by a virus since the Knockout Cup win over Leicester at Foxhall on April 6 and is still not ready to return to racing. Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has been using rider replacement to cover the German in that period but has moved to sign Barker, meaning he can field a full one to seven once again. Barker is no stranger to Foxhall and starts his fourth spell in Suffolk at number two on Monday.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We go to Wolverhampton in great form, and it will be nice to go as a full one to seven. Every time we go there it is a tough place to go, they are very good at their home track and have a good team again and have started the season well. We are going to have to perform extremely well to get a win at Wolves but with our team we have a lot of race winners.

“Emil has been there before and hopefully he will pick it up again quickly which you kind of expect. Doyley was amazing there last year, the way he rode Wolverhampton was outstanding, he was so quick around there, so we have race winners, we are in good form and have a good team, so we will go there looking to win the meeting.

“Keynan picked up Leicester really quickly and hopefully he can do the same at Wolves. He has picked up Ipswich well as well, but Wolves takes a bit of getting your head around and a few visits, so we can’t expect too much of him but I’m sure he will learn and pick it up and we have at least one more visit there this season. We know Danyon is capable anywhere as well as Ben and I have seen Danny win a lot of races there, so we have race winners, and we were tremendous there last year. Those two away wins at Wolves made a massive difference to us in the play-off race.

“You know what you are getting with Ben, he has started the season in decent form for Plymouth and has picked up in the last few weeks. Me and him have been speaking over the last few weeks about the possibility of this happening and he has been pretty excited to be with us. There is nowhere you can take Ben and say he is not very good because he gives you 100% in every meeting. He will be at number two, and it will take the pressure off Danyon who was having to do six or seven rides every meeting to cover Erik.”

THE WOLVES

Wolverhampton made the play-offs in 2022 but like the Witches, exited at the semi-final stage in disappointing fashion. The hosts have started the new season in good form and currently sit second in the Sports Insure Premiership table, having won all three of their home meetings and the club also secured their progress to the Knockout Cup semi-final beating Belle Vue in the quarter-final.

As is always the case at Monmore Green, there has been no major overhaul of the team over the winter, with continuity often at the forefront of team building. Five of last year’s side have returned for another season with Sam Masters captaining the team at number one and Steve Worrall, Ryan Douglas, Luke Becker and Leon Flint have all joined him for another year in the West Midlands. The only two changes see Rory Schlein come out of retirement to return to British speedway and replace Nick Morris and young Australian Zach Cook replaces Drew Kemp at reserve. Becker will be absent for the home side on Monday after failing a fitness test with Craig Cook guesting in his place.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £21, concessions £19, juniors (aged 13-18) £6, children (aged 7-12) £1 and children under the age of 7 go free. Official programmes cost £3. For travel information head here.

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

BARKER SIGNS AS 28-DAY REPLACEMENT FOR RISS

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By Henry Chard

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches have signed Ben Barker as a 28-day replacement for the unwell Erik Riss.

Riss has been side-lined by a virus since the Knockout Cup win over Leicester at Foxhall on April 6 and is still not ready to return to racing. Team manager Ritchie Hawkins has been using rider replacement to cover the German in that period but has moved to sign Barker, meaning he can field a full one to seven once again.

The 28-day signing means that Riss can return to the side on his current average after the 28 days is up if he is ready to return.

Barker is no stranger to Foxhall, and this will be his fourth spell in Suffolk. The Cornishman was last with the club in 2022 but his season was cut short after he tested positive for a banned substance at Oxford Speedway in July. He served a suspension which ended on 1st March 2023 and was ordered to pay towards the cost of the court hearing.

The 35-year-old has been riding for Championship side Plymouth so far this season and has posted several impressive scores at that level in recent weeks and Hawkins explained why he has now decided to make this change.

“Erik has not improved at the rate we thought he was going to, and we can’t carry on with rider replacement for any longer,” said Hawkins. “We have done really well covering with it over the last few weeks, but it is not advisable.

“We have had a look around and we wanted someone with experience who knows the club well and we know Ben well and know he is going to give us everything. It is for 28 days because we had no desire to change the team, so we are hoping that 28 days gives Erik time to get better and it also gives Ben 28 days to prove he deserves to be back in the team as well.”

Barker comes into the side for Monday’s Sports Insure Premiership fixture away at Wolverhampton on Monday 22nd May.

SPORTS INSURE TO SPONSOR PREMIERSHIP

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British Speedway’s Premiership has completed a title sponsorship partnership with Sports Insure.

With the 2023 season set to ramp up as live television coverage on Eurosport and discovery+ gets underway on May 22, the acquisition of a league sponsor is a major boost to the top-flight.

Sports Insure, a trading name of Aon UK Limited, have become valued partners of British Speedway in recent years.

The company are sports specialists who provide risk management and arrange insurance solutions for national governing bodies, associations and competitors.

Outside of their extensive involvement in motorsport, Aon currently partner with the NFL, the PGA and golf’s Ryder Cup event.

Phil Thorn, MD of Aon Digital, said: “We are thrilled to further strengthen our association with Speedway, becoming title sponsor for the Premiership league this season.   

“As specialists in motorsport insurance, Speedway offers the perfect platform to drive our Sports Insure brand and engage with our audience.”

Premiership CEO Phil Morris said: “We are extremely excited to enter this Premiership league sponsorship partnership with Sports Insure, and we can’t wait to begin working together.

“We believe both ourselves and Sports Insure can hit new heights in terms of the reach this sponsorship agreement will bring, and we look forward to helping each other secure our respective ambitions.

“It’s another really positive move for the league, and with the live TV coverage just around the corner as well, there’s plenty for everyone to look forward to over the coming months.”

The league now becomes the Sports Insure Premiership with immediate effect.