Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 53–37 WOLVERHAMPTON – PREMIERSHIP (H)

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By Henry Chard

MEETING SPONSORS

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.

ITFC Commercial – An extensive range of opportunities exist at Portman Road from: Hospitality, advertising and sponsorship packages. Plus, unforgettable experiences for their passionate and loyal commercial supporters and fanbase.

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 53: Jason Doyle 11+1 (Paid Maximum), Paul Starke 1, Danny King © 7, Rohan Tungate 5+1, Troy Batchelor 11+1, Aaron Summers 11+1, Danyon Hume (RS) 7+2. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

WOLVES 37: Sam Masters © 7+2, Steve Worrall 2 (Withdrawn), Luke Becker 11+1, Ryan Douglas R/R, Nick Morris 12+1, Drew Kemp 2+1, Leon Flint (RS) 3. Team Manager: Peter Adams

REFEREE: M. Bates

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1737
Wolverhampton1630
Belle Vue1429
Sheffield1327
King’s Lynn1518
Peterborough1510

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches extended their lead at the top of the Premiership with a comfortable victory over Wolverhampton on Thursday night at Foxhall.

The away side lost Ryan Douglas to injury on the day of the fixture and soon lost Steve Worrall to injury during the meeting, leaving them with a mountain to climb. Wolves battled hard and the scores were level after six heats of action, but Ipswich pulled clear from that moment on to record a comfortable victory in front of their home supporters. Jason Doyle top scored with a paid maximum of 11+1.

Doyle got proceedings underway with a win in heat one as the points were shared before the Witches went ahead in heat two with a 5-1 from Danyon Hume and Aaron Summers. Things got worse for the visitors after the race with Worrall withdrawing from the meeting due to pre-existing injury meaning his remaining rides would be covered by reserves. However, despite this setback, the away side levelled things in heat three with Nick Morris and Luke Becker hitting a maximum. Morris was back out again in heat four and took the chequered flag again in a 3-3 that left it all level at 12-12.

There was another share of the points in heat four as Sam Masters won ahead of Danny King. Doyle made it two wins from two in heat six, but it was another 3-3 as Drew Kemp won the battle at the back against Paul Starke. The hosts went back in front in heat seven as Summers won with Troy Batchelor tucked in behind him holding off Becker for the 5-1. Summers was in great form and replaced Starke in heat eight and he and Hume roared to another maximum to make it 28-20 to Ipswich.

Rohan Tungate got his first win of the night in heat nine as King worked hard from the back to pass Morris for third, meaning a heat advantage to the home team. Doyle cruised to another win in heat 10 and was joined by Starke early on but Becker split the Witches pair to limit the damage to a 4-2. Wolves boss Peter Adams put Morris in as a tactical substitute in heat 11 and it worked to perfection as he and Masters recorded a maximum to reduce the deficit. King won from the gate in heat 12 and it was so nearly a maximum with Hume in second, but Becker pipped the Ipswich ‘rising star’ on the line, resulting in a 4-2 that left the Suffolk side 41-31 up.

It was game, set and match after heat 13 as Batchelor and Doyle banged in a 5-1 for the Foxhall outfit. Summers continued his impressive night with another win in heat 14 as Tungate was made to work hard to pass Flint for a point on the line to record a 4-2. Batchelor ended the night with victory in heat 15 as the points were shared to give a comfortable 53-37 win over the depleted Wolves.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“Once Steve pulled out after heat one, we kind of knew they would be heavily relying on their reserves and by the end of the meeting that was going to be tough on them. In the end it was a comfortable win for us, but Wolverhampton were very short of riders. We had some good performances, but we can’t get too carried away with this result against a five-man team.

“Aaron was superb as was Danyon. We were very strong at reserve tonight and we definitely saw what Aaron is capable of and that is great going forward into the play-offs if he is in that form. Danyon stepped it up another gear tonight, he made that little breakthrough that we have seen coming for a long while, and it was probably his best performance of the year.

“Starkey has had some machinery issues of late and has looked a bit down on power lately and I felt that again tonight. We have next week off and next month, without having the confirmation of averages, I expect him to be back down at reserve where he rides well. I am not massively concerned, once he gets back down to reserve, he will get over his troubles and we will see him back to his best. The effort is certainly there, and I don’t think he is doing masses amount wrong on the track, he just seems to be down on power.

“We are in strong position at the top of the league, but other teams have meetings in hand. I don’t think it is hugely vital to finish top and there isn’t any real advantage to finish top, but I think to go into the play-offs top is what we are aiming to do. I think we need to keep the winning momentum going for the play-offs and I think that is more important than actually finishing top itself. Whoever we face it will be a tough test whether it is in the semis or the final. We are aiming to finish top, and the boys are focused on it.”

RN EUSTON & ITFC COMMERCIAL RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Summers picked up the RN Euston award after scoring 11+1 from reserve whilst ITFC Commercial selected Batchelor after he also scored 11+1.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich extend their lead to seven points at the top of the table with this victory. Wolverhampton don’t pick up any points and stay second.

UP NEXT

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to face the Peterborough Panthers at the East of England Arena Monday 5th September in a Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: WOLVERHAMPTON – PREMIERSHIP (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Premiership fixture with Wolverhampton.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the Wolverhampton Wolves at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 25th August in a Premiership fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

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.

ITFC Commercial – An extensive range of opportunities exist at Portman Road from: Hospitality, advertising and sponsorship packages. Plus, unforgettable experiences for their passionate and loyal commercial supporters and fanbase.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.47 2. Paul Starke 4.40 3. Danny King 6.77 © 4. Rohan Tungate 6.57 5. Troy Batchelor 6.43 6. Aaron Summers 4.14 7. Danyon Hume (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

WOLVES: 1. Sam Masters 8.79 © 2. Steve Worrall 7.48 3. Luke Becker 6.40 4. R/R for Ryan Douglas 7.38 5. Nick Morris 6.77 6. Drew Kemp 3.29 7. Leon Flint (RS). Team Manager: Peter Adams

REFEREE: M. Bates

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1634
Wolverhampton1530
Belle Vue1429
Sheffield1327
King’s Lynn1414
Peterborough1410

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £20 for adults and £18 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 ‘Tru Mix’ Witches are back in action at Foxhall on Thursday evening as they host the Wolverhampton Wolves in the Premiership. Ipswich have had a two week break since their last outing where they staged a dramatic comeback to beat local rivals King’s Lynn on home shale. The Suffolk side have enjoyed their clashes against Wolves in 2022, winning both away fixtures in the West Midlands as well as coming out on top at home after a last-heat decider win earlier in the season and it is likely to be another close encounter this week.

The hosts are at full strength for this fixture with Jason Doyle racing at number one. Doyle suffered shoulder and rib injuries in the British Grand Prix recently following three crashes on a difficult track but is fit enough to take his place in the Witches side. With the play-off positions seemingly set, it is all about who will finish top of the pile going into the end of season shootout.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We are very hopeful of tracking our full one to seven and we need to do that as much as possible going into the play-offs. After our changes we want to get as many meetings as we can under our belt as a full septet. We need to carry on that improvement we showed in the last five races against King’s Lynn and start the way we finished. Rohan and Aaron will be a lot happier coming into this meeting than the first meeting, knowing a lot more about where they are at. That will be good for them to get another meeting around Foxhall. We want to keep our position at the top of the table, but Wolverhampton are a team that go well at Ipswich, so we will need to be on top of our game.

“Over the last few years in the Premiership, every meeting with Wolverhampton seems to be very close with last-heat deciders. It would be lovely to perform and get the meeting done early but I think it could be another close meeting and we need to show that resolve that we have been showing all year to make sure we come out on top at the end.

“It was an awesome crowd against King’s Lynn, and it was very pleasing to send everyone away with the right result. We’ve had some great racing and lots of drama at Foxhall this year so I’m sure everyone will come out and keep backing us. We have provided some memorable meetings this year and I think Thursday could be another one, so hopefully everyone will be supporting us.”

THE WOLVES

Wolverhampton, like Ipswich, are all but mathematically certain of making the play-offs, sitting in second in the table, hot on the heels of the Witches at the top. Ipswich are the only team to beat them at the Ladbroke Stadium and they have a couple of away wins to their name, both at Peterborough. They were in action on Monday night against Sheffield winning 46-44 in front of the TV cameras.

Sam Masters is back in action for the away side following his recent collarbone and shoulder injury and is very much a fan of Foxhall. The Australian regularly hits big scores in Suffolk and did so in the previous fixture in East Anglia, hitting 16 in their narrow defeat. Ipswich asset Drew Kemp rides at reserve and will look to do well at a track he knows well. The visitors will operate rider replacement for the injured Ryan Douglas who crashed on Wednesday night. 

BLAST FROM THE PAST

There will also be four races involving the below riders, with Alan Sage also in attendance. In addition, there will also be a race jacket provided for auction with the proceeds going to the Ben Fund. It will have all the race jackets being worn copied on the front with the Ben Fund logo on the back and signed by all the riders.

Alec Gooch – Rotrax JAP – Ipswich Witches

Keith Cornell – 2 Valve Jawa – Crayford Kestrels

Graham Wilson – Godden – Arena Essex

Simon Bevan – Weslake – Oxford Cheetahs

Tony Gaul – Weslake – Wimbledon Dons

Mark Anderson – Weslake – Hackney Hawks

Keith Hill – Jawa 897 – Norwich Stars

Steve Cook – Weslake – Belle Vue Aces

RACEDAY PREVIEW: PREMIERSHIP PAIRS – ROUND 5

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of the fifth round of the Premiership Pairs.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches pairing travels to Sheffield for the fifth round of the Premiership Pairs at Owlerton Stadium on Thursday 18th August which starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: Paul Starke, Danny King, Danyon Hume (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN: Nicolai Klindt, Richard Lawson, Jason Edwards (RS). Team Manager: Alex Brady

PETERBOROUGH: Chris Harris, Hans Andersen, Jordan Jenkins (RS). Team Manager: Rob Lyon

SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Kyle Howarth, Connor Mountain (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead

WOLVES: Ryan Douglas, Nick Morris, Leon Flint (RS). Team Manager: Peter Adams

BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Charles Wright, Tom Brennan (RS). Team Managers: Steve Williams & Graham Goodwin

REFEREE: P. Griffin

PREMIERSHIP PAIRS TABLE

TeamPoints
Ipswich38
King’s Lynn26
Sheffield24
Belle Vue22
Wolverhampton10
Peterborough8

TICKETS

Tickets are available on the gate. The meeting will also be streamed online here. A BSN+ subscription is required to watch. Each round can be purchased individually, priced at £12.99. BSN’s web URL is watch.britishspeedway.co.uk. BSN also has an App which is now available on Amazon Fire TV and on all IOS (Apple) devices.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches pairing heads to Sheffield on Thursday for the fifth round of the Premiership Pairs. Ipswich lead the competition having won the last three rounds at Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Wolverhampton. The lead is a healthy one with second place King’s Lynn 12 points behind, but the Stars, Sheffield and Belle Vue can all still catch the Witches with a strong showing at Owlerton as they look to close the gap at the top before the sixth round at the National Speedway Stadium. Wolverhampton and Peterborough are both out of contention.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins is without the injured Jason Doyle for this round with Paul Starke replacing him whilst Danny King comes in for Troy Batchelor with Danyon Hume as the ‘Rising Star’. Doyle has been sublime everywhere he has gone in British speedway this season and has been ever-present in this competition until now racking up the points. However, after three crashes at last weekend’s British Grand Prix, the number one suffered rib and shoulder injuries and is not fit to ride.

The qualifying criteria for the competition as listed on the SCB website states that ‘two riders from the top four by MA (match average) from the green sheets of the month prior to the event will determine the pair for each team.’ With Doyle injured, it leaves Hawkins with just three riders to pick from for this event and he has opted for Starke over Batchelor who struggled on his last visit to Owlerton.  

King partnered Doyle to victory in Round 3 at King’s Lynn and is back in the side for the trip to Sheffield. The skipper rode for Sheffield in the Championship in 2019 whilst Hume was also a Tiger in 2021 and is guaranteed at least one ride as part of the regulations.

HOW IT WORKS

The competition is a new addition to the calendar for 2022 with all six Premiership clubs staging a round throughout the season. Each club will have two riders and a ‘Rising Star’ at each round with scores accumulated over all six rounds before the overall aggregate winner is declared after the final round of the competition at Belle Vue in September. 12 points will be awarded to each round winner, eight points to second, six points to third, four points to fourth, two points to fifth and no points to sixth.

There will be 15 qualifying heats of action at each round with the top scoring team from the qualifying heats going directly to the final. The teams placed in second and third will compete in a semi-final with the winning side from that race progressing to the final to decide the round winners. Each team has five qualifying heats each and the ‘Rising Star’ must take at least one ride during the meeting. The points scoring system for the competition in each race will be 4-3-2-0.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We are in pole position at the moment, and we are looking for another strong round at Sheffield to keep us in that very strong position going into Belle Vue. If we can seal it at Sheffield on Thursday with a win, then even better but we need to make sure we put in another solid performance and two solid performances in the next two rounds would be enough. We are in a strong position, but we are certainly not there yet.

“Doyley had three crashes on Saturday, so we were waiting on his fitness and to see how he gets on in the next few days. He is currently the best rider in the league, so he is a big miss, but we are coming up to the crunch part of the season and we need him to be fully fit for that, so we have to consider that. Danny goes very well at Sheffield and with those two we felt we would have had as strong a pairing as anyone.

“Starkey comes in for Doyley who is not fit enough. With Danny and Danyon already there we only have two eligible riders left to do it and Paul is a stronger option than Batch at Sheffield.”

THE LINE-UP

Hosts Sheffield have Grand Prix rider Jack Holder in their side and with Adam Ellis injured have decided field captain Kyle Howarth for his first appearance in the competition. King’s Lynn have been allowed to select recent new signing Nicolai Klindt who is partnered by Richard Lawson. Belle Vue have chosen skipper Brady Kurtz and have brought in Charles Wright for his debut in the competition. Peterborough have ever-present Chris Harris in their pair with Hans Andersen back in alongside him. Wolves are missing the injured Sam Masters so go with Australian duo Nick Morris and Ryan Douglas who have both appeared in the Pairs this season.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £19, concessions £17, children (12-16) £6, children (under 12) £1 and children (under 5) go free. Official programmes cost £3. All the stadium is open except the back straight which remains closed for safety reasons. There is seating in the Panorama Room, which also boasts a restaurant and bar overlooking the track. There is a fast-food bar, and the Panorama Room Restaurant also offers a ‘Speedway Special’ carvery with a choice of meats. The Panorama Room Restaurant has large bar with ideal viewing facilities in addition to the carvery. Reserve your table now by calling Owlerton Stadium on 01142 343074. For travel information head here.

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

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 46–44 KING’S LYNN – PREMIERSHIP (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.

Pike Air– They provide comprehensive cover for your air conditioning, refrigeration, heat pump and ventilation systems.

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 46: Jason Doyle 18 (Maximum), Paul Starke 1, Danny King © 5, Rohan Tungate 9+2, Troy Batchelor 4+1, Aaron Summers 6, Danyon Hume (RS) 3+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN 44: Josh Pickering © 1+1, Thomas Jorgensen 6, Richie Worrall 8+2, Nicolai Klindt 5+1, Richard Lawson 9+1, Frederik Jakobsen 13, Jason Edwards (RS) 2+1. Team Manager: Alex Brady

REFEREE: C. Gay

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1634
Belle Vue1429
Wolverhampton1427
Sheffield1226
King’s Lynn1414
Peterborough1410

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches staged a tremendous comeback to defeat local rivals King’s Lynn in the East Anglian derby on Thursday night at Foxhall as they extended their lead at the top of the Premiership.

The Norfolk outfit arrived in Suffolk desperate for a win to keep their slim play-off hopes alive on a red-hot day at Foxhall. It looked for all the world like they would get the win they cherished as they held an eight-point lead with just five races remaining. However, Ipswich turned it around and hit two maximums to level the tie before snatching victory in the final race. Jason Doyle had the perfect night, top scoring with an 18-point maximum.

Doyle won the first race of the night as Thomas Jorgensen split the home pairing with Paul Starke third for an early heat advantage to the home side. Recent signing Frederik Jakobsen won heat two for the away side in a shared heat. Heat three was called back after an unsatisfactory start and Richie Worrall won the re-run as Danny King fell early on which resulted in a 2-4 to the Stars with Rohan Tungate second and Nicolai Klindt third. The visitors made a reserve switch in heat four bringing in Jakobsen and he won again ahead of Troy Batchelor with Richard Lawson picking up a point to edge the Stars two points in front.

Jorgensen went touched the tapes in heat five meaning Jakobsen was back out again as a replacement. Tungate won the re-run as Josh Pickering won the battle at the back against King meaning a 3-3. Doyle won heat six, but partner Starke was forced to retire with bike issues meaning another shared heat. The away side extended their lead in heat seven with a maximum from Worrall and Klindt. Jorgensen won heat eight ahead of Danyon Hume but with Starke at the back it was another heat advantage to the visitors meaning they held a healthy eight-point lead.

Lawson won a shared heat nine before Doyle won heat 10 but with Starke retiring at the back again the hosts were unable to reduce the deficit. Doyle was back out in heat 11 as a tactical substitute by team manager Ritchie Hawkins and he led but the race was stopped as Pickering fell whilst under pressure from Batchelor for second and was excluded. In the re-run Doyle and Batchelor raced to a 5-1 to give the hosts some hope of a comeback in the final few heats. King won a shared heat 12 but that left the away side four points to the good with just thee heats to race.

Doyle continued his sublime form and won again in heat 13 but with Batchelor at the back it left the visitors on the brink of victory. There was drama before the start of heat 14 as Klindt suffered some kind of issue on the start line and was excluded meaning he would have to go from 15 metres back. The Witches took advantage in the re-run as Summers and Tungate hit a maximum to level the score going into the final race of the night. The remarkable turnaround was complete in heat 15 as Doyle won to seal a sensational 18-point maximum and Tungate won the battle against Worrall at the back for a vital point that handed the Suffolk side victory to the delight of the Foxhall faithful.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“I was really pleased with the character of team to be able to pull it out of the bag again at the end. We have seen it this year already and after the interval we really stepped it up and pulled it back but overall, it wasn’t a great performance and we certainly got away with it as we rode our luck to get the win.

“In the interval we had a chat and I told them that after the first 10 heats there was one team that looked like they wanted to win the meeting and that wasn’t us. Certainly, after the interval the boys stepped up and showed what they are all about when needed. Once we did that, we were the better team. For the first 10 heats we were poor, much like we were at the start of the season when we were making silly mistakes and having machinery problems which shouldn’t be happening now. They turned it around again though and I’m glad this week has come now and not when it really matters later on in the season.

“Doyley was amazing again and we hope to see that sort of performance in Cardiff this weekend. He was at his sublime best again. I was really pleased to see Rohan back in that sort of form and he put in a massive team effort lending his bike out to Batch during the meeting. It is clear to see in his first week it has not taken him long to settle back down into being a Witch. Aaron’s ride in heat 14 was vital too.

“There was a big crowd in tonight and we provided a lot of entertainment for them. I hope to see a lot of them back again as the season goes on. It was a local derby and I’m really glad we managed to get the result in the end even if it wasn’t the way we wanted to do it.”

A&S AGGREGATES LTD & PIKE AIR RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Maximum man Doyle was Pike Air’s choice after he went through the card whilst A&S Aggregates chose Tungate after he scored 9+2 and played a vital role in the last-heat decider.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich restore their five-point lead at the top of the table with this victory whilst King’s Lynn pick up a point which leaves them fifth and 12 points off the top four.

UP NEXT

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches pairing travels to South Yorkshire for Round 5 of the Premiership Pairs at Sheffield on Thursday 18th August. Tickets can be purchased on the gate.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN – PREMIERSHIP (H)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Premiership fixture with King’s Lynn.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 11th August in a Premiership 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.

Pike Air– They provide comprehensive cover for your air conditioning, refrigeration, heat pump and ventilation systems.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.47 2. Paul Starke 4.40 3. Danny King 6.77 © 4. Rohan Tungate 6.57 5. Troy Batchelor 6.43 6. Aaron Summers 4.14 7. Danyon Hume (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN: 1. Josh Pickering 7.82 © 2. Thomas Jorgensen 5.71 3. Richie Worrall 5.61 4. Nicolai Klindt 7.43 5. Richard Lawson 6.59 6. Frederik Jakobsen 5.04 7. Jason Edwards (RS). Team Manager: Alex Brady

REFEREE: C. Gay

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1531
Belle Vue1429
Wolverhampton1427
Sheffield1226
King’s Lynn1313
Peterborough1410

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy on the gate and in advance online (until 7pm on raceday) and are priced at £20 for adults and £18 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. Cash, debit and credit card payments are accepted on the night. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium in the East Anglian derby on Thursday evening in the Premiership. Ipswich sit top of the Premiership going into the fixture despite being heavily beaten by second placed Belle Vue on Monday night. The Witches won in Norfolk last week but know their opponents will be keen on revenge at a place they go well at, having narrowly lost 46-44 in Suffolk earlier in the season.

Ipswich track their new-look side in front of their home fans for the first time with Rohan Tungate and Aaron Summers making their first appearance of the season at Foxhall. Club asset Tungate has come in as replacement for the injured Erik Riss whilst Summers has replaced the suspended Ben Barker.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“Monday was a bad night, but we go into Thursday having been flying at home. It is a big meeting as always against King’s Lynn being a derby. We have been in good form at home and need to carry that on. We have got a couple of new additions to the team since our last home meeting. It shouldn’t take Rohan long to settle in and I’m sure we will all help Aaron to make sure he is on the pace as soon as possible.

“They are both experienced riders, Aaron has ridden at Ipswich a lot of times and is an experienced speedway rider, so it won’t take him that long to get setup. Rohan has done many laps around Foxhall, the track is a bit different to when he rode for us before but actually, I think the changes will suit him. It is a lot easier to ride than it was back in the Championship days. The changes will really suit him so I think he will certainly enjoy it.

“King’s Lynn are certainly not giving up hope on the play-offs and they will be desperate to get one over on us after we have won there twice this year. They are full of riders who really like Foxhall, so they are dangerous and pose a threat to us. We will need to be on our game to win.”

THE STARS

King’s Lynn have it all to do if they are to make this season’s top four after another disappointing campaign. The Stars sit fifth in the table 13 points off the play-off places with just seven fixtures remaining. It is almost must-win territory for the Norfolk side now who are yet to register an away win in the league, but they know victory in the East Anglian derby could be the boost their season needs.

The Stars have made two changes in recent weeks in a bid to turn their season around. Nicolai Klindt made his debut in the defeat at home to Ipswich last week and is a man that often enjoys his visits to Foxhall. This week, the visitors have also brought in Frederik Jakobsen at reserve to replace Lewis Kerr.

RACEDAY REPORT: BELLE VUE 60–30 IPSWICH – PREMIERSHIP (A)

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Picture courtesy of Ian Charles

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

BELLE VUE 60: Matej Zagar 8+1, Tom Brennan (RS) 8+1, Brady Kurtz © 11+2, Charles Wright 7+2, Max Fricke 14, Jye Etheridge 7+2, Norick Blödorn 5+1. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH 30: Jason Doyle 9, Paul Starke 4+1, Danny King © 2, Rohan Tungate 8, Troy Batchelor 4, Aaron Summers 2, Danyon Hume (RS) 1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: G. Hunter

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1531
Belle Vue1429
Wolverhampton1427
Sheffield1226
King’s Lynn1313
Peterborough1410

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches were no match for Belle Vue on Monday night in the Premiership as they were well beaten in Manchester.

Ipswich were tracking their new-look side for the first time in this top of the table clash having brought in Rohan Tungate and Aaron Summers last week. However, the Manchester side were too strong on the night for the league pacesetters and closed the gap at the top with a dominant performance at the National Speedway Stadium. Jason Doyle top scored with nine.

Matej Zagar won heat one for the hosts, but his partner Tom Brennan suffered bike issues and finished at the back meaning a 3-3. Norick Blödorn missed the two-minute time allowance in heat two and was forced to start from 15 metres. However, that didn’t stop the Aces reserve in the re-run as he worked his way through to join Jye Etheridge at the front for a 5-1 to the hosts with Aaron Summers retiring with bike problems early on. Heat three had two false starts with both Charles Wright and Danny King warned for moving at the start but at the third attempt Rohan Tungate won his first race back in Witches colours in a shared heat with King unable to keep Wright and Brady Kurtz at bay. Troy Batchelor led heat four but couldn’t hold off compatriot Max Fricke as he made the pass to win with Blödorn third for a heat advantage that made it 15-9 to Belle Vue.

Doyle won heat five as the points were shared before the Aces extended their lead further with another maximum in heat six. Fricke won heat seven ahead of King and Etheridge for a 4-2 to Belle Vue as the meeting was starting to slip away from the Witches. Brennan got the better of Paul Starke to win heat eight with Blödorn picking up a point for another 4-2 which gave the Aces a commanding 14-point lead.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins put Doyle in as a tactical substitute in heat nine, but things went from bad to worse as Kurtz was joined by Wright at the front with Doyle retiring meaning a 5-1 to the Aces. The punishment kept on coming for the away side as Brennan won heat 10 holding off Tungate with Zagar third for yet another heat advantage. The end couldn’t come soon enough for the Witches as the home team banged in another 5-1 in heat 11 with the meeting well and truly sewn up. Kurtz won heat 12 with Summers and Blödorn exchanging moves behind him for second as the Ipswich man came out on top, but it was another 4-2 to make it 49-23 to Belle Vue.

Doyle won a shared heat 13 to stem the tide before Tungate got his second win of the evening in heat 14 in another 3-3. The evening ended with another Belle Vue maximum on a night to forget for the Suffolk side.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Picture courtesy of Ian Charles

Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat at Belle Vue.

“It was the worst night of the year; we were blighted by machinery problems but when they were going, we were getting into good positions and weren’t quick enough. We need to make sure if we come back later in the year maybe in the play-offs it is vital that we are up to speed.

“They are very quick around here but if we do come here again it is no good saying that, we need to make sure we have got quick enough equipment to compete.

“Rohan was probably our best rider on the night, so I was pleased with his debut. He knows us well and fitted straight back in. Aaron was one who suffered machinery problems early on but certainly in his last two rides was back on the pace and was right in the mix. I have no doubt that come Thursday that he will have his problems sorted and Rohan will enjoy being back at Ipswich.

“It is one bad night at the office, as a team it is not massively damaging to us in the league table and mentally it won’t be either. We will pick ourselves back up ready for Thursday.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

On a difficult night for Ipswich, Tungate had a decent night scoring eight points on his return to the club which included two race wins.

WHAT IT MEANS

Belle Vue pick up three points and are now just two points behind Ipswich at the top of the Premiership with a meeting in hand.

UP NEXT

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 11th August in a Premiership fixture. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

KING SUPPORTS WALK TO CARDIFF

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Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches captain Danny King showed his support for the ‘Walk to Cardiff 2022’ by joining John Curtis for part of the journey.

John is walking from Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to help raise funds for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund. He set off on 4th August and will arrive in the Welsh capital on 12th August in time for Saturday’s British Speedway Grand Prix. The walk is a distance of 264 miles, averaging just under 30 miles per day.

King joined the walk on Saturday 6th August and posted the following on Twitter, encouraging people to donate.

You can donate here. Everyone at the club wishes John well for the rest of the walk!

RACEDAY PREVIEW: BELLE VUE – PREMIERSHIP (A)

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By Henry Chard

All the details ahead of our Premiership fixture with Belle Vue.

WHEN & WHERE

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches travel to Manchester to face the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 8th August in a Premiership fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

BELLE VUE: 1. Matej Zagar 8.35 2. Tom Brennan 5.26 (RS) 3. Brady Kurtz 8.31 © 4. Charles Wright 6.12 5. Max Fricke 8.11 6. Jye Etheridge 4.65 7. Norick Blödorn 4.00. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 10.47 2. Paul Starke 4.40 3. Danny King 6.77 © 4. Rohan Tungate 6.57 5. Troy Batchelor 6.43 6. Aaron Summers 4.14 7. Danyon Hume (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: G. Hunter

PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1431
Belle Vue1326
Wolverhampton1324
Sheffield1123
King’s Lynn1212
Peterborough1310

TICKETS

Tickets can be purchased online here and are available on the gate.

THE STORY

The ‘Tru Mix’ Witches head to Manchester on Monday night to face the Belle Vue Aces in the Premiership. Ipswich were in action on Thursday at King’s Lynn and despite being without Erik Riss and Ben Barker managed to pick up a fine victory in the East Anglian derby to extend their lead at the top of the table. Ipswich met the Aces last month at Foxhall with the hosts running out 50-40 winners.

It is a new-look Witches side that will take to the track at the National Speedway Stadium with two team changes having been made. With Erik Riss facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with a broken ankle, in comes club asset Rohan Tungate as an injury replacement to ride at number four. With Ben Barker still suspended, the management have moved to bring in Aaron Summers at reserve.  

Ipswich picked up a point on their previous visit to Manchester in June after a narrow defeat and will be hoping to pick up more on this occasion with a full-strength team out.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We went well at Belle Vue earlier on in the year, but they were a little bit understrength. We have made some changes and have a full one to seven again which will be very nice after a lot of rider replacement of late. I feel we have kept the balance of the team as close as is possible as it was before, and we go to Belle Vue with great confidence. They are in great form at their home track so it will certainly be a tough evening.

“It is nice to be at this stage of the season and feel that we are comfortable in the standings to be in the play-off race. We don’t want to relax too much but with the result at King’s Lynn last time out there is not massive pressure to get points to make the play-offs.”

THE ACES

Belle Vue have had a very similar season to Ipswich in many respects having exited the League Cup with no points, but they are sitting nicely in second place in the Premiership, five points behind the Witches. The Aces are unbeaten at home having won seven out of seven in the league and they hammered champions Peterborough 63-27 last time out.

The hosts are also at full strength for the fixture with Max Fricke fresh from winning the Speedway of Nations with Australia. Rising Star Tom Brennan is a name on many people’s lips at the moment and he showed his pedigree at the National Speedway Stadium in last week’s abandoned British Final where he was joint leader at the time of the abandonment.

AWAY DAYS

Ticket prices can be found here and official programmes cost £3. 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.

SUMMERS ARRIVES IN SUFFOLK

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By Henry Chard

The Ipswich ‘Tru Mix’ Witches have signed Aaron Summers to replace Ben Barker in their line-up, subject to BSPL approval.

Barker had his SCB registration suspended after he provided a ‘Non Negative’ result following a random Drug and Alcohol test held at Oxford Speedway. His registration will remain suspended until further results have been confirmed from laboratory results which are still yet to be received. Summers’ move is part of a double change with Rohan Tungate replacing the injured Erik Riss.

The club are currently top of the Premiership and look set for the play-offs with the management having to act quickly to ensure they have a full team for the run-in.

Summers recently came out of retirement to return to racing with Oxford in the Championship and has been scoring freely. The Australian will make his debut for Ipswich away at Belle Vue on Monday.

Team manager Ritchie Hawkins explained why the club has opted to bring Summers in.

“With bringing Rohan in we didn’t quite have enough points, so we had to make another change,” said Hawkins. “We have brought Aaron in, and he is another rider who has come back in and is flying. He has been going very well and he is a rider we have spoken to on numerous occasions over the last few years and we have had deals agreed and he is someone I would have liked to be part of the club. I think he will fit in very well and plans have always changed after we have spoken in the past and we haven’t been able to get him. I’m very pleased to have him in the side and it keeps the balance of the side very similar to what has been successful so far this season.

“Ben is suspended so we needed to replace him as well. It is a shame as we didn’t want to lose Ben, but the circumstances are what they are. We have had to replace two riders but have replaced them with two very good riders, so I think in that respect we have done a very good job.

“It keeps the balance of the team, and he has plenty of experience riding in that position. He is a good honest rider, and he is mega keen to be back in the Premiership and he seems to be enjoying his racing. I think he will come in and do a very good job.”