Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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

Posted on 5th August, 20245th August, 2024,

By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Sheffield to face the Tigers at Owlerton Stadium on Thursday 8^th August in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

SHEFFIELD: 1. Jack Holder 9.20 2. Kyle Howarth 5.17 © 3. Chris Holder 8.23 4. Josh Pickering 6.47 5. Chris Harris (G) 8.67 6. Jason Edwards 3.25 7. Dan Gilkes (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead

IPSWICH: 1. R/R for Jason Doyle 9.36 2. Adam Ellis 5.63 3. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.04 4. Dan Thompson 5.02 (RS) 5. Danny King 6.98 © 6. Keynan Rew 4.77 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66 8. Freddy Hodder. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: D. Watters

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	18	34
Sheffield	18	30
Belle Vue	19	29
Leicester	17	24
Oxford	20	23
King’s Lynn*	16	11
Birmingham	18	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

Tickets are available to purchase on the gate.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Sheffield on Thursday as they face the Tigers in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

It’s a top of the table clash at Owlerton with the Witches sitting top on 34 points and the Tigers second on 30 points with both sides having ridden the same number of fixtures and it could be a crucial meeting in the race to finish top of the table going into the play-offs.

The visitors revert back to the line-up that was successful at King’s Lynn a couple of weeks ago with rider replacement in operation for the injured Jason Doyle at number one again and a shuffling of the riding order amongst the top five.

The Suffolk side raced to a 46-44 victory in South Yorkshire earlier in the season and a repeat result would represent a huge step towards guaranteeing top spot.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“Sheffield away this week which we know is going to be another super tough test. We had a brilliant result there earlier on in the year which we can take confidence from, but we know it is going to be just as tough this time if not tougher this time without Jason. We need to do what we have on the last two occasions we have won at Sheffield and that is to be very solid throughout with everyone contributing. That has been our strong point this season, all six or seven riders have all played their part in our victories.

“We will be using R/R for Jason which puts more pressure on all the boys to perform because it will have to be a massive team effort to cover R/R. When we have had R/R this season we have done well with it and we will need to repeat that, that also goes into changing the line-up again which has proved to be successful when we have needed to use R/R at number one this year.

“It is a top of the table clash and I think realistically it is going to be one of these two teams that finish top at the end of the regular season before the play-offs. These two fixtures could have a big bearing on which way that goes. After the first set of fixtures, we are on top and we have got to try and keep on that in this second round of fixtures against Sheffield.”

THE TIGERS

Sheffield are the reigning champions and are determined to keep hold of their crown in 2024, sitting hot on the heels on Ipswich, second in the table. The hosts have only lost once at home, against the Witches but they were run close last time out, needing a super heat to beat Leicester at Owlerton.

The hosts are without injured three-time world champion Tai Woffinden with Chris Harris guesting in his place at number five.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £23, concessions (over 65s & students) £21, kids (up to and including age 17) £1 whilst children under five 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.

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 57–33 KING’S LYNN – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (H)

Posted on 1st August, 20241st August, 2024,

By Henry Chard

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.

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

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 57: Scott Nicholls (G) 7+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 4+1, Danny King © 10, Adam Ellis 9+4, Emil Sayfutdinov 12 (Maximum), Keynan Rew 9+1, Jordan Jenkins 6+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN 33: Simon Lambert (G) 3, Niels Kristian Iversen © 10+2, Jan Kvěch 11, Lewis Kerr (G) 0, Benjamin Basso R/R, Patryk Wojdylo 2+1, Anders Rowe (RS) 7. Team Manager: Rob Lyon

REFEREE: B. Horley

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	18	34
Sheffield	18	30
Belle Vue	18	26
Oxford	20	23
Leicester	16	21
King’s Lynn*	15	11
Birmingham	17	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches hammered King’s Lynn in the East Anglian derby on Thursday night at Foxhall in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The hosts had regular guest Scott Nicholls in at number one for the injured Jason Doyle whilst the Stars had Lewis Kerr and Simon Lambert in for the injured Nicolai Klindt and Tobiasz Musielak who has left the club. The visitors were also using rider replacement for the injured Benjamin Basso. The Norfolk strugglers took a shock early lead and were level after six heats, but it was one way traffic from there as Ipswich eased to yet another win against their local rivals, picking up the aggregate bonus point in the process. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with a faultless 12-point maximum.

Nicholls was excluded from heat one after pulling up with mechanical issues as Lambert put the bike down to avoid him and the visitors took advantage in the re-run hitting a maximum. Keynan Rew won a shared heat two and the points were shared again in heat three. Ipswich registered their first heat advantage of the night in heat four as Sayfutdinov won comfortably and Jordan Jenkins picked up a point making it 11-13 to the away side after the opening heats.

The Suffolk side hit the front in heat five as Danny King and Adam Ellis raced to a 5-1. It was level after heat six as Jan Kvěch managed to hold off Nicholls for the three points with Patryk Wojdylo third for the 2-4. The table-toppers went back ahead in heat seven as Sayfutdinov was followed home by Rew for the maximum. The lead was extended in heat eight as Jenkins and Dan Thompson teamed up for a 5-1 to put the home team 28-20 in front.

Heat nine ended in a 3-3 before Nicholls took the chequered flag in heat 10 in a Witches 4-2. Sayfutdinov kept up his perfect record with another victory in heat 11 in what was another heat advantage to the hosts. Niels Kristian Iversen was brought in as a tactical substitute in heat 12 but it was all over for King’s Lynn come the end of the race as King and Jenkins fired in a 5-1 to put Ipswich out of sight at 44-28.

Sayfutdinov and Nicholls added further gloss to the scoreline with a maximum in heat 13 and they kept on coming as Rew won heat 14 and Ellis blasted his way through to second for a third 5-1 in a row. Ellis ended his night in style winning a shared heat 15 as Foxhall celebrated a twelfth win a row against the Norfolk outfit.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“We got the result in the end, the first third of the meeting was really close and I thought we looked a bit sluggish and rusty in the first bit of the meeting. The boys then got dialled in and we dominated after that. King’s Lynn put up a good showing to start with and maybe it wasn’t quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.

“We have all needed to contribute to cover Jason and other injuries this season and we certainly did tonight. On a personal night I was delighted with Jordan’s last two rides, two of the best he has had with us and hopefully that is a big confidence boost for him. Certainly, off gate four in his last ride, that was the best job anyone did off gate four all night and it was a brilliant start and first bend from him, so I was delighted to see him end the night with a win and a paid win.

“With Adam and Danny riding together, they are probably going to pick up a lot of bonus points. Adam hasn’t ridden badly over the last couple of weeks but maybe hasn’t been making great starts and has needed to fight hard for his points. Tonight, he had to again and that is why I put him in heat 15, he changed things with his clutch, and I really wanted to see him make a start and get some fresh air which is what he did, so that went to plan. I think Adam’s scores have not reflected his racing over the last few meetings but if he can get his trapping gloves back on, he will be flying.

“We have been dominating the derby for the last few years and this year with their injury problems in the last two meetings it has meant we should be winning when a team is so hampered with missing riders. I guess that takes a bit of gloss off it but I’m sure next season they will want to come back and get on top of us which hasn’t happened for a long time.

“We have passed our cut off date now to sign anyone so even if someone becomes available to sign, we are forced into using guests and R/R for the rest of the season. The rule seems absurd, but it is what it is, and we have been making plans and preparing so we will go with that. The aim is to finish top at the end of the season and then go into the play-offs and cup final with confidence.”

TRU7 GROUP & PIKE AIR RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Tru7 Group picked Sayfutdinov after he raced to 12 points with four wins from four.

Pike Air went for Rew who scored 9+1 from reserve.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich add three points to their name after picking up the aggregate bonus point too after last week’s win at the Adrian Flux Arena as they consolidate top spot. King’s Lynn remain sixth needing a major turnaround to make the top four.

BEN FUND COLLECTION

During the interval we raised £2334.51 for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund, thank you for your generous donations.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Sheffield to take on the Tigers on Thursday 8^th August in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate.

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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

Posted on 30th July, 202412th August, 2024,

By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the King’s Lynn Stars at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 1^st August in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

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

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. Dan Thompson 5.02 (RS) 3. Danny King 6.98 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.63 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.04 6. Keynan Rew 4.77 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

KING’S LYNN: 1. Simon Lambert (G) 8.21 2. Niels Kristian Iversen 6.28 © 3. Jan Kvěch 6.00 4. Lewis Kerr (G) 6.59 5. R/R for Benjamin Basso 6.89 6. Patryk Wojdylo 5.08 7. Anders Rowe (RS). Team Manager: Rob Lyon

REFEREE: B. Horley

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	17	31
Sheffield	17	28
Belle Vue	18	26
Oxford	19	20
Leicester	15	19
King’s Lynn*	14	11
Birmingham	16	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

Tickets are available to buy online (until 7pm on raceday) and on the gate and are priced at £23 for adults and £21 for concessions (65+) & students (21 & under). Tickets for children aged 6-16 are £1 whilst children 5 & under go free. Official programmes are priced at £3.50 and are available at the stadium. Car parking is free for all supporters. Debit and credit card payments are accepted. Turnstiles open at 6.40pm.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches are back at Foxhall on Thursday night as they face the King’s Lynn Stars in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The Witches have not raced at home since 27^th June when they beat the Oxford Spires and have had four away fixtures on the trot, picking up two wins and two defeats to remain top of the table. Ipswich are in pole position for the aggregate bonus point having beaten the Stars 49-41 last Thursday at the Adrian Flux Arena.

Scott Nicholls guests as number one for the injured Jason Doyle whilst the riding order reverts to a more familiar look with Emil Sayfutdinov back at five and Danny King back at three as the Suffolk side look to make it a clean sweep against their local rivals for a second consecutive year.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“It’s our first time back at Foxhall in over a month and we are looking forward to being back. We have had great travelling support, but it will be great to catch up with all the fans who haven’t been able to travel. We have been going very well at home and need to drop straight back into that and make sure we get the win on the night to start a busy run of home fixtures in the right way.

“Scott comes back in for Jason and will do the majority of the home fixtures now which is great as it keeps the consistency, and we revert back to the riding order we have used regularly this year whilst that is the case.

“King’s Lynn got a good home win on Monday so will come with renewed confidence after beating Sheffield. We can’t slack off from our high standards we have set this year. Having not been at Foxhall for so long gives them an opportunity to come and cause an upset but the boys will be fully focused on getting another win and another three points on the board and that would mean another season where we are undefeated against our local rivals.”

THE STARS

King’s Lynn are enduring another disappointing season and need their fortunes to turn around rapidly if they are to mount a play-off charge. The Norfolk side sit sixth in the table, nine points behind fourth although they do have meetings in hand. They have just one away win to their name this season and need this to improve on Thursday if they are to pick up any points against their local rivals, but they come into the fixture having beaten Sheffield on Monday at the Adrian Flux Arena.

The visitors are without the injured Nicolai Klindt and Benjamin Basso, rider replacement is in operation at five for Basso whilst Lewis Kerr guests at number four. Tobiasz Musielak has left the club and Simon Lambert guests at number one.

BEN FUND COLLECTION

We will be holding our annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund at this meeting. All donations go to a fantastic cause and last year we raised £3195.06 at Foxhall. Please give generously as we try to beat last year’s total!

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Following the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture there will be four heats of ‘Blast from the past’ action. The starting list is as follows:

Mark Anderson (Hackney Hawks)

Martin Connor (Weymouth Wizards)

Simon Bevan (Oxford Cheetahs)

Keith Hill (Rye House Rockets)

Tony Gaul (Iwade Colts)

Steve Cook (Belle Vue Aces)

Keith Cornell (Crayford Kestrels)

There will also be a signed one-off race jacket with all the represented club logos on which will be auctioned off.

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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

Posted on 25th July, 202426th July, 2024,

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

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

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

REFEREE: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	17	31
Sheffield	16	27
Belle Vue	17	24
Oxford	19	20
Leicester	15	19
King’s Lynn*	13	9
Birmingham	15	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

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

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

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

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

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

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

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

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

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

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

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

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

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

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

WHAT IT MEANS

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

UP NEXT

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

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

AUGUST FIXTURE UPDATES

Posted on 25th July, 202425th July, 2024,

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

1^st King’s Lynn (H)

8^th Sheffield (A)

15^th Leicester (H)

19^th Sheffield (H)

22^nd Belle Vue (H)

26^th Birmingham (A)

29^th Birmingham (H)

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

Posted on 23rd July, 202423rd July, 2024,

By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

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

TEAMS

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

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

REFEREE: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	16	29
Sheffield	15	24
Belle Vue	16	24
Oxford	18	20
Leicester	14	16
King’s Lynn*	12	9
Birmingham	15	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

Tickets are available to purchase on the gate.

THE STORY

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

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

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

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

FROM THE BOSS

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

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

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

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

THE STARS

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

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

AWAY DAYS

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

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

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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

Posted on 18th July, 202418th July, 2024,

By Rob Binns

THE SCORES

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

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

REFEREE: M. Wear

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	16	29
Sheffield	14	22
Belle Vue	15	21
Oxford	17	20
Leicester	14	16
King’s Lynn*	12	9
Birmingham	14	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

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

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

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

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

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

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

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

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

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

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

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

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

WHAT IT MEANS

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

UP NEXT

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

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

Posted on 16th July, 202418th July, 2024,

By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

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

TEAMS

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

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

REFEREE: M. Wear

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	15	29
Belle Vue	14	21
Sheffield	13	20
Oxford	16	18
Leicester	13	14
King’s Lynn*	11	9
Birmingham	14	6

*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

TICKETS

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

THE STORY

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

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

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

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

FROM THE BOSS

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

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

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

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

THE LIONS

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

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

AWAY DAYS

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

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

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

SUPPORTERS COACH FOR KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL

Posted on 16th July, 202416th July, 2024,

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

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

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