Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 38–52 SHEFFIELD – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (H)

Posted on 19th August, 202419th August, 2024,

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 38: Jason Doyle R/R, Troy Batchelor (G) 7, Danny King © 8+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 4+1, Dan Bewley (G) 9+1, Keynan Rew 5, Jordan Jenkins 5+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

SHEFFIELD 52: Jack Holder 12+1, Kyle Howarth © 9+2, Chris Holder 11+3, Josh Pickering 18+2, Tai Woffinden R/R, Jason Edwards 2, Luke Harrison (G) (RS) 0. Team Manager: Simon Stead

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Sheffield	21	38
Leicester	21	34
Ipswich	21	34
Belle Vue	20	31
Oxford	22	25
King’s Lynn*	19	14
Birmingham	22	6

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

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches were beaten by the Sheffield Tigers on Monday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

It was a depleted home side that took to the track with the hosts missing Jason Doyle, Emil Sayfutdinov and Adam Ellis with rider replacement, Dan Bewley and Troy Batchelor covering their absences. Sheffield had rider replacement for Tai Woffinden and Luke Harrison in for Dan Gilkes. Ipswich started strongly and built up an eight-point lead, but the away side fought back and raced to victory picking up the aggregate bonus point in the process. Bewley top scored with 9+1.

It looked like the Witches were going to start proceedings with a 5-1 as Bewley and Batchelor hit the front, but Jack Holder dived up the inside of Batchelor going into the final lap to limit Ipswich to a 4-2. Heat two was stopped as Harrison hit the deck whilst at the back and in the re-run Keynan Rew and Jordan Jenkins looked good for a 5-1 before Jenkins slid off but the reserve was able to remount and get the point for another heat advantage. Danny King was the next faller in heat three as he lost control on the opening turn, but he cleared the track and Dan Thompson won the race meaning a 3-3. Ipswich’s dominant start continued in heat four with a 5-1 courtesy of Bewley and Jenkins which put them 16-8 up.

King won heat five but with Thompson relegated to the back it meant a 3-3. Josh Pickering won a shared heat six and he was back out in heat seven teaming up with Chris Holder for a Tigers maximum. Batchelor couldn’t be caught in heat eight and with Jenkins third it was a 4-2 to Ipswich to give them a 27-21 lead.

Pickering was brought in as a tactical substitute for the away side in heat nine and he followed Jack Holder home for a maximum. The away side then went in front after heat 10 as Pickering and Chris Holder hit a 1-5 and the run of maximums continued for the visitors in heat 11. Ritchie Hawkins brought in Bewley as a tactical substitute in heat 12 but Chris Holder won in a 3-3 leaving the visitors 33-39 ahead.

The tie was all but over after heat 13 as the Sheffield pair struck another 1-5 leaving the hosts needing snookers to get a result. Pickering won a shared heat 14 to confirm their victory and Sheffield raced to another maximum in the final race of the night to seal a 14-point win.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins reflects on Monday’s defeat to Sheffield.

“We started the meeting really well but threw a few points away and should have built a bigger lead. All in all, when they came back at us, we didn’t have a reply and that was mainly down to not having enough bodies in the team but overall, they were the better team on the night. It is disappointing but we have two weeks to regroup before the Knockout Cup final.

“Early on we had the better of it when there was dirt on the track and did well but when that disappeared, they came into their own. They were making starts and were confident and at the moment we are on a bit of a low and they hit us hard.

“At the moment we are too short of bodies and are not at our best, but this is the situation we are in, and we have to deal with it. We need to make a better fist of it than we did tonight, before the meeting I said to the team I felt we were still good enough to win the meeting, but we were not.

“We have lost at home twice in a row and we need to forget about top spot. That would have been nice because it is not something we have done for a long while, but we have got two weeks to get sorted and put something together for the cup final and three weeks until the play-offs. That is where are focus is now.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

On a night of few positives for the hosts, Jenkins was on the pace scoring 5+1 from reserve and earning a heat 15 pick.

WHAT IT MEANS

Sheffield take a big step towards finishing top, picking up three points whilst Ipswich drop to third.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 22^nd 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

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

Posted on 15th August, 202419th 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 host the Sheffield Tigers at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 19^th August in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. R/R for Jason Doyle 9.36 2. Troy Batchelor (G) 5.63 3. Danny King © 6.98 4. Dan Thompson 5.02 (RS) 5. Dan Bewley (G) 9.04 6. Keynan Rew 4.77 7. Jordan Jenkins 3.66. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

SHEFFIELD: 1. Jack Holder 9.20 2. Kyle Howarth 5.17 © 3. Chris Holder 8.23 4. Josh Pickering 6.47 5. R/R for Tai Woffinden 8.67 6. Jason Edwards 3.25 7. Luke Harrison (G) (RS). Team Manager: Simon Stead

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Sheffield	20	35
Ipswich	20	34
Leicester	20	32
Belle Vue	20	31
Oxford	21	25
King’s Lynn*	18	11
Birmingham	21	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 Monday evening in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as they entertain the Sheffield Tigers.

Last Thursday was a tough night for the Witches as they endured their first home defeat of the campaign against an in-form Leicester. Without Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov going into the tie the home team then lost Adam Ellis after one race leaving the five remaining riders with too much to do.

It is a patched-up Ipswich team that take to the track on Monday with the above mentioned three riders all missing. Rider replacement will be in operation for Doyle at one and British champion and Grand Prix rider Dan Bewley has been booked to cover Sayfutdinov at five. Ellis misses this week’s fixtures as he is serving a mandatory period of absence after he took a bang to the head in the crash against Leicester. Troy Batchelor guests at two in his place.

The Tigers hold a two-point lead on aggregate for the bonus point having beaten the Witches 46-44 at Owlerton and the Suffolk side will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of their home fans, knowing that a win by more than two points would see them collect all three points on offer and return to the top of the table.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We are back again on Monday, and we have got guest bookings and R/R again. I am delighted that Dan is coming to do a guest booking for us and it will be great for everyone to watch him twice next week. We bring in Troy as well to replace Adam and he took the call late, but he knows the club really well and is in great form, he is flying. It is good we can call on him and we will come out strong. They have R/R as well for Woffy so it is two top teams missing top riders but I’m sure it will be a really good meeting.

“We know it is difficult booking guests and we are certainly finding it difficult to find anyone that will come close to replacing Emil and Jason but the guys that have come in this season have always done a great job and have really enjoyed being with us. Overall, it has not been a disaster for us, and we will keep doing the best we can do for the rest of the season.

“Leicester are making a great run to finish top but we have been the top two teams this year and it is a meeting that we can still go into with confidence thinking we should win at home with the side we have put out. We will be coming out fighting and wanting to win that one and hopefully we will end the night back at the top.”

THE TIGERS

Sheffield moved to the top of the table on Thursday night after thrashing bottom side Birmingham on home shale. The reigning champions have tasted victory four times already on the road this season and know that a win at Foxhall would see them take a giant step towards finishing top of the table.

The visitors are without former world champion Tai Woffinden on Monday with rider replacement in operation at number five. Rising Star Dan Gilkes is ruled out with an eye infection with Luke Harrison guesting.

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 36–54 LEICESTER – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (H)

Posted on 15th August, 202415th August, 2024,

By Henry Chard

MEETING SPONSORS

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THE SCORES

IPSWICH 36: Jason Doyle R/R, Adam Ellis 0 (Withdrawn), Scott Nicholls (G) 13, Dan Thompson (RS) 4, Danny King © 7, Keynan Rew 8+1, Jordan Jenkins 4+2. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER 54: Max Fricke © 10+2 (Paid Maximum), Richard Lawson 12+1, Sam Masters 9+1, Luke Becker 11+1, Ryan Douglas 9+1, Drew Kemp (G) 2, Sam Hagon (RS) 1+1. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: G. Allen

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Sheffield	20	35
Ipswich	20	34
Leicester	20	32
Belle Vue	20	31
Oxford	21	25
King’s Lynn*	18	11
Birmingham	21	6

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

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches fell to their first defeat at Foxhall this season on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership as they were beaten by Leicester.

The hosts went into the fixture without their top two riders with Jason Doyle having been ruled out for the season and Emil Sayfutdinov having crashed out at Sheffield last week. Rider replacement and Scott Nicholls were covering their absences whilst the visitors had Drew Kemp in for Craig Cook at reserve. A tough task became even tougher as Ipswich lost Adam Ellis after just one heat following a crash, leaving them with just five riders to finish the meeting. That task proved impossible as the Lions raced to three league points. Nicholls top scored with 13.

Heat one set the tone for how the evening would pan out for the home team. With the Lions on a maximum, Max Fricke seemed to get out of shape causing Ellis to try and avoid him which resulted in Ellis hitting the deck and being excluded from the race. With the Witches man having taken a knock to the head that ruled him out of the rest of the night, leaving the Suffolk side with a mountain to climb. Leicester hit a 1-5 in the re-run, but Keynan Rew and Jordan Jenkins hit back in heat two with a maximum of their own. Sam Masters held off Nicholls to win heat three in a Lions 2-4 and heat four was stopped as Rew slid off on the first turn having made the gate meaning he was excluded. Danny King won a shared re-run leaving the visitors 11-13 in front.

Leicester raced to a maximum in heat five and Ritchie Hawkins used his tactical substitute ride early putting King in heat six, but the away side registered a 2-4. Luke Becker and Masters extended the lead with a 1-5 in heat seven, but the Witches were not throwing the towel in as Rew flew to victory in heat eight with Jenkins third for a 4-2 to make it 19-29.

Nicholls powered himself to the win in heat nine in another 4-2 to Ipswich but that was to be the last heat advantage for the hosts. Leicester recorded a heat advantage in heat 10 before a maximum in heat 11 put them on the brink of victory. A shared heat 12 made the score 29-43.

Heat 13 was awarded as a 1-5 to the away side as King went into the air fence as he tried to chase the Lions pair out front. A 3-3 followed in heat 14 and Nicholls won a shared heat 15 to end a challenging night for the Witches.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“It was a really tough night. It was always going to be tough but then losing Adam in the first race made it a daunting task for us all. The boys fought their hearts out, they were nearly in every race between them. If anything, most of them were guilty of over-riding to compensate for everything and that is something I can’t criticise at all. They gave everything for the team again and we will come again next week.

“Adam has had a slight knock to his head, the doctor thinks he will be fine tomorrow but with the rules he will have to have a mandatory period out so he will miss next week. He will have a bit of rest, but the main priority is to sort that out.

“It wasn’t difficult to keep everyone motivated. We knew it was backs against the wall, but we have had five riders once already this season and managed to pull off a win but Leicester were simply too good. You have got to give credit to Leicester as well, their performance was brilliant. Even with our full one to seven I think it would have been an extremely close meeting, it is a shame it wasn’t our full team as it could have been a classic. They performed brilliantly and they are in great form so well done to them. Everything went wrong for us but even if it didn’t it certainly isn’t a given that we would have won.

“We were aiming to win the league but given our current circumstances if that does not happen it is completely understandable. The main thing is that we are already secured in the play-offs, we will get through this tough period, and we will come back as strong as possible before the cup final and play-offs.”

SCOTT PROPERTIES & VOLVO TRUCK & BUS CENTRE SOUTH & EAST RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Nicholls picked up both awards after top scoring with 13 points as a guest.

WHAT IT MEANS

Leicester pick up two points and the aggregate bonus point to move third in the table. Ipswich drop to second in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Sheffield Tigers at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 19^th 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

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

Posted on 12th August, 202413th August, 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 host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 15^th August in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

TEAMS

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

LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke 8.74 © 2. Richard Lawson 6.62 3. Sam Masters 6.37 4. Luke Becker 5.78 5. Ryan Douglas 7.43 6. Drew Kemp (G) 4.68 7. Sam Hagon (RS). Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: G. Allen

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	19	34
Sheffield	19	32
Belle Vue	20	31
Leicester	19	29
Oxford	20	23
King’s Lynn*	17	11
Birmingham	20	6

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

TICKETS

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches begin a crucial seven days of ROWE Motor Oil Premiership action on Thursday night at Foxhall as they take on the Leicester Lions.

The Suffolk side host three meetings on home shale in a short period of time as they look to go a long way to securing top spot ahead of the play-offs. It will take some effort against the Lions on Thursday with the hosts missing their top two riders. Rider replacement is in operation at number one for Jason Doyle who has been on the sidelines for the majority of the campaign. There was a further blow last Thursday during the narrow 46-44 defeat at Sheffield as Emil Sayfutdinov took a heavy fall on the final bend, suffering a deep laceration to his buttock. Scott Nicholls guests at number three in his absence.

The main priority for Ipswich is to pick up the two points against an in-form Leicester side and it would take a huge effort to collect the aggregate bonus point too after the Lions won 53-37 at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena last month.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“Emil is in good spirits and is doing well considering. He is still in hospital in Sheffield as we speak on Monday. Hopefully he will get operated on and home to Poland in the next couple of days.

“We welcome Leicester who are in great form, and it could not be a tougher ask being without the top two riders in the league. We bring in Scotty again and he has been tremendous around Foxhall this year and I am delighted we can call upon him. All of our remaining team members are in good form and are doing well at Foxhall and we still should be a strong team at home. We go into the meeting needing everyone to perform but we have done that all season and we will do that on Thursday as we fight for another victory.

“Leicester are a team I have said all year are good on paper but have underperformed for most of the season. They have hit form at the right time and have made a great run into the play-off spots and look like they are racing to their potential now which is promising for them and worrying for the rest. They have riders very capable around Foxhall and this is going to be our toughest test of the season so far and another challenge to rise to.

“Three meetings over the next week at home is a vital period for us as a club as we want to finish top of the league, but it is backs against the wall. I really hope everyone comes to support the boys because they have provided a lot of entertainment this year and a lot of highlights. The support has been amazing, it is tough for everybody at the moment, but we will get through it together. The support is needed now more than ever to keep the boys’ heads up and keep them fighting. As a club we have got to all do that, from myself, to the riders, to the staff and our amazing, loyal fanbase.”

THE LIONS

Leicester are hitting form at the right time having underwhelmed for the first half of the campaign. The Lions have climbed into fourth, the final spot for the play-offs after winning six of their last seven fixtures. In their last three away meetings they have taken Sheffield to a super heat, beaten King’s Lynn and won at Birmingham, and should they pick up more points on the road at Foxhall, they will edge closer to confirming their play-off place.

The visitors have Drew Kemp guesting in place of Craig Cook at reserve.

Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

RACEDAY REPORT: SHEFFIELD 46–44 IPSWICH – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

Posted on 8th August, 20248th August, 2024,

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

SHEFFIELD 46: Jack Holder 16+1, Kyle Howarth © 6+2, Chris Holder 6, Josh Pickering 5+1, Chris Harris (G) 11+1, Jason Edwards 1, Dan Gilkes (RS) 1. Team Manager: Simon Stead

IPSWICH 44: Jason Doyle R/R, Adam Ellis 9, Emil Sayfutdinov 13+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 5, Danny King © 4, Keynan Rew 7, Jordan Jenkins 6+2. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: D. Watters

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Team	Meetings	Points
Ipswich	19	34
Sheffield	19	32
Belle Vue	19	29
Leicester	18	26
Oxford	20	23
King’s Lynn*	17	11
Birmingham	19	6

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

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches fell to a narrow defeat at Sheffield on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors were using rider replacement in place of the injured Jason Doyle whilst the hosts had Chris Harris guesting for Tai Woffinden. The Tigers led by two points after six heats before Ipswich put together a run of heat advantages to lead by six after 10 races. Sheffield fought back to level the tie with the aid of a tactical substitute and took the league points in heat 15 as the night ended with a horrible crash for Emil Sayfutdinov which resulted in a 5-1 awarded to the hosts. Sayfutdinov top scored with 13+1.

Sheffield started with a 5-1 in heat one, but the Witches responded instantly with a maximum in heat two courtesy of Keynan Rew and Jordan Jenkins. Sayfutdinov roared to victory in a shared heat three and the Tigers gated on a 5-1 in heat four, but Jenkins rode superbly to pass Dan Gilkes for second to limit the damage to a 4-2 which gave the home team a 13-11 lead.

Adam Ellis was quickest out of the gate in heat five to lead and he was joined for an Ipswich maximum as Sayfutdinov majestically swooped round Chris Holder for second late on in the race. Sheffield hit back with a 5-1 in heat six to go back in front, but it was all level after heat seven as Sayfutdinov flew to victory and Dan Thompson picked up a point. Ellis romped to victory in heat eight and with Jenkins third it was another 2-4 to the away side putting them 23-25 up.

Chris Holder hit the deck on the opening lap in heat nine and was excluded. Danny King won the re-run, and it was another heat advantage to Ipswich with Rew in third. The run of 2-4s kept on coming as Sayfutdinov cruised to another three points in heat 10 and Thompson made Jack Holder work hard for second. Jack Holder was brought in as a tactical substitute in heat 11 and he duly won but Rew did well to hold off Harris for second, limiting the home team to a 4-2. The points were shared in heat 12 as Chris Holder managed to hold off Sayfutdinov to win making it 34-38 to Ipswich with three to race.

The tie was level after heat 13 as the hosts recorded a 5-1 but the Suffolk side edged back in front as Thompson rode wonderfully to win heat 14 ahead of Josh Pickering and Rew battled his way into third for the 2-4. A dramatic last-heat decider ended in a horrible crash on the final bend with Sayfutdinov and Jack Holder side by side at the front going into the final turn. Sayfutdinov was hurled into the fence and was flung back onto the track when he was caught by the oncoming Harris which meant he also came down. Sayfutdinov was taken away in an ambulance and the race was awarded as a 5-1 to Sheffield which gave them the victory on the night.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“Emil has gone to hospital, he was conscious, but it was a sickening crash. We will just await news on the severity and number of injuries that it will be. We have to hope for the best at the moment.

“They did well to get the meeting on with the wet weather but as the meeting went on it built up a massive dirt line right under the fence and the boys were racing on the limit. Unfortunately for Emil it was one bend too far and if that was the end result after heat 15 without the crash I would have gone away delighted with the boys after the effort and fight they showed. I thought we put in a tremendous performance, and I am super proud of them but none of that matters at all now. The result is immaterial because our thoughts are with Emil.

“It was another strong all-round team performance with everyone contributing with vital points at vital times. It looked like it was going to be an extremely good evening for us before heat 15 and all six riders I was happy with.

“Talking about the table to be brutally honest couldn’t be further from our minds. We are top and a win tonight probably would have secured finishing top but if we lose Emil as well, the season going forward is very difficult. It is all too early to assess that, we know we are in the play-offs and we have a month now to see if we can get ready and fit for it.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Sayfutdinov was a joy to watch as he raced to 13+1 before a horror crash cruelly ended his night.

WHAT IT MEANS

Sheffield pick up two points to close the gap to two points on leaders Ipswich.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 15^th 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

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

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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.

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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

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)