Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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

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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 25th 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

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1629
Sheffield1524
Belle Vue1624
Oxford1820
Leicester1416
King’s Lynn*129
Birmingham156
*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.

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

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Image courtesy of Steve Dixon

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

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1629
Sheffield1422
Belle Vue1521
Oxford1720
Leicester1416
King’s Lynn*129
Birmingham146
*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

Image courtesy of Phil McGlynn

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 25th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate.

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

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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 18th 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

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1618
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham146
*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.

SUPPORTERS COACH FOR KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL

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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.

IPSWICH V BELLE VUE – POSTPONED

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The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches’ ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture against Belle Vue on Monday 15th July has been postponed.

With heavy rain forecast all afternoon and evening, a decision was taken at 7.00am on Monday.

A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.

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

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By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 15th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Chris Harris (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. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz 8.87 © 2. Norick Blödorn 5.20 3. Jaimon Lidsey 7.58 4. Ben Cook 6.57 5. Dan Bewley 8.13 6. Antti Vuolas (G) 4.57 7. Connor Bailey (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1618
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham146
*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 return to ROWE Motor Oil Premiership action on Monday evening at Foxhall as they entertain the Belle Vue Aces.

The league programme paused for the Speedway of Nations with the Witches going into the break eight points clear at the top of the table after a win away at Oxford last time out. Just nine league meetings remain before the play-offs in the second half of the season with Ritchie Hawkins’ side focused on finishing top of the pile.

Chris Harris guests for the injured Jason Doyle at number one whilst rider replacement will be in operation for Dan Thompson who dislocated his shoulder at the Speedway of Nations 2. It will be a tough ask for Ipswich to collect the bonus point having been defeated 26-58 at the National Speedway Stadium earlier this month but two points would see them strengthen their grip on first place in the table.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We are all looking forward to getting back together after 10 days off, I think it came at a good time for some of the boys. They needed a little bit of rest, and it was great to see a few of our riders in the Speedway of Nations 2 representing their countries. It shows what great futures they have but we are looking forward to some team action on Monday.

“Chris comes in as a guest, we know all about Bomber, he has put in some brilliant guest performances for us, not just this season but the last few times he has guested. He always fits in and goes very well at Foxhall, so it is always great to have him as part of the side and he is more than capable of doing a good job at number one.

“Dan dislocated his shoulder riding at the Speedway of Nations 2, so we will be rider replacement for him, it is too early to know anything else.

“The main job is to get the win on the night and two points, that will keep us in a strong position at the top of the table. The bonus point is clearly a long way off and not that vital to our cause but our recent performances at home have been strong and dominant, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we could challenge for the extra point, but it is not the priority.”

THE ACES

Belle Vue sit second in the table and will be looking to close the gap on leaders Ipswich with a three-point haul at Foxhall. However, their away record in 2024 will need to improve if that is to happen, with just one win from six on the road so far this season. Having beaten the Witches heavily in Manchester, the bonus point will be the minimum requirement for Mark Lemon’s outfit.

The visitors are led by captain Brady Kurtz and British champion and Grand Prix rider Dan Bewley. Norick Blödorn is at number two, and he has been a popular guest for the Witches this season. Antti Vuolas guests at number six after Tate Zischke’s season was ended by injury.

RACEDAY REPORT: OXFORD 45-45 IPSWICH (IPSWICH WIN SUPER HEAT) – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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Image courtesy of Les Aubrey

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

OXFORD 45: Rohan Tungate 8+1, Drew Kemp 1, Maciej Janowski 5+3, Charles Wright 9+1, Chris Harris © 6, Erik Riss 10+2, Ashton Boughen (RS) 6. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH 45: Scott Nicholls (G) 8+2, Dan Thompson (RS) 1, Danny King © 6, Adam Ellis 3, Emil Sayfutdinov 18 (Maximum), Keynan Rew 5+1, Jordan Jenkins 4+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

SUPER HEAT: Sayfutdinov, Nicholls, Janowski, Harris

REFEREE: C. Turnbull

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1529
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1320
Oxford1516
Leicester1314
King’s Lynn*119
Birmingham136
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches raced to a dramatic super heat victory over the Oxford Spires on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors had Scott Nicholls guesting for the injured Jason Doyle with the Spires at full strength. This fixture was a restaging of the abandoned clash last month where rain stopped play with the Witches 10 points in front after six races and the Suffolk side started well again, edging in front after the early exchanges. However, Oxford turned things around to lead by eight points after 10 races but three maximums in a row from the away side put them back in front only for a heat 14 5-1 from the Spires to level things again. A controversial heat 15 ended in a 3-3 but Ipswich raced to victory in the super heat as they also picked up the aggregate bonus point having beaten Oxford 53-37 at Foxhall. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with a faultless 18-point maximum.

Nicholls won heat one as Rohan Tungate managed to prevent a Witches maximum as he passed Dan Thompson for second resulting in a 2-4 to the away side and the points were shared in heat two. Danny King held off Charles Wright to win heat three in a 3-3 and Sayfutdinov took victory in heat four, but the away team were forced to settle for a 2-4 again as Chris Harris relegated Jordan Jenkins to third on the last turn, making it 10-14.

Oxford levelled with a 5-1 in heat five despite the best efforts of Nicholls. The Witches edged back in front in heat six as Sayfutdinov was the winner again and Keynan Rew picked up a point for the heat advantage. However, the Spires then went in front in heat seven as Harris and Erik Riss couldn’t be caught. Jordan Jenkins managed to split the home pairing in heat eight but a 4-2 to the hosts gave them a 26-22 lead.

Sayfutdinov bided his time before overtaking Wright to win a shared heat nine. The home team extended their lead in heat 10 to eight points with a 5-1 and Ritchie Hawkins put Sayfutdinov in as a tactical substitute for heat 11. The decision worked out to perfection as Sayfutdinov raced to victory and was followed home by Nicholls for the maximum. The scores were level after heat 12 as King and Rew teamed up for another 1-5 making it 36-36.

Remarkably a third maximum in a row followed in heat 13 as Sayfutdinov and Nicholls came up trumps again to give Ipswich the lead. Heat 14 was stopped with Adam Ellis at the front and Rew in third in a match-winning position, but Rew hit the deck and was excluded. Oxford punished Ipswich in the re-run hitting a 5-1 to level things again going into the last-heat decider. The drama kept on coming as heat 15 was stopped with Nicholls and Tungate clashing. To the shock of most people at the stadium, the referee judged that Nicholls was the cause of the stoppage and excluded the Ipswich guest. However, Sayfutdinov kept his cool to win the re-run and take it to a super heat. Sayfutdinov and Nicholls did the business in the super heat recording a 7-2 to give the travelling side a fantastic victory on the road that strengthened their position at the top of the table.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“I am delighted to take three points out of the meeting, we really battled hard for it. I felt we deserved it in the end after being so far up in the original staging and then heat 14 when Keynan crashed, and Adam was leading and then they got a 5-1 in the re-run. Then there was heat 15 where no one felt Scott should have been excluded. After that, to still come through it, I am delighted with the boys, they fought so hard and thoroughly deserve the three points. As a team they deserve to be top of the table for what they have shown the last few months.

“There was very close, tough racing tonight and there was some great racing, I thought it was a real battle between two good teams. It went wrong in heat 15 but Scotty was in front so how he was the one who got excluded, I can’t work that one out.

“Emil was simply sublime, he was so quick, He made a few changes throughout the meeting, and he was so quick, and he was the only guy to win from gate four, I’m pretty sure of that. Whatever gate he had he put in one hell of a performance, and he was a joy to watch for everyone at the stadium, you can’t help but love watching him ride like that.

“It is nice to be top of the table, but we all know it comes down to the play-offs. We don’t want to let our form drop now and it was a massive result off the back of Monday. I think that is great for us to go into the little break for the Speedway of Nations off the back of that performance, it was really important. We are in a very strong position at the top of the league, and we want to finish there but we are well aware it will then start from scratch again.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

No need to think about this one, Sayfutdinov was unbeatable, picking up six wins from six and taking the chequered flag in the super heat.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich pick up three points and go eight points clear at the top of the table. Oxford collect a point and stay fourth.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Monday 15th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

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

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Image courtesy of Jeff Davies

By Henry Chard

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

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Oxford to face the Spires at the Oxford Stadium on Thursday 4th July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

OXFORD: 1. Rohan Tungate 7.43 2. Drew Kemp 4.45 3. Maciej Janowski 6.04 4. Charles Wright 6.27 5. Chris Harris 6.33 © 6. Erik Riss 4.30 7. Ashton Boughen (RS). Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. 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. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: C. Turnbull

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1426
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1220
Oxford1415
Leicester1212
King’s Lynn*107
Birmingham126
*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.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Oxford in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Thursday.

The Suffolk side started the week in Manchester where they fell to a heavy defeat against Belle Vue, just their third defeat of the season. Thursday’s trip to Oxford is the restaging of the abandoned clash from last month where the Witches had a 10-point lead after six races before rain stopped play.

Regular guest Scott Nicholls again comes in for the injured Jason Doyle at number one. Nicholls knows most tracks well and has plenty of recent experience at this one, riding for the Oxford Cheetahs in the Championship.

It is a place that Ipswich have already won at this season, taking a 48-42 victory back in April.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“It is great to be straight back in on Thursday and not have a big gap. We have raced one and a half meetings there this year and have gone very well in those. We were in a great position before the unfortunate rain-off a few weeks ago and the boys are determined to go and get those points.

“We have come off a bad result, but our confidence is still high going to Oxford, a team we have beaten a few times this year and we have done well at their home track. We go with confidence and determination and after Monday’s result it puts more emphasis on winning and getting back on another winning streak quickly.

“Injury wise, Adam didn’t struggle too badly on Monday with his side and he and Jordan have had a few days of rest which has been really good for them, and they have a couple more days now. We have got Scott back in the team which has worked very well this year, and it is a track he clearly knows well. We will go there with what feels like a full team and high expectations of ourselves.”

THE SPIRES

Oxford currently occupy fourth place in the table and got a much-needed win on Monday against a depleted Sheffield to boost their play-off hopes. Remarkably the 48-42 winning margin against the Tigers was their biggest home win of the season and their home form has been vital to their top four hopes with six wins from seven, the only defeat on home shale being against Ipswich.

The Spires made a team change last week with Drew Kemp replacing Lewis Kerr and he rides at number two for the hosts.

AWAY DAYS

An adult ticket costs £22 with accompanied children under 16 going free if bought in advance. There is a £2 price increase for adult tickets purchased on the day. Due to limited parking at the stadium, free parking will be available thanks to Unipart at their site just a short walk from the stadium (approx 800m) on a first come first served basis, please remember to select this option if required when purchasing your tickets as this will be required when arriving at the car park. A free shuttle bus service will be provided to and from the stadium from the Unipart car park site. Unipart postcode is OX4 2PG. Limited disabled car parking is available at the stadium; these spaces are on a first come first served basis. For further information head here.

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

RACEDAY REPORT: BELLE VUE 58–26 IPSWICH – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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Image courtesy of Ian Charles

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

BELLE VUE 58: Brady Kurtz © 10, Norick Blödorn 8+2, Jaimon Lidsey 12 (Maximum), Ben Cook 8+2, Dan Bewley 10, Tate Zischke 3+1, Connor Bailey (RS) 7+2. Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH 26: Tom Brennan (G) 2, Dan Thompson (RS) 1, Danny King © 2+1, Adam Ellis 5, Emil Sayfutdinov 10, Keynan Rew 5, Jordan Jenkins 1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1426
Belle Vue1421
Sheffield1220
Oxford1415
Leicester1212
King’s Lynn*107
Birmingham126
*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 heavy defeat away at Belle Vue on Monday evening in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The visitors had Tom Brennan guesting for the injured Jason Doyle at number one whilst the Aces were at full strength with captain Brady Kurtz back in the side and new signing Tate Zischke making his debut at reserve. The home team dominated from start to finish and the Suffolk side had no answers as the Manchester club raced to a big victory with the meeting abandoned after 14 races following a heavy crash for Zischke. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 10.

The Aces got things started with a 5-1 in heat one and another quickly followed in heat two. The horror start continued in heat three as Belle Vue hit another maximum. Sayfutdinov stopped the rot in heat four, winning in a 3-3 but it left the away side with a mountain to climb already, being 18-6 down.

The hosts piled further misery on the Witches in heat five with another 5-1. A 4-2 to the home team followed in heat six as Sayfutdinov retired from the race. Heat seven was stopped as Zischke fell and was excluded but the away side couldn’t take advantage as Dan Bewley won the re-run. There was a return to the maximums in heat eight making it 35-13 to Belle Vue.

Belle Vue were not easing up and recorded a heat advantage in heat nine as Jaimon Lidsey held off Sayfutdinov to win. The night couldn’t end soon enough for the away side as Kurtz and Norick Blödorn raced to a 5-1 in heat 10. Sayfutdinov came in as a tactical substitute in heat 11 and he won with Brennan third for the first and only heat advantage of the night to Ipswich. Mark Lemon’s side registered a further 4-2 in heat 12 putting them 50-22 up with the tie well and truly over.

Bewley got the better of Sayfutdinov to take the chequered flag in heat 13 in what was a Belle Vue 4-2. Heat 14 was awarded as a 4-2 as Keynan Rew was excluded for bringing down Zischke late on in the race with the Belle Vue debutant taken to hospital after a heavy fall. Due to the medics looking after Zischke the meeting was abandoned with the result standing at 58-26 on what was a night for forget for Ipswich.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

Image courtesy of Ian Charles

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

“It was a really bad night, and we did not perform. As a unit I suppose it is good that we all have it on the same night and get it out of the way and we will regroup for Thursday. I don’t think we need to dwell on it at the moment because it is a very important meeting coming up on Thursday, even more so now. Let’s look forward and then we have 10 days off and we can reflect on this and where we are going wrong at Belle Vue.

“The boys certainly didn’t throw the towel in, and we fought very hard and got in good positions, but we have said it before and it was the case again today, we were not quick enough. There is a lot of head scratching going on as to why and if we end up coming here for the play-offs it is something that we certainly need to massively improve.

“If I knew the answer, we would have solved it by now, but we look lacking in speed and that has not been the case anywhere else, just Belle Vue. We need to get our thinking caps on and improve that.

“The meeting was a great result for Belle Vue but was overshadowed by Tate’s crash and all of us at Ipswich wish him a quick and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with him tonight and he looked impressive before his crash.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Sayfutdinov was the only Witch to offer up any real resistance scoring 10 points.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich suffer just their third defeat of the campaign but stay top of the table. Belle Vue pick up two points and move second in standings.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Oxford to take on the Spires on Thursday 4th July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.