Author Archives: Henry Chard

About Henry Chard

Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway

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.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: BELLE VUE – 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 Belle Vue.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Manchester to face the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 1st July in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

TEAMS

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. Tate Zischke 4.57 7. Connor Bailey (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH: 1. Tom Brennan (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: A. Steele

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1326
Sheffield1120
Belle Vue1319
Oxford1313
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 and on the gate.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches begin a week on the road at Belle Vue on Monday in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The Suffolk side are flying high at the top of the table and made it six wins on the bounce with victory over Oxford at Foxhall on Thursday. That win extended their lead at the top to six points and the Witches have lost just twice in the league this season, one of those defeats being a 55-35 loss at Belle Vue back in April.

Former Ace Tom Brennan guests at number one for the injured Jason Doyle whilst the visitors are hoping that Adam Ellis and Jordan Jenkins are fit enough to take their places in the side having picked up injuries in Thursday’s win over the Spires.

Ipswich will be hoping to win their first ever meeting at the National Speedway Stadium having lost all 11 of their fixtures raced in Manchester. 

FROM THE BOSS

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

“It is well documented that it is a place we have struggled at in the past but form wise, we could not be going there in a better position. We have got six wins on the bounce and results wise the season has been very good. Fitness wise we are sweating on a few riders and even if they are fit to ride, we are going to be far from 100% in that area.

“Tom is someone we have used before with great success, he knows Belle Vue well and we are delighted to have him back with us.

“We say it every time but we may well be there later on the season in the play-offs so it would be nice to put in a good performance and know we can perform there in case we need to later in the year.

“We will enjoy racing the track, but we have not been quick enough, and it is something we are working on every time we go there and at some point, we need to get it right.”

THE ACES

Belle Vue currently sit third in the table and are looking well placed to reach the play-offs for a fourth season in a row. As always, the Aces have been strong at home and have lost just once on home shale in a rain-affected meeting against Sheffield. It has been on their travels where they have struggled with five defeats in six although they have picked up five aggregate bonus points, the most in the division.

Brady Kurtz returns from injury at number one for the hosts having missed the last month of action. British champion Dan Bewley rides at number five having won his third national title in a row earlier this month. The home team have signed Tate Zischke to replace Connor Mountain at reserve and he makes his debut on Monday.

AWAY DAYS

Ticket prices can be found here and official programmes cost £3.50. For more information about your visit to the National Speedway Stadium, head here.

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

BRITISH FINAL RACE-JACKETS AUCTION

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The auction is now open for all 18 autographed race-jackets from the 2024 Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final.

Ipswich were represented by Adam Ellis and Jordan Jenkins at the National Speedway Stadium and you can now bid to own their actual race-jackets from the event – or those of any of the other competitors.

The auction opened at 8am on Thursday June 27 and will run for 10 days.

To make your bid, please visit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/britishspeedw-0

The rider listing was as follows:

1 Drew Kemp

2 Robert Lambert

3 Chris Harris

4 Simon Lambert

5 Craig Cook

6 Connor Mountain

7 Adam Ellis

8 Tai Woffinden

9 Lewis Kerr

10 Steve Worrall

11 Dan Bewley

12 Anders Rowe

13 Jordan Jenkins

14 Tom Brennan

15 Charles Wright

16 Kyle Howarth

17 Freddy Hodder

18 Matt Marson

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 53–37 OXFORD – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (H)

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By Henry Chard

MEETING SPONSORS

RN Euston – RN Euston Limited has supplied steel framed buildings in East Anglia for over 40 years.  Established by Ray Euston the business has grown steadily over the years and now Ray works in partnership with his son Mark.  The company is based in Suffolk and work all over East Anglia where they have gained a reliable reputation.

Doug Wade Insurance

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 53: Scott Nicholls (G) 11+1, Dan Thompson (RS) 7, Danny King © 9, Adam Ellis 1 (Withdrawn), Emil Sayfutdinov 12 (Maximum), Keynan Rew 11+2, Jordan Jenkins 2+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

OXFORD 37: Rohan Tungate 13, Charles Wright 2+1, Lewis Kerr 1, Maciej Janowski 6, Chris Harris © 9+1, Erik Riss 2, Ashton Boughen (RS) 4+1. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

REFEREE: P. Carrington

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1326
Sheffield1120
Belle Vue1319
Oxford1313
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 picked up another victory in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Thursday night at Foxhall as they beat the Oxford Spires.

The home team had regular guest Scott Nicholls in at number one for the injured Jason Doyle whilst the visitors were at full strength. Ipswich started strongly and built a 12-point lead after seven races but lost Adam Ellis to injury before the Spires fought back mid-meeting with back-to-back maximums. However, the Witches just stepped it up another gear and cruised to a comfortable win to make it six wins on the trot. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with a 12-point maximum.

Nicholls won heat one as the hosts registered a 4-2 and there was a 5-1 in heat two as Keynan Rew stormed past Erik Riss for the lead which also allowed Jordan Jenkins through into second. The strong start continued in heat three as Danny King took victory in another heat advantage as Ellis picked up a point in his only ride of the night before being withdrawn with pain in his side. Heat four was shared as Sayfutdinov won making it 16-8 to Ipswich.

Oxford got their first race win as Rohan Tungate finished first in heat five but with partner Charles Wright falling having been passed by King it was a 3-3. Nicholls picked up another three points in heat six as the Witches bagged another 4-2 with Chris Harris managing to get past Dan Thompson for second late on in the race. Ipswich were running away with things at this point and there was another heat advantage in heat seven as Sayfutdinov took the chequered flag with Rew in third. Heat eight was stopped as Jenkins fell and was excluded, and the visitors took advantage with a maximum in the re-run to narrow the score to 28-20.

Tungate came in as a tactical substitute in heat nine and suddenly the visitors were just four points behind as he and Harris raced to a 1-5. The home team responded immediately in heat 10 as Thompson and Nicholls teamed up for a maximum. There was further breathing room after heat 11 as Sayfutdinov picked up another win in a 4-2 and the tie was all but over after heat 12 as King won and Rew passed Riss for the 5-1 that put the hosts 43-29 up.

Tungate led heat 13 but was hunted down by Sayfutdinov who came through to win as a 4-2 sealed the victory for Ipswich and a maximum for him personally. Rew picked up three points in heat 14 as the Witches racked up another heat advantage. Harris won the final race of the night as partner Tungate beat King on the run to the line for a 2-4 but it was little consolation for the visitors as the Suffolk side strengthened their grip at the top of the table and built a big lead with the aggregate bonus point up for grabs next week at Oxford.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“Result wise it was brilliant and another team performance again, so I am delighted with that. It certainly wasn’t without its worries and stress with different injuries, but we managed to cope with our problems and all the boys are working well as a unit to cover each other. Missing Adam after one heat puts a lot of pressure on the team, Danny is not fully fit yet and Jordan had a crash and picked up a knock. Even though he went through the card Emil was feeling pretty under the weather, so we were far from fully fit.

“Keynan really stepped up and took the pressure off and Dan Thompson had a superb win in heat 10 when Oxford had got back into the meeting. That 5-1 in heat 10 turned it back in our favour and what a performance from the young guys to get us through.

“Adam and Jordan both have muscle injuries. We are hoping with a few more days of rest Adam will recover and the same with Jordan really. They will have a bit of treatment, it is nothing massively serious, more niggles really which a lot of the boys have been suffering with most of the year. At the moment we are coping with it well.

“Adam is having pain in the side of his body and pulled it in his first ride and Jordan has a tight back and tenderness in the muscles and the fall certainly didn’t help.

“We will go to Oxford next week looking to win the meeting, but it is a good lead to take for the bonus point.”

RN EUSTON & DOUG WADE INSURANCE RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

RN Euston chose maximum man Sayfutdinov.

Doug Wade Insurance opted for Rew who scored 11+2 from reserve.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich extend their lead at the top of the table to six points whilst Oxford stay fourth.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to the National Speedway Stadium to take on the Belle Vue Aces on Monday 1st July in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

2024 END OF SEASON AWARDS NIGHT

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The End of Season Awards Night will take place on Friday 1st November at Venue 16, Ipswich.

With a delicious three-course meal, rider awards and interviews, luxury raffle plus disco, it promises to be a good night.

Please call into the Supporters Club hut on the second bend to book. The cost is £45.00 for ISSC members and £50.00 non-members. A £10.00 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking and enables you to make your menu choices.  Further payments can be made throughout the season.

Full address: Venue 16, 312 Tuddenham Road, Ipswich, IP4 3QJ.

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

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By Rob Binns

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

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Oxford Spires at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 27th June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R2 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

MEETING SPONSORS

RN Euston – RN Euston Limited has supplied steel framed buildings in East Anglia for over 40 years.  Established by Ray Euston the business has grown steadily over the years and now Ray works in partnership with his son Mark.  The company is based in Suffolk and work all over East Anglia where they have gained a reliable reputation.

Doug Wade Insurance

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. Dan Thompson 4.78 (RS) 3. Danny King 7.50 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.95 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.24 6. Keynan Rew 4.15 7. Jordan Jenkins 4.00. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

OXFORD: 1. Rohan Tungate 7.38 2. Charles Wright 6.36 3. Lewis Kerr 5.26 4. Maciej Janowski 5.18 5. Chris Harris 6.64 © 6. Erik Riss 4.74 7. Ashton Boughen (RS). Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

REFEREE: P. Carrington

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1224
Sheffield1120
Belle Vue1319
Oxford1213
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 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 race another home fixture at Foxhall on Thursday as they welcome the Oxford Spires in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The Witches’ home record was flawless in the first half of the season, and they have been racing brilliantly, particularly in the last few weeks. The hosts come into this meeting off their biggest winning margin of the season, a brilliant 60-30 victory against Leicester Lions at Foxhall last Thursday. The previous home meeting saw a 50-40 win in the top-of-the-table clash with the Sheffield Tigers which extended the lead at the top of the table to four points.

Ipswich have the same line-up that raced in the dominant victory against Leicester which sees Scott Nicholls once again guesting at number one in place of Jason Doyle. Danny King, Adam Ellis and Dan Thompson have all returned to the line-up in recent weeks after injury and illness absences.

When the two sides met in the first half of the season, Ipswich took a maximum five points from the two meetings with a 48-42 victory in Oxford followed a week later by a 45-39 victory after 14 heats at Foxhall. The Suffolk side also held a 10-point advantage after six heats before rain saw the meeting abandoned when they last met the Spires two weeks ago in Oxford.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“Back at Foxhall this week, the first half of the season our home form has been perfect. We’ve dealt with the changing conditions most meetings due to the weather very well. In the two dry meetings we’ve had we’ve shown a liking to the grippy surface. After this, we’ve got a run of four out of the next five meetings away from home so it’s important to keep up our terrific home form and put a couple of points on the board against Oxford.

“It’s great to be able to bring Scott in again, same line-up as last week which was our biggest win for a long time, and he did a superb job at number one. He’s going to be as good as anyone around Foxhall, so we know what we’re getting. Delighted to have him in, he’s been doing brilliant.

“Oxford ran us close earlier on in the year when they came to Foxhall. It’s a bit like Leicester who we’d faced a couple of times before and kept it close, but we knew we needed to improve. We need to improve now we’re in the second half and we’ll look to get a bigger victory like we did last week. Their riders are obviously capable around Foxhall but the way we’re going we certainly don’t need to fear anyone at the moment.”

THE SPIRES

Oxford have had a mixed season and sit fourth in the table. They have been very strong at home with their only defeat in the first half of the season coming against Ipswich. However, they have struggled for away form with just one win, and they come into this meeting off the back of a 50-40 defeat to the King’s Lynn Stars. Oxford ran the Witches close on their last visit to Foxhall but fell to a six-point defeat.

The visitors come into this meeting with their strongest one-to-seven. Skipper Chris Harris has been a recent guest for the Witches and Rohan Tungate is back to Foxhall after spending five seasons at the Witches over two spells.

RACEDAY REPORT: IPSWICH 60–30 LEICESTER – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Rob Binns

THE SCORES

IPSWICH 60: Scott Nicholls (G) 11, Dan Thompson (RS) 7+1, Danny King © 9, Adam Ellis 8+3, Emil Sayfutdinov 11+2, Keynan Rew 8+1, Jordan Jenkins 6+3. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER 30: Max Fricke © 6+1, Richard Lawson 13, Sam Masters 4+1, Luke Becker 1, Ryan Douglas 4, Craig Cook 1 (Withdrawn), Sam Hagon (RS) 1. Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1224
Sheffield1120
Belle Vue1217
Oxford1113
Leicester1112
Birmingham116
King’s Lynn*81
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches earned a fantastic 60-30 victory against Leicester Lions at Foxhall on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The Witches held a four-point advantage over the Lions and emphatically added to that to earn the aggregate bonus point. The hosts welcomed back captain Danny King from his injury absence to almost return to their full one-to-seven. Scott Nicholls guested for the injured Jason Doyle at number one while the visitors were at full strength. Emil Sayfutdinov top scored with 11+2.

The meeting got off to the worst possible start for Ipswich with Richard Lawson and Max Fricke securing the visitors a maximum in heat one. The Suffolk side wasted no time hitting back as Keynan Rew took the chequered flag in heat two with Jordan Jenkins close behind to earn a 5-1. Skipper King marked his return with a comfortable victory in heat three with Adam Ellis passing both Lions riders on the second lap to earn another maximum. Sayfutdinov cruised to victory in heat four with Jenkins defending a late charge from Sam Hagon to secure the maximum and make it 16-8 to the home side.

Lawson won a shared heat five before Craig Cook took a nasty fall in heat six which forced him to withdraw from the meeting on medical grounds. After Cook received treatment from the paramedics the re-run resulted in an Ipswich heat advantage with Nicholls taking the victory. Sayfutdinov was a winner again in heat seven with Rew in second for another Witches 5-1. Thompson and Jenkins hit another maximum in heat eight to extend the Suffolk side’s lead to 33-15.

Heat nine resulted in an Ipswich 4-2 with Ellis cruising to his first race win of the meeting. Luke Becker was a non-starter in heat 10 due to mechanical issues, Hagon took his place, but he couldn’t stop another Witches maximum courtesy of Nicholls & Thompson which secured the aggregate bonus point. Sayfutdinov looked on course for a comfortable win in heat 11 before his bike gave up coming round the final bend which let Lawson back at him to snatch victory on the line in a Lions 2-4. King was a winner again in a shared heat 12 taking the score to 47-25 to the hosts.

Leicester skipper Fricke won a shared heat 13 despite the best efforts of Nicholls to get past him. Rew took his second victory of the evening in heat 14 with Ellis a close second for another Ipswich 5-1. Sayfutdinov & Nicholls were selected for heat 15 and they produced the goods with a maximum with the Ipswich guest taking his third chequered flag of the evening. The eighth Witches maximum of the evening took the final score to 60-30 and curtailed a sublime evening at Foxhall.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“Another great night, our biggest victory of the year against a very tough Leicester side. We dealt with them superbly, every rider contributed again, every rider is improving, race wins everywhere and a lot of 5-1s!

“The track was heavy early on, a lot of dirt and we certainly dealt with it better. That was where the big difference was I think but if Leicester click as a side they’re going to be a super strong threat against anyone. Great to get early points on the board against them but I think they’re only going to improve during the year.

“It’s great to have the skipper back. He’s not 100% fit but you wouldn’t have told out there. It feels like a full one-to-seven with Scott guesting as well, he’s very much been part of the side. It’s great to have Danny back and contributing so heavily.

“It’s made a big difference this year that the reserves are doing so well. Jordan went into his last ride on a paid maximum then he had the tough gate four but brilliant to see his performance. Keynan has really come into his own now in a sustained spell at reserve for the first time since he joined us. Dan getting a paid eight points from number two, you can’t ask for much more from a rising star! I’m delighted with all seven of them.”

RIDER OF THE NIGHT

Top performances all around in an impressive Witches display. Jenkins continues to improve with every meeting, scoring 6+3 and only dropping points to an opposition rider in one of his heats.

WHAT IT MEANS

Ipswich rise to 24 points and maintain their four-point lead at the top of the table while Leicester remain fifth with 12 points.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Oxford Spires at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 27th June in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.

RACEDAY PREVIEW: LEICESTER – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1 (H)

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By Rob Binns

All the details ahead of our ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture with Leicester.

WHEN & WHERE

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 20th June in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

TEAMS

IPSWICH: 1. Scott Nicholls (G) 9.36 2. Dan Thompson 4.78 (RS) 3. Danny King 7.50 © 4. Adam Ellis 5.95 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.24 6. Keynan Rew 4.15 7. Jordan Jenkins 4.00. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

LEICESTER: 1. Max Fricke 8.32 © 2. Richard Lawson 6.76 3. Sam Masters 6.61 4. Luke Becker 6.30 5. Ryan Douglas 7.58 6. Craig Cook 5.03 7. Sam Hagon (RS). Team Manager: Stewart Dickson

REFEREE: M. Bates

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1121
Sheffield1017
Belle Vue1117
Oxford1213
Leicester1012
Birmingham116
King’s Lynn*94
*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 host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall on Thursday in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

The Witches remain unbeaten on home shale this season with a 50-40 victory in the top-of-the-table clash against Sheffield Tigers last week extending that run. The Suffolk side looked on course for another victory last Thursday night as they held a 10-point lead after six heats away at Oxford Spires before rain saw the meeting abandoned with the result not standing.

The home side are delighted to welcome back skipper Danny King after a near two-month injury absence which brings them almost back to full fitness. Scott Nicholls guests at number one in place of Jason Doyle who is out for the season.

The two sides met at Foxhall last month in the Knockout Cup with the Witches earning a 47-43 victory to progress in the competition. A win for Ipswich would see them pick up the aggregate bonus point as they defeated Leicester in the reverse league fixture which also ended with a scoreline of 47-43 to the Suffolk side.

FROM THE BOSS

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

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the skipper back to the side. It was great to see him come through his first meeting back at Redcar last Friday and there are six more days recovery time for him, it will be brilliant to have him back in the side. We’re slowly getting back there now, we’re up to six out of seven which is a big boost for everyone. Certainly, with Scott coming in it doesn’t feel like a guest.

“It feels like a full team, and it will need to be because Leicester on paper certainly bring as strong a test as anyone else in the league. When you look at their line-up, I can’t see any weak links and if all their boys are going well and click into form then they’re going to be really tough for anyone to beat. Another tough task ahead, we’ve performed very well against them home and away recently and we need to do that again. We need to stay on top of them because if you give them any slight chance, they’ll certainly take it because they’re a team full of quality.

“It’s great to have Scott with us again, as I said it doesn’t feel like having a guest in the team. He’s a club legend and a British Speedway legend and he fits into the team brilliantly. I don’t think there’s anyone you can look at in the league that’s going to be better round Foxhall than Scott on a consistent basis. It’s certainly made our recent struggles with absences a lot easier having Scott there and available to bring in and I’m sure it will do for the next couple of weeks as well.”

THE LIONS

Leicester have had a mixed 2024 season so far and currently sit fifth in the table. They have raced well but have often missed out on the points to match that, most recently in a 46-44 defeat to Oxford Spires in their last meeting. Like Ipswich, they were a victim of the weather last week as their home fixture with King’s Lynn Stars was postponed.

The Lions have run the Witches close in all three meetings this season but are yet to defeat them and will be aiming to break that streak on Thursday. The visitors come to Foxhall at full strength. Rising star Sam Hagon won the British Under-21 title earlier this month.

RACEDAY REPORT: OXFORD A-A IPSWICH – ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2 (A)

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Image courtesy of Jeff Davies

By Henry Chard

THE SCORES

OXFORD 13: Rohan Tungate 1, Charles Wright 2, Lewis Kerr 2, Maciej Janowski 3+1, Chris Harris © 2, Erik Riss 3, Ashton Boughen (RS) 0. Team Manager: Peter Schroeck

IPSWICH 23: Jason Doyle R/R, Dan Thompson (RS) 2, Adam Ellis 6, Norick Blödorn (G) 0, Emil Sayfutdinov © 9, Keynan Rew 5+1, Jordan Jenkins 1+1. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: C. Turnbull

ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE

TeamMeetingsPoints
Ipswich1121
Sheffield1017
Belle Vue1117
Oxford1113
Leicester1012
Birmingham116
King’s Lynn*81
*King’s Lynn deducted 2 league points on 18.05.24 for breach of SCB rules.

THE STORY

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches’ tie at Oxford on Thursday night in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership was abandoned after six heats due to rain and the result does not stand.

With a bad weather forecast predicted for the evening, the Suffolk side arrived at a dry Oxford Stadium for the track walk, and it was hoped the meeting could be completed but a decision was made by the referee to call a halt to the meeting after six races with Ipswich leading by 10 points.

Light rain began to come down as the racing got underway and heat one was stopped as Rohan Tungate hit the deck on the opening lap as he tried to avoid going into the back of teammate Charles Wright. Tungate was excluded and the re-run was won by Emil Sayfutdinov as the Witches struck a heat advantage. Keynan Rew led heat two, but Erik Riss blasted round him on the last bend of the last lap for a 3-3. Adam Ellis was a clear winner in a shared heat three and the away side struck another 2-4 in heat four as Sayfutdinov won and a mistake by Ashton Boughen allowed Rew through for the point which gave the visitors a 10-14 lead.

The rain was still coming down and it was Ipswich who were quicker from the gate and attacking conditions better. Ellis cleared off for another win in heat five as his side extended the lead with a heat advantage. Wright was a faller in heat six and was excluded and in the re-run Sayfutdinov won and Rew passed Tungate for the maximum putting Ipswich 13-23 ahead.

The meeting was then stopped for track work to take place and after much debate between the two camps, the referee decided to abandon the meeting, only for the rain to then ease off on what was a frustrating day for the Witches.

REACTION FROM THE BOSS

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

“Clearly, we are really disappointed with the match being abandoned. We had started superbly again, and the boys looked determined and quick and had clearly got ourselves in a position to get another victory over Oxford.

“I was disappointed with how the rain-off came about. It started raining heavier in heats five and six and it gave Oxford a chance to hold the meeting up and then after they had finished grading the track it was obviously in a very poor state. It was ironic that five minutes after the referee called the meeting off, the rain stopped and maybe it was a missed opportunity to get the track work done and get the meeting completed.”

RIDERS OF THE NIGHT

Ellis and Sayfutdinov were flying and didn’t drop a point in their opening rides.

WHAT IT MEANS

The result does not stand, and Ipswich will have to travel back to Oxford later in the season for the re-staging.

UP NEXT

The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Leicester Lions at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 20th June in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets can be purchased on the gate and in advance here.