The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Manchester to face the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday 24^th March in a Knockout Cup quarter-final first leg fixture that starts at 7.30pm.

LINE-UPS

BELLE VUE: 1. Brady Kurtz © 9.18 2. Norick Blödorn 5.40 3. Jaimon Lidsey 6.58 4. Zach Cook 5.57 5. Dan Bewley 8.52 6. Tate Zischke 4.57 7. Jake Mulford (RS). Team Manager: Mark Lemon

IPSWICH: 1. Jason Doyle 9.36 2. Danny King © 6.14 3. Adam Ellis 5.47 4. Tom Brennan 6.52 5. Emil Sayfutdinov 9.12 6. Dan Thompson 3.11 7. Jordan Jenkins (RS). Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins

REFEREE: M. Breckon

KNOCKOUT CUP DRAW

QUARTER-FINALS: Birmingham v Leicester, King’s Lynn v Oxford, Belle Vue v Ipswich.

TICKET NEWS

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

LIVE COVERAGE

You can watch the meeting live on British Speedway Network here.

THE PREVIEW

The Witches begin their 2025 campaign with a tough assignment away at Belle Vue on Monday in the Knockout Cup.

It is a familiar looking side to Ipswich fans with just one change to the team over the winter as Tom Brennan replaced Keynan Rew. The former British Under-21 champion makes his debut for the club at a place he knows well, having started his Premiership career with the Aces back in 2021 where he won a league title with the club in 2022.

Jason Doyle returns to the side at number one for the first time since last May, having missed the majority of last season after snapping two tendons in his left shoulder and tearing his rotator cuff following a crash at King’s Lynn. The former world champion has been back in action on British shores over the last week and looks to have hit the ground running in pre-season.  

Having finished as winners and runners-up in the past two editions of the Knockout Cup, it is competition that Ritchie Hawkins’ side have become used to going far in. Ipswich will be hoping to win their first ever meeting at the National Speedway Stadium having lost all 12 of their previous fixtures raced in Manchester but if that does not happen, keeping the score tight for the second leg at Foxhall is a must.   

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“It is the toughest draw we could have got in the cup and the toughest place we could go to start the season. We know it is the only place we didn’t win at last year and the only place we have never won. It is two of the best teams in the competition, so we know how difficult it is going to be.

“We have got a lot of riders coming back from injuries after last year so it could be tough, but we also have a great line-up. Belle Vue have been extremely successful over the last few years although they have started slowly in the past so maybe now is the time for us to catch them cold and finally get a win at the National Speedway Stadium.

“We are going to start the Knockout Cup with this riding order and then we will review it after that. Danny, Tom and Adam will be mixed around during the season to see what we think is best. Danny has had a long, established career but I don’t think he has spent much time at number two, if any. In a sense, it is a position that could suit him, you get out on track a lot on the grippier surfaces. Now his hand is fixed and he can hold on, that is something that could work well for him and it is a nice number to ride at. He had a tough year last year so hopefully that can work in his favour.

“Adam and Tom get on very well and should be a strong pairing, as good as any other three and four in the league, so I am very hopeful it is going to gel and work well.”

BELLE VUE ACES

The hosts come into 2025 as the reigning ROWE Motor Oil Premiership champions although they suffered an early exit in this competition last season, bowing out to Sheffield in the quarter-finals. Like the Witches there have been few changes to the side over the winter with just two ‘new’ faces to the team that finished 2024.

Zach Cook has replaced his brother Ben in the Aces side whilst Tate Zischke has recovered from injury to take his place back in the side as Antti Vuolas makes way. Zischke was signed by the Manchester club last season but made just one appearance, against Ipswich, where he crashed out and fractured seven vertebrae and five ribs, along with suffering a posterior injury.

LAST TIME OUT IN MANCHESTER

The Witches last travelled north in July of 2024, and it was a night to forget as the Aces ran out 58-26 winners. Lidsey raced to a 12-point maximum whilst only Sayfutdinov offered up any resistance for the away side scoring 10 points.

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.