The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches host the Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday 27^th March in a Knockout Cup quarter-final second leg fixture. Parade: 7.30pm, first race: 7:45pm.

LINE-UPS

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

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

REFEREE: P. Carrington

KNOCKOUT CUP DRAW

QUARTER-FINALS: Leicester (57) v (33) Birmingham, Oxford (37) v (53) King’s Lynn, Ipswich (50) v (40) Belle Vue.

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are available to purchase in advance here and on the gate and are priced at £24 for adults and £22 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 PREVIEW

The Witches race their first fixture at Foxhall in 2025 as they welcome the Belle Vue Aces to Suffolk on Thursday night for the second leg of their Knockout Cup quarter-final tie.

The two sides met on Monday in Manchester in the first leg with Ipswich storming to an impressive 50-40 win, their first ever victory at the National Speedway Stadium. That performance puts the Witches in control of the tie and heavy favourites to progress to the semi-final, but team manager Ritchie Hawkins knows his side must remain focused to finish off the job.

It is the same line-up and riding order for the home team as it was in the first leg with Tom Brennan making his full home debut in Ipswich colours following his winter move to the club.

An early Knockout Cup tie to start the season against the league champions was as tough an opening as it could have got but having won the away leg, Ipswich will be determined to seal their spot in the semi-finals in front of their home supporters, as they look to regain the trophy they won in 2023.  

MANAGER’S NOTES

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

“We are really looking forward to getting back to Foxhall. We had a great couple of days last week practicing and catching up with everyone again. Now it is time for the real business to start. The track was awesome last week, and you can really see the effort, Bob (Ellis) and Chris (Louis) and all the track staff have put in over the winter to improve it. I’m sure it will provide a great racetrack, and we have got some great racers here on Thursday.

“It is Tom’s home debut but obviously he has guested for us before and put in some great performances over the last few years. I know he is very excited to be part of the Witches and I’m sure it won’t take him long to settle in as he knows the place really well.

“Opening nights can be tricky and it is always nice to get an away meeting in first which we have done. We navigated that in superb fashion and whilst we come into the meeting very confident of progressing to the next round, we also know that Belle Vue are the league champions and are a strong side. They will be coming determined to return the favour and we will need to be on top of our game to progress.”

BELLE VUE ACES

Opening night for the league champions did not go as planned for the Aces. Belle Vue were formidable on home shale in 2024, losing just once all season. So, that defeat on Monday to an Ipswich side that had never previously won at the National Speedway Stadium will have hurt. The visitors will be determined to stay in the Knockout Cup having exited the competition at the first hurdle in the last two campaigns but know they have a mountain to climb to overturn the 10-point deficit.

Belle Vue line up the same as they did on Monday and are hopeful Norick Blödorn is fit enough to take his place in the side after withdrawing from the first leg following a crash in his third ride. The away team field two Grand Prix riders in their ranks, with captain Brady Kurtz at one and Dan Bewley at number five.  

LAST TIME WE MET IN SUFFOLK

The Witches last faced the Aces at Foxhall in August of 2024, and it was the Aces who ran out 41-49 winners on the night against the depleted hosts. Ipswich were without Jason Doyle, Emil Sayfutdinov and Adam Ellis and then found themselves without Keynan Rew after an early crash. The five-man Witches battled hard with guest Scott Nicholls scoring 15+1 but the visitors took the points with Bewley top scoring with 11+1.