The Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches travel to Birmingham to face the Brummies at the Perry Barr Stadium on Monday 7th April in a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership R1 fixture that starts at 7.30pm.
LINE-UPS
BIRMINGHAM: 1. Tobiasz Musielak © 8.21 2. Jonas Jeppesen 4.50 3. Michael Jepsen Jensen 7.50 4. Keynan Rew 5.67 5. Matej Zagar 7.20 6. Antti Vuolas 4.31 7. Jason Edwards (RS). Team Manager: Chris Adams
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: S. Perkin
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP TABLE
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Sheffield | 1 | 2 |
| Ipswich | 1 | 2 |
| Belle Vue | 1 | 2 |
| Leicester | 0 | 0 |
| King’s Lynn | 1 | 0 |
| Oxford | 1 | 0 |
| Birmingham | 1 | 0 |
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are available to purchase online in advance here and on the gate.
THE PREVIEW
The Witches hit the road again on Monday as they travel to Birmingham in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Ipswich were at Oxford on Thursday in their opening league fixture of the year as they raced to a 48-42 away win, making it three wins from three in all competitions at the start of 2025. During the victory at Oxford, five of the Witches line-up suffered crashes but the visitors are expected to be at full strength at Perry Barr despite a few battered and bruised bodies.
Ritchie Hawkins has decided to continue with the riding order that has worked so successfully at the start of the season as the Witches look to carry on their perfect start to the season. The Suffolk side failed to win either league meeting at Birmingham in 2024 but did taste success in the Knockout Cup and will be hoping to replicate that result on Monday.
MANAGER’S NOTES
Ipswich ‘Tru7 Group’ Witches team manager Ritchie Hawkins gives us his pre-match thoughts…
“It is quite nice to have two away meetings at the start of the season, the fixture list has been quite kind to us in that sense after the difficult task we had in the Knockout Cup. The pressure is a little bit off starting with two away meetings at the start of the year and we have got a win on the board already. We will go to a place where we had mixed fortunes last year and they were a team we had difficulties against. They probably had the best record of anyone against us when they were struggling but we know we can do well there. We will go there with confidence but maybe after Oxford, expectations can be lowered a little bit. We will have to perform very well if we want another win.
“We are unbeaten so there is no need to change the riding order at the moment, it seems to be working well, and I want to give the boys some time to work with it. Danny is getting used to riding in a position he has never been in before. Going from last season and this year, Adam needs to work on his last race riding in this position and Jordan needs to work on being on gate four in heat two. They are all small areas to improve on, but it is also the first week of April and there are things we will improve on as the season goes on.”
BIRMINGHAM BRUMMIES
Birmingham returned to the top tier of British Speedway last season for the first time since 2014, but it did not go to plan for the Brummies who finished bottom of the pile in 2024 with just four wins to their name all season. However, they did manage to record two wins over depleted Ipswich sides at Perry Barr last year although on this occasion they face a full-strength Witches outfit. The hosts kicked off their league campaign last Thursday, but it was a night to forget as they were thumped 61-29 at Sheffield.
It has been all change over the winter with a totally new septet representing the club in 2025 as they look to turn around their fortunes. Three-time title winner Tobiasz Musielak leads the side at number one, and he is backed up by former Grand Prix regular Matej Zagar and another ex-Grand Prix rider in Michael Jepsen Jensen. There are two former Witches in the engine room in Jonas Jeppesen and Keynan Rew whilst Jason Edwards and Antti Vuolas complete the side at reserve.
LAST TIME OUT AT PERRY BARR
The Witches last travelled to Birmingham in August of 2024 as the hosts secured a 47-43 victory. Ipswich were without Jason Doyle, Emil Sayfutdinov, Adam Ellis and Keynan Rew in the fixture and although there was nothing to separate the teams after eight heats, Birmingham did enough to secure the points in the second half of the meeting.
AWAY DAYS
An adult ticket costs £24, concessions £21, students (17-22 with proof of ID) £11 and children 16 and under go free. Official programmes cost £3.00 and car parking is £3.00. There is a modern three level grandstand extending for the full length of the home straight. On ground level there is a bar and refreshments area plus souvenir sales shop. Closed circuit television monitors show the racing and replays. There are also extensive bar and restaurant and light refreshment facilities.
For more information about the club head to Birmingham’s official website.
Press Officer at Ipswich Speedway