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
| Team | Meetings | Points |
| Ipswich | 15 | 29 |
| Belle Vue | 14 | 21 |
| Sheffield | 13 | 20 |
| Oxford | 16 | 18 |
| Leicester | 13 | 14 |
| King’s Lynn* | 11 | 9 |
| Birmingham | 14 | 6 |
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.
Digital Media Manager at Ipswich Speedway