PIC OF THE WEEK…
HERE’S the latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
FORMER Glasgow star Dan Thompson salvaged a draw for his new side Edinburgh as a dramatic BSN Series Scottish derby ended 45-45 at Armadale on Friday.
The visitors had been eight points down with just four races remaining but they hit back to force a last-heat decider, and then held a match-winning 5-1 position through Kyle Howarth and Chris Harris.
However, Thompson made an audacious last-bend move to slice between the Tigers riders, passing Harris and finishing close to Howarth as they reached the line.
Photo credit: STEPHEN FRUZYNSKI
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IT’S WITCHCRAFT
IPSWICH No.1 Tom Brennan hailed his developing partnership with skipper Danny King after a vital victory at King’s Lynn on Monday.
Brennan scored 12+1 in the 47-43 away win which gives the Witches control of the Southern section of the Premiership KO Cup.
He said:
“Danny and I seem to ride really well together, which is a bonus. With us being at No.1 and No.2, it’s an absolutely crucial part of the team. Danny has lots of experience, and it’s really cool to be paired with him.
“I am really enjoying my time here and hopefully Danny and I can keep scoring those 5-1s.”
STARS NEED TO SHARPEN
KING’S Lynn boss Rob Lyon pinpointed gating as the main reason for his side suffering a double KO Cup defeat to Ipswich in their opening fixtures of the season.
Lyon said:
“I think it was evident again tonight, as it was at Ipswich early doors, that they were generally so much sharper out of the starts than us, and that was the main difference.
“It was a great performance by Ben and it’s ironic that he didn’t make it in Heat 15 off gate two, because he didn’t really want four although he’d made two great starts off it.
“He didn’t make it, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I have to say it’s frustrating, but it’s not the league, and we move on to next week.”
FOXES PLAN FOR OPENER
NEWCOMERS Northampton will race for the first time next Monday (April 20) when they visit King’s Lynn in the Premiership KO Cup.
The Foxes’ first home meeting sees them host Ipswich on Thursday April 30, and manager Chris Adams says it’s an exciting prospect despite them putting a team together later than their rivals.
He said:
“We’ve had to find some riders, and although everybody looks at the list of riders who don’t have a club, there are quite a few other factors.
“There are lots of things that have to go on behind the scenes for everything to click into place, but I think we have a team that compete with the others in the league, and there’s no reason why we can’t make the play-offs and make a bit of a success of it.”
LIONS DROP A POINT
LEICESTER boss Stewart Dickson admits he was left one point short of where he hoped to be after their opening KO Cup fixtures against Belle Vue.
The Lions lost by 24 points at the National Speedway Stadium leaving a major uphill battle for the aggregate point, which the Aces duly secured as the Lions won 50-40 in the return.
Dickson said:
“We did manage to redeem ourselves at home, and as I’ve always said on opening night at home you need a win of any kind.
“I do hope we can win aggregate points this season, but the bottom line is we are the holders of this particular trophy, and we’ve now got one hand having fallen off it with what I consider to be the toughest team in the group, Sheffield, still to race.”
ACES FIRE IN MANCHESTER
BELLE Vue CEO Mark Lemon says he took plenty of encouragement from his side’s display at home to Leicester on Easter Monday which helped secure them the aggregate point in the KO Cup.
Lemon said:
“Everyone chipped in at home, and it was a solid performance all-round with no weak links.
“Leicester aren’t a bad team, and we probably had the upper hand from doing a few more matches, but we rode exceptionally well.
“We got the aggregate point and now we’ll just have to wait and see how the Leicester and Sheffield matches pan out.”
ROLL UP TO OWLERTON!
SHEFFIELD’S owners are hoping to get the next generation of the sport’s supporters hooked by giving away up to 10,000 free tickets between now and the end of the season.
It’s the latest initiative introduced by the club to give something back to the local community, having already formed a partnership with Sheffield Children’s Hospital earlier in the year.
Co-owner Damien Bates said:
“We said this year was about starting afresh and giving things back to people in the local area, and we want to do that whilst doing all we can to try and grow the number of next generation supporters at the same time.
“So whether it’s local sports teams, dance groups, scouts groups or anything like that, we want our existing supporters to nominate groups or recommend us and we’ll be giving out some free tickets over the coming months.”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
DEFENDING champions Ipswich launch their defence of the league title when they visit Belle Vue next Monday… Meanwhile the KO Cup continues with the Northern section clash between Sheffield and Leicester on Thursday…. Newcomers Northampton enter the competition for the first time when they race at King’s Lynn in the Southern section on Monday.
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TIGERS CONTENT WITH DRAW
GLASGOW boss Cami Brown was satisfied after seeing his team fight back to draw 45-45 at rivals Edinburgh in the BSN Series – coming close to snatching the win in a last-heat decider.
Brown said:
“To be honest I was delighted with the battling qualities of the side. I feel Edinburgh are a very good side this year, especially at Armadale. They will be tough to beat.
“The main thing was to get some laps in and keep it close for the return fixture at Ashfield.
“We need to win the tie on aggregate if we want to progress to the BSN semi-finals.”
DAN: MORE TO COME
EDINBURGH No.1 Dan Thompson says he can improve on his home debut, where he scored 11 points against former club Glasgow to snatch a draw for his side.
Thompson moved inside Tigers skipper Chris Harris coming off the last bend of Heat 15 to secure a 45-45 draw in the BSN Series opener.
He said:
“I made a few starts early on but not really in that last one. I span away from gate one and when I saw Kyle come round the outside I knew it was going to be hard.
“I kept my head down for four laps and on that last turn I went in really slow so I could make a nice turn. I came off the kerb and nearly got Kyle as well.
“It was only our first meeting here and I know I can do a lot better than that.”
PIRATES’ HIGH STANDARDS
POOLE promoter Dan Ford has summed up the mood at the Dorset club who have made MAXiCab KO Cup progress despite a defeat in the second leg of their first round tie.
Ford said:
“We have a winning mentality at Poole and, whilst we’re pleased to have reached the KO Cup quarter-finals, we were disappointed not to win on Friday at Scunthorpe.
“The team is blending well, and the more time we spend together the stronger that will become. The lads will be heading to Oxford (on Wednesday) with a victory firmly in their sights.”
TOUGH NIGHT FOR CHEETAHS
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck admitted the BSN Series opener at Plymouth on Saturday had proved to be a night to forget for his side.
Cheetahs were beaten 57-32 in their first official fixture, with the return clash against the Gladiators now re-arranged for April 22.
Schroeck said:
“We weren’t trapping the way that Plymouth were and that’s going to hurt you around here.
“Plymouth are more used to the track than us when it’s like this – the track tonight wasn’t one we’ve experienced before. As a unit, it was our first away meeting of the season and it showed.”
KLINDT CHANGE PAYS OFF
REDCAR No.1 Nicolai Klindt admitted he made a change of machinery for the Bears’ BSN Series victory over Workington on Friday, with the Dane winning a last-heat decider.
Klindt told the club website:
“I’m usually known for being a really good starter, but over the last few years conditions have changed as the surfaces have become harder.
“I rode a different bike to the one I used against Scunthorpe. I tried it after the meeting and decided I liked it better, but I’m still struggling to get out of the gate.
“That meant I had to make some moves around the first corner to put myself in the best position I could — and that enabled me to win three heats.”
COMETS TAKE POSITIVES
STAND-IN Workington boss Baz Collins says there were encouraging signs from the Comets’ opening meeting in the BSN Series where they took Redcar down to the wire at the Ecco Arena.
Collins said:
“It’s disappointing to lose, you always want to win, but there were lots of positives to take from tonight. We were in a number of strong positions but didn’t quite convert them when it mattered.
“Craig (Cook) was excellent and Jonas (Jeppesen) showed his quality at No.1, while Niklas (Holm Jakobsen) improved as the meeting went on and was exciting to watch in the end once he got dialled in. For me, he deserved more than his points tally suggested.”
SCORPIONS’ WELCOME WIN
SCUNTHORPE exited the MAXiCab KO Cup having regained some confidence after a second leg home success over holders Poole at the Eddie Wright Raceway, albeit not by enough to progress on aggregate.
Youngster Ryan Ingram was the talk of the terraces as he secured his first race win at Championship level with a Heat 12 victory over Lewis Kerr.
Ingram said:
“It was a really good night for myself and the team. I was building in speed every race and it’s nice to get my first win. I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued support.”
JYE PLEASED TO RETURN
BERWICK skipper Jye Etheridge says the call from his local club came as a welcome surprise enabling him to rejoin the Bandits this season after a year at Workington in 2025.
Etheridge said:
“To be honest I hadn’t given any thought to coming back but (team owner) Jamie Courtney called me and when I saw the team he was putting together I thought, ‘I’ll have some of that.’
“Population-wise Berwick is a little town, but it’s massive for speedway. If you go to the shops someone’s always asking you what’s going on with the speedway.
“If we made the play-offs the town would be pumping!”
THE WEEK AHEAD…
THE MAXiCab KO Cup quarter-finals get underway with Redcar hosting Edinburgh in a first leg tie on Friday… It’s also a busy week of BSN Series action as Poole look to cement their place at the top of the Southern section when they visit Oxford on Wednesday… In the Scottish section, Glasgow and Berwick meet home and away over 24 hours as they race at Ashfield on Friday and Shielfield Park on Saturday… In the Northern section Workington, who impressed at Redcar last week, host Scunthorpe on Saturday.
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THE WEEK AHEAD…
LEAGUE competition gets underway this Sunday with Leicester hosting Middlesbrough at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park… Meanwhile Buxton race the second home meeting of their revival as they face the NDL Nomads in a Challenge fixture.
BRITSH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 REPORT
TWENTY-THREE riders competed in Round 1 of the 2026 British Youth Championship which took place at a rather chilly Glasgow on Sunday April 12.
Eight riders competed in the 500cc class, three in the 250cc, and six each in the 125cc and 125cc support classes.
Glasgow, which has become the home of the Great Britain Academy in 2026, was the ideal place to start the series as such a fantastic race track and venue, and it again delivered some great races across all four classes.
Stene Pijper, who competes for the Glasgow club representing Ashfield in the Northern Junior League, used all his home track knowledge to only drop one point in the qualifying heats to Oli Bovingdon and then went on to win Round 1 having chosen to come off gate 4 in the Final and made a flying start to win the all-important last race.
Casper Kluczniak and Bovingdon, who finished first and second in the 250cc class in 2025, have both moved up to the 500cc class in 2026 and were both impressive on their debuts finishing Round 1 in second and third respectively.
Ollie Binns, who also qualified for the Final again in his first season racing a 500cc, was also very impressive and was unlucky not to make the rostrum due to a carburettor problem on lap three in the Final.
With the 250cc class just having three riders in this round Archie Rolph, Kane Newby and Demi Blu Harris, these three would also compete in the Final, and although they raced each other five times across the event, every heat was enthralling with each of the three riders putting in good performances.
Lewis Hague continued where he left off in 2025 with an unbeaten score in the 125cc class to go on to win Round 1 with 9-year-old Oscar Berwick claiming second and Fraser Buckle finishing ahead of Douglas Marshall to claim third.
In the 125cc Support class a very impressive performance from debutant George Climo to go through the day unbeaten and claim his first win, with Seb Kelly in second and Jessica Cox claiming third ahead of Cody Smith.
Round 1 Championship Points –
500cc – Stene Pijper 18, Casper Kluczniak 16, Oli Bovingdon 14, Ollie Binns 12, Charlie Southwick 11, Liam Morris 10, Rocco Webb 9, Charlie Luckman 8.
250cc – Archie Rolph 18, Kane Newby 16, Demi Blu Harris 14
125cc – Lewis Hague 18, Oscar Berwick 16, Fraser Buckle 14, Douglas Marshall 12, Ella Marshall and Callum Hague 10.5
125cc Support – George Climo, Seb Kelly, Jessica Cox, Cody Smith, Junior Travers and Erza McNair
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY APRIL 15:
BSN SERIES: Oxford v Poole 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 16:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (NORTH): Sheffield v Leicester 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 17:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30
BSN SERIES: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 18:
BSN SERIES: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Workington v Scunthorpe 3pm
SUNDAY APRIL 19:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Middlesbrough 3pm
CHALLENGE: Buxton v NDL Nomads 3pm
MONDAY APRIL 20:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP ROUND 1: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (SOUTH): King’s Lynn v Northampton 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22:
BSN SERIES: Oxford (32) v Plymouth (57) 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 23:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (NORTH): Leicester v Sheffield 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP (SOUTH): Ipswich v Northampton 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 24:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg : Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30, 1st leg: Glasgow v Plymouth 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 25:
MAXICAB KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Plymouth v Glasgow 7pm, 1st leg: Workington v Berwick 3pm
SUNDAY APRIL 26:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Oxford v Middlesbrough 3pm
CHALLENGE 2nd leg: Buxton v Leicester 3pm
MONDAY APRIL 27:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 29:
BSN SERIES: Poole v Oxford 7.30
Courtesy of BRITISHSPEEDWAY.CO.UK
Photo Courtesy of BRITISHSPEEDWAY.CO.UK
