HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
PETERBOROUGH ended Wolverhampton's unbeaten home record with a 48-42 win at Monmore Green on Monday night. The Panthers also reduced the gap on their opponents to six points at the top of the table and with three matches in hand take the race for Premiership top spot down to the final week before the play-offs. Picture: PAUL ROSE
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "We are becoming dominant at home, you can see everyone working well together, adapting and hitting their marks and that will be key for us in the semi-finals. Momentum is definitely on our side and all of the boys are ready for whatever challenge is to come in the next few weeks." British Under-21 Champion Tom Brennan is ready to play his part as the Aces prepare for the play-offs having completed their regular campaign with Monday's win over King's Lynn. NEXT HOME: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final NEXT AWAY: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final
KING'S LYNN "He could not be here tonight because of injury but we are delighted to get Richard secured. His form has been fantastic, his attitude first class and he has not only contributed points but had a positive impact on those around him." Stars co-promoter Dale Allitt underlined the impact made by Richard Lawson after he joined the club in early season, with both Lawson and Thomas Jorgensen already confirmed for the Stars' line-up next season. NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur Sept 23
PETERBOROUGH "It was a great team performance again. We pushed them hard last time and I had a better meeting tonight as well. We knew a result here would help - now we just go Thursday, see how that goes and then we'll worry about the home ones next week." Panthers star Chris Harris contributed a big 15 points in Monday's dramatic win at Wolverhampton which keeps them very much in the hunt to finish at the top of the table. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Mon Sept 20 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur Aug 16
SHEFFIELD "I let down the team a little bit, I didn't perform and was not at the races. There are no excuses. It was one of those nights, sometimes it just doesn't drop for you. Adam (Ellis) had a crash too, we chucked away points here and there and it cost us but we are still heading into the play-offs in a positive mindset." Tigers skipper Kyle Howarth vows to put last Thursday's draw at King's Lynn quickly behind him, with the team building up to the Premiership play-offs later this month. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur Sept 16 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Mon Sept 20
WOLVERHAMPTON "He's just such a big help. His points obviously help on the track but his knowledge in the pits is incredible too, we missed that a little bit. He'll have been watching on the TV and he can tell us where we went wrong." Wolves No.1 Sam Masters admitted the absence of Covid-isolating skipper Rory Schlein was a major factor in Monday's home defeat to Peterborough which leaves top spot out of their hands. NEXT HOME: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final NEXT AWAY: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "Congratulations to all the staff here tonight for getting this Championship match and two Northern Junior League matches run so efficiently with so many stops and starts, it was a great community effort from everyone concerned, and roll-on Spring next year so we can start it all over again." Bandits boss Gary Flint said the club had again worked wonders to compete their racing schedule on Saturday, although they rounded off their Championship campaign with a home defeat to Glasgow.
BIRMINGHAM "Since John (Priest) took over the track work the circuit has improved each week. We know it's not perfect yet and needs more work but to class it as dangerous is an insult. In the winter we know we need to do a lot of remedial work and bring in a motorway blade to get everything totally sorted and then build up from the base again." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers defends track conditions at Perry Barr after a controversial meeting against Redcar last week. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Wed Sept 15 NEXT AWAY: Newcastle, Sun Sept 19
EDINBURGH "Leicester have a lot of good riders but it was a very pleasing end to the night. Josh (Pickering) rode out of his skin to get second in the last race and wasn't very pleased when I told him third place would have done!" Monarchs boss John Campbell was pleased with his side's efforts in securing a useful league point at top-six rivals Leicester last weekend, with their play-off place virtually secured by a win at Newcastle the following evening. NEXT HOME: TBC NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Sept 15
GLASGOW "I'm absolutely delighted - seven points out of seven, I can't ask for more. Some of the boys who were fantastic last night didn't do so well tonight and vice-versa. But the team is looking good and I keep saying that if they can all fire together, we'll be in a great position." Tigers boss Cami Brown was able to reflect on a hugely successful weekend as his side collected maximum points from matches against Plymouth and Berwick to leave them well-placed for the run-in. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun Sept 19 NEXT AWAY: TBC, Play-Off Q/F or S/F
KENT "Our team has really gelled, and never knows when to give up. It's a shame the way season started but it's great to see the fans happy, I love the fans and I love it here." Kings skipper Scott Nicholls and mid-season signing Troy Batchelor secured a dramatic comeback victory over Scunthorpe at Central Park to underline their resurgence, although a play-off place now looks to be just beyond them. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Tues Sept 21 NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Sept 25
LEICESTER "I think we were pretty comfortable all the way through the meeting, although they kept it close because they have a team of fighters and good riders. We were kind of in control of it all meeting, and we've got big meetings to come so it was a good test ahead of those." Lions No.1 Nick Morris was satisfied with the outcome of Saturday's home clash with Edinburgh, with a 47-43 home victory taking the reigning champions another big step towards the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Poole (KOC), Sat Sept 18 NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri Sept 19
NEWCASTLE "With the future of the Diamonds looking uncertain due to the potential of a takeover remaining unlikely, alongside added uncertainty from the stadium and the stadium landlords, we ask that you please follow us in enjoying what unfortunately could well be the last meeting to take place at Newcastle's Brough Park." The Diamonds host Birmingham on Sunday with a massive question mark over the club's future, with promoter Rob Grant confirming he is standing down and no deal currently being in place for a takeover. NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Sun Sept 19 NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Sept 22
PLYMOUTH "I had no hesitation in accepting the booking to come down here. I've ridden here a few times now this season and it's a track I enjoy riding and it always produces great racing." Poole star Danny King was a popular winner of the Gladiators' final senior event of the season as they celebrated their 90th Anniversary event last Tuesday. NEXT HOME: British Youth Championship, Sat Sept 18
POOLE "Our two Bens (Cook and Basso) really struggled to read the track on this, their first visit and I guess that made us vulnerable. But we have got one home meeting left to make sure we finish in top position, and it is to the credit of the team that we are where we are and they have a very strong determination to stay there." Pirates promoter Danny Ford wants his side to quickly put last Friday's away defeat at Scunthorpe behind them, with first place in the league table ahead of the play-offs still very much in their hands. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Wed Sept 22 NEXT AWAY: Leicester (KOC), Sat Sept 18
REDCAR "Lewis Kerr has been a great signing so far and Jason Edwards got some really important points for us. For once, we got out of the gate as a team and we were brilliant, we fully deserved to take the win." Co-promoter Jamie Swales praised his side after they came back to win 48-42 at Birmingham to keep up the case for a top two finish, having been eight points down in the early stages on a night where track conditions at Perry Barr caused controversy. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri Sept 17 NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed Sept 22
SCUNTHORPE "I said to the lads before the meeting started that if we want to win the league title, we're going to have to beat Poole eventually, so we might as well start out tonight. To a man, they all performed, with a big shout out to guest Kasper Andersen, who came in and rode with the same spirit as the rest of the side. It was a good all-around team performance." The Scorpions' place in the top six now looks much more secure after a 50-34 win over leaders Poole at the Eddie Wright Raceway, with boss Dave Peet admitting the team had followed instructions to the letter! NEXT HOME: British U19 Final, Fri Sept 17 NEXT AWAY: TBC
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE UPCOMING FIXTURES"¦
ARMADALE NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri Sept 17 NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Oct 12
BELLE VUE NEXT AWAY: TBC
BERWICK NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Sept 26
KENT NEXT HOME: Berwick, Tues Sept 28 NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri Sept 17
LEICESTER "Obviously Dan and Joe (Thompson) led the way again, and it was Ben's (Trigger) highest ever league score with a couple of race wins and a superb 5-1 with Dan where they'd spoken before about Ben getting out in front and Dan said, "˜you gate and I'll sit behind you,' and it worked perfectly." Cubs boss Dave Howard said the team ethic had been vital towards securing a league point from a tough trip to Mildenhall in their first meeting for six weeks. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sat Sept 25 NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri Sept 24
MILDENHALL "Whilst pleased with the victory, the loss of Luke and Sam was hard to take and we hope that their injuries are not as bad as they seemed at the time. We will regroup now and look ahead to our remaining meetings and keep pushing on the best we can in the circumstances we find ourselves in." Fen Tigers boss Malcom Vasey had mixed emotions after Sunday's win over Leicester with Luke Ruddick and Sam Hagon withdrawn after crashes, youngster Hagon suffering facial injuries in a heavy fall. NEXT HOME: Ex-Fen Tigers (Ch), Sun Sept 19 NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri Oct 1
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Leicester OFF (Now Tues Sept 21)
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Edinburgh 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16: PREMIERSHIP: Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17: BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Scunthorpe 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Leicester 7.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Kent 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Leicester v Poole 7pm BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Leicester 6pm, Newcastle v Birmingham 6.30 CHALLENGE: Mildenhall Fen Tigers v Ex-Mildenhall Fen Tigers 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Leicester 6.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Newcastle 7.30, Poole v Redcar 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v King's Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 24: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Birmingham 7.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Leicester 7.30 JULIE LEWIS MEMORIAL: Redcar 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 25: CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester v Kent 6pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester v Kent (follows previous fixture)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26: PREMIERSHIP: Sheffield v King's Lynn 5pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Berwick 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 27: PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL: TBC v TBC 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28: NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Berwick 6.30
