BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN
17 August 2004 - British Speedway Promoters Association

ELITE LEAGUE LATESTARENA-ESSEX skipper Kelvin Tatum was disappointed to have to announce his retirement from speedway, but felt it was the only course of action he could take.

Tatum said: ''I simply cannot continue racing Speedway as my hip is constantly giving me severe pain. ''I didn''t want to let down my Promoter at Arena-Essex, Ronnie Russell, my teammates or the loyal Hammers supporters but my hip cannot take much more.'' BELLE VUE promoter John Perrin has launched a bid to introduce some Polish riders into his squad. Perrin is in negotiations with Janusz Kolodziej and Marcin Rempala, who starred in the recent World Cup Final, and fellow Pole Tomasz Jedrzejak may also be in line to return. Perrin said: ''A top Polish agent has been in touch to say that these riders want to come over and are available so we have been negotiating.'' COVENTRY boss Colin Pratt was pleased that the Bees went some way towards erasing the memory of their horrendous June defeat at Oxford on Monday night. The Bees were beaten 71-21 at Cowley earlier in the season but led after five heats on Monday before going down by a much narrower 12-point margin. Pratt said: ''I was pleased with our display which was much better, all the riders gave a good account of themselves and it was just a shame that we fell away a bit in the end.'' EASTBOURNE hope to have Edward Kennett back in their team at Coventry on Thursday after the youngster dislocated his shoulder last weekend. The Eagles, however, are likely to be without doubling-up reserve Andrew Moore for the rest of the season as the Sheffield youngster has broken his leg below the knee. IPSWICH star Hans Andersen has confirmed that he will return to the Witches team this week after injury despite the recent World Cup controversy. Andersen said: ''The Witches are important to me and I really didn''t want to miss last week''s meetings. These were the first meetings I have missed for Ipswich this season and I want to be back in the side. ''The whole World Cup thing has been blown way out of proportion and there were 60 pages on one web-site about it - madness.” GREG Hancock believes Oxford have what it takes to reach the Skybet Elite League play-offs. The Silver Machine skipper is backing his colleagues to make the top five despite the injury sustained by Sebastian Ulamek. He said: ''I feel really good about my own form and the team can go all the way to the play-offs, we have the riders in the team who are good enough to get us there.'' PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales is pleased with the progress being made by Hungarian rider Norbert Magosi, who impressed in his second home meeting for the club. Swales said: ''He''s still learning and he''s still getting his set-ups, which the other riders are helping him with, and he actually got faster as the night went on. ''But he was on the pace right from the start, he has been out and invested heavily in his equipment, and that is the commitment which we are looking for.'' POOLE star Antonio Lindback qualified for the 2005 Grand Prix series, and has been tipped to go to the very top by former Pirates legend Tony Rickardsson. Rickardsson said: ''He is the most talented rider I have seen at 19. I have never met a rider at such an age who has such a good back-up. ''Antonio has a great future in the sport. He has the body physically, he has great bikes and mechanical support. He has everything in place to be successful.'' SWINDON skipper Leigh Adams is content with the Robins'' League position at this stage and feels they have the potential to make a push for the title should they make the play-offs. Adams said: ''The back-to-back wins before the week off for the World Cup meant we are in a good position to really go for it until the end of the season. ''We are well-placed to grab a play-off place and we are in a confident mood.'' SAM Ermolenko admits he is enjoying his racing during his farewell season. The 1993 world champion scored 10-points for Wolverhampton in their bumper win over Arena Essex. He said: “I feel like I might ride for another 20 years! I’m allowed to have hiccups because that’s where I belong, but when it’s all working for me I can still steer the bike across the finish line first.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST

BERWICK boss Peter Waite was philosophical after seeing his team beaten at home by runaway Premier League leaders Hull. Waite said: ''We will continue to battle hard in order to finish as high up the League as we can, and wish the Vikings well for their inevitable League title this season.'' EDINBURGH youngster Sean Stoddart is enjoying his spell at reserve for the Monarchs and feels he will benefit from the experience. Stoddart said: ''If it had been earlier in the season I don''t think I would have been ready, but now that I''ve been able to get my confidence up, I''m at a point where I''m benefiting getting rides at this level and also getting to know the guys in the pits.'' EXETER star Graeme Gordon says he is enjoying the best team spirit of his career at the County Ground this season, topped by the Falcons winning the Premier Trophy. Gordon said: ''Everyone''s pulling together as a team really well now. We lost our way a bit when me and Mark Lemon were out injured, but we showed against Reading that we can do it when we need to.'' GLASGOW team manager Stewart Dickson was unhappy with his team''s performance at Edinburgh, where the Tigers crashed to a 20-point defeat. Dickson said: ''We didn''t seem to match Monarchs enthusiasm. To win one race is pretty unacceptable when you consider we have guys in our team who have proved on numerous occasions they can get round Armadale.'' HULL star Garry Stead has echoed the recent comments of his manager Eric Boocock by insisting that the Premier League title is not a foregone conclusion for the Vikings. Stead said: ''We''ve got a substantial lead at the top of the table which of obviously very nice to have, but like anything the League title race is not over until the fat lady sings.'' SEBASTIAN Tresarrieu marked his return to the Isle of Wight team after injury with a stunning 17-point haul at Hull. Islanders co-promoter Martin Newnham said: ''It''s always difficult for any speedway team to cope with the absence of one of their very top riders. ''But I must say we''ve done that pretty well considering, although I''m sure we wouldn''t have lost at home to league leaders Hull with him in the side.'' KING''S LYNN boss Buster Chapman has backed young Australian Trevor Harding to ride himself out of a difficult spell. Chapman said: ''Trevor is riding under stress and not as freely as he was last season. He has got the equipment and the ability, and we all saw what he was capable of last season.'' NEWCASTLE boss George English felt a sense of relief as the Diamonds ended their losing sequence with a win over Sheffield. English said: ''When we ride to the true ability and skill that our riders have, we are not a bad side at all. It was a massive relief to supply our home fans with a performance worth supporting.'' NEWPORT''S Pavel Ondrasik hopes to finish the season in strong form and help the Wasps off the foot of the Premier League table. Ondrasik said: ''We have been unlucky a few times and I''d like to have some good meetings before the end of the season because it''s important that we don''t finish bottom of the League.'' READING manager Ivan Shears felt the Racers'' win at Stoke on Saturday was one of the Smallmead club''s best performances of the season. Shears said: ''It was nice to finally win an away match after all the near misses we''ve had this year. They have a good team this year but out team-riding was excellent and Matej (Ferjan) and Andrew (Appleton) were simply superb.'' RYE HOUSE have been boosted by the return to fitness of Steve Masters, who returned to the Rockets side on Saturday in place of short-term replacement Jason King. Masters also took on an Elite League booking for Arena-Essex at Wolverhampton on Monday night. SHEFFIELD will be without Andrew Moore for the rest of the season after the youngster suffered a broken leg during an Elite League appearance for Eastbourne. Co-promoter Neil Machin said: ''It''s a savage blow for the lad and the team in general and we now have to look closely at our options.'' NEIL Collins has vowed to carry on racing next season – if somebody wants him! Collins, 42, started his career with Ellesmere Port in 1978 and is currently in his second spell with Somerset where he is having a mixed season. He said: “I’m great one week and poor the next. I still enjoy my racing and if a club wants me for next season then I’ll carry on, why not?” STOKE boss Nigel Crabtree had no complaints after the Potters slipped to a rare home defeat against Reading. Crabtree said: ''It''s disappointing, particularly in front of such a big crowd, but it''s not a disaster and I feel quite certain we can bounce back on Sunday against Hull, which I can see being one heck of a clash.'' WORKINGTON boss Ian Thomas is refusing to take home advantage for granted when the club stage the prestigious Premier League Fours on Saturday. He said: “There are some powerful teams who are more than capable of holding their own and it’s a hard meeting. “You only have to look at the form Hull are in at the top of the league and that underlines what a tough night of racing it will be.”

FIXTURE PICTURE

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 18:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Arena Essex v Oxford 7.45, Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.45

CHALLENGE: Poole v Swindon 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Sheffield 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP: Hull v Reading 7.30

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Newport 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 19:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30, Coventry v Eastbourne 7.45, Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Rye House 7.45, Isle of Wight v Exeter 7.30, Glasgow v Berwick 7pm

FRIDAY AUGUST 20:

PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v King’s Lynn 7pm, Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Somerset v Reading 7.30

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Oxford v Weymouth 7.15, Oxford v Newport (follows Weymouth meeting), Boston v Buxton (at King''s Lynn) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 21:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Swindon 4pm

PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Workington 7pm

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Swindon 7pm

CONFERENCE TROPHY: Buxton v Mildenhall 3pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 22:

PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Rye House 6pm, Newcastle v Workington 5.30, Newport v Somerset 4pm, Stoke v Hull 7pm

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Newcastle v Buxton (follows PL meeting), Carmarthen v Wimbledon 3.15

CONFERENCE TROPHY: Mildenhall v Weymouth 4pm

MONDAY AUGUST 23:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.45, Swindon v Oxford 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP: Reading v Hull 7.30

CONFERENCE TROPHY: Wimbledon v Sheffield 7.30

TUESDAY AUGUST 24:

PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Somerset 7.30

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Weymouth v Oxford 7.30

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 25:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Oxford 7.30, Arena Essex v Wolverhampton 7.45, Belle Vue v Coventry 7.45

PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30, Berwick v Stoke 7.30, King’s Lynn v Isle of Wight 7.30

CONFERENCE TROPHY: Wimbledon v Weymouth 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 26:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Coventry ELA 7pm followed by Swindon v Coventry ELB, Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.45, Exeter v Reading 7.30

PREMIER TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Newport 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 27:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Oxford v Poole 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30

INTERNATIONAL: GB U-21 v Australia U-21 (at Weymouth) 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 28:

SKYBET ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Oxford 7.30

PREMIER LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Hull 7.30, Berwick v Workington 7pm, Stoke v Rye House 7.30

CONFERENCE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 29:

PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Newcastle 6pm, Newport v Sheffield 4pm

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Swindon v Boston 6.30 followed by Swindon v Weymouth

CONFERENCE TROPHY: Buxton v Wimbledon 3pm

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