New visitors to Eddie Wright Raceway in bank holiday 30-heat feast of speedway
FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions are looking for a win by four points or more against the Peterborough Panthers at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm), to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Premier League Knockout Cup.
The KO Cup clash forms the first half of a double-header that sees not only one, but two brand new visiting teams to the Eddie Wright Raceway. The second half pits the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Stags against the Coventry Storm in National League action.
Peterborough Panthers have dropped down to the Premier League in 2014, after 15 successive seasons in the Elite League.
Peterborough and Scunthorpe regularly competed against each other in the old National League (the name for the second tier at that point) between 1972 and 1985. The Panthers visited both of Scunthorpe’s previous homes, Quibell Park and Ashby Ville. But never the Eddie Wright Raceway… until Monday.
In fact, the Panthers were the last-ever visitors to Scunthorpe’s second home, Ashby Ville. Scunthorpe won 40-37 on May 13, 1985, with Andy Buck scoring a 12-point maximum for the Stags. Days later, Scunthorpe withdrew from the National League, and it was 20 years before Rob Godfrey brought speedway back to the town.
Coventry, a top flight club since 1957, have never previously visited a Scunthorpe track in official competition, although the Bees did send along a team to a couple of four team tournaments at Quibell Park in the 1970s.
Coventry entered a second team, the Storm, in the National League in 2013, and with Scunthorpe also entering a team in the NL this season, the two clubs will finally meet in league competition at Scunthorpe.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It’s nice to be meeting a couple of teams who have never been to the Eddie Wright Raceway before – it gives a bit of variety.
“Hopefully a good number of Panthers’ fans will come along to a track they’ve never visited before. They won’t be disappointed, they will find that Scunthorpe is a racer’s track, just like Peterborough.
“Our main objective will be to do everything we can to progress to the quarter-finals of the Knockout Cup, where Plymouth await the aggregate winners.”
Scunthorpe trail by just three points (43-46) after a battling performance in the first leg at Peterborough on Tuesday. In a match of fluctuating fortunes, the Scorpions recovered from ten points behind to lead 37-34, and then the Panthers rallied in the final two races.
Scunthorpe do have an injury concern, as flying Australian Ryan Douglas suffered a wrist injury in the 40-55 defeat at Plymouth on Friday, where recent signing Nicolai Klindt was again in terrific form for the Scorpions.
Monday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £17. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action.
The circuit rightfully has won the award, several times, for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting day of racing is ahead.
Admission prices for Bank Holiday Monday:
Adult: £17.00
Student/OAP: £15.00
Child (10 – 17): £5.00
Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult)
Family Ticket £39 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17)
Match Programme: £1.00
Expected teams for Sunday (English unless stated):
Teams for Monday:
FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Nicolai Klindt (Denmark), 3. David Howe, 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 6. Matt Williamson, 7. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark).
Peterborough Panthers: 1. Ryan Fisher (United States), 2. Lewis Blackbird, 3. Ales Dryml (Czech Republic), 4. Ulrich Ostergaard (Denmark), 5. Lasse Bjerre (Denmark), 6. Joe Jacobs, 7. Oliver Greenwood.
Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Steve Jones, 2. Arron Mogridge, 3. Danno Verge, 4. Michael Neale, 5. Sam Chapman, 6. Ryan MacDonald (Scotland), 7. Reece Downes.
Coventry Storm: 1. Jon Armstrong, 2. Luke Crang, 3. Marc Owen, 4. Dan Greenwood, 5. Oliver Greenwood, 6. Ryan Terry-Daley, 7. Martin Knuckey.
Peterborough Panthers at EWR
Ave Ave Best
Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance
Lasse Bjerre PL 6 29 44 2 6.07 6.34 11 from 6 rides (2011)
Lewis Blackbird PL 14 60 77 13 5.13 6.00 15 + 2 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (PL (2013)))
Ales Dryml DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR
Ryan Fisher PL 5 24 48 2 8.00 8.33 13 + 1 from 5 rides (2008)
Oliver Greenwood DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR
Joe Jacobs PL 1 3 1 0 1.33 1.33 1 from 3 rides (2013)
Ulrich Ostergaard PL 6 27 48 4 7.11 7.70 18 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2008))
Other Notes
Lasse Bjerre
2011 Danish Under-21 Champion.
Member of Denmark’s World Under-21 Team Cup Championship Winning Team in 2010.
Member of Ipswich’s Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2010.
Qualified for this season’s World Under-21 Individual Championship Finals.
Recently named as a ‘doubling-up’ rider with Leicester for the rest of the 2014 Elite League season.
Lewis Blackbird
2013 Scunthorpe Scorpion.
Member of Mildenhall’s National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011.
Captain of Mildenhall’s 2012 National League side, which won 5 major trophies at that level.
Member of Dudley’s 2013 National League Championship, Pairs and Fours Winning Teams.
A Fast-Track Reserve with Eastbourne for the 2014 Elite League season.
Ales Dryml
Has competed in the Speedway Grand Prix Series and has represented his country in the Speedway World Cup.
2012 European Champion.
Won the 2004 and 2007 European Pairs Championship with his brother Lukas.
Member of Oxford’s 2001 Elite League Championship Winning Team.
Member of Poole’s 2003 Elite League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams.
Ryan Fisher
American International who has represented his country in the Speedway World Cup.
Member of Edinburgh’s Premier League Championship Winning Teams in 2008 and 2010.
Member of Edinburgh’s Premier Trophy Winning Team in 2008.
Oliver Greenwood
Ex Scunthorpe Saint who has the most wins in the Open Class of the club’s regular Amateur Meetings (to date).
The named No 8 when the Saints won the 2011 National League Championship.
Rode as a Guest for Somerset’s Premier League Winning Team in the 2nd Leg of the 2013 Play-off Final.
Scored a first maximum at Premier League level last month at home against Plymouth.
Also riding in 2014 for Coventry in the National League.
Joe Jacobs
Member of Mildenhall’s National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011.
Member of Mildenhall’s NL Championship, Fours, KO Cup and National Trophy Winning Team in 2012.
A Fast-Track Reserve with Wolverhampton for the 2014 Elite League season.
Also riding in 2014 for Mildenhall in the National League.
Ulrich Ostergaard
Member of Peterborough’s Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2006.
Named as the 2008 Premier League Rider of the Year by the Speedway Riders Association.
Since 2008 has rode regularly at both Elite and Premier League levels.
Peterborough Panthers’ Results at EWR
First meeting that Peterborough have ridden at the EWR.
* The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Stags ride at Stoke in National League action tonight (Saturday). 15-year-old Reece Downes is set to make his return from a broken wrist, while Michael Neale comes in to replace Liam Sanderson, who broke his collarbone in the Amateur Meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday.
