WELCOME to the latest edition of the weekly BSPA bulletins keeping you in touch with news, views and fixtures from the tracks up and down the country.

DATE: TUE August 28, 2007

BIG EVENT LATEST

CHRIS Holder will start the Premier League Riders' Championship as one of the favourites after a blistering run of form.

The Isle of Wight star, who has already helped the club to the PL Pairs and Fours championships, will represent the club at the showpiece individual event at Swindon on Sunday, September 30 (6pm).

And Islanders co-promoter Dave Pavitt believes he has what it takes to dominate the sport in the future - and the last rider he saw with such potential was Britain's last world champion, Mark Loram.

"When I first saw Mark in action," said Pavitt, "I felt a tingle running down my spine and I knew, I can honestly say I knew, that he'd claim the very top individual prize in this rough, tough, thrilling sport of ours.

"I haven't experienced that feeling since, not that is until I saw Chris in action here at Smallbrook and it's not only myself that's talking of him in those terms but speedway experts from all over the world.

"He purely is a quite brilliant natural talent, with superb balance and throttle control and a very pleasant manner indeed that masks his sheer determination to reach the very top in this wonderful sport of ours.

"Everybody here at Smallbrook believes he will ultimately achieve that ambition and we'll do everything we can, albeit that it may be on a small scale given the size of our club, to help him along the road he's embarked upon.

"We are very, very fortunate indeed to have him here with us again this season and I would urge everyone to make time to come and see him on a Tuesday night at our home matches.

"And I see no reason why he cannot win the PLRC at Swindon - but there will be some tough opposition!"

The line-up will be confirmed soon and we are awaiting more information on the Conference League Riders' Championship at Rye House on September 15.

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

ARENA ESSEX-LAKESIDE promoter Jon Cook says the club will reap the benefits of perseverance with young reserve Ricky Kling, who has put in several promising rides for the Hammers since signing for the Hammers in mid-season.

Cook said: "Ricky has done brilliantly at other tracks and it's clear to see he is a quality prospect, but he had been struggling at Arena.

"He's used his big track engine after finding in practice that it worked better for him than his small track engine. I can't give him enough praise."

BELLE VUE promoter Chris Morton says that Antonio Lindback could still be a rider to feature in the club's plans for 2008 despite a disappointing, injury-plagued stint with the Aces this season.

Morton said: "We can't lay too many plans yet for next year because we know there are going to be changes in the structure of the Elite League but we don't know yet what the new regime is going to be.

"However, we have got to look at all the possibilities, and, clearly, one of those is Antonio Lindback. We would be very interested in having him back here if he can achieve an eight-point average like he did last year. We are looking for him to show us now that he can get back to that level."

COVENTRY co-boss Peter Oakes said the Bees had shown a ruthless streak against Arena Essex-Lakeside as they roared into a 20-point lead after just seven races.

Oakes said: "We talked before the meeting about what a strong team they looked, and we had an absolutely blistering start. You need to set about a team from the off, and you can destroy a team early on.

"We're assured of a play-off spot, we can't be knocked out of that, but the first or second spot is within reach and it's whether we can grasp it."

EASTBOURNE boss Trevor Geer is confident that his team's home defeat at the hands of Arena Essex-Lakeside will not be repeated when the sides meet in the Knockout Cup next month.

Geer said: "I always thought they looked strong when they had Billy Janniro and Rory Schlein. You never know what Krzysztof Kasprzak is going to do here, and I think Schlein is stronger at Eastbourne.

"We had Lewis Bridger struggling with motors and not really on it like he has been, and Cameron Woodward looked good but he wasn't really among the points. When it comes to the Cup it will be different."

IPSWICH star Mark Loram admits he faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the 2008 season after sitting out virtually the entire campaign with a broken thigh.

Loram said: "Hopefully my thigh bone will start to grow together now. Currently there is still a gap and my leg is held together by pins and screws.

"To be fair to Ipswich, or another club, I have given myself a deadline of January to decide my future. This will not be whether I ride again or not, but whether I will be able to start the season in March."

PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales says his decision to drop Richard Hall and replace him with Christian Hefenbrock was a tough one - although ironically Hall is now on the injured list after a heavy crash at Sheffield.

Swales said: "You get used to parting company with riders in this business, but this was a call I really did not want to make. I am not exaggerating when I say this is the toughest decision I have ever made.

"Hefenbrock is a rider I have been monitoring for a while. He is well regarded in the sport and I believe he will give us an extra edge down at reserve for the rest of the season."

POOLE boss Neil Middleditch is expecting a classic encounter when the Pirates face Swindon at Wimborne Road this evening, with the two clubs involved in a close battle for top-two finishes in the Elite League.

Middleditch said: "At the moment it looks like Swindon, Coventry and Peterborough along with ourselves will be in the final mix, but it’s the order of the four teams which is the most fascinating aspect right now.

"The air of expectation, the atmosphere and the huge support Swindon will bring with them from Wiltshire for this one makes this a very special evening. For the last couple of months, I've had so many people ask me what date are Swindon at Poole because I must be there. Well, this is it - they're here and we're ready."

READING legend Per Jonsson, tragically paralysed in a track crash in 1994, will visit Smallmead for the Racers' home fixture on September 19 - nearly 20 years since setting the longest standing track record in the country.

Reading promoter Malcolm Holloway said: "I spoke to Per on Monday and he quickly agreed to make the trip over to England next month. It'll be great to see him again as he's always been a good friend of mine.

"I rode in the same Reading team as him for a number of years, and he was a fantastic rider, team mate and a great World Champion. It will be superb to see him back at his old stamping-ground."

SWINDON have now gone through the entire season with a 100 per cent home record - but boss Alun Rossiter is aware that they now need points on the road to secure a top two finish.

Rossiter said: "We have a very important week coming up. To be honest, it is a massive week for us. We need to pick up two or three away wins together with the bonus points.

"We have such a long break now before the next home meeting. Hopefully, the fans and good crowd will come back. We need to keep the momentum going, we have the points on the board and all of the top clubs have still to race each other on the run-in."

WOLVERHAMPTON have won the race to make hot Danish prospect Nicolai Klindt their first signing for next season.

Klindt, 18, had been linked with Poole and Peterborough but after spending the day with Monmore manager Peter Adams he agreed to join the Black Country side.

Wolverhampton owner Chris Van Straaten said: “We were impressed by him and he was impressed with us. He’s a great talent and we are very excited about the future.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

BERWICK promoter Peter Waite says his team are still desperate for wins after suffering another home setback at the hands of Workington last weekend.

Waite said: "Even when we run the visitors so very close we still can't tip the balance our way. I know our season is scraping on the gravel at the moment but that doesn't stop us wanting wins. We must race better in the last weeks of the season."

BIRMINGHAM favourite Emiliano Sanchez has been released from hospital just a week after surgery to remove his spleen.

Sanchez is back at his East Yorkshire base but will miss the rest of the season.

Brummies boss Graham Drury said: “We’ve been inundated with cards for Emiliano and we are happy to take them from the Speedway Office at Perry Barr and pass them on.”

EDINBURGH star George Stancl is desperate for a trouble-free end to the season after having to sit on the sidelines with injury shortly after signing for the club.

Stancl said: "I was very disappointed to miss the derby matches against Glasgow. I had so wanted to show them they were wrong in letting me go. I want to score as many points as I can for the team - and show the
Edinburgh promoters that I'm still capable of doing a job."

GLASGOW co-promoter Stewart Dickson has underlined that veteran skipper Shane Parker remains very much part of the Tigers' plans for the future.

Dickson said: "Despite being 37, Shane is riding as well as ever and I have told him he cannot even contemplate retirement. If he is to stay in Britain, there can be no doubt that he will be with us at Glasgow."

ISLE OF WIGHT manager Dave Croucher feels that a five point deficit is a margin that the Islanders should be more than capable of overturning in their crunch KO Cup semi-final at home to King's Lynn.

Croucher said: "I left King's Lynn thinking that, with luck, we could have done even better but we ought to be able to overcome that five points deficit on our own circuit in the return leg - if we don't, well we'll only have ourselves to blame."

KING'S LYNN boss Rob Lyon is still confident the Stars can retain the Knockout Cup - but he knows they will need a strong performance on the Isle of Wight in the second leg of their semi-final.

Lyon said: "Don't forget we won there earlier this season, and there's no reason why we cannot go back there and win again. This is our competition, it's our cup which we've won for the last two years and we want to keep it."

MILDENHALL star Kyle Legault has given Fen Tigers fans a boost by hinting that he may well be back at West Row next season after a successful year on loan from Sheffield.

Legault said: "I know there have been quite a lot of rumours about what I might be doing next year, but I do feel I owe another season to Mildenhall for giving me the team place. I've enjoyed my time here, and I think it's helped me make some good progress."

NEWCASTLE are chasing revenge when they travel to Redcar this Thursday - after the Bears collected a big Premier League away win at Brough Park recently.

Diamonds boss George English said: "We are back to full strength as Paul (Clews) is getting match fit and Jonas (Raun) really revels at the Redcar track. So I am confident we can do very well, especially having witnessed the Bears being thumped by the Isle of Wight Islanders."

NEWPORT boss Tim Stone reflected on an incident-packed clash with Somerset with relief that despite several crashes the Wasps had managed to take a win over their local rivals.

Stone said: "It was probably one of the most incident-packed, explosive and nail-biting local derbies we've ever had here. Yes, they were without (Magnus) Zetterstrom and they will probably regret that, but the meeting had to be won all the same."

REDCAR manager Brian Havelock says his side have to get a heavy home defeat against the Isle of Wight out of their systems ahead of their clash with local rivals Newcastle.

Havelock said: "I told the boys after the match against the Islanders that we had just seen the potential league champions. We'll have dusted ourselves down and be ready for the Diamonds. The lads know how much this fixture means to the Bears' fans, and motivation will not be an issue."

RYE HOUSE manager John Sampford could barely believe the Rockets' domination as they demolished the Isle of Wight 69-21 in Monday's televised fixture.

Sampford said: "I never expected a result like this. We're aiming to be in the play-offs and we all have to be very pleased with the result."

SHEFFIELD are approaching make-or-break time in their bid for a play-off place.

Weekend wins on the road over Somerset and Mildenhall have put them firmly back in contention.

Boss Neil Machin said: “They were massive wins, I cannot stress that enough. It’s all to race for!”

SOMERSET star Simon Walker believes the Rebels are still firmly in the play-off frame – despite a home defeat by Sheffield last week.

He said: “We’ve won plenty of bonus points and that is a positive for us. Our season is still very much alive.”

STOKE made a strong recovery from an early eight-point deficit to overhaul play-off hopefuls Rye House by four points at Loomer Road - with Lee Complin continuing his excellent run of form.

Complin said: "I think we deserved that because we showed a lot of character to come back from those early setbacks."

WORKINGTON are up to second place in the Premier League standings after back-to-back wins over Berwick over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The Comets are hoping to reach the play-offs, but teams around them do have a meeting in hand.
General manager Ian Thomas said: “We’re still in there battling and it was a great weekend for us.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY AUGUST 28:
SIDECARS: Isle of Wight 7.30

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Reading 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Mildenhall 7.45
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Scunthorpe 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 30:
ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: King's Lynn 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Workington 7.30, Redcar v Newcastle 7.30, Sheffield v Birmingham 7.45

FRIDAY AUGUST 31:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Arena Essex-Lakeside v Peterborough 7.30, Coventry v Ipswich 8pm, Reading v Swindon 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Isle of Wight 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Oxford v Boston 7.30, Plymouth v Weymouth 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Peterborough 7.30, Ipswich v Swindon 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Stoke 7pm, Rye House v Newcastle 7pm, Workington v King's Lynn 7pm
BRITISH UNDER-15 CHAMPIONSHIP: Weymouth 7.15

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v King's Lynn 4pm, Mildenhall v Workington 4.30, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30, Newport v Redcar 3pm, Stoke v Berwick 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Buxton v Stoke 3pm, Scunthorpe v Plymouth 3pm, Sittingbourne v Weymouth 12pm, Sittingbourne v Rye House (follows previous fixture)

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 3:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Swindon 7.30, Peterborough v Poole
7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Sheffield 7.30, Mildenhall v Newport 7.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 5:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30, Reading v Peterborough 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Edinburgh 7.45, King's Lynn v Stoke 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Ipswich v Coventry 7.30, Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Isle of Wight 7.45

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Arena Essex-Lakeside v Wolverhampton 8pm
PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Berwick 7pm, Somerset v Stoke 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Boston v Rye House 7.30, Boston v Buxton (follows previous match)
CONFERENCE LEAGUE KOC: Plymouth v Oxford 7.30
CHALLENGE: Weymouth v Wimbledon 7.15

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Belle Vue 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Newport 7pm, Rye House v Mildenhall 7pm, Stoke v Birmingham 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Weymouth (follows PL fixture)

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 9:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Berwick 4pm, Mildenhall v Rye House 4.30, Newcastle v Somerset 6.30, Newport v Sheffield 3pm

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Buxton v Oxford 3pm, Scunthorpe v Cleveland 3pm, Sittingbourne v Plymouth 12pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 10:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Eastbourne 7.30, Coventry v Swindon
8pm, Peterborough v Reading 7.30, Wolverhampton v Ipswich 7.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 11:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Redcar 7.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12:
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Peterborough v Coventry 7pm, Peterborough v Belle Vue (follows previous fixture)
PREMIER LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Glasgow 7.30

CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Plymouth 7.30
ALAN PEARCE MEMORIAL TROPHY: Birmingham 7.45