Bears looking for Brummies bounce back!
The Redcar “Agilia” Bears are looking to show their bouncebackability from their surprise home defeat against the Eastbourne Eagles as they take on the Birmingham Brummies in a league encounter. The Bears suffered their first home defeat of the season last Friday and tomorrow night’s meeting is simply a must win fixture in the race for the end of season Play-Offs, especially in a shortened season.
The Bears have been hit with a blow as Anders Rowe has been ruled out for the next 3 weeks with a knee injury due to a crash on Monday when he was on duty for his Premiership club Ipswich. The Bears promotion have booked an able replacement in the form of Drew Kemp who scored paid 12 seven days ago for the Eagles. Additionally, the Bears continue to operate Rider Replacement in the absence of Jordan Stewart who is hoping to return in the next few weeks. On the other side of the pits the Brummies are also having to contend with their own injury issues as Erik Riss and Valentin Grobauer are both missing from Friday’s clash. Riss suffered a shoulder injury on European duty whilst it is believed his countryman Grobauer is still recovering from the effects of his crash with Jordan Stewart back in early June. Laurence Rodgers has booked two very capable guests in the form of Poole Pirates pair Rory Schlein and Stefan Nielsen. Furthermore, the meeting is sure to be a close encounter as the Brummies fought hard after a slow start on their last visit to Teesside, eventually losing 46-44 in the KO Cup. Birmingham are led by Media Prima Arena track record holder Chris Harris who scored 11+2 in early June but they are sure to miss former Redcar racer Erik Riss who scored 13 on his return to his former club.
On a disappointing night for the Bears last week there was one shining light for the Bears, Redcar racer Michael Palm-Toft who had this to say when we caught up with him earlier this week, “Tomorrow’s home meeting against Birmingham is a must win we are ready to give it 100% as normal and send them home with nothing. Last week points wise was definitely the best meeting to date for me this season and I believe had my bike not cut out due to mud and water I would have got the win in my first heat too. I still believe we can reach the Play-Offs, it just means we can’t lose at home and we need some points from away meetings too. Finally, last week we had a lot of engine failures and falls and it definitely cost us the win.”
An extra 9 heats take place in the second half as the Redcar Cubs take on the Birmingham Bulls. A slight change to the format sees 250cc machines included for the first time this season. Laylan Richardson is forced to isolate due to school COVID rules the Cubs management have given 9 year old Oliver Bovingdon the chance to impress so stay behind and watch potential stars of the future!
Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Charles Wright 9.66 (Captain)
2. James Sarjeant. 4.29
3. Jake Allen 7.16
4. Jordan Stewart. 5.48 (Rider replacement)
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.60
6. Drew Kemp (Guest for Anders Rowe) 4.23
7. Jordan Jenkins. 2*
TM: Jade Mudgway
Birmingham “EDWARDS PLUMBING” Brummies
1. Chris Harris (Captain) 8.61
2. Stefan Nielsen (Guest for Valentin Grobauer) 5.38
3. James Shanes 5.33
4. Ashley Morris 5.32
5. Rory Schlein (Guest for Erik Riss) 8.60
6. Paco Castagna 5.11
7. Jack Thomas 2*
TM: Laurence Rogers