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There is one further Redcar change to bring you for the clash against Sheffield on Friday Night at the Media Prima Arena.

Mikkel B Andersen is now required to ride for his Danish club Region Varde on Friday. Exciting British youngster Nathan Greaves will guest in his place. 

The Redcar Ecco Finishing Bears have received the frustrating news that new signing Thomas Jorgensen is suffering from a severe chest infection and will miss his Premiership fixture for Kings Lynn tonight. The consequences of this is that Thomas will receive a mandatory 7 day suspension of his SCB license which will rule him out of the Bears Knock Out Cup fixtures against Sheffield this Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, this means that Redcar will have to run with a National League guest to replace him as no facility is available for a rider who has not yet represented his club on track. 

Team Manager and Co-Promoter Jitendra Duffill commented:

“I’m absolutely gutted to hear that Thomas will be unable to make his debut for us this week. I honestly cannot believe the bad luck we are having at the moment and it’s difficult coping with the stress our situation is presenting. I found out yesterday afternoon that Thomas wasn’t feeling well but we had already redeclared our team to the BSPA late Sunday evening due to being required to give 3 full days notice when making a line up change. We have been waiting on BSPA approval and all we could do at that point was hope for the best. I’ve spoken to Thomas this afternoon and he is as frustrated as we are, but his health is the most important thing here and it is essential that he rests until he feels fit enough to race again. Everyone here at Redcar wishes him a speedy recovery.”

The Bears will now use Jack Parkinson-Blackburn as a guest this Thursday and Friday. “Jack has kindly agreed to step in and help us out at short notice. He is a very talented young British rider who is keen to do well but there will be absolutely no pressure on his shoulders over these two meetings from us. We now face a very difficult battle against Sheffield over the next 2 days with the odds tipped well in Sheffield’s favour, but we cannot do anything about our circumstances. It’s just terribly unfortunate that things have worked out this way and we will just have to go into these fixtures with a positive frame of mind and give it our best shot” said Duffill.

Thomas Jorgensen will now make his debut for the Ecco Finishing Bears on Thursday 7th June at home to Berwick. 

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears host the Sheffield Tigers in KO Cup action on Friday this week, with hopefully a new face in the line-up!

After releasing Theo Pijper earlier in the week, Danish star Thomas Jorgensen comes into the line-up to replace him, subject to BSPA approval being granted. Jorgensen is a rider who normally goes well round the Media Prima Arena, and co-promoter Jitendra Duffill is happy to bring him into the team:

I have brought in Thomas Jorgensen which should help to strengthen the top end of our side and we should see an improvement in our performances as a result. Thomas comes in on a 7.77 average and he has always shown a liking for our track. He is a rider I rate highly and I’m pleased to have eventually secured his signature after trying to sign him at the beginning of both 2017 and 2018! Fortunately he has had a change of heart as he initially didn’t want to ride Championship Speedway and I’m sure he will prove to be very popular.

To bring a new rider in inevitably means one has to depart, and Duffill admits it was difficult letting Theo go:

I’d like to thank Theo for his efforts this year. It’s always very difficult to let a rider go, especially one I like having around so much. Theo has tried everything to get back to the form he is capable of but our run of poor results so far means that somebody had to go. In all honesty there was a case for a few of our team to make way for Thomas, but my priority is to get us winning at home and unfortunately for Theo, he was averaging the lowest of our 7 this year around the MPA. I’m sure that everyone has their own options on who should have made way, but the whole point of making a change is to strengthen and I won’t let sentiments or politics get in the way of us fielding our best side.

It has been a tough couple of weeks for all involved with the club, but this week’s meeting at Sheffield on Thursday and at home in the return on Friday offer the Bears a chance to turn things around. It will not be easy though, as Sheffield are a strong side who have a good record around the Media Prima Arena. Duffill hopes this is the start of a positive run:

It’s been a very tough start to the season for everybody, club and fans alike. Now we have an opportunity to put things right and we must remain positive. Sheffield were dominant here a few weeks ago in the Championship Shield so we are very keen to make amends for that. I think we look much stronger with Thomas Jorgensen at number 5 and it will take a little pressure off Matej Kus who moves to number 4. Things must improve from this week and we won’t rule out further changes in the coming weeks if form doesn’t improve and other options become available. However, I still believe we are capable of doing much better.

The Bears will be without German Tobias Busch for the two meetings. As he was ill with a non-speedway injury for the Newcastle match on Sunday, his license is automatically suspended for 1 week. Rider replacement will operate to cover his rides. Sheffield, who include ex-Bears Charles Wright, Lasse Bjerre and Jan Graversen in their ranks, are at full strength.

Redcar: Ben Barker, r/r for Busch, Jonas B Andersen, Matej Kus, Thomas Jorgensen, Mikkel B Andersen, Jordan Stewart

Sheffield: Kyle Howarth, Todd Kurtz, Jan Graversen, Lasse Bjerre, Charles Wright, Jack Smith, James Shanes

The Redcar Ecco Finishing Supplies Bears, after yesterday’s terrible result at Newcastle ,have parted company with Dutchman Theo Pijper with his replacement about to be confirmed pending B.S.P.A. approval. Co-Promoter Kevin Keay said:

The team has simply not performed consistently enough throughout and we need to strengthen as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for Theo he has become a victim of the numbers game as we need to bring in a higher averaged rider to improve the top end of the team to give Ben Barker some support. Theo has done nothing wrong, he has been consistent in his performances and a pleasure to deal with but we need to act now . He had put a lot of time and effort into his equipment but was not getting the reward it deserved and a section of the fans were being disrespectful towards him which is disappointing so it’s time to move on. The top five haven’t performed as they should putting unnecessary pressure elsewhere so team changes are required and we may make other changes if the option becomes available. I personally would like to thank Theo for his effort and commitment to the club and sincerely hope he gets fixed up elsewhere very soon.

The Bears hope to have the required approval to put the new signing in the team for this week’s fixtures against Sheffield Tigers in the K.O.Cup with Redcar hosting Sheffield this FRIDAY 1st of June.

A depleted Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears side fell to a heavy defeat at Newcastle on Sunday night, losing 64-26.

With Tobias Busch forced to miss the meeting through illness, things got even worse for the Bears with the problems at Stansted Airport due to the weather. Lightning strikes on Saturday night and Sunday morning caused issues with flights arriving and departing the airport, which unfortunately meant that the flight Jonas and Mikkel B Andersen were due to catch was delayed by a number of hours, resulting in them not getting back to the UK in time for the meeting.

Due to league rules, they could only be replaced by National League guests. At such short notice, it was tough to get riders but the Bears would like to thank local lads Josh Embleton and Gavin Parr for stepping in to cover. This did make the Bears task much more difficult, and indeed promoter Kevin Keay took to the microphone to apologise to both sets of fans for the situation.

Ben Barker continued his improved form, top scoring for the Bears with 13 points. Ludvig Lindgren top scored for the Diamonds with 13+1.

A full scorecard will appear later.

The Redcar Bears management received word from the Andersen brothers , Jonas and Mikkel, that their flight back to England from Denmark has been delayed and that it is unlikely they will arrive back in time for tonight’s derby match at Newcastle . Having already been informed that Tobias Busch is ill and unable to ride the Bears are desperately trying to find replacements to fill the void this has created . The rules state that Rider Replacement can be used for Busch but only National League standard riders can be used to replace the missing brothers meaning the Bears will be fielding a very under strength team. The management are extremely frustrated but can do nothing about flight delays and would like to apologise to fans from both clubs for this situation but with only a few hours before the match begins finding any replacements is proving extremely difficult.

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears make the short journey up the A19 tonight, to take on the Newcastle Diamonds (6:30pm start).

The Bears, who are at full strength for the trip, will be hoping for an improved performance after the heavy defeat against Lakeside on Thursday. Matej Kus will hoping for an upturn in fortunes on his return to his old club, whilst reserve Jordan Stewart will be looking to continue his excellent form.

Newcastle are without the services of Lewis Rose and Stuart Robson. In-form David Howe comes in for Rose, with popular Aussie Kevin Doolan guesting for Robson.

Safe trip to any of our fans making the short journey tonight!

Redcar (from): Ben Barker (captain), Jonas B Andersen, Tobias Busch, Matej Kus, Theo Pijper, Mikkel B Andersen, Jordan Stewart
Newcastle (from): Kevin Doolan (guest), Ludvig Lindgren (captain), David Howe (guest), Tero Aarnio, Matthew Wethers, Carl Wilkinson, Ashley Morris

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears fell to a disappointing 53-37 defeat to Lakeside at the Media Prima Arena on Thursday night.

In what was very much a meeting of two halves, the Bears started off on fire – with two 5-1’s in the opening two heats. That was as good as it got for the Bears though, and despite keeping it close till heat 8 fell apart in the second half of the meeting against a strong Lakeside team. Indeed, Jordan Stewarts heat win in heat 8 was the last win for a Bears rider as the Hammers took control.

The meeting was marred by a nasty crash in heat 5. Jonas B Andersen lifted on bend two, and had nowhere to go but into the side of Ben Morley. The ex-Bear then hit the fence hard and a lengthy delay ensued whilst the paramedics looked over the Essex lad. He went to hospital with suspected wrist damage – everyone at Redcar wishes Ben all the best in his recovery.

For the Bears, Ben Barker top scored with 10+1, supported by sponsors rider of the night Jordan Stewart with 8+1. The impressive Adam Ellis top scored for Lakeside with 13, with Wajtknecht getting 11+2 and Lawson 11+1. 

Bears promoter Kevin Keay was disappointed with his sides performance:

Extremely disappointing and frustrating result. We need to take a serious look at the side and see what we need to do to improve the situation as quickly as possible as we will not put up with performances like we saw tonight, tough decisions may need to be made very soon.

Co-promoter Jitendra Duffill echoed Keay’s thoughts:

I left feeling very dejected tonight. To be 8 points up after 2 heats and lose by 16 is simply unacceptable. Congratulations to Lakeside who were by far the better side and they showed exactly why they are one of the league favourites. However, it has again highlighted some huge areas of concern for us and I will have to make some very tough decisions over the next few days. We simply cannot go on as we are. Apologies again to our supporters, I can assure you that we will do everything we can to try and fix this and are looking at all of our options.

Redcar Bears = 37

1. Ben Barker – 3, 2, 2, 0, 2 = 9
2. Theo Pijper – 2′, 1′, 1, R = 4+2
3. Jonas B. Andersen – 2, X, 0, 1′ = 3+1
4. Tobias Busch – F, 1, 2 = 3
5. Matej Kus – 3, 0, R, 1 = 4
6. Mikkel B. Andersen – 3, 2, 1, 0 = 6
7. Jordan Stewart – 2′, 0, 3, 2, 1, 0 = 8+1

Lakeside Hammers = 53

1. Nick Morris – R, 3, 3, 3 = 9
2. Ben Morley – 1 = 1 WITHDRAWN
3. Adam Ellis – 3, 3, 1, 3, 3 = 13
4. Kyle Newman – 1, 1, 3, 2′ = 7+1
5. Richard Lawson – 2, 3, 3, 2′, 1 = 11+1
6. Zach Wajtknecht – 1, 2′, 2, 1, 2′, 0, 3 = 11+2
7. Alfie Bowtell – 0, 1′, 0, 0 = 1+1

Following on from last week’s thrilling win over Glasgow, the Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears take on Championship new boys the Lakeside Hammers at the Media Prima Arena on Thursday night (7:30pm start).

Last week’s victory was a much needed boost for the Bears, with Jordan Stewart in particular having a fine night at reserve. Both Stewart and Mikkel B Andersen have been improving as the season goes on, and co-promoter Jitendra Duffill is delighted with the progress they are making:

I was both pleased and relieved to get our league campaign at home off to a good start last Thursday with a win over Glasgow. We got contributions from everyone which was encouraging, but special mentions for Matej Kus for making arrangements to get here at late notice and to our ‘official’ new assets Mikkel B Andersen and Jordan Stewart for their outstanding performances. Both Mikkel and Jordan showed just why I was so keen to have them both here this year and I hope people are starting to understand why it has been worth persevering. Both will only get better and although we would all love to see them score highly every week, we have to be conservative with our expectations and try not to put too much pressure on them at this stage.

Despite the victory on Thursday night, the Bears again struggled on the road – losing at Glasgow on Friday night. The one bright spot of that night though was the excellent performance of number 1 Ben Barker. The Bears captain has battled hard all season, without getting the points his efforts deserved. Duffill hopes this marks a turning point for the popular Barker:

Glasgow away on Friday was another disappointment and our form on the road is a concern. For now my priority is to get us winning at home every week and that should see things improve away from home. One major positive to come from last Friday was the performance of Ben Barker. Ben has struggled to find enough speed from his bikes so far  but anyone watching him every week could not deny that the effort and bravery are still there and it was only a matter of time before things turned around. I hope that will be the turning point for him and it also shows how quickly things can change. I will be pointing that out to the rest of our side.

This Thursday, the Bears are coming up against another strong side in Lakeside. The ex-Elite League club, who spent last year in the National League, have moved into the Championship this season and have started very well. They also have a number of riders who go well around the Media Prima Arena – including ex-Bears number 1 Richard Lawson. With both sides at full strength, Duffill is expecting another tough clash:

This week’s opposition will be just as tough, if not tougher than last weeks. Lakeside have started the season in great form and have a very strong top 2 in Nick Morris and Richard Lawson. Both are very quick here at the Media Prima Arena and they have very good back up in Adam Ellis and Kyle Newman. You will notice a big shake up in our riding order again as Mikkel has now dropped to number 6 and I think that should leave us very strong at reserve for home fixtures. Again, our reserves they will be vital to us on Thursday and we will need at least one of them to score heavily if we are to come out on top.

It promises to be another exciting night of Speedway at Redcar, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible to cheer on the Bears!

Redcar: Ben Barker, Theo Pijper, Jonas B Andersen, Tobias Busch, Matej Kus, Mikkel B Andersen, Jordan Stewart
Lakeside: Nick Morris, Ben Morley, Adam Ellis, Kyle Newman, Richard Lawson, Zach Wajtknecht, Alfie Bowtell 

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears could not repeat the heroics of last night, falling to a 54-36 defeat away at Glasgow on Friday night.

It was however a stunning return to form for Bears skipper Ben Barker,  who scored an impressive 15+1. He had solid backup from Mikkel B Andersen with 6, his brother Jonas with 5+1 and Theo Pijper with 5. The Bears started the meeting off fairly slowly, and after 7 heats found themselves 12 points down. Against a strong Glasgow top end, it was always going to be a tough ask to come back from that but the Bears stuck at their task, with Barker reeling off 3 heat wins in his last three rides.

Claus Vissing was again the stand out rider for Glasgow, with 14 points supported well by Lewis Kerr with 11.

Glasgow = 54

1. Charles Wright (G) – 0, 2′, 3, 1′ = 6+2
2. Lewis Kerr – 3, 3, 3, R, 2 = 11
3. Clause Vissing – 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 = 14
4. Paul Starke (R/R) – 
5. Richie Worrall – 3, 2′, 2, 2, 1′ = 10+2
6. Jack Thomas – 2′, 1, 0, 3, 0, 0, 2′ = 8+2
7. James Sarjeant – 3, Ex, RS, F, 1, 1 = 5
8. Ryan MacDonald – DNR

Redcar = 36

1. Ben Barker – 1′, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 = 15+1
2. Mikkel B Andersen – 2, 1, 2, 1 = 6
3. Tobias Busch – R, R, TS, R = 0
4. Jonas B Andersen – 2, 1, 1′, 1 = 5+1
5. Matej Kus – 2, 1, 1′, 0, 0 = 4+1
6. Theo Pijper- 1, 0, 2, 2, 0 = 5
7. Jordan Stewart – 0, 1′, 0, RS = 1+1

The Bears are next in action on Thursday night, when they take on the Lakeside Hammers at the Media Prima Arena.