Category: Bears News

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears go into this week’s double clash with Sheffield hoping to put one over a strong looking Tigers side. The Bears travel to Sheffield on Thursday evening, before hosting the Tigers On Friday evening at the Media Prima Arena (7:30pm starts).

After a pleasing win over Newcastle last Thursday night, the Bears came crashing down to earth with defeats at Lakeside and the return at Newcastle. And whilst Duffill was pleased with his sides efforts in the home meeting, he was left disappointed with the performance at Newcastle in particular:

We got off to a slow start against Newcastle but once we took control of the match we were dominant. It was pleasing to see contributions from everyone and that’s something I’d like to see continue. Tobias Busch looked very impressive and his form at home will be important to us this year. I expected a tough time at Lakeside and I was right to. Lakeside are very good around their own track and I don’t think that anybody will come away from there with any league points this year. 

Newcastle on Sunday was disappointing and I expected us to do much better. Newcastle is a tricky track to ride but I got the impression that a couple of us were beaten before we had even come to the tapes. We must aim to do a lot better and I apologise to the travelling supporters who deserved better.

The big meetings keep coming thick and fast, and this week sees the Bears up against last year’s Champions in Sheffield. The task is not made any easier with the fact the Bears will be without Matej Kus and Tobias Busch for both meetings. The pair are riding in Russia, in a SEC Qualifying event. on the Thursday night. We do have two good guests coming in on both nights though, with Ty Proctor replacing Matej Kus and Nathan Greaves replacing Busch. Duffill explains:

Unfortunately we are without Matej and Tobias as they are competing in an SEC qualifier in Russia. They are a big loss to us as both were very impressive at home last week but I’m happy with the guests I have brought in to replace them. Ty Proctor loves our place and is as quick as anybody around the MPA. He has also started the season well with Kings Lynn. Nathan Greaves is a rider that I was very impressed with when he guested for us last year and he will be keen to impress as he looks to secure a Championship spot.

Duffill is also hoping the good recent form of captain Ben Barker can help the two Bears rookies this season, Mikkel B Andersen and Jordan Stewart. Both riders have produced some excellent rides so far this season, and Duffill is sure with the captains help there is much more to come:

Mikkel and Jordan will benefit from his experience and Ben should have a bit more time to give now he has got himself settled. Please get behind both of our new boys because there is loads of potential there and they will only get better as the season goes on. We need to show some patience but they will be worth it and I assure you that both are giving it 100%. 

Sheffield go into the meetings still without exciting young Brit Josh Bates, who suffered an unfortunate injury on the eve of the season. They will operate rider replacement for him in the two ties. Last year’s Bear Charles Wright lines up for the Tigers this season, and has been in excellent form for them so far. He is joined in the lineup by another ex-Bear Lasse Bjerre, with young Brit Kyle Howarth at number 1.

Once again, we hope to see as many of you trackside as possible to help support the lads!

Redcar: Ben Barker, Jordan Stewart, Jonas B Andersen, Mikkel B Andersen, Ty Proctor, Nathan Greaves, Theo Pijper
Sheffield: Kyle Howarth, Todd Kurtz, Lasse Bjerre, r/r for Josh Bates, Charles Wright, Jack Smith, James Shanes

The latest list of fantastic supporters who have joined the Bears 2018 tyre fund , proudly on display in the clubs pits area.

Any person who joins the club will get an exclusive limited edition Bears Tyre Fund Badge which will not be available to non members as well as automatic entry in to a weekly draw giving them an opportunity to join in the interval antics and win free admission tickets to future Bears fixtures.
Membership is £25.00 per month during the racing season and all details can be found on the downloadable application form here.

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears fell to a derby defeat on Sunday night, suffering a 51-39 defeat at Newcastle.

The Bears started the meeting off very slowly, suffering three 5-1 reverses in the first four heats to fall 18-6 behind. They rallied well, but ultimatly gave themselves too much to do. Ben Barker again top scored, with 13+1 with Matej Kus scoring 11. It was a solid effort from Newcastle, with Ashley Morris and guest Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen both scoring 9+1.

The Bears are next in action away to Sheffield on Thursday, with the Bears then hosting the Tigers at the Media Prima Arena on Friday night.

Newcastle Diamonds = 51
1. Ludvig Lindgren – 3, 1′, 3, 0 = 7+1
2. Tero Aarnio – 2′ , 2, 3, 1, 0 = 8+1
3. Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen (guest) – 3, 2, 2, 2′ = 9+1
4. Matthew Wethers – 2′ , 0, 0, 3 = 5+1
5. Ty Proctor (guest) – 3, 2, 2, 2 = 9
6. Carl Wilkinson – 1′, FX, 1′, 0, 2′ = 4+3
7. Ashley Morris – 2, 2′, 1, 3, 1 = 9+1

Redcar Bears = 39
1. Ben Barker – 1, 3, 3^, 3, 1, 2′ = 13+1
2. Jordan Stewart – 0, 1, 2, 0 = 3
3. Jonas B Andersen – 0, 3, 2, 1 = 6
4. Mikkel B Andersen – 1, 1, 1 = 3
5. Matej Kus – 1, 3, 1, 3, 3 = 11
6. Tobias Busch – EF, 0, 0 = 0
7. Theo Pijper – 3, 0, 0, 0, 0 = 3

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears make the short journey up the A19 today to face Newcastle (6:30pm start). 

The Bears, who lost 56-34 to a strong Lakeside team on Friday night, are back at full strength with Jonas B Andersen returning to the side. Newcastle will be without injured pair Lewis Rose and Stuart Robson, with Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen and ex Bear Ty Proctor coming in the replace them.

It is sure to be an emotional evening, as the Diamonds will be paying tribute to their former great Ivan Mauger. Safe journey to any of our fans making the trip. 

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears make the long trip to Lakeside tonight, to take on the Hammers in Championship action (8pm start).

The Bears will travel to Lakeside in an upbeat mood, after last night’s dominant 58-32 victory over Newcastle. They face a tough task however, against a strong looking Lakeside team who have started the season well at home. Jonas B Andersen is riding in Denmark this evening (good luck Jonas!), so last nights impressive guest Kevin Doolan will ride in his place.

Lakeside are at full strength for the meeting, and include ex-Bears Richard Lawson and Ben Morley in their ranks. Safe journey to any of our fans making the trip tonight!

LAKESIDE HAMMERS: Nick Morris, Ben Morley, Adam Ellis, Kyle Newman, Richard Lawson, Zach Wajtknecht, Alfie Bowtell.

REDCAR BEARS: Ben Barker, Jordan Stewart, Kevin Doolan (guest), Mikkel B Andersen, Matej Kus, Tobias Busch, Theo Pijper.

Redcar ‘Ecco Finishing Supplies’ Bears won the Tees-Tyne battle on Thursday night, with a dominant 58-32 victory against Newcastle at the Media Prima Arena.

The meeting started off very closely, with guest Kevin Doolan giving the visitors an early lead with a win in heat 1. That heat provided the Diamonds with their only heat advantage of the night however, and it was not long before the Bears had their noses in front. Once in the lead, there was only really one winner as the Bears kept the pressure on Newcastle all night. Captain and number 1 Ben Barker reeled off 3 straight heat wins on his way to a 11 point score, with fellow heat leader Matej Kus getting an impressive 11+3 on his return to Teesside. 

Arguably the star of the show though was reserve Tobias Busch, scoring an excellent 13+1 including four very impressive heat wins. Guest Paul Starke scored a good 9+1, including one superb pass around the boards on bends three and four to pass both visiting riders. Mikkel B Andersen had a superb home debut, with two impressive heat wins and fellow home debutant Jordan Stewart rode hard for his two points, and perhaps deserved more for his efforts.

I was really happy with everyone tonight. We will get much tougher tests in the coming weeks but every Newcastle rider is capable of good scores at the MPA. It was great to see contributions from everybody and this meeting will be a big boost to everyone’s confidence and team morale 

The Bears are next in action on Friday night, away at Lakeside in Championship action. Jonas B Andersen is still missing, Kevin Doolan will guest for the Bears in his place.

Redcar = 58 

1. Ben Barker 2, 3, 3, 3 = 11
2. Jordan Stewart 0, 1, 0, 1 = 2
3. Paul Starke (G) 1, 3, 2′, 3 = 9+1
4. Mikkel B Andersen 3, 1, 3, 1 = 8
5. Matej Kus 3, 2′, 2′, 2′, 2 = 11+3
6. Tobias Busch 3, 3, 3, 3, 1′ = 13+1
7. Theo Pijper 0, 0, 2, 2′ = 4+1

Newcastle = 32 

1. Ludvig Lindgren 1, Fx, 1, 1 = 3
2. Kevin Doolan (G) 3, 2, 1, 0, 0, 3 = 9
3. Tero Aarnio 0, 1, 1 = 2
4. Matthew Wethers 2, 0, 2, 0 = 4
5. Stuart Robson 2, 2, 1, Fx = 5 Withdrawn
6. Carl Wilkinson 1′, 0, 0 = 1+1
7. Ashley Morris 2, 1′, 3, 2, 0, 0 = 8+1

Bears promoter Kevin Keay will again be on BBC Tees this evening, around 18:50. He will be looking ahead to tomorrow’s big meeting against Newcastle amongst other things. 

You can listen online from the BBC website or tune in on 95.0 FM.

There has been a late change to the Newcastle lineup, ahead of the clash with the Bears tomorrow night. Instead of operating rider replacement for Lewis Rose, Kevin Doolan will now guest in his place. 

Updated Newcastle lineup: Ludvig Lindgren, Kevin Doolan, Tero Aarnio, Matthew Wethers, Stuart Robson, Carl Wilkinson, Ashley Morris.

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears will be looking to finally get their home season underway on Thursday night, when they take on the Newcastle Diamonds in Championship Shield action (7:30pm start).

After a frustrating couple of rain-offs, the current forecast is looking much better for this week and we should see some speedway at the Media Prima Arena! The Bears fell to defeat on Sunday away at Peterborough, but co-promoter and team manager Jitendra Duffill thought it was definitely an improved performance:

Peterborough on Sunday was certainly a better showing from us than the previous weeks at Scunthorpe. We pushed them for most of the meeting but lacked vital heat wins. There were several positives to take away, the main one being the excellent performances from Tobias Busch and Theo Pijper. I keep telling our top 5 that their aim should be to at least score their average and the reserves will do the rest. 

Another of the big plus points was the performance of the new boys to the league Jordan Stewart and Mikkel B Andersen. Whilst Mikkel notched his first heat win in England, Jordan also rode well before a very nasty tumble in his second ride:

Jordan Stewart was much better than his score suggested and I have seen enough in him already to know he will go places. He is focused, ambitious, determined, well equipped, brave and rides the bike very well. I’m hoping that he will be fit for Thursday as he took a pretty nasty tumble at Peterborough. He sustained very severe bruising to his back and bottom and was in a lot of discomfort after the meeting. It will be a shame if he doesn’t make his home debut this week as he is desperate to ride the MPA.

It was also good to see Mikkel B Andersen record his first race win for us. He looked very quick in his last ride and beat the impressive Paul Starke comfortably. Give him and Jordy time and they will score well.

Redcar will be without Jonas B Andersen for this meeting, as he is riding in a Danish Championship qualifier on Friday. Paul Starke will guest in his place. Its the start of a busy few days for the Bears, as they face Lakeside away on Friday night before making the journey up the A19 to take on Newcastle on Sunday. It does however give the team a great opportunity to get some good track time and hopefully some positive results.

Newcastle will be without Lewis Rose for this clash, as he is riding for Kings Lynn at Swindon in the Premiership. They will operate rider replacement to cover for him. It is a side that knows the Media Prima Arena well though, with Ludvig Lindgren having gone well here in the past and Stuart Robson being an ex-Redcar rider. Duffill though points to the two reserves as to where the danger may come from:

This week we welcome our closest rivals Newcastle and they have a very close Teesside connection now with the arrival of Martin Phillips to their promotional ranks. Newcastle look to have 2 strong reserves like ourselves so this could be a very interesting encounter. Carl Wilkinson has plenty of experience of the MPA and could be a real danger tonight.

Fingers crossed the weather stays fine, and we see as many of you trackside as possible!

Redcar: Ben Barker (captain), Jordan Stewart, Paul Starke, Mikkel B Andersen, Matej Kus, Tobias Busch, Theo Pijper
Newcastle: Ludvig Lindgren, r/r for Lewis Rose, Tero Aarnio, Matthew Wethers, Stuart Robson, Carl Wilkinson, Ashley Morris

Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears fell to a 51-39 defeat away at Peterborough in their first Championship meeting on Sunday Evening.

Similar to the Scunthorpe meeting, the meeting was very tight in the early stages. After an encouraging second place for Jordan Stewart in heat 1, and a 5-1 to Theo Pijper and Tobias Busch in heat two the Bears briefly led. After 5 heats the scores were level, before the Panthers started to edge clear. There we plenty of positives from the meeting though, with Ben Barker scoring a good 9 points, and both reserves scoring paid double figures. Tobias Busch top scored with 9+2, with 8+2 from Theo Pijper. The meeting also saw Mikkel B Andersen’s first heat win in the UK. 

For the Panthers, guest Paul Starke top scored with 12, but it was a solid effort from the whole side. The Bears are back in Championship Shield action on Thursday, as they take on near rivals Newcastle at the Media Prima Arena with a 7:30pm start.

Peterborough Panthers = 51 

1. Scott Nicholls – 1, 1, 3, 3 = 8
2. Emil Grondal – 3, 3, 2′, 0 = 8+1
3. Nike Lunna – 1, 1′, 0, 3 = 5+1
4. Paul Starke (G) – 3, 2, 3, 2, 2 = 12
5. Ulrich Ostergaard – 0, 3, 0, 2′, 1′ = 6+2
6. Tom Bacon – 0, 2′, 2, 1′ = 5+2
7. Simon Lambert – 1, 3, 3, 0 = 7

Redcar Bears = 39 

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