Category: Bears News

British youngster Joe Jacobs has been drafted into the Teesside Silver Helmet meeting, to replace Lewis Kerr who is now unavailable. Jacobs was a victim of the averages game this season and is looking to put himself in the shop window for a team place next season, having had a successful short spell with Berwick earlier this season. Team manager and co-promoter Jitendra Dufill is looking forward to what should be a great meeting:

“With re-arranged fixtures in England and Denmark, injuries and changes in the rules trying to get riders has proved extremely difficult and we have lost count of the number of riders we have contacted this week, including several Premiership riders. We still expect this to be a very exciting lineup with a few fun and games thrown in so don’t miss out!”

The reserves for the meeting will be David Wallinger and Ryan Burton. 

This Thursday see’s the running of the Teesside Silver Helmet at the Media Prima Arena, one of the oldest running individual meetings in Speedway. This years event is kindly sponsored by Keith Miller of Ecco Finishing Supplies.  The meeting will be ran over 20 qualifying heats, with the top two going direct to the final and places 3-6 into the semi final.

A competitive line-up has certainly been put together for this meeting, with one-time GP rider and a record 7 times British Champion Scott Nicholls leading the field. Plying his trade this year for Rye House in the Premier League, it will be Scotts first visit to Redcar.  Last years winner, Thomas Jorgensen, will be hoping to defend his crown on a track he normally rides very well. The Bears in the lineup – Charles Wright, Ellis Perks and Ben Barker will also fancy their chances after some dominant performances around the Teesside track over the last few weeks.

It is a strong field however, and a number of riders will be expecting to top the podium at the end of the night. Another pair of ex-winners, Aaron Summers and Ty Proctor, will be looking to win it for a second time and certainly know the fastest way around the MPA. Newcastle captain Ludvig Lindgren, who made a donation to the Bears at the start of the season after the theft in the clubhouse, is another who on his night can look unbeatable. 

Three riders who have had very good years, Richie Worrall, Paul Starke and Richard Lawson are also more than capable of making the podium with all putting in good performances at the MPA this season. Ashley Morris, a late replacement for Jason Garrity, makes it two Newcastle riders in the field and will be looking to cause an upset. Lewis Kerr, who was originally scheduled to take the number 6 bib, has now withdrawn from the meeting, his replacement will be announced as soon as we have it.

The last three riders in the line-up all have links to the Bears. Coty Garcia is rewarded for his great spell earlier in the season with a place. Coty, an injury replacement for Tobias Busch proved very popular with the Redcar crowd and it will be great to see him making another appearance. Jye Etheridge had a spell at the Bears last season, and this season at Berwick has really kicked on. He provided some excellent racing in Berwicks last visit to Teesside and will be looking for more of the same this week. Jacob Bukhave rounds off the field, the popular Dane who had a spell with Redcar last season. Jacob has spent a lot of time this season riding in individual meetings all around the continent, and will be looking to catch the eye here.

Bears co-promoter Jitendra Duffill is looking forward to an exciting meeting:

This week’s Teesside Silver Helmet is shaping up to be an exciting contest. I have to say a massive thank you to Keith Miller from Ecco Finishing Supplies for sponsoring this event which has allowed us to put together a strong field and run a full 22 heat event. There’s also a £500 bonus being offered by Erimus Insurance to the rider giving us the best race celebration which should add a fun twist! If this turns out to be the last meeting here this year it will certainly be a fitting farewell.

Lineup:

1 Charles Wright
2 Scott Nicholls
3 Aaron Summers
4 Ellis Perks
5 Ben Barker
6 tbc
7 Jacob Bukhave
8 Richie Worrall
9 Ashley Morris
10 Ty Proctor
11 Coty Garcia
12 Ludvig Lindgren
13 Richard Lawson
14 Thomas Jorgensen
15 Paul Starke
16 Jye Etheridge
R1 TBC
R2 TBC

Please note, due to the increased costs of running this meeting there will be an increase to admission of £1 across the board.

Jason Garrity will take the opportunity to rest his injuries this week and therefore miss Thursday’s meeting and will be replaced by Ashley Morris from Newcastle who will now have two representatives in the meeting. 

“With three important matches coming up this weekend we need to give Jason as much time as possible to be fit for these very important fixtures” said co- promoter Kevin Keay.
This week’s bad weather has lead to a number of rearranged fixtures and difficulties in rider availability . Lewis Kerr has now accepted another guest booking and his replacement will be announced shortly. 

The end of season function tickets which are selling quickly, will shortly be able to be purchased online via the club ‘ helpline’. Further details will be added to the club website soon.

Kevin Keay has heaped huge praise on gutsy skipper Ben Barker as injury-crippled Redcar are still counting the cost of an outstanding victory over Championship leaders Sheffield. The SG Petch Bears beat the table topping Tigers – so ending a club record 13-match winning run – on Friday, although hopes of an even more unlikely double were washed out yesterday when the South Yorkshire side’s flooded Owlerton Stadium track was deemed unraceable. it left a bitter-sweet feeling in the Bears camp as they would have been without former Sheffield star Jason Garrity, who badly damaged a shoulder during the sides’ notfor-the-feint-hearted clash on Teesside, and severely handicapped by injuries to skipper Barker, Tobias Busch and Jonas B Andersen.

Barker was bravely prepared to battle through the pain barrier and ride at Sheffield, despite having broken his left wrist in a separate but equally spectacular crash on Friday, while German Busch (ankle) and Dane Andersen (hip) are still carrying the scars of pileups the previous week. Yesterday’s return clash was called off early following the enormous amount of rain that fell on Saturday, with a re-staging date set for next Monday, September 18 – the final day before the cut-off for scheduled league matches. This means three away matches on successive nights for the already stretched Bears in a bold bid to still snatch the final play-off place but Keay insists: “It’s got to be good for us as it gives our injury concerns a few more days to heal and we have managed to get them to re-stage it within the cut-off date.

“Sheffield are already assured of a play-off place so didn’t need to do that and we really appreciate their efforts. “Riding three matches in three days – all away – is a tall ask but that reflects the kind of season that Redcar have had. “Ben is one heck of a character. “He had his wrist put in plaster by the hospital after the meeting but turned up at the track the following morning, cut his pot off with an intent to see if he could ride. “We talked him out of practising but he was prepared to give it a go for the sake of the club. “We would have had a lot of trouble replacing him at such short notice and, whatever comments might have been made about his actions, it’s his decision and his life and he is putting the club first. “What else can you do but praise him for that? “it does further show the tremendous team spirit within the
club at the moment.”

That was more than evident on Friday as in-form Sheffield, who had not been beaten since July 12, twice forged a six-point lead, only to be pegged back after a twicerun heat 13. in the first staging, a pulsating opening lap ended with Charles Wright powering under Tigers Josh Grajczonek, seconds before Kyle Howarth took Barker’s front wheel away as they passed under the starting tapes. Howarth was excluded, leaving the Bears skipper to come out on his spare bike and now nursing a fractured wrist and follow Wright home in the rerun for the 5-1 which levelled matters. Busch and Andersen, both still sore from crashes the previous week, then edged the Battling Bears ahead for the first time with another 5-1 in heat 14, before Wright, who dropped just one point all night – to Howarth in heat 4 – and the now-in-much-pain Barker completed the job in the final race. Former Redcar number one Lasse Bjerre managed to split the pair and so wreck the previously unbeaten by an opponent Barker’s maximum hopes, but neither his courage or the enormity of the Teessiders’ fourth successive home victory was lost on their best crowd of the season. 

Report courtesy of Keith McGhie and The Gazette

Redcar SG Petch Bears away meeting against Sheffield, due to take place this afternoon has unfortunately been postponed due to the weather.

This meeting has now been re arranged for Monday 18th September, with a 7:45pm start. 

The S.G.Petch Bears head into tomorrow’s battle at Sheffield with numerous injury issues and struggling to find adequate cover.

Ben Barker has a fracture of the left wrist but insists he wants to ride and Jason Garrity appears to have no broken bones but is out with an arm/ shoulder injury.
Tobias Busch struggled at the home meeting with the injuries received last week but will ride through the pain barrier again as will Jonas Andersen with his bruised thigh/ hip.
The Bears intend to give it their best shot as they are only one point off a play off position with just the three fixtures remaining all away from home.

Redcar SG Petch Bears ended Sheffield Tigers 13 match winning run wit ha 48-42 win at the Media Prima Arena on Friday, but it did come at a cost!

On an eventful evening, Sheffield started the brighter of the two sides, and indeed after heat 8 had taken a 6 point lead. Heat 9 then saw drama, as Jason Garrity fell and then seemed to be hit by Kyle Howarths bike who was right behind him. Jason took a blow to his shoulder, and after treatment from the medics was forced to withdraw from the meeting and take a trip to hospital.

The Bears closed the gap slightly, and going into heat 13 were 4 points behind. In the first running of this heat, Kyle Howarth was excluded for knocking off Ben Barker. Barker picked himself up to finish behind Charles Wright for a Bears 5-1 in the re-run. He then spent some time with the medics, and it has emerged since the meeting he has a potential wrist injury.

Heat 14 saw the Bears take the lead with Tobias Busch and Jonas B  Andersen getting a 5-1 over Ryan Douglas and Jan Graversen, and they finished off wit ha 4-2 in heat 15 with the superb Charles Wright taking the victory and Barker coming home in third. A superb nights racing a superb comeback from the injury hit Bears to beat arguably the best team in the league.

Redcar Bears = 48 

1. Ben Barker – 3, 3, 3, 2′, 1 = 12+1
2. Ellis Perks – 0, 0, 1 = 1
3. Jason Garrity – 0, 3, Ex WITHDRAWN = 3
4. Jonas B. Andersen – 1, 2′, 3, 2′ = 8+2
5. Charles Wright – 2, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 14
6. Tobias Busch – EF, 1, 2, 3 = 6
7. Danny Ayres – 3, 0, F, Ex, 1, 0 = 4

Sheffield Tigers = 42 

1. Josh Grajczonek – 2, 1, 2, 1 = 6
2. Todd Kurtz R/R – (JGrav1′)(GW0)(RD2′)(JGrav0) = (3+2) 
3. Lasse Bjerre – 3, 2, 2, 3, 2 = 12
4. Ryan Douglas (G) – 2′, 1′, 0, 1 = 4+2
5. Kyle Howarth – 3, 2, 2, Ex, 0 = 7
6. Jan Graversen – 1′, 2, 1′, 3, 0, 1, 0 = 8+2
7. Georgie Wood – 1′, 1, 0, 1′ = 3+2

Sheffield Tigers have been forced into a late change ahead of tonight’s clash against the Redcar SG Petch Bears. Young Brit Josh Bates has suffered a shoulder injury in a fall at home, and will be replaced by Scunthorpe’s flying Aussie Ryan Douglas.

Last minute guest at the bug meeting tonight will be former Middlesbrough and Sheffield Tiger Mark ‘Felix’ Fiora. He is currently on holiday in the UK and intends to drop in and see the top class action at Redcar Speedway this evening.