Category: Bears News

REDCAR star Danny King has labelled the Bears two Cab Direct Championship clashes this weekend as “huge” for the club. Redcar begin two matches in 24 hours by hosting Poole at the ECCO Arena with the side looking to maintain the side’s 100% home record this season. 

Redcar’s clash against the Pirates on home shale will be broadcast by BSN with the side then travelling to Cumbria just under 24 hours later to take on a revitalised Workington Comets side at the GT Tyres Arena. 

Despite Redcar’s impressive home record, away points have been hard to come by and with this in mind, King knows how important a win over his former side will be. 

The Bears star said, “ These two matches, starting with Poole, are huge for our season. We have the team who can do the job at home against the Pirates and I’m confident in our chances. Although we haven’t ridden at home for a few weeks, I think we are riding the ECCO Arena well this season which bodes well for tomorrow night.”

Despite a 48-42 defeat at Glasgow last Friday, the 2016 British Champion believes the Bears can take heart from their performance. King said, “ We can certainly take heart from the way we performed as a 1-7, we only lost by six points which shows the strength we have in our side.”

Despite a solid display from most of the Bears septet at Ashfield, King revealed he suffered from engine issues which resulted in two last places in his last two rides six days ago. King explained, “ I had engine issues but it has been repaired and will be ready for Friday.”

King was also quick to heap praise on Jason Edwards who sparkled in the latter stages against Glasgow. King said, “ It’s good to see Jason back and it’s great to see him back in fine form. I think he’s performing better now than he was before his injury which is a huge bonus for Redcar.”

Redcar bring in two Workington riders to cover for Erik Riss (illness) and Jake Mulford (international commitments) with Antti Vuolas covering at number four whilst the in-form Jacob Hook steps in at number two. 

The visitors, who are undefeated at the ECCO Arena since 2021, line up with two ex-Bears as Richard Lawson leads the Pirates at number one whilst back to back Silver Helmet winner Lewi Kerr is at number three. However, the reigning league champions will have to make do without Anders Rowe who has Polish racing commitments. Rider replacement will cover in Rowe’s absence. 

Supporters who cannot attend the clash are reminded that the match will be broadcast by the British Speedway Network at www.watch.britishspeedway.co.uk 

Redcar Agilia Bears

1. Charles Wright (c) 8.96

2. Jacob Hook (G) 4.47

3. Jason Edwards 6.55

4. Antti Vuolas (G) 7.12

5. Danny King 8.27

6. Jody Scott 2.00

7. Ace Pijper 3.05

™ : Gavin Parr

Poole ‘Wessex Marine’ Pirates

1. Richard Lawson 9.48

2. Tobias Thomsen 4.82

3. Lewis Kerr 6.97

4. Zach Cook (C) 6.79

5. R/R for Anders Rowe 7.95 

6. Paul Starke 3.80

7. William Cairns 2.00

™: Gary Havelock

Tigers triumph over gritty Bears

Glasgow took their 4th win of their Cab Direct Championship campaign after a closely fought 48-42 win over the Redcar “Agilia” Bears. Chris Harris struck a stunning 16 for the Tigers whilst Charles Wright hit 14 for the Bears. 

The patched-up Bears fought hard and also lost Jake Mulford after his second outing but managed to keep the gap to six points in the battle for the aggregate point. 

The meeting started with a ding dong tussle for the heat win as Wright held off the hard charging Harris for the win, but with Mulford at the back, the spoils were shared in the opener. 

The reserves race saw Max Perry take the win from Redcar’s Jody Scott, and with Freddy Hodder passing Ace Pijper on the opening lap, the hosts had the lead on home shale. 

Heat three saw Glasgow hammer home their early advantage as Harris (covering as rider replacement for Dan Thompson) took his opening win of the match, and with their guest Tate Zischke in a comfortable 2nd, the hosts were in charge. 

Redcar registered their first heat advantage as Danny King held off Kyle Howarth for the win, and with Pijper passing Perry (who then hit the deck) for 3rd, the Redcar travelling contingent had a 4-2 to cheer. 

However, the Tigers immediately restored their six point cushion as Zischke won, and with Villads Nagel in 3rd, Glasgow made it a trio of heat advantages in the early knockings. Heat six saw yet another heat advantage as Harris won again, and with Nagel in 3rd despite pressuring King, the Glasgow supporters were eyeing a big home win. 

Howarth took his first win in a shared heat seven with heat eight producing great racing. Pijper (who was improving with every ride), hit the front and had a superb battle with Nagel who made a pass stick on the final bend to take the win, but with Perry at the back, the gap remained at eight points in Scotland. 

Heat nine saw Gavin Parr use his tactical substitute as Wright came into partner King, and with the Bears gating on a 5-1, it looked like the perfect change. However, with Howarth and Zischke passing King, Redcar remained eight in arrears. 

After a change of bike, Jason Edwards gated alongside Redcar’s guest Jye Etherdidge. However, Harris passed Etheridge but Edwards was not for moving as he showed his speedway nous for the win, and with Etheridge 3rd, Redcar were back within six of the Tigers. 

After Howarth got the better of Wright after an entertaining battle in a shared heat 11, Redcar got back within striking distance of the Tigers as the improving Edwards won ahead of Zischke, and with Scott holding off Perry, the Bears fans were sensing a comeback win. 

However, heat 13 saw Glasgow edge towards victory as Harris and Wright passed for fun until ‘Bomber’ pulled away in lap four, and with Howarth 3rd, the 2023 league champions were closing in on an important home win. 

The penultimate race saw Glasgow secure the win as Zischke won, but with Hodder at the back, the gap remained at six points. The final race saw Harris win, but with Edwards showing Howarth his back wheel, the final score was 48-42 which leaves the aggregate point in the balance for the return fixture at the ECCO Arena. 

Glasgow Tigers = 48

1. Chris Harris = 16

2. Villads Nagel = 6+1  

3. Dan Thompson R/R 

4. Tate Zischke (G) = 11+2 

5. Kyle Howarth = 11

6. Freddy Hodder = 1 

7. Max Perry = 3

Redcar Bears = 42

1. Charles Wright = 14

2. Jake Mulford = 0 WITHDRAWN 

3. Jason Edwards = 9+2

4. Jye Etheridge (G) = 5 

5. Danny King = 5 

6. Jody Scott = 4+1 

7. Ace Pijper = 5+2

Due to heavy overnight rain and alot more forecast for this afternoon we have had to Postponed today’s match between Middlesbrough and Oxford

REDCAR star Danny King believes there is “no need to panic” whilst wanting his side “to remain positive” despite back to back away defeats. Redcar travel north to take on Glasgow this evening with tapes up at 7:30pm at Ashfield. 

King, who is in sparkling form, knows the Bears have to remain focused despite recent results and the loss of Erik Riss with Jye Etheridge replacing the German star as a guest.

King said, “ It’s not ideal that we have lost Erik but we need to remain positive as I believe we are well in contention for silverware and there is certainly no need to panic despite a couple of away defeats.”

The third year Bear is also looking forward to Ace Pijper returning to his former home track, with King emphasising the importance of the Brit “having fun” on track. King said, “ I just want Ace to go out on track, have some fun and enjoy riding his bike without any pressure.”

The British star believes his side can shock the Tigers and take the win. King said, “ We are going up with the attitude that we can win the meeting, we have riders who go well around Ashfield but they are a solid outfit so we need to keep it as close as possible as a minimum.”

The former British Champion knows the club need to pick up away wins in their quest for the play-offs. King said, “ The main goal is to win all of our home meetings but we will 100% need some points on the road to make the play-offs.”

King also reiterated that the side have the tools to make 2025 a memorable campaign. King said, “ There are plenty of meetings left, I strongly believe we have a team that is good enough to contend for the league title at the end of the season.”

The influential Bear is also happy with his form with King taking an impressive 31 chequered flags in the second tier this season. King said, “ Everyone knows the story about  my injury in 2024 but I think I am in the best form of my Bears career which I am really happy about.”

The “Agilia” Bears have drafted in the aforementioned Jye Etheridge at number four to replace the injured Erik Riss. Meanwhile, Glasgow have drafted in Tate Zischke to cover for Leon Flint who is on international duty in Latvia.

Fans are reminded that Glasgow do not offer a live streaming service so the only way to watch the meeting is by making the journey north this evening.

Glasgow Tigers

1 Chris Harris (c) 9.40

2 Villads Nagel 5.00

3 Dan Thompson 8.50

4 Tate Zischke (G) 6.83

5 Kyle Howarth 8.08

6 Freddy Hodder 2.05

7 Max Perry 2.00

™: Cami Brown

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1 – Charles Wright (c) 8.80

2 – Jake Mulford 4.87

3 – Jason Edwards 6.23

4 – Jye Etheridge (G) 7.17

5- Danny King 8.47

6- Jody Scott 2.00

7- Ace Pijper 3.21

™: Gavin Parr

Fans afternoon against the Oxford Chargers!

Tapes Up 3pm Saturday

The cost is £14 (on top of your usual stadium entry). You will get balcony seating, a programme, a full buffet with a hot drink + a drink from the bar. Kids are £7 without the bar drink + their own programme.

All done on a first come first serve basis.

Anyone interested contact Ian on 07827293866 or email indrinkel@msn.com

We’re excited to announce a double change to the Middlesbrough ‘Heatfloors’ Tigers lineup as we move into the second half of the season!

Joining the side is local talent Elliot Kelly, a familiar face and a rider with real potential.

Alongside Elliot, we’re delighted to bring in Charlie Southwick, who caught the promotion’s eye with a standout performance at the recent British Youth Championship round held at the ECCO Arena.

Both riders bring energy, commitment, and hunger to succeed – exactly what the Tigers are all about.

Making way will be Danny Phillips and Ben Rathbone. We’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to both riders for their efforts in Tigers colours, and we wish them all the very best for the rest of the season.

Let’s get behind Elliot and Charlie as they make their Tigers debut!

REDCAR fell to a 47-43 Cab Direct Championship defeat against Edinburgh at Armadale. Despite defeat, Redcar picked up the bonus point with an 87-93 two legged success. Justin Sedgmen hit 13 for the hosts whilst Danny King led the Bears charge with a superb paid 17.

The two main differences were Redcar’s 10 last places compared to Edinburgh’s five. Additionally, the Monarchs’ reserves plundered paid 14 in comparison to the Redcar reserves five points. 

The Monarchs began with a 4-2 heat advantage as Victor Palovaara held off an early charge from Charles Wright, and with Kye Thomson 3rd ahead of Redcar’s guest William Cairns, Edinburgh had the early advantage. 

Heat two saw the “Agilia” Bears Jody Scott gate for the win, but with Ace Pijper making a mistake on lap two, Jordy Loftus was the beneficiary for Edinburgh who secured 3rd for a shared heat in Scotland. 

The third race of the Cab Direct Championship clash saw Redcar’s guest Tate Zischke gate alongside Jason Edwards, but with Sedgmen producing fireworks to pass both Bears on bends three and four of lap one, we had another shared heat which maintained Edinburgh’s slim two point lead. 

After a shared heat won by Redcar’s Danny King, Edinburgh opened up a six point advantage as Sedgmen took his second win on the trot, and with Paco Castagna in second, the Monarchs fans could breathe slightly easier with a decent buffer over the Bears. 

After two more shared heats won by King and Zischke respectively, Edinburgh hit another 5-1 as Jonatan Grahn and Thomson combined to hold off Cairns to open up a 10 point lead, and suddenly Edinburgh had their sights set on the bonus point with the scores level on aggregate. 

Heat nine saw Sedgmen lower King’s colours with a tapes to flag win, but with Pijper producing an improved ride to take 2nd with his teammate behind, both sides remained level on aggregate but the hosts still had a 10 point lead for the two league points. 

Palovaara took the chequered flag in heat 10, and with Thomson 3rd, Edinburgh opened up a 12 point lead, and for the first time, hit the front 76-74 on aggregate. 

Gavin Parr brought out King on a tactical substitute ride in heat 11 to partner Wright but it was Palm-Toft who led from the gate. However, King passed the Dane to take the win, and with Wright 3rd, the scores were level on aggregate. 

However, the aggregate pendulum swung once again in Edinburgh’s favour as Sedgmen passed Edwards to collect his 4th win and remain undefeated, and with Grahn 3rd, the home support had three league points in their sights. 

Heat 13 saw the Redcar stars King and Wright gate on a 5-1, but with Palm-Toft hitting the air fence on bend four, Palovaara had the re-run to attempt to overcome the British stars. 

The re-run saw the Monarchs number one gate, but with King passing Palovaara on lap one, and Wright storming underneath the Swede on bend two of lap three, Redcar hit a vital 5-1 to reduce the arrears to eight on the night, with Redcar now in a two point aggregate lead. 

Heat 14 saw Zischke come to the fore with a win, but with Pijper at the rear, Redcar’s hopes of an unlikely win on the night were over. The final heat saw King win, and with Zischke passing both Sedgmen and Palovaara for 2nd, Sedgmen’s hopes of a maximum were over, with Redcar wrapping up the bonus point. 

Edinburgh Monarchs = 47 (87)

1. Victor Palovaara = 9

2. Kye Thomson = 5+2

3. Justin Sedgmen = 13

4. Paco Castagna = 3+2 

5. Michael Palm Toft = 6

6. Jonatan Grahn = 9+1

7. Jordy Loftus = 2+2 

Redcar Bears = 43 (93)

1. Charles Wright = 6+1 

2. William Cairns (G) = 1 

3. Jason Edwards = 5+1

4. Tate Zischke (G) = 10+1

5. Danny King = 16+1 

6. Jody Scott = 3 

7. Ace Pijper = 2

REDCAR star Jason Edwards knows the next couple of months are “crucial” for the “Agilia” Bears, starting tonight as the Bears travel north to take on Edinburgh in the Cab Direct Championship. Three league points are on the line at Armadale with tapes up at 7:30pm. 

The Bears star knows how vital Redcar’s upcoming run of fixtures is. Edwards explained, “ We are 7th (with matches in hand) in the table so that’s why the next two months are vital, we can either qualify for everything or get knocked out of all three competitions so this stage of the campaign is basically our season, we need to make this run of fixtures count.”

Edwards, who made a successful return from injury on Monday in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership, is happy to have some practice heading into the Cab Direct Championship match. Edwards said, “ After a little time off, I feel refreshed and ready to go and it was good to get a meeting under my belt to blow off the cobwebs.” 

The Brit, who is set to return to the Redcar ranks for the first time since May 30th, admits he was always quietly confident he could return earlier than scheduled. Edwards said, “ It was always the plan to return earlier than I was told but your body and your mind are two different things.”

Despite the Monarchs not having raced at home in five weeks, ‘The Billericay Blaster’ does not see it as an advantage for his side. 

Edwards said, “ Armadale is a very specialist track and they are very good around there, especially with riders like Kye Thomson and Paco Castagna who have been at the club for a few years now so I don’t think their break in home fixtures will play a part in the result.”

The Redcar asset is also keen to repeat past successes at Armadale with the Bears recording a pair of wins in their last two visits to the Scottish capital. Edwards said, “ I seem to remember that Charles (Wright) and Danny (King) always seem to get a 5-1 in heat 15 to win us the meeting so hopefully we can do that again.”

Redcar are without Jake Mulford (international duty) and Erik Riss (illness) and Edwards knows both Bears will be a big miss. 

Edwards explained, “ Jake is a big miss on and off track and Erik is a huge miss, especially with his experience around Edinburgh. I hope Erik gets to the bottom of the problem and we see him fit and healthy as soon as possible.”

Redcar are missing the aforementioned Erik Riss who has suffered a recurrence of his 2023 illness with Tate Zischke stepping into the breach whilst Poole starlet William Cairns covers for Jake Mulford who is on U23 international duty for Team GB. 

The hosts, Edinburgh are at full strength with Monarchs reserve Jordy Loftus set to make his Armadale debut whilst Michael Palm-Toft will be looking to score big points against his former club. 

Any fans who are unable to attend the Cab Direct Championship clash are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed at www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/emtv 

Edinburgh Monarchs

1. Victor Palovaara 8.88
2. Kye Thomson 5.63
3. Justin Sedgmen 7.13
4. Paco Castagna 7.01 ©
5. Michael Palm-Toft 7.65
6. Jonatan Grahn 3.89
7. Jordy Loftus 2.00

™: John Campbell

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Charles Wright 8.96 ©
2. William Cairns 4.47 (G)
3. Jason Edwards 6.55
4. Tate Zischke 7.12 (G)
5. Danny King 8.27
6. Jody Scott 2.00
7. Ace Pijper 3.05

™: Gavin Parr

Bears star Erik Riss has been forced to take a break from racing due to a reoccurrence of the health issues that blighted him in 2023.

We wish Erik all the best and look forward to having him back when he can overcome the issues.

Erik made the following statement on his social media

It is with deep regret that I have to announce that I am withdrawing from the Long Track GP in Mühldorf this weekend, and also having to take a break from racing for now.

Unfortunately, since last Sunday, I’m experiencing a recurrence of previous health issues which are causing severe discomfort and are impeding my vision.

I am currently in the process of seeing various medical professionals, with the hope of finding answers so that I can receive the appropriate treatments and return to racing soon.

Get well soon Business!

THE World Speedway Riders’ Association are set to launch a Rider of the Month Award with a difference!

Rather than the usual performance-based award, there will be a prize draw each month which gives every rider an equal opportunity to win the award.

The first of the awards will be open to all riders across the WSRA National Development League which carries a prize of three days personal coaching with two modern day legends of the sport, with the winner being drawn live during a meeting covered by British Speedway Network.

As a charitable association, the WSRA see this as an opportunity to further support the NDL and its competitors.

WSRA chairman, Bert Harkins said: “We have seen some young riders quit the sport in recent weeks because they are struggling financially or mentally with the pressures of the sport, so we as a charity want to relieve the stresses and strains with this monthly award.”

With the support of Try Speedway managing director Tony Gaul, NDL racers will have the opportunity to have three separate sessions of tuition at the premier training school with former Speedway Grand Prix star and seven-time British Champion Scott Nicholls and ex-Great Britain international Paul Hurry providing the coaching.

After the first (July) draw there will be similar awards in August, September and October, but these will be restricted to riders who are members of the WSRA (annual membership currently £25), and the award will have a guaranteed value of at least £250.

One of the main benefits of joining the association is the wealth of experience from ex-riders’ members – from World Champions to riders who only rode in a handful of meetings – many of whom are freely available to offer advice and guidance to young riders.

Besides the social events and their backing to the NDL, the WSRA, as a registered charity, works closely with the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund, including sponsoring their annual Bonanza meeting, supporting injured riders.

Ben Trigger, No.1 for champions Leicester, has praised the WSRA initiative to support young riders.

He said: “It definitely is a good idea and I’m really glad that the WSRA are doing it because they are trying to support the youth that are coming through.

“I think what they are doing is good. It gives riders in the NDL some recognition because they can have some training days with Scott Nicholls and Paul Hurry after the first draw.

“In the draws that follow you have the opportunity to win a £250 voucher which is great because it’s money you don’t have to fund yourself.

“For riders coming through it’s hard to make money riding solely in the NDL because no matter what level of the sport you’re racing in, the costs are the same.

“If you’re in the Championship scoring a 15-point maximum you’ll be sitting comfortably financially whereas, in the NDL you’ll struggle to get by so having the help of the WSRA makes a real difference because nothing comes cheap in speedway.”

Any rider wanting to join the WSRA should contact Graham Darling on 07737 440296 or graham.darling71@gmail.com by July 20 to have the chance to win one of the draws in August, September or October which is only open to NDL WSRA members.