Redcar Bears Speedway — ECCO Arena, Middlesbrough
This Friday against Scunthorpe we will be hosting a fans night in the Bruce Forrester Lounge!
A night in the lounge with balcony seating, a buffet + a hot drink, a meeting programme & a drink from the bar. All that comes for £12 (payable in the lounge) on top of your normal entrance. Places are available on a first come first served basis.
Anyone interested contact Ian Drinkel on indrinkel@msn.com or 07827293866.
After impressing the management during recent practice days around the Redcar circuit, 20 year old Kai Ward becomes the 7th member of the Middlesbrough ‘Heat Floors’ Tigers
Welcome to the team
The Redcar “Agilia” Bears were shocked by a resolute Workington side at the ECCO Arena with the Comets running out 44-46 winners in the BSN Series. Despite the Bears starting the meeting on fire, Workington stuck to their task to turn the meeting around, much to the delight of their sizeable travelling support. Charles Wright top scored for Redcar with 10 whilst Craig Cook hit a superb paid 14 for Workington.
Redcar started the meeting on the front foot after a drama filled opening heat. Firstly, Craig Cook touched the tapes with the Workington skipper excluded. The restaging saw Cook replaced by Sam McGurk with a thrilling race ensuing. The exciting Australian, Tate Zischke rode superbly to pass Danny King in the early stages before the Australian starlet suffered bike problems with the Workington man falling, and with both Bears close behind in points scoring positions, the Bears had the perfect start with a 5-1.
Heat 2 saw Jake Mulford win impressively but with Celina Liebmann passing Ben Trigger, Workington’s German star made sure Redcar did not secure a second 5-1. Nevertheless, Redcar did not have to wait long for their second maximum with Connor Bailey and Jonas Knudsen team riding superbly to hold off Claus Vissing for the 5-1 heat advantage.
Heat 4 saw another Redcar heat advantage with Wright last out of the gate but the skipper, rather astonishingly, was in the lead by the backstraight of the opening lap with the Bears legend then going onto win comfortably, and with Trigger in 3rd, the Bears had a dream start on Teesside.
Heat 5 saw the Comets fightback begin with Cook passing Bailey for the win, and with Knudsen falling (although the Dane did remount to finish), the visitors had their first heat advantage to reduce the arrears to 10.
After a shared heat 6 won by Troy Batchelor, Workington reduced the arrears further to 8 points with another 4-2 heat advantage as Claus Vissing won well ahead of the skipper, and with Antti Vuolas passing Mulford, the visitors were beginning to get back on track.
Suddenly, the Comets sensed blood with two more heat advantages. Firstly, Zischke won heat 8, and with Liebmann passing Trigger, the visitors’ belief was going in only one direction. That belief soared even higher after a 5-1 in heat 9 as Troy Batchelor, and tactical substitute, Craig Cook combined to bring the Comets within two of the Bears, with the visitors having the all important momentum.
Heat 10 saw superb action as Vuolas was passed by both Bears, with King then giving his all to try and pass Vissing, but the Dane held on to ensure the Comets remained within touching distance on Teesside.
After Wright won a shared heat 11, a great race in heat 12 followed with Antti Vuolas getting his maiden win at Redcar by impressively passing Bailey for the win. In the battle for 3rd, Celina Liebmann, who was going off 15 metres after missing the 2 minutes, gained ground on Jake Mulford, with the Bears reserve just holding on for 3rd. Immediately after the chequered flag, Liebmann took a heavy tumble after colliding with Connor Bailey with the Workington reserve in a lot of pain as she left the track.
With Cook taking yet another win in a shared heat 13, the visitors remained 2 behind the Bears ahead of heat 14. After the Bears gated on a 5-1, it looked like the side had fended off the Comets comeback but Claus Vissing had other ideas as he passed both Mulford and Knudsen to take the win to set up a last heat decider at the ECCO Arena.
The final race of the meeting saw Wright gate with the skipper looking favourite for the win, until the Bears man clipped the fence and came down, thus excluding him from the re-run. The re-run saw both Cook and Batchelor gate for a comfortable 5-1 to give the Comets the away win, much to the delight of their travelling supporters.
Redcar = 44
1. Danny King = 8+2
2. Jason Edwards = 7+2
3. Connor Bailey = 8
4. Jonas Knudsen = 4+1
5. Charles Wright = 10
6. Jake Mulford = 5+2
7. Ben Trigger = 2
Workington = 46
1. Craig Cook -= 13+1
2. Tate Zischke = 5+1
3. Antti Vuolas = 4
4. Claus Vissing = 10
5. Troy Batchelor = 10+1
6. Sam McGurk = 1
7. Celina Liebmann = 3
Redcar star Connor Bailey has insisted that there were plenty of positives to take against Scunthorpe, despite the Bears going down 52-38 in Lincolnshire. Bailey and his Bears teammates are looking to bounce back when they take to home shale for the first time this season against Workington tomorrow with tapes up at 7:30 at the ECCO Arena.
Bailey, in his 2nd year as a Bear, has insisted that his side had positives to look at, despite defeat at Scunthorpe, “ Charles (Wright) was superb but I was really impressed with Ben (Trigger) and Jason (Edwards) who rode really well and attacked the track, especially Ben as it was his first meeting as a Redcar rider which is a really good sign.”
Bailey, an ex Workington Comet is determined to get back on track with a win, “ It’s about getting out there, getting dialled in and bouncing back with a win!”
The British U21 champion is also excited to see how his partnership with Jonas Knudsen develops, “ Although we didn’t score as many as we wanted, we synced quite well with each other on the track. I’m looking forward to seeing how things develop as we get on well off track and seem to have a good connection on track.”
The ECCO Arena track record holder has no concerns about his start to the BSN Series campaign, “ I have no concerns with my own performance, I’ve only had the 1 meeting with Redcar so I’m just bedding in and at Scunthorpe, the track was tricky so the focus is now about getting dialled in at home.”
The Bears are looking to register their first win of their BSN Series group campaign at the 2nd attempt with Jonas Knudsen and Ben Trigger set to make their home debuts whilst Charles Wright will be hoping to continue his scintillating start to the season with another double figure return.
The visitors, Workington, make their first visit to the ECCO Arena since 2018 with the Comets boasting 2 former Grand Prix stars in Craig Cook and Troy Batchelor. Additionally, the Comets track Celina Liebmann, the female World number 1 whilst their Finnish prospect, Antti Vuolas will be hoping to build on his impressive opening to the season.
Any supporters who are unable to attend the match are reminded that the match is being broadcast live on BSN.
Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Danny King 8.41
2. Jason Edwards 4.55
3. Connor Bailey 5.23
4. Jonas Knudsen 5.39
5. Charles Wright © 7.80
6. Jake Mulford 3.06
7. Ben Trigger 2.08
TM: Gavin Parr
Workington Comets
1 . Craig Cook (C) 8.52
2. Tate Zischke 5.00
3. Antti Vuolas 5.00
4. Claus Vissing 6.24
5. Troy Batchelor 7.16
6. Sam McGurk 2.00
7. Celina Liebmann 4.00
TM : Andrew Bain
Yes Jason, that’s right, this Friday against Workington we will be hosting a fans night in the Bruce Forrester Lounge!
A night in the lounge with balcony seating, a buffet + a hot drink, a meeting programme & a drink from the bar. All that comes for £12 (payable in the lounge) on top of your normal entrance. Places are available on a first come first served basis.
Anyone interested contact Ian Drinkel on indrinkel@msn.com or 07827293866.
The Redcar “Agilia” Bears went down 52-38 in their opening BSN Series fixture of 2024 against a strong Scunthorpe side at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Ex-Bear Jake Allen hit a fantastic paid 14 for Scunthorpe whilst Charles Wright hit a superb 16 for Redcar.
After the meeting was delayed by 30 minutes to allow for some remedial work to be done on the track, Danny King bolted from the favoured gate 4 to win heat 1 comfortably, but with Jason Edwards hampered by seeing a red light, the spoils were shared in Redcar’s opening heat of the season. The Scorpions then took the lead for the first time with a 5-1 in heat 2 as both Nathan Ablitt and Luke Harrison passed Ben Trigger to secure Scunthorpe’s first maximum heat advantage.
Heat 3 saw drama at the start as Michael Palm-Toft flipped his bike at the tapes with the Dane then excluded from the re-run. The restaging saw Palm-Toft’s compatriot, Jonas Knudsen take a very impressive tapes to flag win from the helpful gate 4, and with Connor Bailey in 3rd, the Bears halved the deficit to 2 points after three races in Lincolnshire.
Allen got off to a great start by winning heat 4 as he and Wright shared numerous passes but the Australian made it stick for the win whilst Trigger regained 3rd after initially being passed by Harrison to ensure another shared heat. Palm-Toft bounced back from his spill to win heat 5 with all the action behind the Dane as Simon Lambert and Jason Edwards exchanged positions with the Bears man sneaking 2nd on the line, much to the delight of the travelling Bears contingent.
The sixth race of Redcar’s maiden fixture of the season saw Connor Mountain fall whilst in 2nd with a re-run ordered by the referee. The re-run saw Wright win impressively over a hard charging Kyle Howarth, and with Jake Mulford in 3rd, Redcar once again reduced the arrears to 2 points at 19-17. However, the 2 point lead was increased to 6 as the hosts hit a 5-1 courtesy of Ablitt and Allen after Knudsen came to grief on lap 2 with the race awarded to the Scorpions.
Nevertheless, the “Agilia” Bears kept plugging away with Redcar securing a 4-2 heat advantage as the ever improving Jason Edwards took the win, and with Ben Trigger in a solid 3rd, Redcar were within striking distance of their hosts once again.
Ahead of heat 9, Palm-Toft was forced to withdraw from the meeting with the Scunthorpe man suffering the effects of his earlier spill with Nathan Ablitt replacing the ex-Bear in heat 9. Wright took yet another win in heat 9, but with Mulford unable to make an impression on Lambert in 3rd, Redcar remained 4 behind.
The Scorpions then began to stamp their authority on proceedings as Connor Mountain and Kyle Howarth combined for a comfortable maximum to send the Scorpions 8 ahead. The 11th race saw disaster strike for Redcar as King dropped a chain coming out of the start. Nevertheless, Edwards rode admirably to pass Ablitt and seriously challenge Allen for the win with the Scorpions number 5 just holding on to send Scunthorpe’s lead into double digits at 10 points.
Bears boss Gavin Parr then played his tactical card as he drafted in the skipper to partner Trigger in heat 12. However, despite Wright winning his 3rd heat of the night, Trigger was passed by the game Luke Harrison to ensure Scunthorpe remained 10 ahead and in charge. Heat 13 saw Howarth take a nasty tumble with the Scorpions sitting on a maximum heat advantage when the race was stopped. The re-run saw Allen take the win despite Wright’s best efforts in 2nd.
Scunthorpe officially secured the 2 BSN Series points with a heat 14 5-1 as Ablitt rounded off a terrific night with his 3rd heat win, and with Lambert in 2nd, the Scorpions extended their lead to 14 with the aggregate point now the main focus of both sides. The final race of the night saw Wright win superbly, but with Edwards at the back (despite an admirable effort) the Bears found themselves on the end of a 52-38 defeat to start their BSN Series campaign.
Scunthorpe Scorpions : 52
1. Kyle Howarth = 7+2
2. Connor Mountain = 6+1
3. Simon Lambert = 8+2
4. Michael Palm Toft = 3
5. Jake Allen = 13+1
6. Nathan Ablitt = 12
7. Luke Harrison = 3+2
Redcar Bears : 38
1. Danny King = 4+1
2. Jason Edwards = 7
3. Connor Bailey = 2
4. Jonas Knudsen = 4
5. Charles Wright = 16
6. Jake Mulford = 1
7. Ben Trigger = 4+1
Redcar starlet Jason Edwards believes the Bears must capitalise on Scunthorpe’s lack of a home meeting and start strongly as the “Agilia” Bears begin their BSN Series Northern Group fixtures with a trip to Scunthorpe tonight with tapes up at 7:30 at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
Edwards believes Scunthorpe having not ridden at the Eddie Wright Raceway in 2024 will be a big factor, “ I think the fact that Scunthorpe have not yet had a fixture at home will be really important which means we are all in the same boat on their home track.”
The Bears asset believes that Scunthorpe will feel the loss of Ryan Douglas with the Australian electing not to race in the Cab Direct Championship this season, “ Dougie is a massive loss to Scunthorpe, he was very high in the Cab Direct Championship averages and he was always a thorn in our side when we visited Scunthorpe! However, Kyle (Howarth) is a number 1 in this league and a very good Championship rider but I don’t think he is a replacement for Ryan Douglas.”
Edwards is keen to get out on track with his Redcar teammates for the first time in 2024 but is wary of the threat posed by the Scorpions, “ It will be nice to race with my teammates at this level as we haven’t had a meeting together yet! However, it will be a tough meeting as Scunthorpe have a really solid side who I think have been overlooked in the end of season predictions.”
The Scorpions have signed the aforementioned Kyle Howarth at number 1. The hosts also track 3 ex Bears in their septet with Jake Allen, Michael Palm-Toft and Luke Harrison all racing for the Lincolnshire outfit in 2024. Additionally, the Scorpions skipper, Simon Lambert will be hoping to pick up where he left off in 2023 after one of his best years in the sport culminated in lifting the Cab Direct KO Cup for the Scorpions against Poole.
Redcar finally hand debuts to Ben Trigger and Jonas Knudsen whilst the new Middlesbrough ‘Heat Floors’ Tiger, Jake Mulford makes his first appearance in Bears colours since June.
Supporters who are unable to make the trip to Scunthorpe are advised that the meeting will be live streamed by BSN @ www.watch.britishspeedway.co.u
Scunthorpe Scorpions
1 Kyle Howarth 7.76
2 Connor Mountain 5.28
3 Simon Lambert © 5.87
4 Michael Palm-Toft 7.01
5 Jake Allen 7.16
6 Nathan Ablitt 2.92
7 Luke Harrison 2.00
™: David Howe
Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1- Danny King 8.41
2- Jason Edwards 4.55
3- Connor Bailey 5.23
4- Jonas Knudsen 5.39
5- Charles Wright (c) 7.80
6- Jake Mulford 3.06
7- Ben Trigger 2.08
™: Gavin Parr
With the WSRA National league season just around the corner Jake Mulford has answered the call for help after the Tigers were left reeling from the retirement of Archie Freeman. Co-promoter Jamie Swales said ‘Jake was offered a place with the Tigers from the very start but was worried his calendar was going to get too busy, but now we need the help Jake is only to happy to help and we will review his fixtures halfway through the season. I really believe this is a great move not only for the Tigers but also the Bears as it will keep Jake on the bike for more vital laps in the early part of the season, we all saw how much that helped Connor last year’
The big down side to this move is Jakes average is much higher than Archies which means we need to make a double change. After a discussion with Elliot Kelly a mutual decision was made for Elliot to sit out the start of the season. Elliot has recently started his own car sales business in Middlesbrough and has been spending every bit of his time trying to make a success of it. Elliot was the first name on the team sheet when we started this project and he remains in our long term plans, but we both agreed while his energy and focus was directed at Teesside Autos it would be best to wait.
So that leave the Tigers looking for one last rider with just 3.14 to play with. Although we only have two and a half weeks until the NDL season starts we have two practice days planned at the track and two NJL matches to contend in that time so we can assess who is the best fit for that last vital spot.
Redcar “Agilia” Bears team manager, Gavin Parr has challenged his 2024 septet to “start as we mean to go on” ahead of tomorrow nights Tyne-Tees Trophy clash against a strong Newcastle Diamonds select side with tapes up at 7:30 at the ECCO Arena.
Despite the match being branded as a challenge, Parr is determined to start the season off on the right foot, ” Of course, we always want to win and we don’t want to be beaten by our closest rivals but this will also be the opportunity for the boys to get some competitive track time and sort out any teething problems that may arise during the meeting.”
The Newcastle born Bears boss knows the Bears will be in for a battle, ” Statistically, we won’t face a team with a higher overall average in the early stages of the season! The Newcastle team is way above the 38 point average limit but it is a good test for us at the start of the season.”
Parr also pinpointed the battle he expects at reserve, with the Diamonds tracking Max Clegg at 6 and the Middlesbrough Tigers skipper, Danny Phillips at number 7, ” I’m really intrigued to see how the reserves do against each other. Danny (Phillips) was on the phone to me over the winter wanting the Redcar Bears number 7 berth so I think he has a point to prove. Ben Trigger will be looking to get one over his Middlesbrough team mate and vice versa so I’m looking forward to the battle of the reserves.”
The exuberant team boss is also looking forward to seeing another large crowd at the ECCO Arena, especially after seeing the stadium packed for Charles Wright’s testimonial, ” Although it was great to see people turn out for Charles, the meeting also put Redcar in the spotlight as a club. We provided great racing and facilities so hopefully some of the fans who came to the testimonial will make more regular appearances at the ECCO Arena to support Redcar this season. Plus, for this meeting I think there will be a fair few coming down the A19 for the chance to support their side.”
Newcastle will be led at number 1 by their skipper for the evening, Steve Worrall, whilst Lewi Kerr and Ben Barker also come in to represent the nomadic Diamonds side. Interestingly, all 3 heat leaders have represented the Bears in their career with the 3 having amassed 131 appearances as Redcar riders in their storied British careers.
The Diamonds have brought in Max Clegg to partner the aforementioned Danny Phillips at reserve whilst Plymouth’s Alfie Bowtell and Glasgow’s Paul Starke come in at 2 and 4 respectively for the visitors.
For the “Agilia” Bears, the promotion hand debuts to Jonas Knudsen and Ben Trigger with both looking for a flying start in Bears colours. Charles Wright will once again lead the club as captain with the 2019 British Champion looking to continue where he left off after his Championship League Riders Championship win in late August at the ECCO Arena.
Season ticket holders are reminded that this meeting is part of their 2024 ticket. Additionally, any fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed via our streaming partners, Tapes Up Productions @ www.redcar-speedway.tv
Redcar “Agilia” Bears
Newcastle Diamonds
World number 2, Fredrik Lindgren showed why he is one of the world’s best as he topped the podium in Charles Wright’s testimonial at Redcar. The Swedish star improved as the meeting progressed but it was not plain sailing for the 38 year old as he had to pass a resurgent Erik Riss in the final to take the win with Poole’s Ben Cook keeping Dan Bewley behind him to round off the podium to take 3rd.
Before the main action started, there was an STS Dash For Cash with the 16 riders attempting to clock the fastest 1 lap time. After all 16 riders had completed their ‘hot lap’, the prize was shared between Redcar’s Danny King and Fredrik Lindgren who both clocked the same time.
Heat 1 of the skippers big day (in front of a large ECCO Arena crowd) saw Brady Kurtz take the win with Redcar’s Jason Edwards keeping both Norick Blodorn and Lewi Kerr behind him to take a very creditable 2nd place. The 2nd race saw the first big shock of the afternoon as home favourite Danny King used his home track knowledge to hold off Lindgren for his first heat win of the season, at his first attempt!
Lindgren’s fellow GP star Dan Bewley opened his account with a heat 3 win with the British star passing both Jye Etheridge and Ben Cook to take the chequered flag in his first appearance at the ECCO Arena since 2018. Heat 4 saw ex Bear Erik Riss take a superb tapes to flag win whilst 2024 Bear, Jonas Knudsen rode superbly to claim 2nd by passing Jake Allen after Chris Harris had to pull up with mechanical issues.
Ben Cook took his first chequered flag of the afternoon by passing Edwards to win heat 5 whilst King passed Jake Allen for 3rd to take his tally to 4 points from his opening 2 rides. Heat 6 saw Riss take another fabulous win with Kurtz surprisingly at the rear after his opening race success.
In the first battle of the GP stars, Bewley defeated Lindgren for the win whilst Knudsen battled superbly to take 3rd ahead of a dogged Norick Blodorn, much to the delight of the Redcar crowd. Heat 8 saw the race of the afternoon as Harris passed Kerr, only for the former Redcar man to cut back up the inside of ‘Bomber’ to take the win with the Glasgow skipper just holding off his new teammate, Steve Worrall for 2nd place.
However, Harris got back on track in heat 9 as he defeated his ex-Leicester teammate Richard Lawson for the 3 points, with Dan Bewley finishing in a surprising 3rd which ended his undefeated start to the meeting. After Jaimon Lidsey won heat 10 ahead of King, Riss could not hold onto his undefeated start as the ever improving Ben Cook won with Steve Worrall passing the German for 2nd to double his tally to 4 points in his 2nd meeting of the season.
The eventual winner, Lindgren, was starting to stamp his authority on proceedings as he took back to back wins in heats 12 & 13 respectively. Heat 14 saw a Belle Vue battle for the win as Bewley rounded Kurtz on the opening lap to move into double figures on Teesside whilst 2nd for Kurtz ensured he still had an interest heading into his final ride.
The 15th race of a superb afternoon saw Harris take another win ahead of Blodorn to take the Glasgow stars tally to 8 points ahead of his final ride. Heat 16 saw the tapes broken for the first time this season with Richard Lawson the guilty man. Lawson was replaced by the Middlesbrough Tigers skipper, Danny Phillips. However, Cook took his 3rd win of the meeting to show he was a genuine contender for the title with the large Belle Vue contingent licking their lips at their new signing’s speed on track.
Heat 17 saw Worrall take his maiden win of the meeting ahead of another battling Jason Edwards performance with the ‘Billericay Blaster’ ending his day with a creditable 6 points from his 5 rides. Lindgren confirmed his spot in the final with a heat 18 success but a Chris Harris puncture (whilst battling for 2nd) put his hopes of a place in the semi-final in the balance, especially with Brady Kurtz directly benefiting from ‘Bomber’s’ misfortune to take 2nd and improve his own semi-final aspirations.
The penultimate qualification race saw the improving Norick Blodorn pass his Belle Vue teammate, Jaimon Lidsey on lap 3 for the win. The final qualifying race saw Riss take another scalp as ‘The Business’ comfortably defeated Dan Bewley for the win to secure his spot in the last chance semi-final.
With dark clouds overhead and the rain beginning to fall, track conditions were becoming tricky. However, it did not bother Riss who once again demonstrated he is now back to his best as he won the semi-final comfortably whilst Cook passed Kurtz for 2nd to ensure Belle Vue would have 2 representatives in the final.
In torrential rain, the final saw Riss have the home support with the German looking set for the win until Lindgren used all his experience to pass Riss on lap 3 to take the title in front of a bumper crowd at the ECCO Arena with supporters from far and wide turning out to celebrate Charles Wright.
North-East speedway fans are advised to follow Redcar’s social media platforms at 7pm tonight with the Newcastle Diamonds select side being announced for the eagerly awaited opening Bears fixture on March 29th
1. Jason Edwards = 6
2. Brady Kurtz = 8
3. Norick Blodorn = 6
4. Lewis Kerr = 8
5. Danny King = 7
6. Richard Lawson = 4
7. Fredrik Lindgren = 16 WINNER
8. Steve Worrall = 7
9. Ben Cook = 12 THIRD
10. Jye Etheridge = 5
11. Dan Bewley = 12
12. Jaimon Lidsey = 7
13. Jake Allen = 3
14. Erik Riss = 13 SECOND
15. Jonas Knudsen = 4
16. Chris Harris = 8
17. Jake Mulford – DNR
18. Danny Phillips = 0
