Category: Bears News

Returning Redcar heat leader Erik Riss believes the “Agilia” Bears are in a “great place” ahead of Redcar’s crunch Cab Direct Championship clash with Poole. The two in-form sides clash tomorrow evening at the ECCO Arena with tapes up @ 7:30pm.

Riss, who returned from illness with a superb 12+1 is confident ahead of the clash, “We had a really good meeting against Berwick which has given us all a big confidence boost so this is the best time for us to face Poole as we are in a good place after last week’s match.”

The German star is also feeling good within himself after his return 6 days ago, “ The Berwick match was a really good fixture for me. I rode pretty well which has really helped my confidence as I didn’t know how I would be whilst racing after I had been ill.”

The former Championship Riders Individual Champion knows it won’t be plain sailing against the Pirates, “I think Poole will be our toughest match to win at home this season as they have 5 former Bears riders and they also have the Cook brothers who ride our track really well. We respect Poole as they are a good side and we have to be on it from the start to get the right result!”

Riss, who is set to make his 50th appearance as a Bear, knows a fast start, as always, is imperative, “An early advantage would help to take any pressure away and if we can get that lead then it will be a big help to us. However, that’s the aim for every meeting, not just this Friday!”

Riss also believes the battle of the reserves will be key on Teesside, ” Poole have 2 former Bears at reserve so the battle at the bottom end will be really important. Jake has been riding really well recently and he has got some speed on the bike whilst Connor has a lot of speed on track but we all know tomorrow will be a tough battle!”

Redcar track an unchanged 1-7 after their convincing 57-33 win over Berwick with the “Agilia” Bears determined to end a 3 match home losing run against Poole whilst also aiming to be the 1st side to defeat Poole in the league this season. Meanwhile, the Pirates also track a full strength side with the back to back league champions looking to continue their unblemished league start to the season.

Fans who cannot attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that tomorrow’s big clash will be live on BSN @ watch.britishspeedway.co.uk

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Danny King 8.57
2. Danyon Hume 5.48
3. Charles Wright © 7.67
4. Jason Edwards 4.24
5. Erik Riss 8.24
6. Connor Bailey 4.09
7. Jake Mulford 2.70
      ™: Gavin Parr

Poole Pirates
1. Steve Worrall © 8.05
2. Anders Rowe 5.08
3. Ben Cook 6.09
4. Zach Cook 4.92
5. Richard Lawson 7.97
6. Kyle Newman 4.29
7. Adam Roynon 3.47
™: Gary Havelock

Redcar produced one of their biggest home wins in recent years as they defeated Berwick 57-33 at the ECCO Arena. Danny King returned to form for the Bears with 13+1 whilst Berwick’s Jonas Knudsen and Thomas Jorgensen both hit 7 for the visitors.

Heat 1 saw the Bandits take a 4-2 heat advantage (1 of only 2 advantages they secured) with Knudsen impressively holding off pressure from King whilst Rory Schlein held a comfortable 3rd to start Berwick’s evening with a heat advantage. Heat 2 saw Jacob Hook (on debut for Berwick) win his first race in Bandits colours despite educated pressure from Connor Bailey, but with Berwick’s Connor Coles being passed by Jake Mulford on lap 2, Berwick could not extend their early lead.

Heat 3 saw the much anticipated return of Erik Riss in Redcar colours and The Business did not disappoint as he trapped superbly to win comfortably whilst Jason Edwards kept Leon Flint in 3rd to send Redcar into a slender 2 point lead of their own. Charles Wright began his night with a comfortable heat 4 win but all the action was behind the skipper as Mulford rode a superb race to keep Jorgensen behind him which meant back to back Bears 5-1’s, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Berwick hit back to reduce the arrears to 4 points as Knudsen attacked brilliantly to pass Riss around the outside on bend 3 of the final lap to take the win and with Edwards unable to pass Schlein, Berwick remained hopeful after reducing the deficit.

After a shared heat 6 won by King, drama followed in the battle for 3rd in heat 7! Wright won comfortably but all eyes were on the battle between Flint and Bailey with “The Tornado” building up speed on the outside line only for Flint to leave the Bears reserve no room entering bend 1 of the final lap with Bailey falling and then remonstrating with the Berwick skipper.

Heat 8 saw more long term positive signs for the Bears as Hume and Mulford combined for a 5-1 with Mulford again showing great speed to pass another Bandit in the shape of Jacob Hook and despite Hook gaining ground on Hume on the run to the line, he was unable to pass which sent Redcar into a 28-20 lead on Teesside.

Heat 9 saw more superb speedway as Jorgensen passed Riss for the win but no heat advantage was forthcoming for Berwick as Edwards nipped past Schlein to ensure Redcar’s 8 point lead remained intact. Heat 10 saw another Bears maximum heat advantage as King and Hume took a relatively comfortable win to put Redcar into an extremely strong 12 point lead.

After Schlein lowered Wright’s colours to win a shared heat 11, Riss took his 2nd win of the night to take his tally to 10 points whilst Mulford again showed fantastic battling spirit to pass Hook on lap 3 to take 3rd and give Redcar their 5th heat advantage on a sunny but brisk evening at the ECCO Arena.

Heat 13 saw another Redcar 5-1 as Wright and King gated and left the Berwick pair standing to send Redcar over the 45 point threshold and secure the 2 league points for the Bears. Heat 14 saw Jason Edwards seize on a Berwick error as Jye Etheridge (more focused on Redcar’s Connor Bailey) left a sizeable gap on bend 2 of the opening lap which Edwards pounced upon to win comfortably whilst Bailey secured a relatively comfortable 3rd place to extend Redcar’s lead to 20 points.

Heat 15 saw King and Riss finish proceedings with another untroubled 5-1 and with it, a 57-33 success. Redcar will have tougher tests throughout the Cab Direct Championship but the whole team performance, including a man of the match performance from Jake Mulford, shows that Redcar are a force to be reckoned with in 2023.

Redcar = 57

1. Danny King = 13+1
2. Danyon Hume = 4+2
3. Erik Riss = 12+1
4. Jason Edwards = 6+2
5. Charles Wright = 11
6. Connor Bailey = 4+1
7. Jake Mulford = 7+2

Berwick = 33

1. Rory Schlein = 5
2. Jonas Knudsen = 7
3. Leon Flint = 4+1
4. Jye Etheridge = 5
5. Thomas Jorgensen = 7
6. Jacob Hook = 5+1
7. Connor Coles = 0

Redcar Bears team manager, Gavin Parr, has urged his side to become more consistent as the “Agilia” Bears welcome Berwick in the club’s home Cab Direct Championship opener with tapes up at the ECCO Arena at 7:30pm. 

Parr, in his debut year in charge, knows more consistency is vital, ” We want more consistency as a side, so far this season it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.”

The former rider knows that a win will be important as the club look to put together a good run of results with the Bears having 3 back to back home fixtures, ” It’s important to get the win against Berwick and then try to take that result into next week’s fixture against Poole.”

Parr isn’t concerned about the form of Danny King with the former British Champion not hitting his exceptional high standards in recent weeks, ” Me and Danny are in contact daily and nobody is more frustrated than him after the good start to the season he had. Danny has spent the last two days in the workshop trying to find out why he’s not been able to get out of the gate but Danny is a model professional and I have no worries about him at all.”

The former Redcar Cubs manager is not reading too much into Redcar’s 55-35 defeat at Scunthorpe, ” Scunthorpe is a unique place to go and they have a surface like no other in the league. You can go to Scunthorpe one time and do reasonably well and then another time things can go dreadfully!”

Parr, is looking at the positives with the Bears claiming 4 wins away from home so far in 2023, ” Instead of thinking about the Scunthorpe result, I am thinking about the 2 fantastic results we had against Glasgow and how we can take them performances forward.”

Redcar are hopeful of welcoming back long term illness victim Erik Riss with Parr explaining how the German’s participation in tomorrow’s meeting will be decided, ” Erik had a really good practise session at Redcar on Sunday and apart from him aching after not being on the bike for so long, there wasn’t any concerns surrounding his brain fog. Risky has two appointments tomorrow with neurology and the eye specialists and he will let us know tomorrow evening whether he will be racing.”

Redcar have Richard Lawson on standby to race in case Riss is ruled out with the side otherwise unchanged from the Scunthorpe defeat. 

Meanwhile, Berwick hand a debut to ex Edinburgh man Jacob Hook who has replaced long term injury victim Nathan Stoneman. The Bandits will be aiming to stay undefeated in their league campaign with Berwick’s only other Cab Direct fixture being a home win against Scunthorpe. The Bandits will also be aiming to end an horrific sequence of results against the Bears with Redcar undefeated in their last 8 outings against Berwick. 

Fans are reminded that under 16’s are admitted free with a paying adult whilst supporters who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that the meeting will be available LIVE at www.redcar-speedway.tv 

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Danny King 8.57
2. Danyon Hume 5.48
3. Erik Riss* 8.24
4. Jason Edwards 4.24
5. Charles Wright © 7.67
6. Connor Bailey 4.09
7. Jake Mulford 2.70

      ™: Gavin Parr

*= If fit

Berwick Bandits

1. Rory Schlein 7.95
2. Jonas Knudsen 5.00
3. Leon Flint © 7.26
4. Jye Etheridge 6.09
5. Thomas Jorgensen 7.40
6. Jacob Hook 4.00
7. Connor Coles 2.07

      ™: Jamie Courtney

Redcar were brought back down to earth by Scunthorpe as the “Agilia” Bears were defeated 55-35 at the Eddie Wright Raceway. 3 Scorpions hit paid maximums with Ryan Douglas hitting 14+1 whilst the impressive Connor Bailey top scored for the Bears with 10+1.

Danny King gated in the opening race but then lifted violently exiting bend 2 of the opening lap which allowed Simon Lambert and Ryan Douglas through for a 5-1 to give the hosts the perfect start. Heat 2 saw the Scorpions make the gate but the determined Bailey rounded Connor Mountain and then cleverly passed Nathan Ablitt up the inside on lap 3 to take the win, but with Jake Mulford at the back, Redcar could not make a dent in Scunthorpe’s 4 point advantage.

Heat 3 saw another battle as Steve Worrall plugged away on the inside line to pass a determined Drew Kemp for the win but with Jason Edwards at the rear, Scunthorpe’s lead remained intact. Scunthorpe’s lead was stretched to 6 as Michael Palm-Toft started his evening (which ended with a maximum) with a win whilst Charles Wright dived up the inside of Mountain to prevent a Scorpions maximum.

Redcar brought themselves within 2 points after a superb heat five 5-1 as King took the win whilst Danyon Hume rode impressively to hold off Jake Allen to give Redcar a timely boost. However, Scunthorpe immediately restored their 6 point cushion as Lambert and Douglas both passed Wright (who lifted violently entering lap 1’s backstraight) and despite Wright’s best efforts, he was unable to pass the Scunthorpe duo.

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr opted for his tactical substitute in heat 7 as Danny King (fresh off a heat 5 win) came in to partner Steve Worrall. However, Palm-Toft proved too strong for the Redcar duo as he won the race to keep Scunthorpe 6 ahead. Heat 8 saw a superb scrap with Bailey diving up the inside of both Scorpions on the opening lap but Lambert and Mountain eventually battled past Bailey to take the 5-1 and put the Scorpions into a double figure lead.

Scunthorpe extended their lead to 12 points with a heat nine 4-2 as Jake Allen won but Wright limited the damage for Redcar as he passed Kemp to split the Scunthorpe duo. Lambert completed a 4 ride maximum as he joined Douglas at the front for Scunthorpe’s 4th maximum heat advantage. Heat 11 saw a Scorpions 4-2 despite Redcar initially gating on a 5-1. Danyon Hume took the outside line but ultimately went too wide on bend 3 of lap 1 which allowed Palm-Toft through with the Dane then powering past King on lap 2 for the win whilst Ablitt also passed Hume for a home 4-2 to put Scunthorpe into an unassailable 42-24 lead on the night.

Heat 12 saw some fantastic speedway and something for the Bears support to cheer as they hit a 5-1 of their own as Worrall won from the gate whilst Bailey passed both Scorpions before being re-passed by Kemp but Bailey was not to be denied and he passed Kemp to take the paid win, much to the delight of the large travelling support.

However, the Bears supporters celebrations were not extended to heat 13 as the imperious Douglas was joined by Palm-Toft at the front to restore Scunthorpe’s 18 point lead. Heat 14 saw Connor Bailey produce more heroics for Redcar as he built up speed to nip up the inside of Allen to take the win whilst Jason Edwards took a confidence boosting 3rd place for a Redcar heat advantage.

Heat 15 saw Douglas and Palm-Toft complete their maximum’s as the Scorpions secured a 20 point home win. All in all, the Bears struggled for heat winners against a solid home track side but as in any season, there will be bumps in the road and it is our job to bounce back against the Bandits next Friday at the ECCO Arena.

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 55

1. Ryan Douglas = 14+1 Paid Max
2. Simon Lambert = 10+2 Paid Max
3. Drew Kemp = 4
4. Jake Allen = 7+1
5. Michael Palm Toft = 13+2 Paid Max
6. Nathan Ablitt = 3
7. Connor Mountain = 4+2

Redcar Bears = 35

1. Danny King = 8
2. Danyon Hume = 2+1
3. Steve Worrall (G) = 8
4. Jason Edwards = 1
5. Charles Wright = 6
6. Connor Bailey = 10+1
7. Jake Mulford = 0

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales believes Redcar are on the crest of a wave after back to back wins against Glasgow. Redcar face Scunthorpe this evening in the Cab Direct Championship with tapes up at 7:30pm at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

The co-promoter is happy with his side’s response after their defeat against Poole, “ The boys are starting to ride like we know we can and to be honest, despite the blip against Poole, everything has been going in the right direction for a while.”

Although the Bears are in form, Swales is well aware of the challenges posed by Scunthorpe who are always strong around their home track, “ Scunthorpe are a good side, they went to Poole and did a very similar job to what we did there and since that meeting they have changed their side by bringing in Drew Kemp. Drew has been racing in Poland so he won’t be rusty and he definitely strengthens them.”

With the new averages coming into effect from yesterday, Connor Bailey goes to reserve whilst Danny King moves to number 1 and Charles Wright goes to number 5 and Swales believes the move has come at the right time for Connor, “ Connor has hit form and with him moving down to reserve, he’s going down to reserve at the right time!”

Swales believes the changes at the top of the order benefits Redcar, “ Having Danny go out in heat 1 instead of the guest gives us more stability. Danny hasn’t been hitting the scores he wants to hit but it hasn’t been down to a lack of effort and I’m sure the scores will come again for Danny.”

The former Workington rider is also happy that two of “his own” riders can now race in the important heat 13, “ I think It’s important that Charles and Danny go out in heat 13 as you want to rely on two of your own men in the big races. Most of the guests we’ve had have done a fantastic job but you do want to have your own riders in the big races if possible.”

Swales also explained how the 7 day rule will now affect the choice of guests in the absence of Erik Riss, “ If Erik’s absence continues, we may not be able to have the first choice we want as once a rider rides at Redcar as a guesr, he cannot ride at that track for the next 7 days due to the rules of the sport.”

Redcar bring in Steve Worrall to guest at 3 for this meeting and Swales is confident the Poole man will do another solid job, “ Stevie hasn’t let us down so far and he is a number 1 coming in at number 3 so that’s helpful. He’s also an ex Scunthorpe rider so I’m sure he will do a good job for us.”

Redcar are otherwise unchanged from their stunning win at Glasgow with Danyon Hume, Connor Bailey and Jake Mulford all looking to continue their superb recent run. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Kemp makes his debut for Scunthorpe at number 3. The Scorpions have the superb Ryan Douglas at number 1 whilst they also track 2 former Bears in the shape of Michael Palm-Toft and Jake Allen.

Fans who cannot make the trip to the Eddie Wright Raceway are reminded that the match will be streamed live on BSN @ https://watch.britishspeedway.co.uk/

Scunthorpe Scorpions
1 Ryan Douglas 9.15
2 Simon lambert (C) 5.49
3 Drew Kemp 5.33
4 Jake Allen 6.74
5 Michael Palm Toft 6.24
6 Nathan Ablitt 2.00
7 Connor Mountain 4.83
™: Dave Peet

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1 Danny King 8.57
2 Danyon Hume 5.48
3 Steve Worrall (G) 8.24
4 Jason Edwards 4.24
5 Charles Wright © 7.67
6 Connor Bailey 4.09
7 Jake Mulford 2.70
™: Gavin Parr

Redcar stormed into the KO Cup semi-finals after a stunning 48-42 win at Glasgow, (101-79 on aggregate) with the Bears quicker from the gate for most of the night. Charles Wright & Danyon Hume top scored for Redcar with 11 whilst Tom Brennan hit paid 12 for Glasgow.

Redcar gated in the opening race until Chris Harris passed both Bears by lap 2 to secure the win but with Marcin Nowak at the back, Glasgow could not eat into Redcar’s 16 point aggregate advantage.

Heat 2’s initial staging saw Jake Mulford gate with a 3-3 on the cards but Ace Pijper took a tumble on bend 3 of the opening lap with the race stopped. The re-run saw the Bears gate with Mulford looking impressive out front and with Jason Edwards comfortably holding off Lee Complin, Redcar took a 4 point lead on the night with the visitors surging into a 20 aggregate lead.

Heat 3 was won by Claus Vissing but with Sedgmen retiring in the early stages, Glasgow still remained behind as the Bears packed the minor placings. After heat 4 was shared with Tom Brennan winning, Redcar’s Danyon Hume took his tally to 5 points from 2 rides as he gated in heat 5 and looked good at the front, but with both Justin Sedgmen and Claus Vissing passing Richie Worrall, Redcar could not extend their lead.

Heat 6 saw Harris pass King superbly on the 4th bend of the opening lap but it was a familiar tale for the Tigers as they recorded their 5th last place of the meeting which kept the gap at 4 points. The Bears broke the run of shared heats with a heat 7 4-2 as Wright passed Brennan on lap 1 for the win whilst Bailey was comfortable in 3rd.

Hume was out to prove a point against his former side and the young Brit continued his impressive evening with a heat 8 success as he passed Nowak on bend 4 of the opening lap to take the win, and with Mulford securing yet another valuable point ahead of Pijper, the Bears were on the cusp of the aggregate win.

Glasgow hit their first heat advantage of the match with a heat 9 5-1 as their guest Sedgmen combined with Vissing to reduce the arrears to 4 points on the night but the BSN Series finalists still trailed by 20 points on aggregate. Any hopes of a highly improbable aggregate comeback were effectively ended in heat 10 as Wright rode a high line to hold off Harris whilst Bailey passed Nowak on the final lap to give Redcar another 4-2, much to the delight of the partisan travelling support.

The travelling support were treated to another 5-1 in heat 11 as Hume (who had only dropped 1 point after 4 rides) superbly won again whilst Richie Worrall joined the Bears man to extend Redcar’s lead to 10 and a first win in 15 years at Glasgow was firmly in sight at 28-38. Redcar’s 6th heat advantage arrived in heat 12 with a 4-2 as Wright won comfortably but Edwards was cruelly denied 2nd as the Bears reserve suffered a puncture entering the last lap and was subsequently passed by Pijper on the run to the line.

Heat 13’s initial staging saw both Bears gate with Harris initially passing Worrall with Bomber then setting his sights on Danny King but the Glasgow number 1 went too wide and fell on bend 2 of lap 2. The re-run saw a completely different race as Brennan (who was a distant last in the initial staging), gated and won comfortably but with Redcar reaching 45, they had all but wrapped up the win.

Heat 14 saw Vissing win whilst Complin got the better of Mulford for 3rd but with Bailey in 2nd, Redcar inflicted Glasgow’s first home defeat of 2023. Heat 15 saw Redcar select Hume and Bailey as a reward for their fantastic evening’s work but Glasgow’s Harris and Brennan ensured the night ended positively for the hosts with a 5-1 but in truth, it was scant consolation for Glasgow who lost by 22 points on aggregate.

Glasgow Tigers = 42 (79)

1. Chris Harris = 11
2. Marcin Nowak = 2
3. Justin Sedgmen (G) = 5
4. Claus Vissing = 9+2
5. Tom Brennan = 11+1
6. Lee Complin = 2
7. Ace Pijper = 2

Redcar Bears = 48 (101)

1. Richie Worrall (G) = 5+2
2. Danyon Hume = 11
3. Charles Wright = 11
4. Connor Bailey = 6+1
5. Danny King = 6+1
6. Jason Edwards = 4+2
7. Jake Mulford = 5+1 

Redcar’s Jason Edwards believes the Redcar side is “coming together nicely” after a fantastic team display against Glasgow with the Bears set to head north (with a 16 point advantage) for the 2nd leg of their KO Cup clash against the Tigers with tapes up at 7:30pm at Ashfield.

Redcar are hoping to come away from Scotland with a place in the KO Cup semi-finals with the winners set to face either Scunthorpe or Birmingham in the final 4. 

The likeable Bears reserve is happy with how the side bounced back after the disappointment of the Poole result, “ Everyone is going really well at the moment. Charles & Danny are obviously steering us from the front and it was nice to see Danyon and Connor score some good points against Glasgow.”

The Bears asset is not concerned by his last two scores in Bears colours, “ Nobody puts more pressure on me than myself, speedway is a funny old game but I was happy to sign off with a paid win in heat 14 on Friday. For some reason, even in the Premiership, my away form seems to be better than my home form!”

The “Billericay Blaster” is confident ahead of the 2nd leg with the Bears having 2 former Tigers in Hume & Bailey in their ranks and a 16 point lead, “ Both of the boys won’t want to be getting beaten off their old club! Connor must be really chuffed with his last meeting for Redcar as he beat Chris Harris and Danyon will be looking forward to going back!”

Edwards is set to move into the main body of the side after tonight’s meeting and the Brit is hoping to sign off in style, “ I need to get the points in! I had a good meeting at number 2 at Glasgow last year and hopefully I can do that again from number 6.”

With Bailey set to replace Edwards at reserve, Edwards is confident in his teammates abilities when he takes over the number 6 berth, “ The good thing is with Redcar, when the averages change, we will always have a strong reserve to partner Jake (Mulford). With Connor going to reserve now, we have a very strong reserve, especially if he continues his good form and I don’t see it making us any weaker.”

Redcar bring in Plymouth’s Richie Worrall to guest in place of Erik Riss whilst Glasgow track an unchanged 1-7 from their 53-37 defeat at the ECCO Arena.

Glasgow Tigers
1. Chris Harris 8.76
2. Marcin Nowak 5.00
3. Ben Basso 8.52
4. Claus Vissing 5.00
5. Tom Brennan 6.71 ©
6. Lee Complin 4.00
7. Ace Pijper 2.00
™: Cami Brown

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Richie Worrall 8.24 (G)
2. Danyon Hume 5.68
3. Charles Wright 7.40 ©
4. Connor Bailey 4.32
5. Danny King 8.05
6. Jason Edwards 3.80
7. Jake Mulford 2.90
™: Gavin Parr

Redcar produced a superb team display as they defeated the much fancied Glasgow Tigers 53-37 in the first leg of the KO Cup quarter finals. It was a night of jaw dropping speedway and the perfect way for the “Agilia” Bears to bounce back after their BSN Series home defeat to Poole. Charles Wright top scored for the Bears with 13+1 whilst Tom Brennan hit 10 for the visitors.

Glasgow actually started the tie in the ascendency as they opened proceedings with a 4-2 as Chris Harris won comfortably whilst Danyon Hume rode well to hold off Marcin Nowak for second. Heat 2 saw Jake Mulford gate well and fly around the outside of the Glasgow pairing on the opening bends to take a fantastic win and with Jason Edwards passing Ace Pijper on bend 3 of the opening lap, Redcar levelled at 6-6.

Heat 3 saw the first superb race as Wright won but all the action was behind the Bears skipper as Connor Bailey and Claus Vissing battled for 2nd. Bailey held 2nd for the opening couple of laps until the experienced Vissing cut back underneath Bailey entering lap 3 but Bailey was not done as 1 lap later, the “Tornado” re-passed the Dane forcefully to join Wright for a Bears 5-1.

Heat 4 saw Brennan open his account with a win but the action was again happening for the minor placings as Mulford, (who initially held 3rd but was passed by Pijper) re-passed the young Tiger to ensure Redcar’s 4 point lead remained intact. The 5th race of an entertaining evening saw another Bears 5-1 as the rejuvenated Bailey took a superb victory from the gate but the Brit was indebted to his teammate Wright who rode a superb defensive race to fend off the hard charging Chris Harris to send the Redcar support wild as they stretched their lead to 8 points.

In stark contrast to 6 days ago, Redcar were gating and guest number 1 Steve Worrall took his first win of the night whilst Hume passed Lee Complin the early knockings to send Redcar’s lead into double digits.

However, the double digit lead didn’t last long as Glasgow secured their second heat advantage after another brilliant race. Ben Basso took the win but he was made to work for it after the Dane was initially passed by King exiting bend 2 of the opening lap. Nevertheless, the entertaining Glasgow man squeezed through the smallest of gaps near the 4th bend air fence of lap 1 to re-pass King and take the win and with Vissing riding the kerb to hold off Edwards, Glasgow reduced the arrears to 8 points at the ECCO Arena.

After a shared heat 8 won by Hume after a superb battle with Pijper, Redcar re-established their 10 point lead as Wright won again and with Bailey in 3rd, the Bears were setting their sights on a sizeable first leg lead. Heat 10 saw Worrall win again as both Bears gated but Basso limited the damage for the shell shocked visitors as he passed Hume on bend 4 of lap 1 to ensure Glasgow did not concede a 5-1 but another Redcar heat advantage saw the hosts build their lead to 12.

The race of the night followed in heat 11 as the Tigers recorded a much needed heat advantage. Glasgow’s Nowak & Harris gated on a 5-1 but King was buzzing behind both Tigers for much of the race. King brilliantly cut under Bomber on bend 3 of lap 3 before Bomber repaid the compliment on the first bend of the final lap only for the determined King to gain a huge amount of drive exiting bend 2 and would have passed Nowak without clipping the Pole. However, King did manage to split the Tigers pairing on the run to the line as all 3 men finished within 12 inches of each other!

Heat 12 saw another barnstorming battle as Basso and Wright swapped places for the lead numerous times with the young Dane lowering the skipper’s colours. However, with Mulford unable to pass Pijper, Glasgow cut the lead to 8 points, the closest they had been since heat 8! However, Redcar weren’t in a giving mood and Glasgow’s hopes of a comeback were ended as Worrall and King combined for a surprisingly comfortable 5-1 as Harris retired with machinery issues whilst Brennan was cut adrift from the Redcar duo.

The night was just getting better and better for the Bears as they hit their 4th 5-1 of the match in heat 14 as the impressive Bailey won again whilst Edwards claimed second to extend Redcar’s lead to a remarkable 16 points. Heat 15 saw Wright claim another win but with Worrall at the rear, Redcar’s lead remained at 16 points ahead of the second leg at Ashfield on Tuesday.

Redcar Bears = 53

1. Steve Worrall (G) = 8+1
2. Danyon Hume = 7
3. Charles Wright = 13+1
4. Connor Bailey = 9+1
5. Danny King = 9
6. Jason Edwards = 3+1
7. Jake Mulford = 4+1

Glasgow Tigers = 37

1. Chris Harris = 5
2. Marcin Nowak = 5+1
3. Benjamin Basso = 9+1
4. Claus Vissing = 2
5. Tom Brennan = 10
6. Lee Complin = 2
7. Ace Pijper = 4

This week, the SG Petch suite & the Bruce Forrester lounge are open for fans nights!

The SG Petch has a fantastic view with the suite overlooking the ECCO Arena start line!

The Bruce Forrester lounge also gives a superb view of the action on the first bend!

💷: £12 on top of your normal entry
🥧: Pie & Peas
🍺: A bar drink
☕️: A hot drink
➕ A programme, reserved seating and a 2 heat centre green visit!

If interested contact Ian Drinkel on 07827293866 or at indrinkel@msn.com

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr has told his Bears side that they need to bounce back from last week’s home defeat against Poole as the “Agilia” Bears take on the Glasgow Tigers in the first leg of the KO Cup quarter final with tapes up at 7:30 at the ECCO Arena.

Parr, who heaped praise on Poole, was at a loss to explain the Bears gating struggles, “ I don’t know quite what happened with our gating as 3 nights previously we had outgated Poole quite regularly away from home but they are a very good side.”

Parr, in his first year in the team manager position, has stressed the importance of bouncing back, “ We can’t repeat what happened last week and the lads are determined to put things right and that starts this Friday! “

The former racer turned manager also highlighted the Bears second string duo, Connor Bailey and Danyon Hume with both men set to face their former employers, “ Connor and Danyon have given us absolutely everything so far, it may not have been reflected in their scores but there’s no doubt they’ve given everything for the club and I’m sure they will be looking to show the Glasgow promotion what they can do.”

Parr has brought in the experienced Steve Worrall for tomorrow’s match with the Poole number 1 scoring 10 for the Pirates at the ECCO Arena last week and Parr is happy to have Stevie on board, “ Stevie is the ultimate professional and everyone knows that last week’s incident with Jason was just a racing collision with nobody thinking any malice was involved. Stevie will give us 110%, I’ve got no doubts about that!”

Parr also discussed the high amount of gate winners from gates 2&4, an extremely rare occurrence at the ECCO Arena, “ The gates were very uneven which we have never had that before, 2&4 won every race apart from heat 14 which surprised us all as Johnny Swales did the track exactly the same. If I am honest, we are scratching our heads as to why that happened!”

The personable Geordie wants to build a strong lead to head to Ashfield with next Tuesday, “ First things first, I want to get the win but overall, I would like to build an 8-10 point lead for Tuesday. Having Connor (Bailey) and Danyon (Hume) in the team means we can definitely put the frighteners on them up there as Charles (Wright) and Danny (King) also go well around Glasgow.”

The Bears bring in the aforementioned Steve Worrall to guest for Erik Riss at number 1 with the Bears management turning to the former Newcastle man after original booking Richard Lawson crashed on Monday whilst racing for Leicester.

Meanwhile, the visitors track a full 1-7 with Benjamin Basso and Ace Pijper looking to replicate their performances in the 2022 Silver Helmet when Basso reached the podium whilst Pijper hit a mightily impressive 9 points. British legend Chris Harris will also be looking to impress with the 40 year old having a strong start to 2023 whilst Marcin Nowak makes his first appearance at Redcar.

Bears fans are reminded that season tickets are not valid for this fixture with the clash being a cup match. Additionally, any fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena can purchase the meeting’s live stream for just £11.99 from www.redcar-speedway.tv .

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
Steve Worrall 8.24 (G)
Danyon Hume 5.68
Charles Wright 7.40 ©
Connor Bailey 4.32
Danny King 8.05
Jason Edwards 3.80
Jake Mulford 2.90
™: Gavin Parr

Glasgow Tigers
Chris Harris 8.76
Marcin Nowak 5.00
Ben Basso 8.52
Claus Vissing 5.00
Tom Brennan 6.71 ©
Lee Complin 4.00
Ace Pijper 2.00
™: Cami Brown