Category: Bears News

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears sent out a statement to the rest of the Cab Direct Championship after a convincing 53-37 KO Cup 1st round 1st leg win over Berwick on a sunny evening at the ECCO Arena. Jason Edwards was magnificent for the Bears with 13 whilst Rory Schlein made a strong start after reversing his retirement decision with 12.

Redcar started the meeting in positive fashion with an opening heat 4-2 as Erik Riss won whilst Thomas Jorgensen passed Connor Bailey in the latter stages of the second lap to limit the damage for the visitors. Heat 2 saw Edwards gate with Jake Mulford building up speed going into bend 3 of the opening lap but the Bears reserve crashed spectacularly with man and machine both worse for wear. Mulford was excluded from the re-run and subsequently withdrew from the meeting.

The re-run of heat 2 saw the Bandits level up the scores as Connor Coles got the better of Edwards to level the scores. Redcar re-established their lead in heat 3 with their first competitive 5-1 of the season as Charles Wright stylishly took the win and with Danyon Hume impressively joining the skipper at the front, Redcar took an 11-7 lead.

Jason Edwards took a superb heat 4 win ahead of Rory Schlein as he rode an intelligent, mature race to hold off the fast charging Australian and with Danny King in 3rd, Redcar were 6 ahead heading into heat 5. However, Berwick immediately hit back and reduced the arrears to 2 points as Jorgensen and Jonas Knudsen combined to hold off Wright and secure a Bandits maximum heat advantage.

After a shared heat 6 won by Rory Schlein, the Bears struck their second 5-1 as Jason Edwards and Danny King combined to send Redcar 6 ahead again after 7 races. Edwards was looking superb and he secured another heat win in heat 8 whilst Bailey rode a clever line to hold off Knudsen to send Redcar into a commanding 10 point advantage.

Schlein was continuing to impress and the Australian won heat 9 despite calculated pressure from Wright but with Coles making a mess of the start, Berwick could not gain a heat advantage. Heat 10 saw Riss make a beautiful bend 3 pass on Jye Etheridge in the opening lap to take the chequered flag whilst Bailey defeated Flint in the battle for 3rd to stretch Redcar’s lead to 12.

Danny King won heat 11 despite Knudsen attempting a “wall of death” pass on bend 2 of the opening lap but with the overworked Edwards at the back, Redcar could not extend their lead further. Wright took a hugely impressive win in heat 12 after some set-up alterations whilst Edwards was the benefactor of some Berwick bad luck as Coles suffered bike problems on the final lap which let Edwards through for 3rd.

Heat 13 saw a superb heat of speedway in the second staging after Riss was forced to go off 15 metres after touching the tapes in the first running of the race. King showed why he will be such an important man for Redcar in 2023 with a scintillating race win ahead of Berwick’s Schlein and Jorgensen as the Bears man used the outside line to pull away from the opposition.

After a shared heat 14 won by Jye Etheridge, Redcar extended their advantage to 16 ahead of the second leg at Shielfield Park after a fantastic heat 15. King, once again showed class is permanent by using the outside line to hold off Schlein and with Wright (racing with a snapped goggle strap) close behind in 3rd, Redcar rounded off a superb victory with the Teessiders now strong favourites ahead of the 2nd leg on April 29th in the borders.

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr was extremely happy with the win, “ I’m really happy with the performance of the side, apart from Jake (Mulford) crashing in heat 2 things couldn’t have gone much better overall. The second strings (Connor & Danyon) did more than was expected of them and that was really encouraging.”

Parr reserved special praise for the man of the match, Jason Edwards who was back to his superb best, “ Jason was fantastic for us at reserve tonight, he really stepped up for us tonight.”

Redcar Bears = 53

1. Erik Riss = 8
2. Connor Bailey = 5+2
3. Charles Wright = 10
4. Danyon Hume = 5+2
5. Danny King = 12+1
6. Jason Edwards = 13+1
7. Jake Mulford : = 0 (Withdrawn)

Berwick Bandits = 37

1. Thomas Jorgensen = 8+1
2. Jonas Knudsen = 4+2
3. Leon Flint = 3
4. Jye Etheridge = 6
5. Rory Schlein = 12
6. Connor Coles = 3
7. Nathan Stoneman = 1

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales believes tonight’s KO Cup R1 first leg clash at the ECCO Arena will be won and lost in the second string department. The Bears and the Bandits again attempt to stage the first leg of this KO Cup clash with tapes up at 5pm at the ECCO Arena. 

The exuberant co-promoter said, “ I really believe the second strings (Connor Bailey and Danyon Hume) can be the difference between the sides tonight. Both Connor and Danyon steadily improved during the Newcastle challenge match and if they can continue that upward trajectory we will be in a strong position.”

Swales also waxed lyrical about Redcar’s heat leaders and reserves, “ Our heat leaders are terrific and I believe we are stronger in that department whilst I also believe we have the better reserves.”

Swales also echoed the thoughts of Gavin Parr when discussing Redcar’s extra track time in comparison to Berwick’s, “ I believe that the extra track time could play a massive role in the outcome of tonight’s meeting. We were always going to run the Tyne-Tees trophy but I really wanted to run it at the start of the season so we could have that extra competitive edge at home in the early stages of the season.”

The rider turned promoter also discussed the importance of Redcar’s 1-7 all riding in two leagues this season, “Throughout the campaign I see it playing into our hands that all of our septet are riding in 2 leagues as they will always be sharp and race fit.”

Swales also discussed the frustrations of the last 48 hours after the two previous attempts to stage the first leg at the ECCO Arena and Shielfield Park respectively, “ The last 48 hours have been hugely frustrating as an incredible amount of work goes into a fixture beforehand. With the forecast rain it was obvious that the meetings could not go ahead and both promotions were proven correct as the predicted rain did indeed fall.”

As mentioned in yesterday’s preview, Redcar’s side have ridden in 72 heats in 2023 with the Bandits septet having ridden in only 8 heats.

The Redcar side are hoping to go one better than last season when the “Agilia” Bears were defeated in the final by Poole.

Berwick once again hope to hand debuts to Connor Coles and Rory Schlein whilst Jye Etheridge will be happy for the extra 48 hours after suffering a dislocated shoulder whilst riding in Sam Masters’ testimonial last Sunday at Wolverhampton. 

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Erik Riss 8.24
2. Connor Bailey 4.32
3. Charles Wright © 7.40
4. Danyon Hume 5.68
5. Danny King 8.05
6. Jason Edwards 3.80
7. Jake Mulford 2.00

TM: Gavin Parr

Berwick Bandits

1 Thomas Jørgensen 9.53

2 Jonas Knudsen 5.00

3 Leon Flint 7.00 ©

4 Jye Etheridge 6.29

5 Rory Schlein 8.18

6 Connor Coles 2.00

7 Nathan Stoneman 2.00

TM: Gary Flint

Redcar team manager Gavin Parr believes Redcar’s extra competitive track time could play a decisive part in tonight’s KO Cup 1st round 1st leg at Shielfield Park with tapes up at 7pm. Last night’s planned 1st leg at the ECCO Arena was postponed due to inclement weather in the Teesside area. 

Parr explained how last week’s challenge fixture against Newcastle was vital for his side, “ Having that extra track time was one of the reasons why we were so keen to have that challenge fixture against Newcastle. We didn’t want to be going into a KO Cup tie without being on track as a 1-7. I’m sure Berwick would’ve liked a fixture before they went straight into a cup tie so that may be an advantage for us.”

The Berwick promotion have opted to go for two 2 pointers at reserve in the shape of Connor Coles and Nathan Stoneman but Parr has dismissed any belief that the Bandits may be weak at reserve. “ I have seen Nathan Stoneman mix it with some of the best riders around and Connor Coles had a fantastic meeting against us for Scunthorpe last season.”

Parr also believes that Redcar’s extremely good record against Berwick counts for very little, “ We have 4 new riders in our side this season so I don’t take any notice of the record but I would like to win to keep Jade (Mudgway) off my back! It’s a new season and both teams have new riders so I don’t take notice of the record.”

The Geordie born Bear also believes now having the 2nd leg at home could play into Redcar’s hands, “ Having the 2nd leg back at the ECCO Arena gives us a little bit of an advantage for Sunday as we know what we have to do to get through but make no mistake, we are going to Berwick for the win!”

Remarkably, Redcar’s side have ridden in 72 heats in 2023 with the Bandits septet having ridden in only 8 heats.

The Bandits hand debuts to Connor Coles and Rory Schlein whilst Jye Etheridge has declared himself fit despite suffering a dislocated shoulder whilst riding in Sam Masters’ testimonial last Sunday at Wolverhampton. 

Redcar will be looking to build on their win over a Newcastle select whilst also looking to progress into the KO Cup quarter-finals, a competition close to the hearts of many “Agilia” Bears fans after the club picked up the trophy after a memorable win over Newcastle in 2019. 

Fans who are unable to make the trip to the borders are reminded that the meeting will be streamed live by the British Speedway Network. Additionally, supporters are also reminded that the return leg is now scheduled to take place this Sunday with tapes up at 5pm at the ECCO Arena. 

Berwick Bandits

1 Thomas Jørgensen 9.53

2 Jonas Knudsen 5.00

3 Leon Flint 7.00 ©

4 Jye Etheridge 6.29

5 Rory Schlein 8.18

6 Connor Coles 2.00

7 Nathan Stoneman 2.00

TM: Gary Flint

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Erik Riss 8.24
2. Connor Bailey 4.32
3. Charles Wright © 7.40
4. Danyon Hume 5.68
5. Danny King 8.05
6. Jason Edwards 3.80
7. Jake Mulford 2.00

TM: Gavin Parr

We have worked fast to rearrange the KOC match against Berwick originally planned for tonight (31st March) to now be in two days time

Redcar vs Berwick

Sunday 2nd of April, 5pm

Ecco Arena, Middlesbrough

Unfortunately tonight’s match against Berwick has had to be postponed due to the track conditions and forecast for the rest of the day. We are hoping to have a restaging date for you very soon

Redcar’s Danyon Hume believes being busy is massively important in the early stages of the season as the Bears new recruit looks to continue building momentum. The Bears host Berwick in the 1st leg of the KO Cup (R1) this Friday at the ECCO Arena with tapes up at 7:30pm. The Bears then travel north for the 2nd leg less than 24 hours later and they will be looking to take a sizeable lead to defend at Shielfield Park

Hume believes bike time in the early stages of the season is key, “Getting time on the bike in the early stages of the season is massive, spending more time racing than the opposition can also be a deciding factor early on. Additionally, getting back into the swing of things quickly is huge if we are to progress in these different competitions and spending time on track, racing others is the only way to do it! ”

Hume, who lifted the KO Cup with Poole 2 years ago believes last Friday’s defeat of a strong Newcastle select will help the both the team and himself ahead of Redcar’s first “competitive” meeting of the season, “Getting some laps in against Newcastle helped me as I was racing on a new engine for the first time and nerves were a big thing for me as before the challenge I had not had a proper ride since I broke my collarbone in August last year.”

The Bears second string also reserved special praise for Connor Bailey with the pair being teammates last season at Glasgow, “ Connor did really well last Friday, especially in the second half of the meeting. Connor is a positive guy and he has good equipment. To be honest though, we have a really good 1-7 this season which bodes well for our chances.”

Redcar are at full strength for the clash with the three heatleaders, Riss, Wright and King looking to continue their early season momentum by helping Redcar progress to the KO Cup quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the visitors are at full strength for their first fixture of the season despite Jye Etheridge suffering a dislocated shoulder whilst racing in Sam Masters’ testimonial meeting at Wolverhampton last Sunday. Berwick also hand debuts to Connor Coles and the returning Rory Schlein who reversed his decision to retire after a year back in his native Australia.

As ever, fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena can purchase the live stream from our streaming partners TapesUp from www.redcar-speedway.tv

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
Erik Riss 8.24
Connor Bailey 4.32
Charles Wright © 7.40
Danyon Hume 5.68
Danny King 8.05
Jason Edwards 3.80
Jake Mulford 2.00
TM: Gavin Parr

Berwick Bandits
1 Thomas Jørgensen 9.53
2 Jonas Knudsen 5.00
3 Leon Flint 7.00 ©
4 Jye Etheridge 6.29
5 Rory Schlein 8.18
6 Connor Coles 2.00
7 Nathan Stoneman 2.00
TM: Gary Flint

Due to MFC moving a home match to Friday the 14th of April we have made the decision to move our scheduled match that night to Saturday the 15th of April, 7.30pm

Thanks to Birmingham for making this possible.

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears defeated a game Newcastle Diamonds select side 46-44 to retain the Tyne-Tees Trophy after a topsy turvy encounter at the ECCO Arena. Erik Riss top scored for the Bears with 13 whilst Steve Worrall led from the front for Newcastle with 12.

“The Business” started his season in perfect fashion with a win over Steve Worrall despite the testimonial man stalking the Bears number 1 after passing his teammate Max Clegg in the early stages. Connor Mountain showed why he was the subject of plenty of Championship interest in the winter with a convincing heat 2 win and with Alfie Bowtell passing Jake Mulford for 3rd, Newcastle took an early 2 point lead.

Charles Wright took a superb heat 3 win over his brother James after they battled in the opening stages before the Redcar skipper stretched his legs for the heat win but with Danyon Hume falling, the Diamonds retained their 2 point lead. Danny King showed why he will be a huge asset to Redcar in heat 4 as he took a convincing win over Richie Worrall but again, Newcastle packed the minor placings to ensure their lead remained intact.

Newcastle doubled their lead after a sharp gate from Steve Worrall who took a comfortable win and with Clegg riding intelligently to hold off Hume, Newcastle put themselves into a deserved 4 point lead. Riss provided the race of the night in heat 6 with a sublime last bend pass on Richie Worrall to send the Redcar fans into raptures but with Connor Bailey at the back, Redcar could not eat into the visitors lead.

After a shared heat 7 won by King, Newcastle took their lead to 6 points after Birmingham’s Alfie Bowtell took the win ahead of Bailey who showed the credentials that will endear him to the Bears faithful with a battling 2nd place after passing Clegg to limit the damage to a Diamonds 4-2.

The comeback began in earnest with a heat 9 4-2 as Charles Wright got the better of Richie Worrall after a tough opening bend and with Hume getting to grips with his new home track to pass Mountain, Redcar were within striking distance of the visitors. Suddenly, Redcar brought themselves level after a stunning heat 10 5-1 as Riss took a comfortable win and with Bailey riding smartly to see off the experienced Paul Starke, Redcar found themselves with the initiative heading into the final stages.

The Bears resurgence continued with a heat 11 heat win as King took his 3rd win on the spin but with Steve Worrall passing a fast starting Jason Edwards, Redcar had to settle for a 4-2. Charles Wright capped off a superb evening with his 3rd win after passing his brother James on the opening lap whilst Mulford could count himself unlucky not to pass James Wright with the Birmingham man holding on for 3rd on the line which kept Redcar’s lead at 2.

Riss continued his unblemished record with a statement win in heat 13 but despite Redcar gating on a 5-1, King was passed by the Worrall brothers and subsequently fell which kept Newcastle’s hopes alive. Paul Starke won heat 14 impressively despite educated pressure from Hume which left the meeting tantalisingly poised heading into heat 15.

With Redcar two points ahead going into the final race, the Newcastle pairing of the Worrall brothers knew they needed at least a 4-2 to force a deciding super heat but despite Steve winning impressively, the Bears duo of Riss and King packed the minor placings to ensure Redcar retained the Tyne-Tees Trophy after an exciting evening’s entertainment at the ECCO Arena.

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales was happy with the result and the performance of his 2023 side, “ The three heat leaders were awesome throughout so I knew they were going to keep us in the meeting but it was just about the other four boys building their confidence which definitely came by the end. All of the four boys had at least one good ride in the meeting which is encouraging.”

Swales was also impressed with the battling display of Connor Bailey who made significant progress in the second half of the meeting, “ Connor had the wrong set-up at the start which was part of the reason we did tonight’s meeting but by the end of the night, he was away and riding really well!”

Redcar Bears = 46

1. Erik Riss = 13
2. Connor Bailey = 4+1
3. Charles Wright = 11
4. Danyon Hume =  3
5. Danny King = 11
6. Jason Edwards = 4+1
7. Jake Mulford = 0

Newcastle Diamonds Select = 44

1. Steve Worrall = 12
2. Max Clegg = 3+1
3. James Wright = 5+1
4. Paul Starke = 6+2
5. Richie Worrall = 7+1
6. Connor Mountain = 6+1
7. Alfie Bowtell = 5+1

Redcar’s number 1, Erik Riss has labelled tomorrow’s Tyne-Tees trophy clash against a Newcastle select the “perfect” test for the new look Bears ahead of a tantalising 2023 campaign.

The German star believes challenge matches this year are more important than ever for him, “This challenge match comes in handy for me this year, especially at Redcar as I am using an engine at home this Friday that I have never used at the ECCO Arena before.”

Unusually, Riss will start his league campaign in the top division with Ipswich before a Championship level challenge as the former World Longtrack Champion explained, “ Challenge matches like Friday’s would usually carry extra importance as I would be testing machinery and getting back into the swing of things but I have a league match this evening for Ipswich so it is straight in at the deep end!”

Riss also lauded the efforts of the Redcar promotion for the side they have recruited to represent Newcastle, “This match is a good challenge for us as the Redcar promotion have assembled a good, solid team for Newcastle. If you want to test something like I am testing an engine on Friday, you want to test things against good riders like the riders I will be facing.”

The fast starting German star also discussed his 2023 goals, “ I am looking to stay at number 1 for the Bears and increase my Championship average. I know what I am capable of, I just need to put it together for a full season. I have also made some changes over the winter as I have brought different engines over to the UK but you never know what will happen until you start racing!”

Redcar will hand debuts to Connor Bailey, Danyon Hume, Danny King and Jake Mulford as the new look Bears set their sights on an opening night win in preparation for next week’s back to back KO Cup clashes with Berwick.

As announced earlier this week, the Diamonds select will be a strong one with the visitors tracking Poole skipper Steve Worrall at number 1, Steve will be joined by his brother Richie Worrall at 5. The Diamonds also look particularly strong at reserve with Connor Mountain and Alfie Bowtell looking to do some damage at the ECCO Arena. Evidence of the strength of the Newcastle side is shown by the fact that the 1-7 actually comes in above the Championship points limit at 41 points!

This challenge match would not have been possible without the fantastic backing of our club sponsors and the sponsors of the Diamonds select side.

Fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena to see the “Agilia” Bears take on the Diamonds are reminded that the meeting will be streamed live for £11.99 by our streaming partners Tapes Up. For more details, please visit www.redcar-speedway.tv

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
Erik Riss 8.24
Connor Bailey 4.32
Charles Wright © 7.40
Danyon Hume 5.68
Danny King 8.05
Jason Edwards 3.80
Jake Mulford 2.00

Newcastle Diamonds select
Steve Worrall 8.05
Max Clegg 5.36
James Wright 5.51
Paul Starke 5.11
Richie Worrall 7.97
Connor Mountain 4.72
Alfie Bowtell 4.28

We are holding a Fans Night in the S G Petch Suite for The Bears v Newcastle Diamonds select meeting on Friday night 24th March.

The deal is as usual for £12 on top of your normal stadium entry fee

Lounge entry.
Host for the evening.
The best view of the racing in the stadium.
Seating on the balcony.
Pie & Peas.
Meeting Programme.
Drink from the bar.
Hot drink.
Visit to the centre green for 2 heats.

Anyone interested can email Ian Drinkel on indrinkel@msn.com or text Ian on 07827293866.