Category: Bears News

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales has told his side to regroup after the Bears 50-40 loss at Scunthorpe ahead of the club’s final away fixture in the Jubilee League mini group at Leicester this evening, (19:00 start at Beaumont Park).

Swales said, “ We were disappointed with not gaining a point at Scunthorpe but we will go again tonight with the full ambition of winning, there is no point entering meetings and competitions without wanting to win.”

The former National Junior League co-ordinator also reserved special praise for the recent improvement of Kasper Andersen who hit paid 10 for Redcar last night at Scunthorpe. “Kasper was excellent against Scunthorpe and he rode as we know Kasper can ride. What we now need from Kasper is the consistency we know he can produce towards the end of the season. To be fair to Kasper, he has had a few good meetings in a row for us now so if he can keep that going throughout the rest of the season we will have a strong number 4.”

The former Workington rider believes the Bears will produce a much better performance than their last visit to Leicester which saw the Lions run out 60-30 winners, “The last visit to Leicester was a low point of the season, I do not expect this side to score 30 points.”

Swales continued, “I believe Leicester have had some track work done since our last visit which should hopefully make it a smoother surface than last time as our guys definitely ride better on a smoother track. I don’t like using the track as an excuse as it is the same for everyone but as I have said, I believe our side ride a smooth track well.”

The exuberant local co-promoter is bullish about his side’s chances, “I don’t see any reason why we can’t go to Leicester this evening and push Leicester as far as possible.”

Redcar bring in Justin Sedgemen to guest in place of the injured Erik Riss with the Birmingham star in impressive form this season.

Sedgemen has been paid for 183 points so far this season from 21 Championship meetings, (including 10 at Leicester last month) and the Bears will be hoping he can produce similar for them this evening. The rest of the Redcar line-up remains unchanged.

Leicester welcome Nick Morris back into the fold after the Australian was ruled out of their last 2 matches with illness with the Lions tracking their full 1-7.

LEICESTER
1. Nick Morris 9.13
2. Connor Mountain 5.43
3. Richie Worrall 8.53
4. Dan Thompson 4.97
5. Kyle Howarth (C) 8.47
6. Max Clegg 4.52
7. Joe Thompson 3.92
TM: Stewart Dickson

REDCAR
1. Charles Wright (C) 9.19
2. Jason Edwards 4.28
3. Justin Sedgmen (G) 8.18
4. Kasper Andersen 4.97
5. Lewis Kerr 7.47
6. Kyle Bickley 3.42
7. Jordan Jenkins 3.72
TM: Gavin Parr

Redcar’s hopes of a place in the final of the Jubilee League were dealt a blow as Scunthorpe ran out 50-40 winners at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Ryan Douglas produced a faultless 15 point paid maximum whilst Charles Wright top scored for Redcar with 13. However, the meeting was marred by an awful crash involving Zaine Kennedy in heat 11 with the Australian leaving the track in the air ambulance.

Douglas started his faultless evening with a heat 1 win as the Australian gated and won comfortably with Wright in second and Lambert in third for a Scorpions heat advantage. The second race of the evening saw Jordan Jenkins touch the tapes which forced the Redcar asset to go off 15 metres in the re-run. The re-run saw Kennedy round Kyle Bickley on the opening bend to take the win but former Bear Adam Roynon packed up in second to gift the Bears a shared heat.

Kasper Andersen continued his recent improved form with an impressive heat 3 win but with James Wright going around the outside of Jason Edwards on lap 3, Redcar could not secure a heat advantage. Heat 4 saw Scunthorpe extend their lead to 4 as Kennedy made it back to back wins by defeating Lewis Kerr whilst Roynon (replacing Tero Aarnio who missed the 2 minutes due to an bike problems), passed Jenkins for the home heat advantage.

The visitors secured their first heat advantage in heat 5 as Charles Wright took the win with the Bears having to settle for a 4-2 as Aarnio rounded Edwards to limit the damage for the hosts. Scunthorpe regained their 4 point advantage as Douglas won from the gate whilst Simon Lambert comfortably held third for their third heat advantage. Again, Redcar reduced the deficit to 2 as Charles Wright held off a strong challenge from Aarnio whilst Andersen held third ahead of Roynon for Redcar’s second heat advantage.

Scunthorpe hit a vital blow in heat 8 despite Jason Edwards gating with the Kings Lynn man being usurped by both Scorpions on the backstraight of the opening lap for a big home 5-1. Scunthorpe looked set for another 5-1 with James Wright winning heat 9 but Kerr cut under Kennedy to split the Scorpions duo.

The third shared heat of the night arrived in heat 10 as the imperious Douglas blasted past both Bears to secure his third heat win. The initial staging of heat 11 saw Zaine Kennedy suffer a horror crash as he picked up drive on bend two of the opening lap and flew over the fence with the Australian ending up against the fence near the crowd. The Australian did not lose consciousness but was taken by the air ambulance to hospital. Everyone at Redcar Speedway sends their best to Kennedy for a speedy recovery.

After a lengthy delay, Charles Wright won the re-run with Edwards storming up the inside of Aarnio on the opening lap only for the Finn to re-pass Edwards to ensure Redcar only took a 4-2. Redcar’s interim team boss, Gavin Parr used his tactical substitute in heat 12 but it did not produce the desired outcome as James Wright gated and superbly held off both Charles Wright and Kasper Andersen to preserve Scunthorpe’s 6 point lead.

Any hopes of a Redcar victory were extinguished in heat 13 as the flawless Douglas joined Aarnio at the front for a home 5-1 to send Scunthorpe into a 10 point lead. However, Redcar were still in the hunt for a league point and brought themselves within 6 points with a fantastic heat 14 5-1. Jenkins gated and won fairly comfortably whilst Andersen excellently held off a game Roynon to enthuse the away support.

The final race of the meeting saw Kerr gate but the Brit went too wide on the second bend of lap 2 and Douglas steamed up the inside and a lap later, Aarnio joined his teammate to secure a deserved 50-40 home win for Scunthorpe to ensure Redcar could not gain a consolation point.

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales was naturally disappointed with the result, “ We took the meeting to the last heat in search of a point but it was unfortunately a little bit beyond us. We really missed Erik (Riss) with rider replacement getting 6+1 but I believe paid 7 is better than any of the available guests would have scored.”

Swales also believes rider replacement put a lot of extra pressure on the side, “ Running rider replacement put a lot of extra pressure on our side and we are hoping not to run rider replacement again as we now have more time to source a good guest starting with Justin Sedgemen tomorrow at Leicester.”

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 50

1. Ryan Douglas = 14+1 Paid Maximum
2. Simon Lambert = 7
3. James Wright = 7+1
4. Jake Allen R/R = 5
5. Tero Aarino = 12+1
6. Adam Roynon = 1
7. Zaine Kennedy = 9+1 WITHDRAWN

Redcar Bears = 40

1. Charles Wright = 13
2. Jason Edwards = 2
3. Erik Riss R/R = 6+1
4. Kasper Andersen = 8+2
5. Lewis Kerr = 10
6. Kyle Bickley = 2
7. Jordan Jenkins = 5+1

Redcar’s Kasper Andersen believes the Bears are in great form ahead of the club’s final two away matches in the Jubilee League group this weekend. The Bears take on Scunthorpe this evening (19:30 start) at the Eddie Wright Raceway. A day later, Redcar travel to Beaumont Park to take on Leicester, (19:00 start).

Redcar are without broken leg victim Erik Riss with the club using rider replacement at Scunthorpe with no suitable guests available whilst club bosses have brought in Justin Sedgemen for the trip to Leicester.

Kasper Andersen hopes the Bears can carry on their momentum after a strong run of recent results, “ I hope we can keep moving forward as a team and keep our good run of results going but the real tests will come at the tougher away tracks.”

The Dane also believes he is hitting some form after a fantastic paid 13 haul at Berwick in Redcar’s KO Cup victory, “ I have looked at my scores from July onwards in the last couple of seasons and it seems like I start to click around this time. I am feeling comfortable on the bike at the moment and I hope I can carry some momentum into the latter part of the season.”

The former Sheffield man believes the Eddie Wright Raceway is a track his side likes, “ Scunthorpe are a strong team at home but I think our boys like the tracks and I think that showed in the second half of the meeting when we went there in the league.”

The 2019 KO Cup winner believes tonight’s meeting will be key to Redcar reaching the final of the Jubilee League at Sheffield, “ We stand a good chance of taking a win from Scunthorpe which will give us a really good chance of progressing into the final.”

Redcar are without the aforementioned Riss and run rider replacement in the German’s absence. Meanwhile, the hosts are bolstered as they have declared their full 1-7 for the first time in over a month. Tero Aarnio and Jake Allen return to the Scorpions line-up after both spent time on the sidelines with injuries. Scunthorpe also have 2022 Bear Adam Roynon in their septet with the Cumbrian at reserve for the Scorpions.

Scunthorpe Scorpions
1. Ryan Douglas 9.10
2. Simon Lambert © 5.21
3. James Wright 5.07
4. Jake Allen 6.39
5. Tero Aarnio 6.67
6. Zaine Kennedy 4.91
7. Adam Roynon 3.00

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Charles Wright © 9.19
2. Jason Edwards 4.28
3. Rider Replacement for Erik Riss
4. Kasper Andersen 4.97
5. Lewis Kerr 7.47
6. Kyle Bickley 3.42
7. Jordan Jenkins 3.72

Berwick’s Leon Flint took home the British under 19 title after he blew the competition away with a faultless 15 point maximum at the Ecco Arena. Flint was untroubled throughout with the starlet taking the title after defeating the runner-up Jake Mulford in heat 19, Harry McGurk came third after a run-off for a podium finish.

The meeting began with an impressive win from Oxford’s Sam Hagon who held off a hard charging Harry McGurk for the win. Joe Thompson took his first win of the evening in heat 2 with Luke Harrison’s first major 500cc race ending in an impressive second.

Mulford’s title tilt started with a win over Max Perry who will be a title contender in the future. The first round of races were completed after heat 4 as Flint made a lightning gate to win ahead of Poole’s Nathan Ablitt.

Flint won back to back races with a comfortable heat 5 success whilst McGurk impressively claimed second after passing both Harrison and Ace Pijper. Hagon won his second race with a tapes to flag win over Joe Thompson. Ablitt took his tally to 5 with a heat 7 win with Sam McGurk in second.

Fantastic action followed in heat 8 as Jody Scott gated until the youngster was passed by Belle Vue’s Freddy Hodder, Hodder then came under pressure from both Scott and Mulford before Mulford passed both on the outside to take an astounding win.

Sam McGurk led comfortably for 3 laps of heat 9 only to hit the fence on the backstraight and crash with the other 3 riders doing well to avoid the stricken McGurk on the track. Thompson was in second at the time and thus the race was awarded to the Leicester man with Sam’s brother Harry claiming second.

Mulford continued his unbeaten start but the former Kent man was made to work for the win by Ablitt. Ablitt held the lead on the inside for the majority of the race but Mulford swooped around the outside of Ablitt on the final lap to take a deserved win. Jody Scott took a heat 11 win with Flint again gating impressively to win heat 12 with local lad Elliot Kelly finishing a credible second after two retirements.

Mulford was proving to be Flint’s only worry as he remained unbeaten with a heat 13 win. Kelly was looking good in second until he fell, gifting Harry McGurk second which would prove crucial with a podium place still up for grabs. Flint again won heat 14 at a canter with Scott, another starlet to look out for, taking second.

Max Perry blasted around the outside of his opposition in heat 15 to win comfortably whilst Harrison passed Hodder for second with the Wolves mascot doing well to hold off the Belle Vue Colt. Ablitt, another Colt won heat 16 to keep his podium hopes alive but the story of the heat was Pijper in second. The Berwick Bullet looked extremely fast and got the better of Thompson but Ablitt had too much as he took the win on the line.

Another fantastic race followed in heat 17 as Harry McGurk rode fast and hard to initially get the better of Scott on lap 1 before he dived up the inside of of race leader Ablitt on bend 2 of the final lap. Ablitt and McGurk tangled on the backstraight of the final lap which unsettled Ablitt and relegated him to third with McGurk winning but injuring his foot in the process.

Hagon won heat 18 to keep his podium hopes alive whilst Kelly’s nightmare evening continued as he laid his bike down when it looked like Pijper was to fall but Pijper held on after locking up to take second.

The race to decide the title was heat 19 as Flint left Mulford in his wake to take the biggest title of his career, much to the delight of the travelling Berwick faithful.

With one scheduled race to go, the top two were decided with third place still up for grabs. First of all, we had heat 20 which was won by the extremely talented Luke Harrison who has clearly benefitted from his racing on the continent on 250cc machines.

The fans were then treated to an extra race as there was a run-off for third place and what a race it was! The injured McGurk, riding through the pain barrier came to the tapes and he was joined by Hagon and Ablitt. All 3 riders threw the bikes at each other with McGurk pulling off a remarkable inside swoop on Hagon in the early stages. All 3 had the lead at various stages until Ablitt crashed on the 1st bend of the penultimate lap. The referee decreed that the race would be awarded to McGurk who was leading at the time of the stoppage.

We caught up with an ecstatic Leon Flint after the trophy presentation, “This is the biggest moment of my career to date but I aim to add more as I progress.”

The Berwick man returned to the saddle after a high speed crash at Glasgow but was determined to race for the British crown, “Even if this wasn’t my last year as an under 19, I think I still would have given it a go tonight, you don’t know what might happen in the future and if I called it a day or had an injury which prevented me from racing it’s always good to tell the grandchildren that I was an under 19 British Champion!”

Flint was also impressed with the talent on show, “There was some very good racing, a lot of the lads showed promise and half of the line up are 15/16 years old.”

Full results

1. Harry McGurk (Plymouth/Belle Vue) = 11 THIRD
2. Sam Hagon (Oxford) = 11
3. Max James (Unattached) = 4
4. Archie Freeman (Belle Vue) = 2
5. Luke Harrison (Unattached)= 7
6. Joe Thompson (Leicester)= 10
7. Elliot Kelly (Armadale) = 2
8. Jody Scott (Oxford) = 8
9. Ace Pijper (Berwick) = 5
10. Max Perry (Leicester) = 7
11. Sam McGurk (Belle Vue) = 3
12. Jake Mulford (Belle Vue) = 14 SECOND
13. Leon Flint (Wolverhampton/Berwick) = 15 MAXIMUM, WINNER
14. Mickie Simpson (Leicester) = 3
15. Nathan Ablitt (Poole/Belle Vue) = 11
16. Freddy Hodder (Belle Vue) = 6

17 (R). Jack Shimelt (Unattached) = 1
18 (R). Alex Goldsbrough (Unattached) = 0

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears are excited to announce the signing of Archie Freeman to the club’s ever growing asset base! 

Freeman, competing in tonight’s under 19 final became unattached after Newcastle’s sad demise and the Bears quickly snapped up his services! 

See the full interview below with Archie and Jamie Swales!

 The Redcar “Agilia” Bears will come up against the Edinburgh Monarchs for a place in the KO Cup final on August 19th (Away) and 2nd September (Home).

The Bears are looking to make it to their second KO Cup final in 3 seasons after their resounding quarter final win over Berwick. Of course, this competition holds fond memories for all Redcar fans after their maiden major trophy success in 2019.

The Monarchs reached this stage of the competition with a nailbiting win over their arch rivals, Glasgow. 

For the British Under 19 Final on Thursday we are holding a Fans Zone in the S G Petch Suite on the start/finish line. It will include a dedicated host, a drink from the bar, pie & peas, a meeting programme and a visit to the centre green for 2 heats. The cost is £10 on top of your usual entry cost. 

Anyone interested can you contact Ian Drinkel on indrinkel@msn.com or 07827293866

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales has praised the Ecco Arena track as the club offer £10 speedway ahead of the British under 19 final tomorrow evening (19:30 start), “No matter the standard of the riders on show, our track always produces excellent racing and Thursday night will be no different!”

Swales discussed the contenders for the title with Leon Flint the favourite for the crown, “Leon is the favourite for the meeting but he does have a back problem at the moment. Leon at 50% is still probably the favourite. The next highest averaged rider is Joe Thompson but as we saw last week, Joe doesn’t ride the Redcar track that well.”

The former Workington rider believes the battle for a podium finish is wide open, “There is a good opportunity for some riders to take a place on the podium like Nathan Ablitt who rides for Poole, Archie Freeman who is one to keep an eye on.

Swales also discussed two recently eligible riders who will be ones to watch during the night, “There are two 15 year olds who have just turned 15 so they are now eligible for the competition. You have Jody Scott who has been banging in points in the National League and Luke Harrison who has been doing well on the 250cc machines. Luke has literally just turned 15 so he hasn’t even made his National League debut yet. Luke is at reserve but I expect he will get a ride on the night.”

The line-up includes the aforementioned contenders Flint, Thompson and Ablitt whilst there is also some great young talent on display. Oxford Charger’s Sam Hagon, Leicester Cub’s Max Perry, Belle Vue Colts’ Sam McGurk, local lad Elliot Kelly and the former Kent starlet Jake Mulford.

The line-up will race across a 20 heat format with the highest scorer taking the title.

A reminder that tickets can be purchased online or on the gate for £10. Season tickets will NOT be valid for this meeting.The meeting will also be streamed at www.redcar-speedway.tv for £11.99. Heat by heat updates will also be provided on the club’s official Twitter page

DRAW: 1 Harry McGurk, 2 Sam Hagon, 3 Max James, 4 Archie Freeman, 5 Vinnie Foord, 6 Joe Thompson, 7 Elliot Kelly, 8 Jody Scott, 9 Ace Pijper, 10 Max Perry, 11 Sam McGurk, 12 Jake Mulford, 13 Leon Flint, 14 Gregor Millar, 15 Nathan Ablitt, 16 Freddy Hodder. Reserves: Luke Harrison, Jack Shimelt.

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears cruised through to the KO Cup semi-finals with a comprehensive 56-34 win at Berwick, (73-107 on aggregate). Redcar put in a real team performance with every rider at least being paid for a win. Erik Riss top scored for Redcar with a faultless 12 point maximum whilst Ricky Wells was the main man for Berwick with paid 12.

The night started off in perfect fashion for the visitors as Charles Wright gated and won extremely easily whilst Jason Edwards continued his scintillating 2022 by holding off Chris Harris to send the large travelling support wild on the backstraight. Heat 2 saw Redcar stretch their lead to 18 on aggregate with Kyle Bickley storming to an impressive win whilst Jordan Jenkins battled past Nathan Stoneman for 3rd and a Bears 4-2.

The Redcar engine room continued the visitor’s electric start as Riss and Andersen gated to secure one of the most comfortable 5-1’s you will ever see.

Remarkably, the 3rd 5-1 and 4th heat advantage for Redcar arrived in heat 4 with one of the races of the night. Nathan Stoneman initially led but the Welshman was brilliantly passed by Jenkins on the bend 3 banking on lap 3 and then Lewis Kerr compounded the Bandit’s misery as he joined Jenkins at the front to send Redcar 14 ahead on the night and a staggering 26 points on aggregate.

After the second early track grade, Berwick finally had a heat winner and a heat advantage as Wells won with Jonas Knudsen in third after Wright passed the Dane on lap 2. Berwick posted another 4-2 in heat 6 with Bomber Harris looking quick to win comfortably and with Theo Pijper in third, Berwick reduced the arrears to 10 on the night.

Any lingering hopes of an astounding home revival were extinguished in heat 7 as Riss won at a canter with Andersen benefitting from an Aaron Summers puncture to secure third and Redcar’s 5th heat advantage out of 7. The hosts still had aspirations of winning on the night and they reduced Redcar’s lead to 8 on the night with their only maximum heat advantage courtesy of Pijper and Knudsen.

After a Kerr win in a shared heat 8, normal service was resumed with the Redcar engine room combining for another maximum 5-1 with Harris suffering from clutch problems. Another 5-1 followed in heat 11 as Wright won easily with his teammate Edwards riding a clever line to keep Summers behind him and by this stage, the Bears fans were in dreamland with a 25-41 lead.

Riss completed his perfect 4 ride maximum in heat 12 with another win whilst Bickley battled to stay ahead of Stoneman after being passed by Wells on the outside.

Heat 13 saw the only crash of the evening as Harris lost control on bend 4 of the opening lap and clipped Kerr’s back wheel which sent both tumbling. After a couple of minutes to recompose himself, Kerr walked back to the pits under his own steam and prepared himself for the re-run. Summers, the lone Bandit, gated but the Aussie was overhauled by Wright on lap 2 to secure another 4-2.

The final race saw Andersen gate and win with Harris passing both Edwards and his partner, Wells but the Berwick man ultimately left himself with too much to do despite gaining ground on the former Bandit.

Redcar’s maximum man, Riss was delighted with his performance and the result, “ It was a fantastic performance from the whole team, all of the boys scored good points and we sealed the deal quite early on with 3 early heat advantages.”

The German believes things are starting to come together for the side, “I don’t really know why but things are really starting to work for us now. We are having a bit more fun as a team before the meetings, we are having a good laugh and getting along well.”

Berwick Bandits = 34 (73)

1. Chris Harris = 6
2. Theo Pijper = 5
3. Leon Flint R/R
4. Ricky Wells = 10+2
5. Aaron Summers (G) = 5
6. Jonas Knudsen = 7+1
7. Nathan Stoneman = 1

Redcar Bears = 56 (107)

1. Charles Wright = 11
2. Jason Edwards = 5+2
3. Erik Riss = 12 MAXIMUM
4. Kasper Andersen = 11+2
5. Lewis Kerr = 8+1
6. Kyle Bickley = 4
7. Jordan Jenkins = 5

Redcar’s Jade Mudgway has labelled tonight’s clash at Berwick, (19:00 start at Shielfield) as the biggest meeting of the season so far as the Bears look to progress to the KO Cup semi-finals against Edinburgh. Redcar travel to the Borders defending a 12 point lead from their 51-39 success in late May.

The Kiwi said, “It’s the biggest meeting of the season so far, we have fond memories of the KO Cup from 2019 so we want to go there and progress to face Edinburgh.”

The former Berwick rider believes that it’s vital the Bears attack from the off, “We have got a pretty good record up at Berwick and I want to keep that going. I want to go to Berwick and win on the night, some people may say that’s optimistic as they have a good team but I want to go there and keep our good run going.”

The co-promoter is not putting any pressure on Kyle Bickley as the new recruit makes his first return to Berwick as a Bears rider, “Kyle knows that place well but we shouldn’t expect him to go out there and score big points as things are now very different as an away rider. You are now up against riders who know how to ride the track as they are riding it week in, week out. Kyle will go there and do the best he can but we can’t expect him to pile on big points.”

Mudgway also knows the middle order of Riss and Andersen could be the difference, “We have a solid middle order that know that place well and they have got to fire together. They (Riss and Andersen) both need to go well if we are going to win tonight.”

Redcar track the same 1-7 that impressively dismantled Leicester 51-39 at the Ecco Arena last night.

The hosts are suffering an injury crisis after several of their side fell last night at Glasgow where they suffered a 65-25 defeat. Theo Pijper withdrew from the meeting whilst Jye Etheridge requires a late fitness test after his spill at Oxford on Wednesday. Leon Flint is away on GB international duty and the Bandits have brought in their former skipper, Aaron Summers to guest in his place.

Berwick Bandits

1 Chris Harris 9.26 ©
2 Theo Pijper 5.51
3 Jye Etheridge 6.64 if fit
4 Ricky Wells 7.09
5 Aaron Summers 6.96 (G)
6 Jonas Knudsen 5.00
7 Nathan Stoneman 2.17
Tm Gary Flint

Redcar Agilia Bears
1 Charles Wright 9.19 (C)
2 Jason Edwards 4.28
3 Erik Riss            8.18
4 Kasper Andersen 4.97
5 Lewis Kerr         7.47
6 Kyle Bickley 3.42
7 Jordan Jenkins 3.72
TM Gavin Parr/Jade Mudgway