Category: Bears News

Unfortunately, we have had to postpone our home match against Glasgow on Sunday the 19th of June for continued staffing problems we are experiencing on our Sunday matches.

Rest assured steps have been taken to ensure this is the last time this issue will arise. Our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.

New dates for Scunthorpe and Glasgow will be rescheduled as soon as possible

SPEEDWAY on Teesside lost one it its true stalwarts last week as news broke of Jimmy Elsdon’s passing.  Jimmy was the brother of former office manageress Julie Lewis who served the club at Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Park Stadium, initially under promoter Ron Wilson’s tenure and others that followed.   An individual meeting is still staged every season in her memory.  Jimmy helped sixties favourite Clive Hitch in the pits during the Provincial League era.  He also worked on the pits gate both at Cleveland Park and at Redcar too.  If you weren’t supposed to be in the pits no amount of persuasion would change Jimmy’s mind and fair play to him for that. Away from speedway Jimmy was employed as a porter who worked at Middlesbrough General Hospital and James Cook Hospital.  Maybe less known is that he sung with the Apollo Male Voice Choir.   

My favourite memory of him was at Cleveland Park one night in 1987 against Peterborough Panthers. There had been a racing accident coming out of the fourth bend involving Middlesbrough’s Buzz (Mark) Burrows and Peterborough’s Pete Chapman.   The two riders managed to get their handlebars caught up with one another and the officials at the start / finish line had to take evasive action to avoid being caught up in it.  After the meeting had finished me and a colleague (Martin Hughes) would often pop round to have a chat with Geoff Pusey.  As we were making our way round Chapman and his mechanic were still positively seething and seeking retribution and went to have a go at ‘Buzz’ who in his defence did not rise to the bait.  Next minute Jimmy Elsdon walks over and tells Chapman & co in no uncertain terms it was an accident, so get you gear packed up and sling your bloody hook !   That was the end of it.

Other people who expressed an opinion on Jimmy’s passing include former Teesside, Leicester & Hull rider Frank Auffret who recollects:  “He was a good friend back in the day when I started at Cleveland Park.  He used to drive the Saltersgill cycle speedway team bus and sometimes took us to away meetings in his own car.  He taught me to drive, he was a great guy.  RIP Jimmy”.

Supporter Trevor Williams said: “He was a proper gentleman.  Had plenty of tales to tell and plenty of tall stories but a genuinely nice fella. RIP Jimmy”.

Andy Brighty, one of our exiled fans who now lives in Hampshire, said he always had stories to tell about former promoter Ron Wilson.  Ron said ‘never win the league but be close to winning it then the fans will keep coming back’.  If we were racing down at Rye House he would always get out at Hoddesdon and go and meet up with Clive Hitch who lives close by.  

Former nomadic Middlesbrough Bears/Cleveland Bays and Redcar Cubs co-ordinator Jason Pipe said he first met Jimmy in 1985.  He had started going to away meetings with lads older than himself in self-drive buses organised by the late Jake Brudenell.  Jimmy was the main driver but shared this duty with a lad called Harry who still attends at Redcar.  On his first trip with them they were racing down at Eastbourne in the Knockout Cup (August 1985) and Jimmy got as far as London but kept getting lost so Jason’s Dad, who only came on the trip to make sure he was OK with the older lads looking after me, took over the wheel from Jimmy and wouldn’t let him take to the wheel again for the rest of the trip !

Terry Wilson fondly remembers if it was raining and the meeting had been called off Jimmy would be shaking his head and waving his arms to notify everyone it was off.  

We will leave the last words to Antoni Joli, Jason Pipe & Mark Wilson who all remember if they were having fun in the minibus and started to take the mick out of Jimmy he would turn round and say: “Calm down you’ve had a good day, you’ve had your fun”.  Jason added we used to have fun and push him so far so that we could hear him say those words.  

Jimmy’s funeral will take place on Thursday, 9th June, 12.30pm at St Martins Church on Acklam Road, then on to the Crematorium. The Wake will take place at the Bluebell pub. All the people who remember him are welcome to attend.

Words by Stephen Harland

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears fell just short as they were defeated 47-43 by Scunthorpe at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Ryan Douglas top scored with 14 for the hosts whilst Charles Wright hit 11 for the Bears.

Heat 1 saw Ryan Douglas gate with both Bears sat in the minor places until Simon Lambert passed Adam Roynon on the penultimate lap to give the Scorpions their first heat advantage. The second race saw Scunthorpe surge into a 6 point lead as Jordan Palin and their impressive guest, Connor Coles combined for a home 5-1.

The impressive Bears engine room immediately hit back with a 5-1 of their own as Erik Riss took a comfortable win whilst Kasper Andersen rode intelligently to hold off Justin Sedgemen. 5-1’s were the order of the day as Scunthorpe hit another maximum heat advantage in the second staging of heat 4. The original staging saw Lewis Kerr fall whilst in a promising position and the Redcar star was excluded from the re-run. The aforementioned re-run saw Jake Allen combine with Palin for a comfortable 5-1.

Charles Wright took his first win of the evening with a heat 5 success but despite a strong gate from Adam Roynon, he was passed by both Scorpions who kept their lead at 6. Heat 7 saw a classic battle between Douglas and Kerr which was ultimately won by the Australian with a smart inside move and with Lambert in third, Scunthorpe extended their lead to 8.

Andersen impressively won heat 7 despite being stalked by Jake Allen and with Riss in third, Redcar were again within 6. Scunthorpe hit a massive blow to Redcar’s hopes as they hit a heat 8 5-1 as Palin cleverly held off Roynon to send Scunthorpe 10 ahead. Jade Mudgway played his tactical substitute in the shape of Wright perfectly with the Bears skipper taking the win. Wright was joined by an impressive Kerr who picked off both Scorpions on successive laps to again bring Redcar within 6.

Heat 10 was shared with Redcar packing the minor places whilst heat 11 provided the same result despite some brilliant racing. Connor Coles rode brilliantly to hold off Adam Roynon whilst Jake Allen almost got the better of Charles Wright on the line but Wright did enough to take the win.

Heat 12’s original staging saw Palin take a nasty tumble on the back straight of the opening lap which left 3 riders in the re-run. Jason Edwards made the gate and he was helped by his partner Erik Riss who team rode to ensure a 5-1 which brought the Bears within 2 of the Scorpions.

Another fantastic race in heat 13 saw the Scorpions gate on a 5-1 until Kerr built up his speed to pass both Scorpions to keep Redcar within 2. Scunthorpe’s guest pairing of Sedgemen and Coles looked to have won the meeting for the hosts as they gated on a 5-1 until Edwards managed to pass Coles on lap 3 to send the meeting into a last heat decider.

Redcar’s pairing of Riss and Kerr knew only a 5-1 would do to avoid defeat but they were thwarted by the impressive Douglas who took the win with riders changing places regularly in a frantic but exciting final race. However, Redcar did manage to come away with a deserved league point as the minor places were filled by Kerr and Riss respectively.

Redcar boss Jade Mudgway was content with the consolation point, “I’m relatively happy with a point. The boys battled hard and made a comeback.”

Despite being 10 down the Kiwi never feared his side would face a heavy defeat, “I was always confident the boys would fight hard. I know our guys always come on strong later in the meeting so it was just about using our tactical substitute at the right time.”

The former Bears rider was also impressed with the racing on offer at the Raceway, “The racing was really good tonight, there were a number of heats throughout the match that, as a promoter, you would be proud to put on.”

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 47

1. Ryan Douglas = 14
2. Simon Lambert = 5
3. Zaine Kennedy = 2+1
4. Justin Sedgmen (G) = 7
5. Jake Allen = 8+1
6. Connor Coles (G) = 4+2
7. Jordan Palin = 7+2

Redcar Bears = 43

1. Charles Wright = 11
2. Adam Roynon = 1
3. Erik Riss = 9+2
4. Kasper Andersen = 6+2
5. Lewis Kerr = 9+1
6. Jason Edwards = 6
7. Jordan Jenkins = 1

Redcar’s Lewi Kerr believes his Bears side are hitting form at just the right time ahead of Redcar’s trip to the Eddie Wright Raceway this Friday to face Scunthorpe, 17:00 start. The Kings Lynn man is enthused about the side’s recent results, “Last weekend was a good for us, we took Friday’s win against Berwick into Sunday which was another fantastic result.”

The testimonial man is also happy with his own form after a paid maximum for Kings Lynn on Monday, “I took my form for Redcar into Monday night and I was over the moon to take my Championship form into the Premiership. Hopefully that can continue into the Scunthorpe match!”

Kerr also believes the reserves can make the difference at the raceway, “Jason Edwards has been riding really well for us recently and he will be full of confidence. Also, Jordan (Jenkins) had a really good meeting for us at Newcastle so if the reserves are firing we can hopefully go there and pick up the win.”

The 2021 Silver Helmet winner is also enjoying racing in a strong top 3 line up for the Bears, “We always seem to do our jobs for the team and we have a nice rivalry. We all want to out perform each other and do as best we can but it is good to have that friendly rivalry within the side!”

The Bears are once again at full strength as they look to make it three SGB Championship wins on the bounce to solidify their current position in the top six.

On the other side of the pits, Scunthorpe track 2 guests in the shape of former Bear Justin Sedgemen and Connor Coles for the injured Ryan Kinsley. Sedgemen comes in for Tero Aarnio who failed to return to the UK for Scunthorpe’s last fixture after a longtrack meeting in Europe, the Finnish star has received a 14 day ban from racing.

With a new set of averages arriving this month, Jordan Palin drops to reserve for the Scorpions whilst Simon Lambert returns to the main body of the side after scoring paid 38 from his last 3 meetings for the Scorpions.

Scunthorpe Scorpions
1 Ryan Douglas 8.65
2 Simon Lambert 5.42 (C)
3 Zaine Kennedy 5.56
4 Justin Sedgemen 6.97 (G)
5 Jake Allen 6.85
6 Connor Coles 2.30 (G)
7 Jordan Palin 5.24
TM: Dave Peet

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1 Charles Wright 8.95 (C)
2 Adam Roynon 4.06
3 Erik Riss 7.79
4 Kasper Andersen 5.80
5 Lewis Kerr 8.15
6 Jason Edwards 2.29
7 Jordan Jenkins 3.26
TM Jade Mudgway

Unfortunately we have had to postpone our scheduled match vs Scunthorpe on Sunday the 5th of June due to missing critical staff.

Redcar Speedway is ran almost entirely by extremely hard working volunteers and it has become apparent that far too many will be missing this coming week due to family plans over the jubilee weekend and back filling these positions has become impossible.

We have looked at several different ways of trying to fulfil the fixture this weekend but every way has its own stumbling block and we have had to admit defeat this time.

The fixture will be rearrange for later in the season and our thanks have to go to Scunthorpe for their help with this.

Redcar recorded their biggest EVER away win as they cruised to a 28-62 win over a struggling Newcastle side at Newcastle Stadium. Erik Riss top scored for the Bears with a paid 12 maximum from his programmed rides whilst Kyle Howarth top scored with paid 12 from his 6 rides for the Diamonds.

The meeting began with Charles Wright looking fast to take the chequered flag but with Matthew Wethers and Howarth besting Roynon it was a share of the spoils.

Heat 2 was stopped as Complin tried to round Jenkins on bend 3 of the opening lap but the former Berwick star hit the deck which left both Bears up against George Congreve in the re-run. Redcar struck their first 5-1 with both reserves looking quick on a much improved racing surface.

Kasper Andersen made some equipment changes ahead of the clash and it paid off as he took the chequered flag ahead of Riss in second to send the Teessiders into an 8 point lead in the early stages. Heat 4 saw some exciting speedway with Jordan Jenkins gating superbly for the win whilst Lewis Kerr and Matthew Wethers battled hard for second, coming into contact with each other on more than one occasion before Wethers took second after Kerr went out of shape and was forced to settle for third. The clashes left Wethers with a foot problem with the Australian withdrawing from the meeting.

The Diamonds recorded a 4-2 advantage in heat 5 as their track specialist, Max Clegg gated and held off Wright superbly and with James Wright in third Newcastle reduced the arrears to 8. Remarkably, Redcar followed Newcastle’s heat advantage by striking four consecutive 5-1’s to extinguish any hopes of a Newcastle revival. Edwards, Riss, Jenkins and Kerr all took the chequered flag to send the large travelling support into raptures.

The theme of heat winners continued for the Bears in heat 11 as Wright added 3 more points to his tally in the re-run with the original staging proving controversial. Coming out of the tapes, Lee Complin tangled violently with Jordan Jenkins with the riders not close to the first bend. Complin was disqualified with Jenkins furious at Complin’s actions.

With Erik Riss completing his paid maximum in heat 12 Redcar extended their lead to 30. The run of 7 heat winners on the bounce was ended by Howarth in heat 13 as he took a good win from Wright in second and Kerr in third. The impressive Andersen won heat 14 and with Jenkins in third the Teessiders had another heat advantage in the bag.

The final race saw an incredible pass from Lewis Kerr who found some drive coming off bend 4 of the opening lap to swoop past Howarth for the win and with Andersen in third it secured Redcar’s biggest ever away victory against the club’s local rivals.

Redcar’s Jordan Jenkins was pleased with the result, “It was a good meeting for us and personally it was my second meeting at Newcastle and I got paid 11 so that was good. Newcastle have done a lot of work on that track and to be fair to them it has worked as the track got better as the meeting went on.”

Jenkins praised the team’s effort throughout the clash, “It was a good team performance, I’m over the moon with how everyone did today, especially Kasper who was struggling before today. Speedway is a confidence game and you seen Kasper make a good gate in his first ride and then he was flying for the rest of the meeting!”

Newcastle Diamonds = 28

1. Kyle Howarth (G) = 11+1
2. Matthew Wethers = 4
3. James Wright = 6
4. Max Clegg = 6
5. Rider replacement for Paul Starke = 5
6. Lee Complin = 0
7. George Congreve = 1

Redcar Bears = 62

1. Charles Wright = 10
2. Adam Roynon = 2+1
3. Erik Riss = 11+1
4. Kasper Andersen = 10+1
5. Lewis Kerr = 10+2
6. Jason Edwards = 9+1
7. Jordan Jenkins = 10

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales has told his Redcar Bears that they must be prepared to fight if they are going to come away from the Tyne-Tees derby with the win. The Championship clash takes place at the Newcastle Stadium with tapes up at 16:00 today!

Swales said, “If we are going to win this meeting we will need to fight for every point and it will not be a walkover. The lads will be reminded of this on track walk, there is no room for complacency when you are targeting 4 league points.”

The former Workington star also commented on Adam Roynon’s impressive performance against Berwick, something he hopes the Cumbrian can continue tonight. “I was really impressed with Adam against Berwick, it was like the old Adam Roynon! Adam was really sharp out of the gates throughout the night and he rode the first bends well, that’s what we know Adam can bring to the side.”

With Redcar track curator Jonathan Swales helping to relay the Newcastle track over the last couple of weeks, Jamie Swales is confident it has been done right, “With Jonathan being involved we have more faith that the track will have been relaid correctly.”

Swales continued when quizzed on the tight Brough Park circuit, “When you put more material on the track, very deep ruts can appear early on. With us knowing it has been laid properly and it has had some good rain on it I think the material will bind well.”

Newcastle use Kyle Howarth as their guest for the 4th time this season in place of Bradley Wilson-Dean whilst George Congreve will be hoping his UK career starts to take off after a slower than anticipated start on Tyneside.

Redcar are again at full strength with Erik Riss looking to claim another double figure score to continue his stellar form in Redcar colours.

Newcastle Diamonds
1. Kyle Howarth (G) 8.21
2. Matthew Wethers 5.61
3. James Wright 5.05 (C)
4. Max Clegg 5.38
5. Paul Starke 6.62
6. Lee Complin 4.00
7. George Congreve 4.00

TM Steve Pate


Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1 Charles Wright 8.66 (C)
2 Adam Roynon 4.93
3 Erik Riss            7.91
4 Kasper Andersen 5.91
5 Lewis Kerr         8.05
6 Jason Edwards 2.35
7 Jordan Jenkins 3.85
TM Jade Mudgway

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears stormed to a 51-39 home success over the Berwick Bandits in the first leg of the KO Cup quarter-finals. The crowd enjoyed another exhilarating nights entertainment with Erik Riss top scoring with 11 whilst Harris hit 13 for the visitors.

Chris Harris started the meeting strongly with a win after passing a fast starting Adam Roynon on bend 3 of the opening lap. The second heat of an intriguing evening’s entertainment saw Jordan Jenkins hit the fence heavily but thankfully the Oxford man was okay. The re-run saw Jason Edwards make the gate but Kyle Bickley passed Edwards on the second bend to take the win despite strong pressure from the Englishman.

After a shared heat 3 won by Erik Riss the Bears recorded their first heat advantage in heat 4. Lewis Kerr took a comfortable win and with Jenkins battling past Bickley on the outside for 3rd Redcar levelled in the early stages. The Bandits forced their way back in front with Harris yet again proving how much he loves the Ecco Arena with another one and with Ty Proctor holding off Kasper Andersen Berwick nudged ahead again.

Berwick made it 4/6 heat winners with their American ace, Ricky Wells winning comfortably from the gate in heat 6. A fast improving Jason Edwards benefitted from an astute move by Lewis Kerr as the KIngs Lynn man moved Leon Flint out wide to allow Edwards through to send the Teessiders ahead for the first time.

Redcar seemed to be finding their groove with Jenkins taking a very impressive heat 8 win. All of the action was happening behind him as Proctor initially held second but the former Workington man was passed up the inside by a fast looking Roynon. The Cumbrian looked to have secured a paid win but Proctor used the outside cleverly to take 2nd to keep Berwick within 4.

Berwick forced their way back into the encounter as Wells continued an impressive night to take the win. Riss had bike problems at the start and thus failed to get off the start line but with Andersen splitting the Bandits they could only claw within 2.

The winner of heat 10 was warmly received by the audience as a fast, confident looking Adam Roynon took the win and with Wright riding shotgun the hosts went 6 ahead. Kerr ended Harris’ unbeaten run with a comfortable heat 11 win but with Edwards at the back, the Bears could not extend their lead again.

Riss, Redcar’s German sensation was back to winning ways in heat 12 and with Jenkins flying past both Bandits on the back straight of the opening lap the Teessiders surged into a 10 point lead. Heat 13 saw Wright and Harris exit bend 2 side by side until the British legend dived up the inside of Wright to take the win but the 10 point gap remained as Redcar filled the minor placings.

Redcar’s newest asset, Jason Edwards continued his stellar form with a fine win in heat 14 and with Andersen in third Redcar went 12 ahead. Heat 15 was a race to savour. Berwick initially made the gate and looked likely for a heat advantage but Riss stormed up the inside of Harris and then stuck to the outside at the climax of lap 1. Berwick’s Wells and Harris were not done yet though as they both nibbled at the heels of the German. Wells ever so nearly got around the outside of Riss at the end of lap 2 but a brilliant defensive ride by the German secured the win and a 12 point lead ahead of the second leg.

Redcar’s Jordan Jenkins was happy with his points return, “It’s been a decent evening, I had to switch bikes due to bending my first bike but my spare worked well.”

The newest SGB Premiership rising star praised the effort of the full side to take the win, “Everyone was going really well tonight, if we can all keep going like that we can go places this season.”

Jenkins also updated fans on his recent injury troubles, “I had my crash at Mildenhall, unfortunately, I still have a bump on my shin and my crash tonight didn’t help matters! From my waist down I am pretty sore at the moment but I can’t dwell, I have a busy schedule coming up and I need to get my head down.”

Redcar Bears = 51

1. Charles Wright = 7+2
2. Adam Roynon = 7+1
3. Erik Riss = 11
4. Kasper Andersen = 3
5. Lewis Kerr = 10+1
6. Jason Edwards = 7+1
7. Jordan Jenkins = 6+1

Berwick Bandits = 39

1. Chris Harris = 13
2. R/R for Jye Etheridge = 2+1
3. Theo Pijper = 3+1
4. Leon Flint = 6+1
5. Ricky Wells = 9+1
6. Ty Proctor = 5
7. Kyle Bickley = 3

Redcar Agilia Bears are delighted to announce that we have completed the purchase of Jason Edwards to make him a full asset of the Bears! The popular 20 year old from Essex has made a great start to the season, including his memorable heat 14 win against Edinburgh last week which sealed the win for the Bears!

Jason admits it was not a difficult decision for him, “This is something I’m really pleased about. Redcar have taken care of me since signing for them and are a club every rider wants to be part of with the atmosphere, management and track . I can’t wait for the rest of the season with them and signing as an asset was a no brainer for me. I’m improving every meeting and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me with the club.”

Bears co-promoter Jade Mudgway is delighted the deal has been completed, “Myself and Jamie are extremely proud to have Jason join the club as a full asset. It’s something we have been working on since the end of last year and we have to thank our directors Brian and Eric Gladders and Chris Van Straaten. Jason’s attitude and commitment is a massive part of why we love having him here at Redcar and we think he has a bright future and hope to see him in a Bears race jacket for many years.”

Redcar’s Jason Edwards is happy with the consistent nature of his Championship performances so far this season with his Redcar side preparing to lock horns with Berwick in the KO Cup Quarter-Final this Friday at the Ecco Arena, (19:30 start). “Last season I was getting a lot of 0’s and 1’s when I wasn’t riding well but this season I’m doing much better on that front. Even if I am not performing well I am still managing to pick up a couple of points to help the team.”

Edwards also such the praises of the club’s heat leaders, Riss, Wright and Kerr, “Being around the 3 heat leaders is great, they are brilliant to be around. I’m also always looking to learn and put my best foot forward!”

The Mildenhall man also believes the KO Cup clash does not differ much from a league meeting, “I think it’s the same mentality more or less. The only difference is if you have wrapped up a league meeting early you can relax in heats 14&15 but with a two legged tie you have to try and build up a big a lead as possible.”

The GB youngster also reserved special praise for the Redcar promoters, “Jamie (Swales) and Jade (Mudgway) have been great with me. Jamie and Jade want to put everything into the club and they know one of the first things into building that is helping the riders out.

The former Eastbourne starlet appreciates how the club goes the extra mile, “As a septet, we have all had different requests so far and they have both tried their best to meet them, whether that be washing bikes at their house or anything else really. I cannot fault Jamie and Jade at all, they are doing a great job.”

Redcar return to full strength ahead of the clash with Jordan Jenkins making a welcome return from injury whilst Charles Wright is fit after his heat 15 crash on Sunday. Berwick welcome back Leon Flint and Ty Proctor from their respective injury lay-offs but Jye Etheridge is still missing with a collarbone injury, rider replacement will operate in his absence.

Supporters are reminded that season tickets are not valid for this meeting but season ticket holders do get 20% off their entry for the match.

Fans who cannot attend the Ecco Arena are also reminded that the meeting can be followed on the club’s live stream service which can be found on our website under the TV tab whilst heat by heat updates are also available via Twitter.

Redcar Agilia Bears

1 Charles Wright 8.66 (C)
2 Adam Roynon 4.93
3 Erik Riss 7.91
4 Kasper Andersen 5.91
5 Lewis Kerr 8.05
6 Jason Edwards 2.35
7 Jordan Jenkins 3.85

TM: Jade Mudgway

Berwick Bandits

1 Chris Harris 8.26 (C)
2 Rider Replacement for Jye Etheridge 5.87
3 Theo Pijper 5.61
4 Leon Flint 6.43
5 Ricky Wells 7.09
6 Ty Proctor 4.92
7 Kyle Bickley 3.70

TM: Gary Flint