Category: Bears News

Redcar’s newest star Lewi Kerr is ready for battle as the Redcar Bears travel to Poole to take on the current Championship pace setters in a top of the table clash at Wimborne Road. 

Kerr believes the Bears have every chance of ending Poole’s unbeaten home record, “We have got a great chance tonight, in my opinion the meeting will hinge on both team’s bottom ends as both teams’ top 4’s are very strong. If we can Jordan Jenkins flying then that will really stand us in good stead.”

The Kings Lynn star is also unfazed by the Bears having two recent home draws, “I’m not worried about our home form at all, the thing with the Redcar track is that every rider likes riding the circuit, when I visited as an away rider I always used to enjoy it which doesn’t make things easy for a home rider. On my debut against Berwick I struggled and if I would have managed to pick up a few more points we would have come away with the win.”

Kerr was amazed by the turnaround the team produced on Friday as they somehow managed to secure a draw after being 12 points down, “To be 12 points down and come away with a draw was amazing, we started the meeting off so slowly but we rallied well to produce yet another comeback. We need to start meetings quicker which will undoubtedly help us when we get to the play-offs.”

The GB international is also loving the atmosphere around the Media Prima Arena, “ The atmosphere around the club is fantastic at the moment, from the other boys in the team, to the promotion and the fans, there’s a great buzz around Redcar and I’m really enjoying it!”

Ahead of the all important clash Redcar name a full strength side. On the other hand, Poole have injury concerns, their Danish starlet Benjamin Basso faces a race against time to be fit due to a crash he suffered in Denmark last week, if Basso is deemed unfit rider replacement will operate. Interestingly, Poole have brought in the former Bear Anders Rowe to guest in place of Stefan Nielsen who suffered multiple injuries at Birmingham recently. An exciting meeting is in prospect with Redcar looking to go all out to secure a place in the top 2.

Poole Pirates
1 Rory Schlein 8.86
2 Benjamin Basso 5.00 (if fit, if not then RR)
3 Stevie Worrall 8.62
4 Ben Cook 5.85
5 Danny King © 7.76
6 Anders Rowe (G) 4.51
7 Danyon Hume 3*
TM Neil Middleditch

Redcar “Agilia” Bears.
1. Charles Wright 8.86 (C)
2. James Sarjeant 4.78
3. Jake Allen 8.15
4 Lewis Kerr 7.48
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.28
6. Ryan Kinsley 3.17
7. Jordan Jenkins 2*
TM Jade Mudgway

Redcar battled back from the brink to preserve their undefeated home record as they came back from 12 points down to secure a draw against a strong Leicester side. The Bears were led superbly by their skipper Charles Wright who scored a fantastic 17 points to save Redcar. The clash was another humdinger which showcased fantastic speedway throughout. 

Amazingly, the Teessiders never led throughout the meeting as Leicester left their opponents standing at the start for most of the first half of the meeting. By the end of heat 4 Leicester had already amassed an 8 point advantage after Zaine Kennedy brilliantly held off the challenge of Michael Palm-Toft to secure the Lions first 5-1. Redcar showed their first signs of life with back to back 4-2 heat advantages in heats 5 and 6 as Charles Wright took his first win of the night in an eventful heat 6 as Zaine Kennedy did his best buckaroo impression whilst falling under pressure from James Sarjeant. 

The first attempt at a comeback was short lived for the Bears as Leicester hit back to back 5-1’s in heats 7 & 8 to send shockwaves through another large home crowd. With the Bears now 12 down they were staring down the barrel of a huge home defeat but as we know with this team, they will never give up! The second comeback attempt began with back to back 4-2’s to bring the Bears within 8 of Leicester with Lewis Kerr and Charles Wright taking the chequered flag for the Bears. 

Jade Mudgway made use of his tactical substitute in heat 11 when Charles Wright was brought in to partner Michael Palm-Toft and another win from the skipper with Toft in 3rd saw Redcar nibble away further at Leicester’s lead which now stood at 6 points. 

The twelfth race of the night saw huge surprise and controversy in equal measure as Jordan Jenkins made a jet propelled gate to defeat Hans Andersen for the second time in six days. The race for second place saw huge drama as Jake Allen was adjudged to have pipped Hans Andersen on the line, much to the frustration of the Leicester camp with most onlookers agreeing with the furious Leicester manager Stewart Dickson that Andersen got the 2 points. The decision of a maximum heat advantage saw Redcar bring themselves within 2 with 3 heats remaining. 

Charles Wright continued his stellar night with another win in heat 13 but with Toft at the back the Bears were still trailing. The penultimate race saw Ryan Kinsley and Kerr get in each other’s way on the opening bend which gave Kyle Howarth the fresh air he needed to take the win and with Kennedy in third the Lions were 4 points ahead heading into heat 15. Another remarkable race was to follow as Wright and Kerr gated only for Wright to almost lose it at the end of lap 3 which gave Nick Morris a chance to pass Kerr who was indirectly hampered by the skipper. Kerr used his knowledge of the Media Prima Arena to wrestle back control of second place and with that Redcar secured a draw which actually felt like a win after a topsy turvy match.  

Leicester’s Australian star Nick Morris was disappointed not to come away with the win, “We were hard done by tonight, Wright made a blatant jump start in heat 15 which cost us the win. In a professional league it’s really poor as the finish between Hans Andersen and Jake Allen also seemed to be an incorrect decision and these decisions can cost teams points and league titles at the end of the day. Ultimately, we shouldn’t have been in a last heat decider and next time we won’t let that happen!”

Redcar’s main man Charles Wright was happy with his points return for the Bears, “When we were 12 points down things were looking unlikely for us but we didn’t lose the meeting and that’s the main thing! It now looks like we will end up in the Play-Off quarter finals and it could end up being a positive for us as we will have more time on the bike which can only be a positive.”

Redcar Bears = 45

1. Charles Wright = 17

2. James Sarjeant = 3

3. Jake Allen = 4+1

4. Lewis Kerr = 12+1

5. Michael Palm Toft = 3

6. Ryan Kinsley = 1+1

7. Jordan Jenkins = 5

Leicester Lions = 45

1. Nick Morris = 10

2. Dan Thompson R/R 

3. Hans Andersen = 6+1

4. Kyle Howarth = 12

5. Ryan Douglas = 8+1

6. Greg Blair (G) = 07. Zaine Kennedy = 9+2

Redcar racer Ryan Kinsley is sure to receive strong home support after his recent troubles as his Redcar Bears side host Leicester this evening at the Media Prima Arena (19:30 start). The support Kinsley will receive is something that the young up and coming starlet should relish in his quest to score well for his new Championship club. Kinsley is thankful for the support he has received after his recent ordeal.

“Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone at Redcar and the speedway community for everything they have done and donated for me to be able to finish this year off, I’ve had to borrow stuff for now and can’t thank Dan Broughton enough for driving me to the meetings and lending me items to use, without the help off everyone I wouldn’t be able to ride again.”

“For me it’s a big meeting to be able to ride again after the couple of weeks I’ve had is huge and it means so much to me to be able to race again. I have unfinished business at Redcar and I need to get some points on the board. Leicester is going to be a tough meeting but I’m sure we can come away with the win!” 

In a bizarre twist Kinsley’s proposed replacement for last weeks wash out, Greg Blair, now lines up in the opposition no. 6 jacket as guest for Joe Thompson. Both Joe and twin brother Dan miss the fixture as they compete in the British Under-19 Final at Scunthorpe. Lions boss Stewart Dickson has opted to bring in the likeable Scot, whilst running rider replacement for Dan.

Leicester are led by their skipper Kyle Howarth who brings with him some stellar names in the form of Nick Morris, Ryan Douglas and the former Grand Prix star Hans Andersen. 

Andersen is set to make his Media Prima Arena debut but as previous first time experienced visitors such as Bjarne Pedersen have shown, this should not pose a problem for such a stellar speedway name. 

The Teessiders are back at full strength with the return of Kinsley after compassionate leave was granted due to the theft of his equipment after the Bears last home victory against Kent. 

The challenge for the Bears is to come out victorious to keep the pressure on current league leaders Poole as the battle for top spot intensifies. The fixture is sure to be another entertaining battle with real racers on both sides of the pits and the fans should expect another nail biting encounter, something that has become customary at the Media Prima Arena recently! 

Speedway fans around the world who cannot attend the match can purchase the meeting on BearsTV for £9.99 here! 

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Charles Wright 8.86 (C)

2. James Sarjeant 4.78

3. Jake Allen 8.15

4 Lewis Kerr 7.48

5. Michael Palm Toft 7.28

6. Ryan Kinsley 3.17

7. Jordan Jenkins 2*
TM: Jade Mudgway

Leicester “JCB Watling” Lions

1 Nick Morris 8.54

2 Rider Replacement for Dan Thompson 5.40

3 Hans Andersen 8.51

4 Kyle Howarth 7.66 (C)

5 Ryan Douglas 8.26

6 Greg Blair (G) 2*

7 Zaine Kennedy 4.25
TM: Stewart Dickson

Today’s clash against the Leicester Lions has been postponed due to a wet track from overnight rain  and a poor weather forecast. The meeting has been re-arranged to go ahead next Friday 17^th September, with the Julie Lewis Memorial being pushed back Friday 24^th September.  

Promoter Jitendra Duffill commented, “It’s sensible to cancel early, rather than taking the high risk of racing in sub-standard conditions, which always reduces our crowd and increases the risk of injury to riders. We have a thunderstorm coming our way if the BBC forecast is correct, which would give us no chance of getting this fixture on. It’s always demoralising to lose a fixture, as so much hard work goes into preparing for them, but we don’t control the weather.”  

He continued, “Late cancellations are costly to the club as we have to pay 14 riders to travel, plus other fees paid to our service providers – not to mention the inconvenience to everyone travelling. We have 2 blank dates before our play campaign is likely to start, so it’s unnecessary to take the risk of a late call when we can move fixtures back – it will also save a lengthy break before the most important meetings of our season, which would be far from ideal!”  

People who have purchased tickets online will have them automatically rolled over to next week’s re-scheduled fixture. Event Genius will contact you by email with details of how to claim a refund if you would prefer that.
 Purchasers of the Live Stream will be re-funded automatically.

Redcar are set to host fellow play-off contenders Leicester at the Media Prima Arena tonight (19:30 start), as they look to keep up their impressive recent form which has seen the Teesside outfit go 6 matches undefeated which has secured their place in the end of season play-offs. The challenge for the Bears now is to cement second spot to secure entry into the semi-finals of the play-offs and the current Championship holders Leicester will provide a stern test for the high flying Bears. 

Leicester are led by their skipper Kyle Howarth who brings with him some stellar names in the form of Nick Morris, Ryan Douglas and the former Grand Prix star Hans Andersen. The remaining three Lions are the rising star duo Dan and Joe Thompson and their mid-season Australian signing Zaine Kennedy.

Redcar bring in the likeable Greg Blair to guest in place of Ryan Kinsley who has not got his equipment in order after the theft last week. Blair has done plenty of laps around the MPA and is sure to be a solid replacement for the unlucky Kinsley. The rest of the Redcar line up are unchanged from Wednesday’s massive win at Birmingham. 

Redcar’s win over Birmingham has seen them take the upper hand in their battle with Glasgow and Leicester in the race for the top two and a win on home shale will go a long way to securing their aforementioned top two spot. Redcar’s newest star Lewis Kerr knows the importance of his 4th appearance as a Redcar Bear, “I’m looking forward to tonight, we need to carry on our last two performances into tonight’s match against a strong Leicester side. Quite simply, we will all have to be on our game to win!”

In a rather exciting development, this meeting will be the first to be live streamed worldwide, with fans unable to attend having the opportunity to watch from the comfort of their home for just £9.99! For more details, and to buy your ticket please head to www.redcar-speedway.com/tv

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Charles Wright 8.86 (C)
2. James Sarjeant 4.78
3. Jake Allen 8.15
4 Lewis Kerr 7.48
5. Michael Palm Toft  7.28
6. Regret Blair (G) 3.17
7. Jordan Jenkins 2*
TM: Jade Mudgway

Leicester “JCB Watling” Lions
1 Nick Morris 8.54
2 Dan Thompson 5.40
3 Hans Andersen 8.51
4 Kyle Howarth 7.66 (C)
5 Ryan Douglas 8.26
6 Joe Thompson 1*
7 Zaine Kennedy 4.25
TM: Stewart Dickson

We are pleased to announce that we will be running the Julie Lewis Memorial next week, on Friday 17th September, with our usual start time of 7.30pm.

With the cut-off date for Championship League fixtures being pushed back to 26th September recently, the Bears play-off campaign will not start at the Media Prima Arena until 1st October at the very earliest. This has presented a need to introduce fixtures to keep the Bears on track, with the annual Julie Lewis Memorial meeting being the perfect fit.

The meeting will run a unique format featuring a bumper 23 heats, which was trialled in 2019 and received great feedback from supporters. The first half of the event will consist of a 12-rider, 12 heat individual competition, with the top 5 scorers qualifying for the main event. Finishers 6 – 10 will be reserves for the main event.

The second half of the meeting features the main event – a 5 team pairs competition run over 11 heats. Each of the 5 teams will have a pre-picked heat leader and team manager, who will then pick who joins them from the 5 qualifiers.

The last heat will be a head-to-head final between the 2 top scoring teams, with the winning team taking the top prize money on offer.
The meeting will feature all 7 of the current Redcar Bears line up, along with another top Championship rider and some bright up and coming talent. The full line up will be announced shortly.

The event will again present the opportunity for 5 fans to become a team manager for the day. The club will be running a competition next week, with details to be revealed along with the full line up.

Resilient Redcar let their racing do the talking with an all important 48-42 away win on Wednesday evening against a strong Birmingham side at the Perry Barr stadium. Redcar’s captain Charles Wright led from the front with an impressive return of 13 points whilst Lewis Kerr was unbeaten up until heat 15 as he scored a show-stopping paid 16 on the night.

Redcar actually started the encounter as if they were still on the M6 as the likeable Italian Paco Castagna picked up back to back wins in the first 2 heats to put Birmingham into a 10-2 lead in the early stages. Both teams traded 4-2 heat advantages in the next 2 races which kept the second city side ahead by 8 points.

Before racing could resume the state of the Perry Barr circuit was brought into question as both sets of riders were not happy with track conditions citing a number of bumps and inconsistencies in the racing surface. After a 50 minute delay which included the Birmingham management claiming their side could race alone if the Bears refused to ride racing finally re-commenced with both teams fairly satisfied with the remedial work that had taken place.

Amazingly, Redcar came out after the enforced break with renewed vigour as Charles Wright was joined by the tactical substitute Lewis Kerr for a 5-1 to cut the deficit in half. By the completion of heat 7 the Bears were remarkably level as the power packed middle order duo of Jake Allen and Kerr combined for their second 5-1 of the evening. The Brummies weren’t about to go down without a fight however as they hit back with a 5-1 of their own as Ashley Morris and the fast improving Jack Thomas combined to put Birmingham into a 4 point lead.

Rather staggeringly, heat 8 was the last time the audience would see a Brummies rider take the chequered flag as Redcar recorded 7 (seven) heat winners on the bounce to ensure they left the Midlands with 3 points to boost their hopes of an automatic place in the Championship play-off semi-finals. James Sarjeant came to the party for his side in heat 11 as he joined Wright for a 5-1 to send Redcar into a 2 point advantage on the night. A double dose of shared heats kept Redcar’s lead at a slender 2 points going into heat 14. The fourteenth race of a rather eventful night saw Lewis Kerr take another win whilst Redcar’s super guest Jason Edwards showed why he is more than capable of riding at Championship level as he took a vital 3rd place to put Redcar 4 up going into the final battle of the night. Heat 15 saw Charles Wright hold on for the win after a battle with Chris Harris and Lewis Kerr got the better of Erik Riss and that gave the Bears a 4-2 heat advantage and a 48-42 success on the night!

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales pulled no punches in his assessment of the evening’s events, “The instruction from the management this evening was to leave with seven riders and for the lads not to take any risks and potentially suffer any injuries but the boys were outstanding. Lewis Kerr has been a great signing so far and Jason Edwards got some really important points for us. For once, we got out of the gate as a team and we were brilliant, we fully deserved to take the win. The track was not in a good state, in the first 4 races riders were hitting massive holes in the track which resulted in processional racing as all of the riders gave each other a lot of room to avoid any unnecessary crashes. Initially, when the team walked the track they commented that the surface was an improvement on their third visit this season but it was still not great. It is important to point out that after walking the track it was actually the Birmingham riders who asked for some extra track work to take place and in our eyes, this only served to make the track worse.”

Swales continued, “It was announced over the PA that it was only the Redcar riders that were unhappy with the surface but that was not the case, some of the Birmingham riders also commented that they did not want to ride on the track as they weren’t happy with the state of the surface. After extensive work, the surface improved but it was far from ideal and in 15 heats I can only remember seeing 2 passes!”

Birmingham Brummies = 42

1. Chris Harris = 10+2
2. Rider Replacement for Valentin Grobauer
3. James Shanes = 4+1
4. Ashley Morris = 5
5. Erik Riss = 5
6. Paco Castagna = 11+1
7. Jack Thomas = 7+2

Redcar Bears = 48

1. Charles Wright = 13
2. James Sarjeant = 3+1
3. Jake Allen = 6+1
4. Lewis Kerr = 15+1
5. Michael Palm Toft = 6+1
6. Jason Edwards (G) = 5
7. Jordan Jenkins = 0

Redcar head to the Midlands this Wednesday, (19:30 start) in search of crucial points to bolster their hopes of a top 2 finish in the Championship standings. Fellow play-off hopefuls Birmingham are also gunning for important points to keep their hopes alive as they look to continue their recent impressive form which saw them take two points on their weekend visit to Edinburgh whilst the Midlands outfit defeated league leaders Poole at Perry Barr last Wednesday. 

The race for automatic qualification through to the semi-finals is likely to go down to the wire. Redcar currently sit in second spot on 38 points with closest rivals Glasgow just behind by 5 points with 4 matches remaining, 3 of which take place at home. The Bear’s need to see results in their one remaining home fixture, and two away!

The “Agilia” Bears have visited the Perry Barr circuit twice this year in KO Cup clashes. The first clash was a controversial affair which was ultimately abandoned after 9 heats with Redcar leading by 8 points at the time of the stoppage. Redcar’s second visit was a struggle with the Teesside outfit having to name 3 guests and rider replacement due to a mid-season injury crisis. The meeting ended in a resounding 55-35 success for Birmingham which ended Redcar’s KO Cup reign.

The visitors head into the meeting with 6 of their regular septet available as Ryan Kinsley is forced to sit out due to having no racewear or van after his vehicle was stolen in the early hours of Saturday morning. Ryan’s bikes have now been recovered but the former Kings Lynn rising star will need a little bit of time to get everything he requires back in order. Redcar boss Jade Mudgway has called upon the services of Mildenhall’s Jason Edwards to guest in his place. Edwards scored 3 points on his last visit to Perry Barr in late August.

Birmingham name a 6 man side for the all-important clash with Valentin Grobauer unavailable after picking up an ankle injury at home last Wednesday, rider replacement will operate in his absence. 

Redcar’s Jordan Jenkins is in improved form and is under no illusions how important the clash is for Redcar, “I think it’s an important meeting for us and hopefully we can go and win. This will be Redcar’s third meeting at Birmingham this year and after the first one being abandoned and then losing the second I think all the boys will be hungry for the win. It’s coming down to the business end of the season and we are all doing well and getting on well as a team. Finally, we have just got to ride how we did against Kent, keep making starts and we will be okay.”

Birmingham “Edwards Plumbing” Brummies
1, Chris Harris 8.36 (C)
2. Rider replacement for Valentin Grobauer 5.05 
3. James Shanes 5.44
4. Ashley Morris 5.13
5. Erik Riss 8.20
6. Paco Castagna 4.79
7. Jack Thomas 2*
TM: Laurence Rodgers

Redcar “Agilia “Bears.
1. Charles Wright 8.86 (C)
2. James Sarjeant 4.78
3. Jake Allen 8.15
4 Lewis Kerr 7.48
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.28
6. Jason Edwards 3.17 (G)
7. Jordan Jenkins 2*
TM Jade Mudgway

We are very pleased to announce that Ryan Kinsley’s bikes have been safely recovered this evening.

3 of Ryan’s bikes were stolen early on Saturday morning, along with his van, tools and race wear. The bikes were recovered after an anonymous tip was given to Ryan on the promise of a reward.

Promoters Jitendra Duffill, Jade Mudgway and Jamie Swales were able to locate and collect them this evening on the back of the information received. Unfortunately Ryan’s tools, protective race equipment and several spares are still missing – we feel they are unlikely to be found, but ask people to pass on any information if they see them offered for sale.

Everyone at Redcar Speedway would like to thank everybody that helped us in the search for the missing items. We had thousands of people share our posts, help from local media and over £3000 raised through our Go Fund Me account. We are blown away by the support, kindness and generosity that has been given. The money from the Go Fund Me account will be a massive help when replacing missing equipment and damage to the recovered items.

Thank you all so much!

Redcar produced a peerless performance to defeat Kent in an exciting SGB Championship meeting at the Media Prima Arena. The Bears put their recent slow starts behind them as they led after heat 2 for the entirety of the meeting.
The first heat saw the former Grand Prix star Troy Batchelor take a comfortable win from the gate but with Redcar filling the minor placings the scores were level. The second race was a tapes to flag win for the impressive rising star Jordan Jenkins who was fantastic throughout the evening. The first maximum arrived in heat 3 with Lewis Kerr started his night as he meant to go on with a win and with Jake Allen riding shotgun in second Redcar opened up a 4 point lead over Kent.

After the second tractor grade the excitement levels were turned up a notch as James Sarjeant left everything on the track to pass Dan Gilkes on the final bend to secure a Bears 5-1 to extend the Teessider’s lead to 8. Redcar’s 5-1 gave Kent the opportunity to use their tactical substitute, a position Redcar have found themselves in three times in their last three matches. The tactical substitute proved an astute move as Batchelor combined with the evergreen Scott Nicholls to bring Kent within 4 of the play-off chasing Bears. Charles Wright ensured the Kings could not bring the meeting closer as he took a fine win in heat 10 but with James Sarjeant at the back Redcar’s lead was only a potentially precarious 4 points. Sarjeant had a much improved evening for the Bears with his 4 races yielding paid 7 and the Yorkshireman will be hoping this signals the start of a strong end of season run for him.

Redcar’s lead was cut to a mere 2 points as Troy Batchelor just managed to get the better of Michael Palm-Toft whilst Ryan Kinsley gave his all in his attempts to pass Ben Morley but the former Bear rode cleverly to hold him off. As has been customary in recent weeks, Redcar turned on the style in the closing stages of the meeting as they recorded three 4-2 heat advantages and a 5-1 to finish the action in style and send another large crowd home happy. Heat 13 was a cracking race as Charles Wright squeezed past Batchelor on the opening lap whilst Palm-Toft used the inside line to pass Batchelor to send the Redcar faithful into raptures. The line Palm-Toft used is rarely used so late in a Media Prima Arena meeting and all plaudits must be given to the Dane for using his Redcar track knowledge to glide into 2nd place. Lewis Kerr’s fruitful evening earned him an appearance in heat 15 and he showed the Bears supporters why he has been signed with a brilliant win to ensure Redcar hit 50 points against a stubborn Kent side who lacked support for Nicholls and Batchelor.  

Kerr was understandably delighted with his second outing as a full-time Bear, “I used a different engine tonight, I found some speed so I’m really pleased and tonight was a good team performance and I really enjoyed it. We have a strong top 4 and with Jordan (Jenkins) flying at reserve I believe we can beat anyone! Finally, I had a few offers from other clubs after Eastbourne’s sad demise but I didn’t want to ride anywhere but Redcar as I love the track and I have only heard good things about the club and the promotion!”

Redcar = 51
1. Charles Wright = 10
2. James Sarjeant = 4+3
3. Jake Allen = 7+1
4. Lewis Kerr = 12
5. Michael Palm Toft = 10+1
6. Ryan Kinsley = 0
7. Jordan Jenkins = 8

Kent = 39

1. Troy Batchelor = 11+1
2. Ben Morley = 2
3. Paul Starke = 6+1
4. Cameron Heeps = 5+1
5. Scott Nicholls = 11
6. Jake Mulford = 2
7. Dan Gilkes = 2+1