Category: Bears News

Tonight’s scheduled meeting has been postponed due to the rain so far today and a poor forecast for the rest of the day.

This has been re-scheduled for Friday 3rd September.

Redcar take on Championship new boys Kent in their first ever trip to the Media Prima Arena. The Bears are bolstered by the returns of Anders Rowe and Jordan Jenkins from injury whilst James Sarjeant returns from his spell in isolation. Redcar continue to run with 6 riders as the club seeks a replacement for Jordan Stewart who announced his intention to return to Australia earlier this week. Kent have been hit by retirement and injury woes ahead of the fixture as Scott Nicholls is ruled out with a shoulder injury he sustained during Kent’s home defeat to Poole on Tuesday whilst Paul Hurry retired after that meeting. Leicester’s Kyle Howarth guests for Nicholls whilst Max Clegg comes in as a guest to take the place of Hurry. The Kings continue to run rider replacement for Tom Bacon who retired earlier this season.

With a win at the Media Prima Arena tonight The “Agilia” Bears can move into second place in the Championship table and within 4 points of the Glasgow Tigers. On the other hand, Kent are currently the league’s bottom side and will be hoping to leave Redcar with a minimum of 1 league point to claw themselves off the bottom spot in the table.

Redcar heat leader Jake Allen is looking forward to the home encounter, “We have been going well, I’m especially impressed with Jordan Jenkins, prior to his injury he has been our trump card so hopefully he can push on now he’s back in the side. Everyone’s been doing their job and we are a team of racers and I think it shows on track.”

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Charles Wright 9.66 (C)
2. James Sarjeant. 4.29
3. Jake Allen 7.16
4. Rider Replacement for Jordan Stewart
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.60
6. Anders Rowe 4.23
7. Jordan Jenkins. 2*
TM Jade Mudgway

Kent “TouchTec” Kings
1. Kyle Howarth (G) 8.34
2. Rider Replacement for Tom Bacon
3. Paul Starke    5.93 (C)
4. Max Clegg (G) 5.72
5. Cameron Heeps 7.23
6. Ben Morley 4.14
7. Dan Gilkes 1*
TM Chris Hunt

Young Bears’ star Jordan Stewart has reluctantly called time on his season, so will no longer return to the Bears’ side this year. The 22-year-old Australian sustained multiple injuries as a result of a horror crash whilst racing for Redcar at Birmingham in June and has been out of action since.

Stewart had hoped to return to the saddle last week, in the Bears’ home clash with Newcastle. However, practice sessions at the Media Prima Arena and in Glasgow the previous week did not go to plan, highlighting the need for more recovery time. With the season now at the halfway mark, the young Aussie has admitted defeat and has decided to return home to Australia.
Stewart admitted, “It’s been a very hard decision to make, and I’ve had lots of sleepless nights thinking about my situation. I’ve tried everything that I possibly could to get myself fit – I’ve had regular physiotherapy to speed up my recovery, but it wasn’t to be. I’m still only 22 and have a long career ahead of me, so I need to think about the future and also what’s best for the team, rather than come back too early and risking further injury.”

Stewart continued, “I had 2 practice sessions last week, but my shoulder felt weak and painful when riding, as well as experiencing pain in my knee. I didn’t feel safe or confident on the bike, so I’ve decided I shouldn’t be racing yet as I don’t want to put myself or others at risk.”

The news will come as a disappointment to the club’s supporters, who have eagerly been awaiting the return of the talented youngster that has made huge strides since arriving on these shores in 2018. Co-promoter Jitendra Duffill commented, “I feel gutted for Jordan – we are all devastated by this. Both he and I worked so hard to get him here this year, as there were several complications surrounding his Visa, all resulting from Covid. He sacrificed so much to come over this year and had it all cruelly taken away after just a few meetings. It seems so unfair. However, that’s Speedway at times – fortunately he is young and still has a long career ahead of him.”

Duffill continued, “This has been a hard decision for Jordan to make, but I believe it’s the right one for him at this time. I’ve seen too many riders return from injury too soon and it never ends well. I know that Jordan feels he is letting people down, but that of course is nonsense. None of this was his fault and he has gone above and beyond to try and get back to racing. He’s a genuine lad and he is always thinking about others, which is a credit to both him and his family. Jordan will be back next year fully fit and stronger than ever – this is just a minor setback in the long term.”

The Bears’ promotion are now looking to sign a replacement for Stewart but insist that they will not rush. Duffill explained, “We are in a great position in the league right now, so it is essential that we get this right. We have a busy August coming up, which will be vital to our hopes of success this year. Riders are thin on the ground at the moment, but we are looking at all the options available to us and anyone coming in will have to improve our chances of making the play-offs.”
Stewart flies home to Mildura on Saturday, but has a message for Bear’s fans, “I just want to send a huge thanks to everybody who has supported me this year. The fans have been so generous with donations as always, which has helped massively. I hope to come back stronger next year and wish the team good luck for the rest of the season!”

Redcar raced to their biggest ever away win at Newcastle and their 3rd best of all time as they cruised to a 35-55 win at Brough Park. The Bears rode brilliantly throughout the meeting and as a result they only conceded 2 heat advantages over the course of the meeting. Over the course of 15 heats of Championship speedway the Bears outgated, outperformed and outclassed the Diamonds.

Redcar started the meeting off as they meant to go on with a heat advantage in the opener as Charles Wright passed Ben Barker on lap 2 to earn Redcar a 4-2 heat advantage and the Teessiders never looked back. By heat 6 Redcar had, rather astoundingly, coasted into a 12 point lead and had provided 80% of the heat winners on a sunny day in Tyneside. Heats 6 and 7 saw Newcastle attempt to steady the scoreline with back to back heat winners but failed to provide a heat advantage as they could not pack any of the minor places. Heat 8 saw Redcar hit their 3rd 5-1 in 8 heats as the guest duo of Thompson and Morris combined to bring the score to 16-32. Heats 9 and 10 saw Newcastle stage a mini-rally as their impressive guest Kyle Howarth picked up his second win of the evening whilst the former Redcar pairing of Ben Barker and Adam Roynon combined to bring Newcastle within 10. Heat 11 saw Kyle Howarth continue his good form with another victory but with Wright and Thompson packing in behind Howarth the Diamonds were unable to make any further inroads. Heat 12 saw Redcar confirm their victory as Jake Allen and Alfie Bowtell hit a 5-1 and now the Bears job was to ensure they took all 4 points back to Teesside. The Bears earned 2 more heat advantages from the final 3 heats to complete the job and take all 4 points from the meeting and at the end of the match the smile on the face of the skipper, Charles Wright said it all!

Redcar’s top scorer Jake Allen was delighted with the quite frankly unbelievable nature of the result, “Paid 12 points is always good away from home, especially here at Newcastle as Newcastle isn’t usually my best track. I’m happy with my performance and I’m stoked with the result for the team! It was an awesome performance from the team’s point of view, winning by 20 points would be a great achievement but to do it away from home is something pretty special! The difference between the teams was that we were making starts and they weren’t. If you are not making starts it’s going to be hard to win races, especially on a slick circuit like tonight’s was.”

Newcastle Diamonds = 35

1. Ben Barker – 2, 3, 3, 1*, 0 = 9+1
2. Adam Roynon – EF, 0, EF, 2* = 2+1
3. Connor Mountain – 1, X, 1, 1 = 3
4. Max Clegg – 0, 1, 1 = 2
5. Kyle Howarth (G) – 2, 3, 3, 3, 2 = 13
6. James Wright – 3, 0, 1, 0, 0, 2 = 6
7. Archie Freeman – 0, F, 0 = 0

Redcar Bears = 55

1. Charles Wright – 3, 3, 2, 3 = 11
2. James Sarjeant R/R
3. Jake Allen – 2*, 2, 1, 3, 3 = 11+1
4. Ashley Morris (G) – 3, 1, 2, F, 3, 1 = 10+2
5. Michael Palm Toft – 3, 2, 2, EF = 7
6. Alfie Bowtell (G) – 1, 2, 2, 1, 0, 2* = 8+3
7. Dan Thompson (G) – 1, 1, 3, 1, 2* = 8+3

Redcar are aiming to add to their points tally by securing only their 8th victory at the home of the Diamonds, Brough Park. Redcar are again blighted by injuries as they track 3 guests and use rider replacement to cover the injured trio of Jordan Jenkins, Jordan Stewart and Anders Rowe whilst James Sarjeant continues his COVID-19 isolation. Redcar have called upon the services of former Diamonds Alfie Bowtell and Ashley Morris whilst Dan Thompson takes his third guest booking of the week for the club. Thompson scored paid 11 on the 20th of June at Brough Park for the Leicester Lions. 

Redcar’s team manager Jade Mudgway has elected to use Ashley Morris to guest for Jordan Stewart and rider replacement will cover the rides of James Sarjeant. Newcastle have to do without the services of Matthew Wethers after his unfortunate crash at the Media Prima Arena and they have enlisted the services of Leicester star Kyle Howarth to replace him, Howarth is in excellent form, scoring 12 on his last visit to Newcastle earlier this season. 

Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales is under no illusions that tonight’s task will be a difficult one for the Bears, “I think it’s going to be a much tougher test for our guys than Friday night turned out to be. Brough Park is a specialist track and the Diamonds have more than held their own around there this season and I’m hoping we get some good travelling support to help carry the lads through.”

Michael Palm-Toft is looking forward to the second installment of the Tyne-Tees derby, “Newcastle is always a track I look forward to going to. If my starts are as good as Friday’s I should score pretty well and I must say I’m really enjoying my speedway this year.” Palm-Toft was also asked whether he was happy with the club’s league results this season, “We just have to keep winning at home and pick points up away from home. We would love our full team back but Jade has done a good job finding guests so far.”

Newcastle “Grants Event Catering” Diamonds

1. Ben Barker (C) 7.07
2. Adam Roynon 4.00
3. Connor Mountain 4.95
4. Max Clegg 4.98
5. Kyle Howarth (G) 7.03
6. James Wright 4.00
7. Archie Freeman 1*

TM: Steve Pate

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Charles Wright (C) 9.66
2. Rider replacement for James Sarjeant
3. Jake Allen         7.16
4. Ashley Morris (G) 5.48 
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.60
6. Alfie Bowtell  (G)  4.23
7. Dan Thompson  (G) 2*

TM: Jade Mudgway

The Redcar Agilia Bears’ Promotion would like to thank, as well as apologise to everybody who attended last night’s derby against Newcastle. The match was abandoned at heat 10 due to curfew, after spectators were subjected to long delays caused by rider injuries, an electrical failure and even a ‘sun break’, because the referee couldn’t see past the glare of the sun. On the whole, it was a frustrating night and one that we are sure tested the patience of everybody in attendance.

We are reflecting on the situation and looking to see what we can do going forwards to avoid such delays in the future. This is certainly not something we want to be repeated and we are aiming to minimise any breaks during our matches going forwards. We had already made steps towards this a couple of weeks ago, when we decided to eliminate our intervals, but appreciate this would not have helped last night. We accept that we can do better and are very sorry that people had to wait so long to watch 10 heats.

Rider injuries are something that are out of our control, and delays can occur when our paramedic is attending to an injured rider, as racing cannot take part until they are available. Currently, we have one ambulance and one paramedic in attendance – medical cover is one of our biggest expenses as paramedic’s are highly trained professionals and are rightly compensated for their skills. We are looking into the costs of having an extra paramedic available to us going forwards, but speaking honestly, this may be beyond our reach financially given that we are a club that already has to rely almost entirely upon volunteers, including the promotion.

As a way of apology, we would like to compensate everybody beyond the discounts set out in our  cancellation policy. For our next home meeting against Kent, people in attendance last night will be offered a discount and free match day programme (this will be an updated copy of the one produced for the postponed Kent match in June). Please bring along proof of attendance by way of an entry ticket to claim your discount and programme.

Discounted entry prices will be:

• Adults £14
• Concessions £10
• Children Free

In the meantime, we would like to send our best wishes to both Ben Cook and Matthew Wethers, who sustained injuries as a result of their accidents. We would also like to offer recognition to the excellent staff at Medics UK for their expertise and professionalism.

Thanks so much again for your patience.

In an evening unfortunately marred by several crashes, Redcar secured derby day bragging rights with a comfortable 39-21 victory over the Newcastle Diamonds. The meeting had to be abandoned after 10 heats with the curfew being reached, and the result will stand. Our first thoughts are with both injury victims, Ben Cook and Matthew Wethers. 

Redcar started the meeting off in sensational fashion with 3 maximum heat advantages. The 4th heat of the evening saw a 4-2 heat advantage for the Bears as they took a 14 point lead. In Heat 5, Newcastle took their first shared heat as Ben Barker and the impressive Adam Roynon packed the minor placings. Heat 6 brought a glimmer of a comeback as Newcastle hit back with a 5-1 as James Wright and Matthew Wethers combined for a big win. The meeting saw its first of two major incidents in the sixth heat when Ben Cook came down trying an ambitious outside pass for the lead and was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the meeting.

After a lengthy delay, Heat 7 saw another shared heat as Redcar’s guest Stefan Nielsen continued his impressive evening with a win. Heat 9 saw Jake Allen complete a fantastic 9 point paid maximum although Matthew Wethers came to grief trying to team ride, his bike high-siding on bend 2, sending him heavily into the air fence. He suffered injuries as a result and we send our best wishes to the talented Aussie. The decision was made to run Heat 10 to get a result despite the curfew being passed and the crowd certainly got awarded for staying with the best race of the night as Charles Wright wound it on to pass Connor Mountain to end the night on a high. 

Redcar’s team manager Jade Mudgway was relieved to secure the win, “I’m happy to get the 3 points and I hope the 2 injured riders make a quick recovery. Stefan Nielsen was great for us this evening, he always gives 100% and we are grateful for him doing us a favour.”

Redcar Bears = 39

1. Charles Wright 3, 1, 3 = 7

2. Ben Cook (G) 2*, 3, FX = 5+1 (withdrawn)

3. Jake Allen 2*, 3, 3 = 8+1 PAID MAX

4. Jordan Stewart R/R (BC 3, SN 0, DT 1 = 4)

5. Michael Palm Toft 3, 3 = 6 FULL MAX

6. Stefan Nielsen (G) 3, 0, 2*, 3, 1 = 9+1

7. Dan Thompson (G) 2*, 1, 1 = 4+1

Newcastle Diamonds = 21

1. Ben Barker 1, 1* = 2+1

2. Adam Roynon R, 2, 2 = 4

3. Connor Mountain 1, 1, 2 = 4

4. Max Clegg 0, 0 = 0

5. Matthew Wethers 2, 2*, FX^, FX = 4+1

6. James Wright 1, 3, 1*, 2 = 7+1

7. Archie Freeman 0, 0 = 0

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears are set for a tasty tussle against their closest rivals, the Newcastle Diamonds on Friday night at the Media Prima Arena, (19:30 start). Redcar are looking to return to winning ways after a disappointing defeat in Birmingham on Wednesday and will see Friday as the perfect opportunity to add to their points tally against a struggling Diamonds side. 

Redcar are currently sat 5th in the Championship table whilst the Diamonds are currently languishing in 9th place. In terms of team news, the Diamonds are delighted to track their full septet for the first time this season as former Redcar rider Adam Roynon returns from injury in the number 2 slot. In stark contrast, the Bears are suffering a rider crisis at the moment as James Sarjaent joins the list of unavailable riders due to having to self-isolate. Sarjaent is joined by Anders Rowe, Jordan Jenkins and Jordan Stewart who are all absent with injury. Sarjaent is replaced by Ben Cook from Poole whilst tonight’s reserve pairing is Stefan Nielsen and Dan Thompson who replace Rowe and Jenkins respectively whilst the club continue to use rider replacement in the absence of Stewart. It is important to note that both riders have shown a liking for the Media Prima Arena circuit in recent weeks. All being well, Charles Wright is expected to take his place at number 1 after a heavy fall on Wednesday. 

One of the hardest jobs for a team manager is to run a team with less than half of his own riders available and Jade Mudgway explained the situation earlier, “It is a struggle to run a team with guest riders but the good thing is that British Speedway is a small world so most of the riders know each other anyway! The hardest job is getting the riders to put a team together and making sure everything is in place beforehand. Although the guests do a good job we do miss that sense of togetherness of having our full septet available.”

Mudgway also spoke of his disappointment as Redcar’s reign of the KO Cup ended on Wednesday, “I think things would have been different with our full 1-7 although I would like to point out that the guests we drafted in put everything in but it’s not the same as having your own riders but that’s speedway and we have to move on.”

The former Bear turned team manager also discussed Charles Wright’s injury issues ahead of this evening’s battle, “Charles hurt his knee on Wednesday and he felt he needed to give it a rest on Thursday night. Charles is hoping to be fit for this evening but these kinds of injuries just need a little bit of time and that was the reason for him not riding for Belle Vue last night.”

Redcar have gained a new number 1 fan during his unfortunate injury absence in Jordan Stewart! Stewart is looking forward to derby day from a spectating standpoint, “Tonight’s meeting should be good to watch, we are aiming to go and beat them home and away and hopefully we can! In regards to my injury things are progressing pretty well, I just need a few more weeks to build up my strength.”

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Charles Wright 9.66   (C)
2. Ben Cook (G) 4.29 
3. Jake Allen       7.16
4. Jordan Stewart R/R 5.48 
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.60
6. Stefan Nielsen (G)  4.23
7. Dan Thompson (G)  2*
TM Jade Mudgway. 

Newcastle “Grants Event Catering” Diamonds

1. Ben Barker 7.07 (C)
2. Adam Roynon 4.00
3. Connor Mountain 4.95
4. Max Clegg 4.98
5. Matthew Wethers 7.03
6. James Wright 4.00
7. Archie Freeman 1*

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears were defeated 55-35 on their 2nd visit to Perry Barr this season after a disappointing night in the second city. In truth, Redcar struggled to gain a foothold in the meeting and never looked likely to progress to the quarter-finals. On a dusty night in Birmingham Redcar failed to defend their 2 point lead from the first leg as they only gained 2 heat advantages over the course of the meeting.

Redcar heat leader Michael Palm-Toft was disappointed with the result, “Tonight was not a good meeting for us. Having a lot of guests in the team does not help matters. Personally, I was average tonight, I struggled to make starts and I lacked speed but it wasn’t enough. I’m now looking forward to getting back to my home track on Friday.”

Birmingham Brummies = 55 (99)

1. Chris Harris : 1*, 3, 2, 2* , 2*= 10+2

2. Valetin Grobauer : 2, 1, 2*, 0 = 5+1

3. James Shanes : 1*, 1, 2, 2 = 6+1

4. Ashley Morris : 2, 3, 1*, 2* = 8+2

5. Erik Riss : 3, 1*, 3, 3, 3 = 13+1

6. Paco Castagna : 3, 2, 0, 3 = 8

7. Jack Thomas : 1, 1, 3, 0 = 5

Redcar Bears = 35 (81)

1. Charles Wright : 0, 2, 1*, F = 3+1

2. Josh MacDonald (G) : 3, R, 0, 1, 2 = 6

3. Jake Allen : 3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 0 = 13

4. Jordan Stewart R/R : JM R, DK 0, DK 1, JA 1 = 2

5. Michael Palm Toft : 2, 2, 3, 1, 1 = 9

6. Drew Kemp (G) : 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0 = 2

7. Dan Thompson (G) : 2, 0, R, R = 2

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears head to Birmingham for their long awaited 2nd leg clash against Birmingham. It has been 49 days since the original staging of the tie and Redcar finally get the chance to set the record straight and KO Birmingham from the KO Cup! The original staging was a controversial affair as the meeting was originally delayed for over an hour due to extensive track work taking place. Moreover, the Bears were in a commanding 8 point lead going into heat 10 only for the meeting to be abandoned after a crash involving Valentin Grobauer and Jordan Stewart. The Redcar management appealed the decision to abandon the meeting and asked for the result to stand, this appeal was rejected by the Speedway Control Bureau.

Redcar are suffering an injury crisis at present as they are missing 3 of their septet, Jordan Stewart remains sidelined and the club continue to operate rider replacement whilst Redcar’s reserves, Anders Rowe and Jordan Jenkins are both out with injuries to their knee and wrist respectively. The Bears use honorary Bear Drew Kemp to replace Rowe whilst the rising star berth vacated by Jenkins is filled by Leicester starlet Dan Thompson. The home side are back at full strength as Valentin Grobauer and Erik Riss both return from time on the sidelines. The Bears are two points up, after winning the home leg 46-44.

Redcar’s Michael Palm-Toft is feeling confident ahead of the clash despite not being totally happy with his own form at present, “I wouldn’t say I’m happy with my form but I’m working on it and hopefully I can find some more speed and consistency to help me score some more points. We should be really confident going to Birmingham as we were beating them before the meeting got abandoned last time. It will be key that we all score points and get out of the gate well as the starts are crucial at Birmingham.”

Birmingham “Edwards Plumbing” Brummies

1. Chris Harris 8.61 (Captain)
2. Valentin Grobauer 5.38
3. James Shanes 5.33
4. Ashley Morris 5.32
5. Erik Riss 8.61
6. Paco Castagna 5.11
7. Jack Thomas 2*
   TM: Laurence Rodgers

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Charles Wright 9.66 (Captain)
2. James Sarjeant 4.29
3. Jake Allen 7.16
4. Jordan Stewart 5.48 (Rider replacement)
5. Michael Palm Toft 7.60
6. Drew Kemp 4.23 (Guest)
7. Dan Thompson 2* (Guest)
   TM: Jade Mudgway