Category: Bears News

James Sarjeant took to the Media Prima Arena track for the second time since becoming a Bears rider at the annual Redcar Bears press and practice day on Saturday. Sarjeant looked smooth and full of confidence which is surely great news for all concerned with Redcar ahead of the 2021 season.

Sarjeant spoke candidly about the prospect of making Redcar his home, “It would be nice to stay at a club like Redcar for a few years, I’ve bounced around the clubs a little but having good seasons in the past has pushed me out of clubs which was a shame. I’ve practised well today and I felt fast.”

Sarjeant will be looking to put the pressure on the likes of Anders Rowe and Jordan Stewart for a place in the main body of the Redcar side and was feeling confident when asked about his chances of making into events such as the Championship fours later in the season: “I don’t just want to be a reserve, I want to be up there and challenging for a heat leader spot!”

Sarjeant, like a multitude of riders, has had time away from the sport due to the effects of the global pandemic but the former Edinburgh man has put this time to good use as he explained. “I’ve been back to college this past year, I’ve trained as an electrician and it has kept me really busy and it is something I am going to do alongside riding for the Bears this season.”

The man from Sheffield was also in bullish mood when he discussed the Bears chances ahead of the season, “We are here to win everything, we are only coming here to win!” The former New Zealand champion also reflected on the past decade during the interview, “If you’d asked me 5 years ago whether I would be a heat leader now I definitely thought I would have been but speedway is a numbers game and things haven’t gone my way at times. I feel good this season though, this is the best I’ve felt for a while”

Redcar Speedway have landed an exciting sponsorship deal with Van Ninja, who will become a full club partner in 2021. The news is a huge boost for the club as it emerges from a year that was devastated by Covid 19, with new sponsorship opportunities hard to find due to businesses being hit hard by the pandemic.

Van Ninja are part of Dawsongroup Van Rental and Leasing Specialists, who have strategic locations throughout the UK and carry thousands of new and used stock, including market leading vehicles from the most popular manufacturers.
Operating on the North Tees Industrial Estate in Stockton, Van Ninja are specialists in leasing and sales of small, medium and large commercial vehicles. The company has grown quickly over the last few years due to its ability to offer highly competitive prices to its customers and is a tie up that is likely to pique interest amongst several supporters; not only those of Redcar Speedway, but fans across the whole of UK speedway who rely on a commercial vehicle every day.

Promoter Jitendra Duffill is ecstatic about the club’s latest partnership and told us, “I’d like to offer a warm welcome to Van Ninja; I’m sure the fact that our club is able to attract companies of this stature during such challenging times will come as very positive news to our supporters. Our sponsors, alongside our fans, are the pillars of Redcar Speedway and this latest partnership further secures the long-term survival and prosperity of the club.”

Duffill continued, “I’d like to extend a huge thank you to sales director Gary Henry and his colleagues, who have been a pleasure to deal with and share our vision for the sport on Teesside. Van Ninja are a company that are going places, and it is very exciting for us to embark on this journey with them!”

Conversations with Van Ninja began 3 weeks ago, with interest being sparked by the positive reputation the Bears have grown locally in recent years. Speaking about how the partnership came about and his delight to link up with the Bears, sales director Gary Henry said, ‘We’re excited to be involved with the Redcar Bears this season. Their passionate, family fan base was a huge factor for us to connect our brand with and will give us a great opportunity to gain local and national exposure to Van Ninja.”

Supporters up and down the country can take advantage of Van Ninja’s fantastic deals by visiting their website www.vanninja.co.uk and taking a look at the large range of vehicles they have available. Promoter Duffill finished by adding, “Van Ninja have some very impressive deals available to supporters across the country, so I’d strongly urge anyone on the look out for a van to check them out first. They’re an extremely friendly team and people won’t be disappointed.”

Jake Allen has become the 7th and final member of the Redcar Agilia Bears side for 2021. The Bears’ promotion had been on the lookout for a final heat leader since January, after German star Erik Riss had informed them that he was sitting out the British Speedway season due to concerns relating to Covid 19, only for him to change his mind weeks later. In a bizarre twist of fate, the Bears have now benefitted from an almost identical situation; Allen was initially lined up to race for the Scunthorpe Scorpions this season, but like Riss, had also opted out of racing in 2021 due to Covid related concerns around about the same time. The Australian however, had a change of heart at the last minute and was equally fortunate that Redcar were able to accommodate him, with a deal being finalised over the weekend.

Promoter Jitendra Duffill explained, “When we heard that Jake was having second thoughts about coming back over to the UK, we jumped at the chance to offer him a team place. We are very fortunate that a rider of his calibre has become available, but we always felt that playing a waiting game was our best option and it has proved to be the correct decision. It’s about time we had a little luck after a turbulent winter for the club and it’s both a relief and exciting that our side is now complete.”

Allen completes a strong looking septet for the Bears, with a total average that comes in 0.30 points under the maximum allowed of 39.00. The Australian spent 2019 racing in the Championship League for Scunthorpe, as well as helping to take Premiership side Ipswich to the Premiership Play Off finals, where they finished as runners-up. He enters the Bears squad on a 7.26 average and completes a powerful heat leader trio, alongside 2019 British Champion Charles Wright and Dane Michael Palm Toft.

Duffill added, “I know that our supporters will be both relieved and thrilled that Jake will be lining up for us in 2021. He is a very exciting rider to watch and is more than capable of adding to his starting average. There will be no lack of entertainment at the Media Prima Arena this year and I firmly believe that we now have one of the strongest starting line ups that we have ever managed to put together. After months of frustration, I can finally concentrate on getting the club back to the tapes at the end of this month and finalise everything else that is needed behind the scenes. For the first time in a long while, I’m starting to get excited about the season starting!”

All 7 riders will take to the Media Prima Arena’s circuit together for the first time on Saturday 15th May, when the club will hold its Press & Practice Day at 2pm. Unfortunately, the session is not open to spectators and must be held behind closed doors due to Government Covid 19 restrictions.

Redcar Speedway have been given the green light from Redcar Borough Council to welcome supporters back at the Media Prima Arena from May 17th, assuming the Government’s plans to lift certain restrictions on that date go ahead. Crowd numbers will have to be restricted, but at a level that is acceptable to the promotion – tickets will be sold online in advance in order to control numbers and to avoid cash payments in the stadium where possible.

Bears’ chief Jitendra Duffill commented, “We submitted a comprehensive Covid risk assessment to Redcar Borough Council last week and I’d like to thank them for their advice and attention. They have been extremely helpful, have worked with us without wanting to put any barriers in our way, and are satisfied that we are putting appropriate measures in place, which obviously includes a cap on attendances.”

The promotion are putting several systems in place to keep the risks associated with Covid to a minimum, with a safe return to the terraces a priority. The club will reveal what measures have been put in place in the near future, so fans eager to return will know what to expect in advance.

Duffill added, “The priority is a safe return for everyone involved and we aim to do that without impacting upon the enjoyment of the event. There are no extreme measures that have had to be taken – things like social distancing, the use of masks indoors, contactless payment systems and advanced ticket sales are probably going to be expected anyway; that will be the norm everywhere for a while. The biggest and most costly change we decided to make, was to put permanent spectator facilities along the back straight, but the investment will be worth it and allows us to work to an acceptable maximum capacity.”

Club bosses have revealed that online ticket sales will go live a week before the Bears’ first meeting on the 30th May and will be available to purchase via the clubs official website. 2020 season tickets have been rolled over to 2021 and will be available to collect from the turnstiles from the time of the opening meeting. Season ticket holders are guaranteed entry and advanced ticket sales will account for those numbers before going on sale. There will also be a nominal entry charge of £1 for all children in 2021, as this allows for attendances to be documented.

Duffill finished by saying, “We are working non-stop behind the scenes to put all the necessary control measures in place. Guidance and information about returning to the MPA will be made available a couple of weeks before our first meeting, so fans should look out for that in the near future. This is another hurdle we have overcome, and things are slowly but surely starting to slot into place. I hope our supporters will understand that everything we are doing is to ensure we can re-open in May and operate safely throughout 2021. – I’m very thankful for their backing.”

SOCIAL MEDIA BLACKOUT

Redcar and British Speedway will be inactive on social media from 15:00 tomorrow until midnight on Monday (30th April – 3rd May) to show support against online abuse. We wish you all a great weekend and will see you all again next Tuesday, when the social media blackout has ended.

Michael Palm Toft returned to the Media Prima Arena shale this past weekend as he stepped up his preparations for a busy 2021 season. Palm-Toft, who will be riding for Peterborough as well as the “Agilia” Bears was in good spirits as he returned to the shale after 13 months off a bike, “I’m very much looking forward to the season, I’ve been doing a lot of running, biking and hard labouring so in terms of my fitness I think I’m pretty much there”. .

Palm-Toft has ridden for eight clubs during his 10 year British career and will be looking to add to his three major British club honours he has achieved whilst riding in the United Kingdom. The 30 year old will be a key cog in the Bears septet and will play a vital role in any success the club will have this season.

Redcar’s Danish UK based heat leader also discussed his aims for the upcoming season. “I’m wanting to stay as a heat leader for the Bears and hopefully put a couple of points on my average. I would like to aim for the number 1 race jacket over the course of the season but Charles is also going very well at the moment but it certainly will be a good battle between us! Most importantly, I just want to enjoy racing after so long off the bike and I just can’t wait to feel a bit of normality again.”

“Tofty” was also bullish about the Bears chances in 2021. “We are definitely contenders for the league and I don’t see why we can’t retain the KO Cup. We have a solid team throughout, I know the promoters expect things from us and it’s our job to work our socks off and perform! I also believe we have signed a solid replacement in James Sarjeant for Kasper (Andersen), James is a good gater and a solid rider who also has a lot of experience. I also believe we will have really strong reserve pairings throughout the season”.

Michael Palm-Toft signed off with a message for the Bears fans, “I can’t wait to see you all at the track as soon as it is allowed!”

James Sarjeant becomes the latest name on the Redcar Bears team sheet for 2021. After a turbulent start to the year for the Teessiders, which saw the club part ways with Kasper Andersen last week, the promotion have been on the lookout for 2 new faces before tapes up next month. Last week, the club’s bosses stated that they were searching for 2 riders who would be based in the UK full time due to concerns over travel in and out of the country.

27 year old Sarjeant was originally lined up to race for the Edinburgh Monarchs in 2021, but found himself the unfortunate victim of British Speedway’s new Rising Star Programme, which resulted in the Scottish outfit being forced into a team change. The British youngster had looked likely to miss out on the start of the new season, due to start on May 17th, through no fault of his own until the call came from Bears’ promoter Jitendra Duffill last week.
Duffill explained, “We were looking for a direct replacement for Kasper Andersen after we parted ways last Monday and James seemed a pretty obvious choice. He was unlucky to lose his team place at Edinburgh and it would have been a huge shame for him to miss out, as he is a valuable rider to British Speedway; more so now than ever given the challenges we are facing as a sport with Covid and Brexit.”

He continued, “James come in on a 3.90 average and I know he is a much better rider than that. He has the potential to add significantly to his starting figure and he should thrive at reserve, especially after spending the back end of last season at number 2 for Edinburgh. He gives us a very strong reserve and one with experience. I can remember him guesting for us at Newcastle a few years ago very clearly, where he put in a very impressive performance for us; you can score points anywhere if you can ride that track well as it’s a tough one to master. Coming to Redcar is a great move for James; we are excited to have him here and he will make a great addition to our side.”

The Bears are now left with 1 spot to fill and the club have confirmed that talks have been ongoing with more than one rider over the last few weeks. The addition of Sarjeant means that the club now 7.56 points left for their final rider, nearly 1 point more than they had previously, and could leave them with more options. Duffill finished by replying, “It is correct that we have more points to play with, but it still means finding someone who is willing to commit to racing in the UK and for us, that would have to be based in the UK full time too. Having said that, I’m still confident we will come to the tapes with a good side at the end of May.”

In a behind closed doors practise session at the Media Prima Arena the Agilia Bears captain Charles Wright returned to the shale after over a year without riding a bike. The 2019 British Champion looked smooth and composed during a two hour practise at his home track. The Bears captain who memorably led his team to their first piece of major silverware in remarkably, his last meeting on UK soil was in high spirits ahead of the eagerly anticipated 2021 season.

Wright, who spent a year away from Speedway due to the pandemic had this to say ahead of the campaign. “It was good to be back on a bike after 14 months without riding. I’ve blown a load of cobwebs off and I felt good. I felt really good on the bike and the fitness work I have been doing has paid off. I’ve done a lot during the break I’ve had and I feel it has benefited me in some ways outside of speedway. I’ve bought my first house and I have been working hard during the break.

Charles also discussed the make-up of the squad and how confident he is of the Bears having a fabulous season. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the lads and hopefully things will start to get back to normal soon. I speak to Jitendra Duffill and we have got good plans behind the scenes. Obviously, it was a shame to lose Kasper due to issues surrounding his work permit but if things work out the fans will be really excited about what’s in store for the club.”

Wright, who will be doubling up with his hometown club, the Belle Vue Aces, finished off by discussing his role as captain and how important the role of captaincy is. “Part of the captain’s role is to help progress our young riders’ careers forward. Jitendra chose me for a reason which is to help the younger boys, to help get the best out of them and to help them with their set-ups”

We cannot wait to welcome you all back to the place of pace, the Media Prima Arena, to see our Bears roar again and to see our captain fantastic lead your side to success in 2021!

Interview by Ryan Nassau

The Redcar Bears’ promotion were dealt a further blow this week with the news that their young Danish prospect Kasper Andersen has had his application for a work permit refused. Although Andersen can apply again, his visa issues in addition to concerns over recent travel restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, have resulted in the club and rider parting ways for the 2021 season. Both the rider and promotion have parted on good terms and on the understanding that the decision is a result of difficult and unfortunate circumstances that have been imposed on both the rider and club.

The news that Andersen’s work permit was refused has come as a shock to the club. Bears co-promoter Jitendra Duffill said, “I really can’t believe our luck recently. It was a surprise that Kasper has had issues as theoretically he met the criteria required for a Frontier Worker permit. Recent Government updates to travel regulations have also made it much more difficult to travel into and out of the UK regularly, meaning that Kasper would really have to base himself in the UK to race for us. Understandably, this is something that Kasper cannot commit to as he also races in Denmark, his home nation. He is a rider that was expecting to, and always has commuted in and out of the UK regularly during the season to make his living as a professional rider. I feel really sorry for Kasper; he has huge potential and fits in really well with the management here, so I’m very sad that we won’t see him lining up for us this year. I hope we are able to see him back at the club again in the near future. It’s such an incredibly frustrating and stressful time for us as we prepare for the new season.”

The Bears are now left looking for 2 riders with just over 6 weeks until the start of their Championship League campaign. The club lost the services of heat leader Erik Riss in January due to concerns relating to the pandemic, though he later had a change of heart and is now due to line up for Championship rivals Birmingham. Duffill responded, “It is doubly frustrating that we chose not to re-introduce Erik into the side a few weeks ago, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and circumstances have changed drastically since then. I still insist it would have been wrong of us to make a change at the time as the current situation was unexpected; Newcastle have experienced a similar situation with their Danish rider Claus Vissing in the last couple of weeks.”

Duffill continued, “At this point, we are looking for 2 riders who will base themselves in the UK full time. I am fully aware that time is ticking, but I still insist that many riders’ confidence in the UK is improving and discussions that are ongoing with a few overseas riders could still result in at least one of them coming to race for us. The situation with the pandemic in Europe is not good and I am confident that we will still field a very competitive side – I am asking our supporters to remain patient and to keep their faith in us.”

Meanwhile, the club have confirmed that this Saturday’s (17th April) amateur meeting from the Media Prima Arena will be available to watch via a live stream over YouTube. With no spectators allowed to watch from the stadium, this will be the first opportunity of the year for fans to watch some live Speedway in the UK. Duffill added, “We have a great line up for Saturday’s event and we thought it would be a shame for spectators to miss out. This is a way of allowing everybody to watch and the stream will be made available for free as it will be filmed using a few members of our own team. The link to the stream will be made available closer to the time on our social media channels and website.”

The search for the 7th and final member of the 2021 season continues, with the start of the season now just over 9 weeks away. Over the last few weeks, the promotion have been in negotiations with 3 riders, all of which were made offers to race in 2021, but without any success. Those riders are confirmed as young Danish prospect Tim Sorensen, Swedish star Victor Palovaara and ex-Bear Lasse Bjerre.

Bears chief Jitendra Duffill explained, “It’s been a very frustrating search for us. The 3 riders we made offers to would all have done a good job and finished the team nicely, but the uncertainty surrounding travel restrictions due to Covid is causing concern amongst riders and nobody is willing to commit for that reason. The only rider available in the UK that would have brought us close to the points limit is Lewis Bridger, but understandably it’s too far for Lewis to travel on a weekly basis.”

Duffill also acknowledged that there have been several messages from eager fans, questioning when the last rider would be signed. He answered, “I completely understand the frustration from some supporters and I can assure them that we don’t wish to keep them waiting. Speedway is a numbers game and riders that have signed elsewhere over the last few weeks would not have fitted into our team. It would be very easy for us to complete the team today, but with the riders available we would come in well short of the points limit. We are essentially looking for a 3rd heat leader.”

Duffill continued, “The situation with Covid in Europe is poor and there is real danger that some of the European leagues will see their seasons delayed considerably. The option of racing in the UK may become more appealing to some riders over the next few weeks, so we believe our best option is to wait at this point. I don’t see any benefit in making a hasty decision just to get the side finished, when a little patience could see us start with a stronger side.”

It was announced today by Kings Lynn Speedway that Erik Riss has now changed his mind and has decided to race in the UK after all. Riss had signed contracts in both Sweden and Denmark back in January, which had ruled him out of British Speedway in 2021. Duffill commented, “We are aware that Erik’s circumstances have now changed, but due to averages, we can no longer fit him into our team unless we were to drop one of our existing riders. Those riders have turned down offers at other clubs to come to Redcar – to renege on the agreements we have with them and to make them unemployed on the eve of the new season would be unjust and immoral. Joe Lawlor has already lost his place at the club due to this situation, so reversing it would be wrong and is something that Jade (Mudgway), Jamie (Swales) and I are not willing to do.”

Meanwhile, work continues behind the scenes to prepare for the start of the 2021 Championship League season. Extensive work is being carried out at the Media Prima Arena to allow for easier social distancing and to improve the viewing facilities within the stadium. New track curator Jonathan Swales has already spent hours getting the track surface in prime condition for the start of activity at the MPA which begins in April, when amateur events are allowed to commence. Duffill explained, “There is a lot to do and Brian Gladders, along with some of our volunteers, are working hard on a daily basis to make essential upgrades to the stadium. There are other things we need to implement to become Covid compliant too, so it’s all hands on deck at present.”

Duffill was also able to confirm that the club plan to reveal the results of the recent supporters survey soon. He said, “We gained a lot of very interesting and useful information from the survey and had an overwhelming response, with 240 people taking part. It has taken some time to analyse all of the information, but I’m just about there! There were too many questions to answer by text, so I’m planning to answer them by means of a live online session via our social media channels. There is a lot I’d like to answer and that seems the best way to do that. Until then, I’d like to thank everybody that took the time to offer feedback.”

Redcar have captured the signature of local youngster, Alex Goldsbrough, as he turns 16 years old today.

Bears Promoter Jamie Swales offered the contract which sees Alex sign up as a full Redcar asset and a prospect for the future.
Alex is due to ride for the Cubs as they compete in the Northern Junior League, and is hoping to catch the eyes of a National League side with some solid performances.

Swales is excited to have a local lad on the books. He states “I’m made up that Alex has chosen to join us at Redcar. I know it means a lot for him to not only sign for his local club, but to land the contract on his 16th birthday.”

“Alex has been part of the setup at Redcar since the age of 9, moving his way from the smaller 125cc engines and progressing to the 500s. We’ve been pleased to see his development over the years of riding for the Cubs” continues Swales.

“This one’s for the future. We see alot of potential in Alex and didn’t want to see him being signed up elsewhere which is why we moved quickly.”

Since joining the Redcar promotion Swales has taken on the running of the amateur meetings and practice days. He has a passion to bring on the youth. “It’s moments like this that make it worth while. Seeing a rider come on board after nurturing his talent from the beginning. I’m hoping this is just the beginning for Redcar and our youth programme.”

Redcar will start their 2021 programme with a “behind closed doors” practice session on Saturday 3rd April, followed by the first in this season’s amateur series later in the month.