Category: Bears News

The current British Champion rides for Redcar! How good does that sound?!

The Bears skipper Charles Wright continued his excellent form this season by winning the showpiece event at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday night in fine style. Wright went into the meeting as a bit of an underdog, but anyone who has watched him for Redcar or Peterborough this season knows what he is capable of.

Supported by a good number of Redcar fans, Charles started the meeting well with a win in heat 1 and a solid second behind former champion Danny King in his second heat. He returned to winning ways in his third ride with a win over another former champion Scott Nicholls. There was controversy in his fourth ride however as Wright was excluded after a clash with Glasgow rider Paul Starke on the back straight. TV replays showed that Wright was ahead at the time of the clash and on the racing line – with many thinking the exclusion was very harsh.

Wright did not let that affect him however, and with the pressure on he won his final heat, defeating ex-Champion and Team GB star Craig Cook in the process to book his place in the Semi Final. In that Semi Final Wright again made a good gate and headed wide in search of grip. This briefly allowed Chris Harris and Steve Worrall to pass him, but a superb move around the outside of Harris and the inside of Worrall down the back straight and into the third bend saw Wright out in front and he never looked back to seal his place in the final.

Up against three former champions in the final in Cook, Harris and King the Bears skipper again made an electric start and headed for the outside around bends 1 and 2. Cook snuck round the inside to take the lead but left just enough room for a hard charging Wright to go around the outside down the back straight to take the lead. Once out in front he looked superbly quick and never looked like being caught!

It was a superb night for Charles – and all of us at Redcar Speedway are incredibly proud of him. As well as the honour of being British Champion, he of course will now also take his place at the British Grand Prix in Cardiff in front of 40,000 fans!

Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain early this evening the meeting against Sheffield has had to be postponed.

We will advise of a restaging date once known.

Redcar Agilia Bears are back to full strength as they take on the Sheffield Tigers at the Media Prima Arena on Friday night, in Championship action (7:30pm start).

German star Erik Riss, who scored a maximum away at Birmingham for the Bears, will make his eagerly awaited home debut at number 1 after missing last week’s meeting due to riding in the Speedway Cup of Nations. An entertaining and high scoring visitor in the past, Bears fans will be looking forward to seeing him in action as a home rider!

The Bears will be looking to keep their good run going, which has included a win at Sheffield plus a double over Birmingham. Bears team manager, and co-promoter, Jade Mudgway was pleased with his sides win over Birmingham last week:

“It was a meeting we were hoping for a good home win, but it is easy to be complacent in speedway – things have a habit of coming up to bite you, so we set off like we do every week to get stuck in early doors and fight for every point we could.  I think the fact that the weather was closing in and forcing us to leave the track slicker maybe played into their hands, but we still managed a 51-39 win.  The stars of the meeting for me had to be Kasper and Jordan, who fully deserved their heat 15 when they took another heat advantage.”

Sheffield will still be without the injured Broc Nicol, ironically injured while guesting for the Bears at Leicester a few weeks ago. They still have a number of riders who go well around the Media Prima Arena however, with ex-Bear of the year Ty Proctor and former British Champion Danny King amongst their ranks. Mudgway is expecting another tight clash:

“The Tigers will be another tough meeting for us.  They will be looking to take their revenge after we beat them at home, in what was for me the highlight of our season so far, with the travelling support we had from the Bears’ faithful supporters.  The Tigers have a team full of riders who can ride well here, and we will need to be on the top of our game to send them home with nothing.”

It promises to be another exciting meeting here on Teesside – and don’t forget that kids under 16 go free if accompanied by a paying adult!

Redcar: Erik Riss, Kasper Andersen, Michael Palm Toft, Jordan Stewart, Charles Wright, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves

Sheffield: Danny King, r/r for Broc Nicol, Ty Proctor, Drew Kemp, Kyle Howarth, Zaine Kennedy, Josh Macdonald

Bears promoter Jitendra Duffill gives us his thoughts on last nights victory over Birmingham:

“Very pleased with a solid performance from our 1 to 7. Admittedly Birmingham are suffering from an injury crisis but I don’t feel they were terribly weakened by it as they chose good replacements for their missing riders. It is easy to be complacent in these situations but our boys gave them the respect they deserved and took control of the meeting from the start. We had contributions from everybody again which is very encouraging and bodes well for the rest of the season.
Apologies to our spectators for the drier and slicker surface last night which was prepared on my orders. We had a lot of rain forecast which never materialised for the 2nd week running and we had to be cautious to ensure this fixture took place and reached it’s conclusion.”

Redcar Agilia Bears defeated a spirited Birmingham side 51-39 at the Media Prima Arena on Friday night.

It was a perfect start for the Bears, with Lewis Kerr and rider of the night Kasper Andersen getting a 5-1 in heat 1. After 5 heats, the Bears had raced into a 8 point lead and never looked back. There was some entertaining racing on the night though, on a track a bit slicker than normal due to the weather forecast.

It was a solid effort from the Bears, with 6 of the 7 riders recording a win. Captain Charles Wright, only declared fit in the afternoon after dislocating his shoulder riding for Peterborough on Monday night, top scored with 10+1, with Jordan Stewart getting 10 and rider of the night Andersen 9+2.

It was a battling performance from Birmingham however, with Proctor scoring 11 and Ostegaard 10+1. Paco Castagana also battled hard to a good 9 points.

The Bears are next in action next Friday against Sheffield.

Redcar = 51 

1. Lewis Kerr (G) 3, 2, 1′, 1 = 7+1
2. Kasper Andersen 2′, 1′, 3, 2, 1 = 9+2
3. Charles Wright 3, 3, 2′, 2 = 10+1
4. Jordan Stewart T, 1, 3, 3, 3 = 10
5. Michael Palm Toft 3, 2, 3, T = 8
6. Tom Woolley 0, 0, 1, 0 = 1
7. Nathan Greaves 3, 1, R, 1, 1′, 0 = 6+1

Birmingham = 39 

1. Ty Proctor (G) 1, 2, 3, 2, 3 = 11
2. Nick Agertoft 0, 2, 0, 0, 0 = 2
3. Paco Castagna 0, 1, 3, 3, 2, 0 = 9
4. Ashley Morris R/R (NA 2, TP 3, JS F, PC 2 = 7)
5. Ulrich Ostergaard (G) 2, 3, 1, 2′, 2 = 10+1
6. Danyon Hume 2, 0, Fx, 0 = 2
7. James Shanes 1′, 1′, 2, F, 1′ = 5+3
8. Sheldon Davies DNR

Dates have now been finalised for our KOC Semi-Final clash against Eastbourne. The Bears will host the Eagles on Friday 6th September for the 1st leg at the MPA with the 2nd leg provisionally taking place the day after on Saturday 7th September.
If Eastbourne were to progress to the Championship Shield Final, the 2nd leg will be moved to Saturday 14th September.

The winner of the Semi-Final will meet Newcastle in the Final

We now have the confirmed line up for tonight’s meeting at the Media Prima Arena.

Ty Proctor will now guest in place of Adam Ellis, with Ulrich Ostergaard guesting in place of Tero Aarnio. Rider replacement will operate for Ashley Morris.

Redcar: Lewis Kerr, Kasper Andersen, Michael Palm Toft, Jordan Stewart, Charles Wright, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves

Birmingham: Ty Proctor, Nick Agertoft, Paco Castagna, r/r for Ashley Morris, Ulrich Ostergaard, Danyon Hume, James Shanes

Redcar Agilia Bears will go into Fridays meeting against injury hit Birmingham full of confidence, looking to put last week’s home defeat behind them (7:30 start).

The Bears are on a good run of form, and won 53-37 at Birmingham on Wednesday night in a dominant performance. Birmingham will be travelling to Teesside looking for revenge, however they have suffered further injury problems this week. Already missing Tero Aarnio and Ashley Morris due to injury, Adam Ellis broke his collarbone in the heat 13 crash on Wednesday night. The Brummies will operate rider replacement for Ellis, meaning any rider can take his rides. They will have guests for Aarnio and Morris, these are to be confirmed at time of going to print.

The Bears will be without maximum Erik Riss, who is riding for Germany in the Speedway Cup of Nations. Lewis Kerr will guest in his place. Charles Wright, who dislocated his shoulder at Peterborough on Friday, is hoping to test his shoulder tomorrow afternoon. If all goes well, he will take his place in the lineup otherwise rider replacement will operate for him.

Bears co-promoter is hoping for a repeat of the Bears spirited performance last week against Scunthorpe, albeit with a different result!

“I would like to thank the fans for your support last week. I think the whole club showed what we are made of last week – every single one of us pulled together and almost pulled off what others thought was impossible. We are an incredible club and your support means everything to the team. I can’t single out any one rider for our performance as they were all brilliant!”

Redcar: Lewis Kerr, Kasper Andersen, Michael Palm Toft, Jordan Stewart, Charles Wright, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves
Birmingham: Adam Ellis R/R, Nick Agertoft, Paco Castagna, guest tbc, guest tbc, Danyon Hume, James Shanes. 

Due to the popularity in previous weeks, we are again opening the SG Petch Platinum Suite for fans for the Birmingham meeting this Friday night.

For just an extra £10, fans will be treated to the suite located at the Start/Finish line with the best views of the action. Included in that price is a free programme, Pie and Pea Supper and a hot drink. As well as that, you will be able to have a pre-meeting Pits visit and get to watch 2 heats from the centre green.

This offer is limited to 20 fans, so to book please get in touch with our marketing manager Ian Drinkel at indrinkel@msn.com or call him on 07827293866.

Redcar Agilia Bears kept up their recent good run of form, with a big 53-37 win at Birmingham on Wednesday night.

The Bears started off the meeting quickly, with Erik Riss and Kasper Andersen combining for a 5-1 in the first heat before Nathan Greaves and Tom Woolley got a 4-2 in the second heat. The Brummies battled hard however, and slowly chipped away at the Bears lead and reduced the deficit to two points after the 10th heat.

Heat 11 proved to be a big moment in the meeting. Impressive Birmingham guest Danny Ayres was excluded for moving at the start, and Riss and Andersen duly combined for their second maximum to stretch the Bears lead back to 6. Heat 13 saw more misfortune for the home side, with Danyon Hume coming down and collecting Adam Ellis in the process. Hume was excluded, but Ellis was unable to continue with a suspected collarbone injury.

The Bears really pulled away in the last three heats, with a 4-2 and two 5-1 advantages giving the scoreline a more dominant feel. Riss was superb in his return to the Bears side with a faultless 15 point maximum, but it was another great team effort. Nathan Greaves continued his great form with 10+2, with Michael Palm Toft getting 9+2. For Birmingham, Ellis top scored with 12, with reserve James Shanes scoring an excellent 11.

The sides face each other again on Friday at the Media Prima Arena. Erik Riss will miss the meeting as he is riding for Germany in the Speedway Cup of Nations. Eastbournes Lewis Kerr will guest in his place.

Birmingham Brummies = 37

1. Adam Ellis – 1, 3, 2, 3, 3 = 12
2. Nick Agertoft – 0, 1′, 0 = 1+1
3. Paco Castagna – 0, 1′, 1, 3, 0, 1 = 6+1
4. Danny Ayres (G) – 3, 2, 1, X, 1, 0 = 7
5. Tero Aarnio R/R
6. Danyon Hume – 0, 0, X, FX = 0
7. James Shanes – 2, 0, 3, FX, 1, 3, 2 = 11

Redcar Bears = 53

1. Erik Riss – 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 15
2. Kasper Andersen – 2′, 0, 1′, 2′ = 5+3
3. Michael Palm Toft – 1′, 2, 2, 2, 2′ = 9+2
4. Jordan Stewart – 2, 0, 1′, 3 = 6+1
5. Jake Allen (G) – 1′, 3, 2, 1 = 7+1
6. Tom Woolley – 1, 0, 0 = 1
7. Nathan Greaves – 3, 2, 2, 1′, 2′ = 10+2