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Ben Barker and Dan Thompson will represent the Plymouth Gladiators at The Championship Pairs, which takes place at Oxford on Friday August the 16th (7.30pm)

All nine Cab Direct Championship clubs are competing in a meeting which is always one of the most popular of the season, taking place less than 24 hours before the British Grand Prix at Cardiff.

Glasgow are the defending Pairs champions and the Tigers will once again be represented by Chris Harris, who clinched the silverware last year alongside Benjamin Basso with some spectacular racing and team-riding in the closing stages.

This time around Harris expects to be partnered by Steve Worrall, who hopes to be back racing by that date after having to take time out due to illness.

Last year’s runners-up Redcar, who won the title at Cowley in 2022, are once again represented by Charles Wright and Danny King, whilst 2023 semi-finalists Poole are also unchanged with Richard Lawson combining with Ben Cook.

Hosts Oxford were beaten semi-finalists last season but with skipper Scott Nicholls joining Sam Masters in the line-up, they will be strongly fancied for home success.

The meeting format sees all nine pairs competing over an 18-race schedule, with each pairing having four rides.

Points scoring is 4-3-2-0 and after Heat 18 the top four scorers progress to the semi-finals, with the winners of each semi contesting the Final.

Gates will open at Cowley at 5.30pm, and between 5.45-6.25pm the pits will be open to supporters. The parade will take place at 7.20pm with the first race at 7.30pm.

Supporters are urged to purchase tickets in advance from https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/ , priced at adults £22, children (11-15) £5 and under-11s free. This link also provides car parking information.

PLYMOUTH: Ben Barker & Dan Thompson

BERWICK: Lewis Kerr & Drew Kemp

GLASGOW: Chris Harris & Steve Worrall (TBC)

REDCAR: Charles Wright & Danny King

EDINBURGH: Josh Pickering & Justin Sedgmen

WORKINGTON: Troy Batchelor & Craig Cook

SCUNTHORPE: Michael Palm Toft & Kyle Howarth

POOLE: Richard Lawson & Ben Cook

OXFORD: Scott Nicholls & Sam Masters

Image credit: Dan Westlake

The Plymouth Gladiators launch a busy month of August track action, when they take on the Scunthorpe Scorpions at the Eddie Wright Raceway this evening in the Cab Direct Championship. (tapes up 7.30pm)

New signing Dane Patrick Baek makes his debut, whilst The Gladiators will run Rider Replacement for Nico Covatti whose season is now over, following a broken arm in the recent fixture against The Poole Pirates.

The return fixture takes place at The Coliseum tomorrow night (tapes up 7pm)

Teams:

Scunthorpe Scorpions:

1. Michael Palm Toft, 2. Simon Lambert (captain), 3. Jake Allen, 4. Connor Mountain, 5. Kyle Howarth, 6. Nathan Ablitt, 7. Luke Harrison.

Plymouth Gladiators:

1. Nico Covatti R/R, 2. Alfie Bowtell, 3. Dan Thompson, 4. Patrick Baek, 5. Ben Barker, 6. Joe Thompson, 7. Jacob Hook.

For those who cannot make it to the Eddie Wright Raceway, Scorpions are live streaming home meetings for just £11.99 at: https://tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com/

Image credit: Dan Westlake

Plymouth Gladiators have made a significant change as they head into a busy August which could make or break their season by replacing Kyle Newman with talented Dane Patrick Baek.

The 22-year-old has been recommended to the club by legendary Danish rider Bjarne Pedersen, who rode for Plymouth in the summer of 2021 and will hopefully provide the extra points the Gladiators need to turn recent defeats in to victories.

“Bjarne thinks he will have a great career in the sport, but he has not reached the potential he has,” Gladiators promoter Mark Phillips said. “Patrick is a promising young Danish rider and hopefully he can kick on with his career at Plymouth and pick up points on the road as well as at home.

“It is never good news to get rid of a rider, but Kyle’s away performances haven’t really come into play this year. Kyle has underperformed away from home at the moment and we do need a rider that is able to score four or five points away as well as four or five points at home, so this is the main reason Kyle has been released – due to his lack of form on away tracks and several malfunctions this season.

“We wish Kyle all the best and we hope he has a great future in the sport, but this is a critical time in the league fixtures and we feel we must take a chance somewhere.”

Newman, 32, who is based in Poole, ends a second stint with Plymouth having ridden for the club under its previous guise as the Plymouth Devils from 2014 to 2016. This season, though, he has managed just 57 points from 11 meetings with his green sheet average just 3.05 away from home, compared to 4.96 at home.

The change of Newman in the Gladiators team is unlikely to be the only change as the search continues for an adequate replacement for injured number one Nico Covatti, whose season is over after he suffered a broken wrist in the recent defeat at Poole.

“We are still avidly looking for a number one, but those are not available to us at the moment,” Phillips said. “Nico had a problem with his leg when he first came to Britain and jarred it at Poole.

“He returned against Edinburgh where he scored double figures and showed he could be a positive heat leader for the club, he then went to Poole again two weeks ago and due to the state of the track, he re-broke his wrist. It snapped the plate in his wrist and pulled the screws out giving him a fresh break, which means he’ll be out for the rest of the season.

“Drew Kemp is signed for Berwick, so that isn’t an option and he is not a guest for this weekend as he is riding in Poland. At the time of going to press, Garry (May) has not been able to secure a guest yet for Scunthorpe away and Scunthorpe home on Saturday, but he is trying very hard to do so.”

Meanwhile, there has been some rearrangement to the Gladiators’ fixture list in August. The fixtures for the month are: Scunthorpe (A, August 2), Scunthorpe (H, 3), Oxford (A, 7), Glasgow (H, 10), GB Youth Series (H, 13), Redcar (A, 23), Poole (H, 24) and Oxford (H, 31).

Sadly due to planned forecast of heavy rain tomorrow, the decision has been made to postpone tomorrow night’s Match against Oxford Speedway. A new date to be confirmed.

The Plymouth Gladiators suffered a tough night at the hands of the Poole Pirates, losing 55-35 at Wimborne Road, in the Cab Direct Championship.

The Gladiators had kept the scores close and were only 6 points down at heat 7, but The Pirates took control of the second half of the meeting, delivering four maximum heat advantages.

Guest Drew Kemp, in for the injured Dan Thompson, top scored with 12+1, backed by Ben Barker (6) and Jacob Hook (5+1)  The Gladiators suffered further injury woes with both Nico Covatti and Kyle Newman withdrawing from the meeting after both picked up wrist injuries.

Poole Pirates = 55

1. Richard Lawson – 2′, 3, 2, 3 = 10+1 

2. Tobias Thomsen – 3, 1, 3, 1′ = 8+1  

3. Ben Cook – 2′, 2, 3, 3, 2 = 12=1

4. Zach Cook – 3, 1′, 2′, 2 = 8+2 

5. Tom Brennan – 3, 3, 3, 2′, 1′ = 12+2

6. Sam Hagon – 1, F, 2′, 0 = 3+1 

7. Vinnie Foord – 0, 0, 2′, 0 = 2+1 

Plymouth Gladiators = 35

1. Nico Covatti – 1, 3, R = 4 WITHDRAWN 

2. Alfie Bowtell – 0, 0, 1, 1 = 2 

3. Drew Kemp (G) – R, 1′, 3, 2, 3, 3 = 12+1

4. Kyle Newman – 1, 2, FX = 3 WITHDRAWN 

5. Ben Barker – 2, 2, 1, 1, 0 = 6

6. Joe Thompson – 2′, 0, 0, 1′ = 3+2

7. Jacob Hook – 3, 1′, 0, 0, 1 = 5+1 

Heat Results

Heat 01: Thomsen, Lawson, Covatti, Bowtell 5-1 59.91

Heat 02: Hook, Thompson, Hagon, Foord 1-5 (6-6) 60.57

Heat 03: Z. Cook, B. Cook, Newman, Kemp 5-1 (11-7) 59.12

Heat 04: Brennan, Barker, Hook, Foord 3-3 (14-10) 59.47

Heat 05: Covatti, B. Cook, Z. Cook, Bowtell 3-3 (17-13) 59.91

Heat 06: Lawson, Barker, Thomsen, Thompson 4-2 (21-15) 60.31

Heat 07: Brennan, Newman, Kemp, Hagon 3-3 (24-18) 59.50

Heat 08: Thomsen, Foord, Bowtell, Hook 5-1 (29-19) 61.57

Heat 09: B. Cook, Z. Cook, Barker, Thompson 5-1 (34-20) 59.69

Heat 10: Kemp, Lawson, Thomsen, Newman (FX) 3-3 (37-23) 60.65

Heat 11: Brennan, Hagon, Bowtell, Covatti (R) 5-1 (42-24) 60.12

Heat 12: B. Cook, Kemp, Thompson, Foord 3-3 (45-27) 60.03

Heat 13: Lawson, Brennan, Barker, Hook 5-1 (50-28) 60.69

Heat 14: Kemp, Z. Cook, Hook, Hagon 2-4 (52-32) 61.07

Heat 15: Kemp, B. Cook, Brennan, Barker 3-3 (55-35) 60.34

Courtesy of Speedway updates

Image Dan Westlake

The Plymouth ProwPark Gladiators return to Cab Direct Championship action this evening, when they take on the Poole Pirates away at Wimborne Road. (tapes up 7.30pm)

Having delivered a comprehensive victory with a full 1-7 in their last meeting against The Edinburgh Monarchs, the Gladiators are forced into a team change, with Dan Thompson out after suffering a dislocated shoulder whilst riding for Team GB in the SON 2 final at Belle Vue. Former Pirate Drew Kemp comes in as his replacement.

Teams:

Poole Pirates: 

1 Richard Lawson 2 Tobias Thomsen 3 Ben Cook (Capt) 4 Zach Cook 5 Tom Brennan 6 Sam Hagon 7 Vinnie Foord. Team manager Neil Middleditch.

Plymouth Gladiators: 

1 Nico Covatti 2 Alfie Bowtell 3 Drew Kemp (Guest) 4 Kyle Newman 5 Ben Barker (Capt) 6 Joe Thompson 7 Jacob Hook  Team manager Garry May

Image credit: Dan Westlake

The away clash between the Workington Comets and the Gladiators tonight (Saturday 6th July, has been postponed due to the bad weather over the past week, as well as the forecast today.

A new date is to be confirmed.

A full strength Plymouth ProwPark Gladiators deliver a comprehensive 54-34 victory over The Edinburgh Monarchs in the Cab Direct Championship.

Number 1 Nico Covatti returned to track action with 11 points on his home debut at The Coliseum, backed by the impressive Dan Thompson (11+1) whilst all of the team chipped in with valuable heat or paid wins, helping to also deliver the aggregate bonus point (102-76)

In a meeting which saw a delay due to an electrical issue with the tapes, Josh Pickering was the pick of the visitors, scorching to a new track record in heat 5.

Scores and heat results.

Plymouth Gladiators = 54 (102)

1. Nico Covatti – 3, 2, 3, 3 = 11

2. Alfie Bowtell – R, 0, 3, 2’ = 5+1

3. Dan Thompson – 1’, 2, 3, 3, 2 = 11+1

4. Kyle Newman – 2, 1’, 2’, 2’ = 7+3

5. Ben Barker – 3, 1, 1’, 1, 0 = 6+1

6. Joe Thompson – 3, 0, 2, 3 = 8

7. Jacob Hook – 2’, 1, 2’, 1 = 6+2

Edinburgh Monarchs = 34 (76)

1. Josh Pickering – 2, 3, 1, 3, 2, 3 = 14

2. Kye Thomson – R, 0, F, 0 = 0

3. Lasse Fredriksen – 3, 2’, 1, 2, 1 = 9+1

4. Paco Castagna – 0, 3, 0, 1 = 4

5. Justin Sedgmen – 2, 3, 0, 0 = 5

6. Max James – F, 1, 1, 0 = 2

7. Connor Coles – R, 0, 0 = 0

Heat Results

Heat 01: Covatti, Pickering, Thomson (R), Bowtell (R) 3-2, 53.42

Heat 02: J. Thompson, Hook, James (F), Coles (R) 5-0, 8-2, Awarded

Heat 03: Fredriksen, Newman, D. Thompson, Castagna 3-3, 11-5, 53.53

Heat 04: Barker, Sedgmen, Hook, Coles 4-2, 15-7, 53.79

Heat 05: Pickering, D. Thompson, Newman, Thomson 3-3, 18-10, 52.30 (New Track Record)

Heat 06: Sedgmen, Covatti, James, Bowtell 2-4, 20-14, 53.86

Heat 07: Castagna, Fredriksen, Barker, J. Thompson 1-5, 21-19, 53.72

Heat 08 Re-Run x2: Bowtell, Hook, James, Thomson (F) 5-1, 26-20, 54.27

Heat 09: D. Thompson, Newman, Pickering, Sedgmen 5-1, 31-21, 53.32

Heat 10: Covatti, Bowtell, Fredriksen, Castagna 5-1, 36-22, 53.62

Heat 11 Re-Run x2: Pickering, J. Thompson, Barker, Thomson 3-3, 39-25, 53.39

Heat 12: D. Thompson, Fredriksen, Hook, James 4-2, 43-27, 53.32

Heat 13: Covatti, Pickering, Barker, Sedgmen 4-2, 47-29, 54.23

Heat 14: J. Thompson, Newman, Castagna, Coles 5-1, 52-30, 54.31

Heat 15 Re-Run x2: Pickering, D. Thompson, Fredriksen, Barker 2-4, 54-34, 53.50

Courtesy of Speedway Updates

Image Credit: Dan Westlake

The Plymouth ProwPark Gladiators finally ride with their full strength team, when they take on the Edinburgh Monarchs in the Cab Direct Championship this evening at the Coliseum. (Gates 5.45pm – first race 7pm)

Number 1 Nico Covatti rides at the Coliseum for the first time in 2024, after suffering a leg injury before the UK season started, in a meeting where the Gladiators will be aiming to take the aggregate bonus point, having delivered an impressive 42-48 victory away at Armadale in May.

Teams:

Plymouth ProwPark Gladiators:

1) Nico Covatti 2) Alfie Bowtell 3) Dan Thompson 4) Kyle Newman 5) Ben Barker 6) Joe Thompson 7) Jacob Hook

Edinburgh Stellar  Monarchs:

1) Josh Pickering 2)  Kye Thomson  3) Lasse Fredriksen 4) Paco Castagna 5) Justin Sedgmen 6) Max James 7) Connor Coles 

Meeting Info:

Gates Open: 5:45pm

Tapes Up: 7pm

Admission: (Cash only at the gate, no cards)

Adults Seating £20

Adults Standing £18

11-17 Years £11

Under 11 Free.

For those unable to attend, the meeting will be streamed on The British Speedway Network – click here for full information. Please note this is the only official stream, all other links are spam, please do not click them.

The auction for race-jackets from the 2024 Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final continues, with plenty of bids already made.

All 18 used race-jackets from the meeting are available and have been autographed by the competitors.

As of 1.30pm on Friday, British Champion Dan Bewley’s race-jacket currently stands at £230, with Tai Woffinden at £235.

Bids have been made on 12 other race-jackets, with prices starting at £65, £85 and £100 for those not currently bid on.

The auction opened at 8am on Thursday June 27 and will run for ten days.

To make your bid, please visit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/britishspeedw-0

A reminder of the race-jacket numbers:
1 Drew Kemp
2 Robert Lambert
3 Chris Harris
4 Simon Lambert
5 Craig Cook
6 Connor Mountain
7 Adam Ellis
8 Tai Woffinden
9 Lewis Kerr
10 Steve Worrall
11 Dan Bewley
12 Anders Rowe
13 Jordan Jenkins
14 Tom Brennan
15 Charles Wright
16 Kyle Howarth
17 Freddy Hodder
18 Matt Marson