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SCORPIONS LOSE TO TIGERS IN THRILLER
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 16th August 2008
If Carlsberg ran speedway meetings then they would run them at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway. Week on week the track produces fantastic racing and close results with last night taking it to the extreme. With racing of the highest order and a result could have gone any way until the last of the fifteen races the meeting was pure drama. In the end the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions were edged out 47-43 by their local rivals, the Sheffield Tigers.
A large turnout turned out on a pleasant summer’s evening to see which team would claim the league points as both sides push for a high finish in the league table and a chance of picking their opponents in the Young Shield (a competition for sides finishing 5th to 12th in the league). The meeting started with Sheffield quickly racing to a ten-point lead by heat four. Former Scorpion Paul Cooper joined with Joel Parsons for a Tigers’ 5-1 in heat 1 before the visitors’ guest rider Josh Grajczonek, in for the injured Lee Smethills, went from third to first in heat 2 to ensure the Scorpions didn’t close the gap. Emiliano Sanchez rode well to pass Andre Compton in heat 3 but then fell whilst chasing Parsons for the lead and the Scorpions had conceded another 5-1. Grajczonek fought his way from last to first in heat 4 whilst Ben Powell did limit the damage a little by passing Ben Wilson on the last lap. It still meant a 4-2 to the Tigers and they were suddenly ten points up at 17-7.
With Cooper and Compton in heat 5 Team Manager Kenny Smith decided not to use his tactical ride but must have rued it afterwards as Emiliano Sanchez and Magnus Karlsson recorded a 5-1. A further maximum heat win followed in the next race with Viktor Bergström and Richard Hall getting the better of Wilson and Kyle Hughes. The gap was now just two points and three drawn heats followed.
Firstly Joel Parsons had a good race with the Scorpions duo of Byron Bekker and Ben Powell in heat 7 until Bekker fell as Parsons passed him on the inside. Much to the surprise of most present the referee excluded Parsons and the race was awarded as a 3-3. There was more drama in heat 8 as Viktor Bergström led Grajczonek until the Australian collided with the Swede and they both careered through the safety fence. Although Grajczonek was excluded for unfair riding both riders were transported to hospital by ambulance and neither took any further part in proceedings. Later it was revealed that Viktor Bergström had suffered just severe bruising whilst Grajczonek had been unconscious but was allowed to travel home later. In the re-run Paul Cooper, who had been third in the original running, raced away to keep the Tigers two points to the good whilst heat 9 saw the Scorpions split the Tigers for another drawn heat.
The match was finally level after heat 10 when Richard Hall scorched away to victory whilst Ben Powell lost his battle to Joel Parsons after they had virtually been neck and neck for nearly two laps. It still gave the Scorpions a 4-2 and the match was beautifully balanced at 30-30. Sadly the Tigers registered their third and final 5-1 of the night in heat 12 but the Scorpions hit back, with one of their own, through Carl Wilkinson and Richard Hall in heat 13 to tie the match up once again. Hall’s pass of Cooper on the third lap was of the highest order and the heat result certainly gave Scorpions’ fans hope of snatching a victory.
Unfortunately Ben Powell lost another great battle with Parsons in heat 14 whilst Hughes kept Emiliano Sanchez at the back to give the Tigers a 43-41 advantage going into the last race. Unsurprisingly the Scorpions nominated Carl Wilkinson and Richard Hall, the pairing that had done so well just two races earlier whilst Sheffield used Andre Compton and Joel Parsons. The Tigers won the toss for gate positions and they put it to full use by leading from the tapes. With Compton pulling away the Scorpions set about Parsons. Carl Wilkinson exchanged positions with him for a couple of laps before pulling clear but there wasn’t enough time for Richard Hall to join him. It would have been immaterial as Compton won well and for the third time this season the Tigers had edged out the Scorpions on their own track.
After the meeting a disconsolate Rob Godfrey (Scunthorpe Promoter) said “That’s life. We were beaten by the better team and this has seriously hampered our hopes to be in a picking position in the Young Shield. That is so disappointing but we have to pick ourselves up, go to Newcastle and get three points there and look at doing something at either Reading or Sheffield” whilst Carl Wilkinson added “It was a good race meeting, some hard racing but just not the result we wanted. My first couple of rides there was a lot of chopping and changing in the turns. I ended up on the outside in my first ride so I was relegated to last and then in my next one the Sheffield pair did some proper team-riding and boxed me out. We then made a few changes and after a bit of head-scratching we started to make some starts and claw some points back”. When asked about Sunday’s important meeting at Newcastle he added “We’ve got high hopes for Sunday, the whole team has. We went and beat them before and we want to do it again. We want to be in the Young Shield to give us a few extra meetings at the end of the season”.
Meanwhile Ben Powell wasn’t completely happy with top scoring on the night “I was a bit disappointed with one of my heats when we kept getting a restart. It was so dry all the way to the turn that even after three attempts we couldn’t get it right and the last race I was really disappointed to lose to Joel. He and I have had a few big races like that and I was disappointed to lose to him today. We’re starting to get it set-up for when it is slick here at Scunthorpe. The first couple of meetings it was grippy and we got the set-up for that but then it went slick and it took a couple of meetings to get our heads around that. We got a good set-up in my last ride against the Isle of Wight and we started with that tonight. I’m also changing to a JHR frame and I’m sure that will help too.”
“We now go to Newcastle on Sunday. It’s going to be good to go back there. I’ve got all the set-ups written down for that after my stint there earlier in the season. It will be interesting to see the reception we get but we are looking forward to going there. I’ve also got a good sponsor in Newcastle so it will be good to ride for them again”.
SPEEDWAY IS LEFT IN JEOPARDY - GODFREY
By Scunthorpe Telegraph ~ 12 August 2008
SCUNTHORPE speedway continues to be put in 'jeopardy' following another break-in at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Promoter Rob Godfrey has been left questioning the club's future after the latest vandalism attack on Sunday caused around £1,000 of damage. This brings the total amount to £7,200 this summer. With the added expense this season of Premier League racing, Godfrey is not prepared to sustain such losses.
"It's put everything on hold" he said. "I daren't do anything. I daren't think about spending any more money. It's put Scunthorpe Speedway in jeopardy and is continuing to put Scunthorpe Speedway in jeopardy. "I don't know what to do. I just want to shut the door on it. It's just destroying everything.
"There's going to come a time when I just say enough is enough and that time may come sooner rather than later.
"I can't carry on with the way things are and I will not carry on. "I can't carry on being put through what I am being put through.
"I can't think about the future, I've got to think about the present and the present is to try and keep it going." The attacks have also brought a halt to talks with rider Magnus Karlsson. Godfrey had been keen to bring the Swedish star on board as an asset of the club and had opened negotiations with Karlsson, his agent and parent club Wolverhampton.
This would bring the total number of Scorpions assets to four with Byron Bekker, Carl Wilkinson and Viktor Bergstrom already on board. Karlsson himself is keen to sign on and has impressed in his first season at the Eddie Wright Raceway leading the way in the team's averages table with an impressive 8.14. Godfrey admitted that he had a figure in mind to purchase the 26-year-old, but will now have to wait before any deal is completed.
"He's got a figure in his mind and I've got a figure in my mind, but I'm not in a position to deal with him. "I can't commit to anything while this is going on" explained Godfrey. "I can't plan on buying anybody. "Talks had been ongoing since the start of the season but because of everything that's happened, it's put it into jeopardy.
"Had this not been going on then there would probably have been a pot of money for Magnus, but at the moment there's no money for him. I'm not even thinking about him until this other problem has been sorted. This is more important than Magnus Karlsson and anything else at the moment. "I can't talk about buying riders or making the club better. I'm just hoping I can get to the end of the season. "Everything is just getting destroyed.
"This could be Scunthorpe Speedway's last year if things aren't sorted soon."
SCORPIONS EYE TIGERS' REVENGE
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 12th August 2008
The Sheffield Tigers visit the Eddie Wright Raceway this Friday night, 15th August (start time 7.30pm) for what Promoter Rob Godfrey describes as the biggest meeting of the season. “They beat us twice whilst we were finding our feet at the beginning of the season. They spoilt our first home meeting at Premier League level by defeating us and then knocked us out of the cup a few weeks later. However, the league is the most important competition and we’re a much better side than at the start of the season. We have learnt how to get the best out of our own track and we really need to gain revenge on Friday”.
He continued “It’s not going to be easy because none of our home matches are, and the Sheffield riders ride our track so well, but we are so up for Friday. It is the biggest meeting of the season as far as I am concerned and there should be a really big crowd for this one. Sheffield are sure to bring a big following and the atmosphere is going to be electric, both on and off the track. I see they have a decent guest for Lee Smethills, who only got three points last time, in Glasgow’s Josh Grajczonek. He was paid for twenty points last weekend and rider replacement for Ricky Ashworth won’t harm their chances either. Andre Compton, Joel Parsons, Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper are likely to get an extra ride each and they have all scored well on their previous visits”.
“We have Byron Bekker back from his broken collarbone and that is great news. He had a spin after last Friday’s meeting and is due to get some laps in this week. Let’s hope he can pick up where he left off as he was paid for ten points against King’s Lynn and was very unlucky to be excluded from his last race. We seem to have most of the other riders in top form so let’s bring Friday on and see if we can finally put one over Sheffield”.
SCORPIONS SEE OFF ISLANDERS
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 9th August 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions made it six home wins on the trot last night as they came back from eight points down after just two heats to run out 53-40 winners over the Isle of Wight Islanders. The alarm bells were certainly ringing after the Islanders had won the first two races 5-1 but Magnus Karlsson and Emiliano Sanchez cut the gap in half in heat 3 and by heat 6 the Scorpions were in lead, never to be headed again.
Karlsson went on to produce an impeccable maximum whilst Carl Wilkinson produced one of his best displays for the club, dropping just one point to an opponent in five rides. With Richard Hall also winning three races, after he had finished last in heat one, the Scorpions actually had the match tied up with two races to go as the Islanders somewhat failed to live up to their early promise. The Islanders could point to the injury sustained by their Polish rider, Krzysztof Stojanowski, after a coming together with Sanchez in heat nine whilst three engine failures, two of them for number one Jason Bunyan, certainly didn’t help their cause.
Bunyan had certainly looked highly impressive in his first ride as he passed both Hall and Bergström to join the fast-starting James Holder for a 5-1 and when Richard Sweetman held off the late-charging Scorpions debutant, Gary Irving, on the line in heat two it looked like the Scorpions might have to dig deep to avoid their second home league defeat of the season, The nerves were settled by Karlsson and Sanchez’s 5-1 in heat 3 and when Ben Powell somehow held off Sweetman for third in the next the gap had been cut back to just two. The tie was all square after another 4-2 in heat 5 with Sanchez just failing to work his way past both Islanders.
Hall worked hard to overhaul Stojanowksi in heat six before Irving impressed in the next to defeat Glen Phillips. When Bergström and Powell combined for a 4-2 in heat 8 it was the Scorpions sixth heat advantage on the trot as they had turned an eight-point deficit into a six-point lead. The 50/50 call that went against Sanchez in heat 9 produced the only 3-3 of the night in the re-run, but Bergström won an good battle with Paul Fry in heat 10 to join the now-flying Richard Hall for a 5-1. Of course going ten points up meant Bunyan was given a tactical ride in the next race.
Bunyan passed Wilkinson to claim six points for the win whilst Holder rode well to pass Irving for third place. It was a fantastic speedway race and suddenly the gap was back to just five points. However, some fantastic team riding from Magnus Karlsson and Ben Powell in heat 12 ensured a 5-1 over Phillips and Bargh, and after Bunyan ground to a halt in turn two of heat 13 the Scorpions were able to claim another 5-1 and the league points.
After the meeting a delighted Rob Godfrey (Scunthorpe Promoter) said ”It was another good performance. We went down 10-2 but I didn’t panic. I knew we would be okay. We clawed the score back, got on level terms and away we went. Isle of Wight are a good side from number one to number seven and it was always going to be difficult but we won and, for me, the man of the match tonight was Gary Irving. He rode really well on his debut. Byron Bekker has had a run out tonight and it looks like he will be back in the side for the Sheffield match next Friday but Gary acquitted himself very well indeed. As for next week I say “Bring on Sheffield”. It is sure to be a real battle and a cracking atmosphere. We owe them big style and hopefully next Friday we can show them that we are a much better side than back in April.”.
Next Friday’s meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway (15th August, start time 7.30pm) against Sheffield is the next time the Scorpions are in action but this Sunday (10th August, start time 3pm) the Saints Conference League side travel to Derbyshire to face the Buxton Hitmen as they attempt to qualify for the end of season league title playoffs.
BEN GUESTS AGAIN FOR SHEFFIELD
By Ben Powell Racing ~ 6th August 2008
Ben is again guesting for the Sheffield Tigers in tonights meeting against Kings Lynn at the Norfolk Arena in place of the injured Lee Smethills
SCORPIONS DEFEAT SPIRITED BRUMMIES
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 26th July 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions defeated the Birmingham Brummies in another cliff-hanger of a meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night. The Scorpions eventually edged out the visitors 49-44 after a spirited fight back saw the Brummies come from twelve points down and stand a real chance of winning the meeting with two races to go. In the end it was Ben Powell and Emiliano Sanchez who provided a 5-1 in heat 14 to ensure the Scorpions took the league points.
The early heats gave no indication of the dram to follow as the Scorpions reeled off four 5-1 heat wins in the first five races. After two races a piece they looked all but home and dry with Richard Hall, Magnus Karlsson and Emiliano Sanchez all unbeaten by an opponent. However, the Brummies heat leader trio of Jason Lyons, Craig Watson and Kyle Legault all improved as the meeting went on and three consecutive heat advantages in heats 9, 10 and 11 meant the Scorpions were just five points clear with four races to go.
Heat 12 was a great race and perhaps key to the Scorpions winning as Karlsson passed Lyons at the end of the first lap and Ben Powell did the same coming out of the final turn. It gave the Scorpions a welcome 4-2. Another great race saw the charging Richard Hall lose out to Watson on the narrowest of calls in heat 13 and the Brummies were once again within five points. The penultimate heat then saw Ben Powell allowed into the re-start after he fell in the first turn. With his bike bent from the crash he leapt aboard Viktor Bergström’s machine and led the race from beginning to end to combine with Sanchez for the match-winning 5-1.
After the meeting Ben Powell commented on the all-important heat 14 “It’s always good to hear it was important. I didn’t know the scores going into the race. It felt pretty comfortable on the white lines all the way round. We had a tangle up in the first corner and I broke my clutch levers. With the tyre rule I didn’t have time to change it so I just jumped out on Viktor’s. He’s got a different frame to me and I felt pretty comfortable on it, more so than on my own frame so I think in the winter it will be something we will look at changing over”
The next action at the Eddie Wright Raceway, on Friday 1st August (start time 7.30pm), sees the Scunthorpe Saints take on the Sittingbourne Crusaders in a Conference League meeting and admission is free upon production of a voucher from next week’s Scunthorpe Telegraph. Tonight the Scorpions take part in the Premier League Fours event at Workington whilst they are back in action at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, 8th August against the Isle of Wight Islanders (7.30pm start).
Full scorers:
Scunthorpe Scorpions 49 – Richard Hall 10+1 (5 rides), Viktor Bergström 7+1 (4), Magnus Karlsson 11 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 6+3 (4), Carl Wilkinson 6+1 (4), Scott Richardson 1+1 (3), Ben Powell 8 (5)
Birmingham Brummies 44 – Kyle Legault 6 (4 rides), Jack Hargreaves 1 (3), Jason Lyons 13 ( (5 rides, including a six point tactical ride), Lee Smart 0 (3), Craig Watson 9+2 (5), Jack Roberts 9+2 (6), Josh Grajczonek 6 (4)
SCORPIONS GO DOWN FIGHTING
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 24th July 2008
It might not have been an impressive result but the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions were warmly applauded for their efforts at the Norfolk Arena last night as they went down 63-28 to the King’s Lynn Stars. With a very grippy track visiting teams have problems to conditions and large defeats are the order of the day. However, despite this, and some bad luck. the Scorpions stuck to the task and were unlucky not to do better.
The Scorpions’ bad luck started in heat 1 when Carl Wilkinson was excluded for a first bend collision with Shaun Tacey. Wilkinson’s frame was seriously bent and he had to resort to his second bike, which also gave him problems. Another Scorpion in the wars was Magnus Karlsson who was suffering with a heavy cold. He won his first ride but struggled to find the strength to stay on his bike after that.
On the positive side Richard Hall produced a fantastic tactical substitution ride (from fifteen metres) and recorded two more second places including an impressive effort to split the team-riding Rusty Harrison and John Oliver in heat 11. Emiliano Sanchez rode well to pick off Harrison on the run-in to the line in Heat 13 whilst Viktor Bergström quickly learnt the fastest way around the track to pass Oliver in heat 14 and claim the side’s second heat winner. Ben Powell also rode well to pass Simon Lambert in heat 14 and join Bergström on a 4-2.
It might not have added up to much and a 63-28 is certainly not what had been hoped for but Promoter Rob Godfrey put the meeting into perspective “Lots of good teams have come here and been trounced. Edinburgh are the only team not to be beaten out of sight and they came when it had rained and the track had very much slickened off. It was good to see our efforts were appreciated and the score didn’t reflect our efforts. If Carl’s bike hadn’t been bent and Magnus had been 100% we could have had a few more points. Still it’s gone now and we have to concentrate on Friday’s meeting. The Birmingham riders should go well around our track and I think they bring quite a lot of support with them. The weather forecast is great so I think we’re going to have another humdinger of a meeting. I’d urge anyone who hasn’t seen Premier League speedway at Scunthorpe to get down to the Eddie Wright Raceway and come see what they think. I’m sure they won’t be disappointed”. Racing between the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions and the Birmingham Brummies gets under way at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Normanby Road at 7.30pm on Friday night, 25th July.
TOUGH TRIP TO THE STARS?
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 23rd July 2008
Tonight the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions face one of their toughest fixtures of the season when they travel down to King’s Lynn Stars. On their grippy track the Stars have a tendency to defeat their opponents convincingly but Scorpions Promoter Rob Godfrey is going to the fixture with an open mind “I know good sides like Somerset, Workington and Birmingham haven’t done well but we are determined to give it everything and see what happens. We take great pride in our performances and you never know what might happen in speedway”.
The trip is the first for the club without Byron Bekker who is out with a broken collarbone and Boston’s Darren Mallett will deputise whilst there has been a change of plan regarding Friday’s replacement. Gary Irving’s best engine has gone away to be serviced so Scott Richardson will ride. “Scott did well last time he rode for us. He might not have picked up many points but if I remember rightly he held up opponents for a couple of laps and that can be just as valuable. We have a completely new riding order on Friday too with Wilko (Carl Wilkinson) moving from number two to number five. He should benefit from not having his first race until heat four. Viktor (Bergström) will move to partner Richard Hall at number two whilst Emiliano Sanchez swaps to number four to partner Magnus Karlsson. I’m sure they will benefit the side. Birmingham (this Friday’s visitors) are an excellent side and they will come looking to win. They have a top heat leader trio in Jason Lyons, Kyle Legault and Craig Watson whilst Lee Smart, Jack Hargreaves, Jack Roberts and Jamie Birkinshaw have all done well at our track in the past. We will, once again, have to really be on our toes again”.
The full line-ups for this week’s meetings are:
Scunthorpe v King’s Lynn (7.30pm, Wednesday 23rd July) – 1. Richard Hall (England), 2. Carl Wilkinson (England), 3. Magnus Karlsson (Sweden), 4. Viktor Bergström (Sweden), 5. Emiliano Sanchez (Argentina), 6. Ben Powell (Australia), 7. Darren Mallett (Guest –England)
King’s Lynn – 1. Kevin Doolan, 2. Sean Tacey (England), 3. Tomas Topinka (Czech Republic), 4. Simon Lambert (England), 5. Rusty Harrison (Australia), 6. John Oliver (Australia) 7. Kozza Smith (Australia)
Scunthorpe v Birmingham (7.30pm Friday 25th July) – 1. Richard Hall (England), 2. Viktor Bergström (Sweden), 3. Magnus Karlsson (Sweden), 4. Emiliano Sanchez (Argentina), 5. Carl Wilkinson (England), 6. Scott Richardson, 7. Ben Powell (Australia)
Birmingham – 1. Kyle Legault (Canada), 2. Jack Hargreaves (England), 3. Jason Lyons (Australia), 4. Lee Smart (England), 5. Craig Watson (Australia), 6. Jack Roberts (England), 7. James Birkinshaw (England)
Fixture change:
The Scorpions have managed to slot in the home meeting against the Stoke Potters. They will visit the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday 29th August whilst the fixture against the Rye House Rockets has been moved to Friday 12th September. Both meetings will start at 7.30pm.
SCORPIONS CLAIM 'VIKTORY' OVER STARS
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 19th July 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions defeated the high-flying King’s Lynn Stars 46-43 in a cliff-hanger of a meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night. Top scorer for the Scorpions was Swedish rider, Viktor Bergström, with twelve points and he recorded the race win in heat 14 that all but secured the win. However, with the King’s Lynn side providing first past the post in nine of the fifteen races the win required a real team effort.
With the Stars having such a strong top pairing, in Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka, the Scorpions had to exploit the six races where neither appeared and in five of them they recorded heat advantages, three by a maximum 5-1. The loss was a serious dent in the Stars title aspirations whilst the Scorpions climb back to sixth in the table and retain their outside chance of making the end-of-season promotion playoffs.
The meeting certainly started in the worst possible way for the Scorpions when Sean Tacey followed Doolan home for a 5-1 in the first race. Then, after a thrice run reserve’s race which saw riders struggling with the wet track, the Stars recorded another heat advantage in heat 3. The nerves were settled with the first 5-1 for the Scorpions in Heat 4 from Emiliano Sanchez and Byron Bekker and another, two races later, from Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson gave them the lead for the first time. Sanchez was very close to lowering Topinka’s colours in heat 7 but the Czech rider got the call on the line. In the following heat Carl Wilkinson disagreed with the referee’s decision that he had been pipped on the line by the Star’s Kozza Smith but the Scorpions recorded their third 5-1 in heat nine, from Viktor Bergström and Magnus Karlsson to open up a six-point lead.
Topinka and Simon Lambert claimed their third 4-2 for the Stars in heat 10 before Sanchez produced, arguably the ride of the night, to keep Doolan at bay and keep the gap at four points. Topinka and Doolan recorded wins in the next two races but with the Scorpions filling the minor places the gap was still four with two races to go. With the Star’s top pairing looking like claiming a 5-1 in heat 15 the Scorpions required a heat advantage in heat 14 but disaster struck at the end of the first lap when Bekker and Smith came together and crashed heavily. Bekker’s exclusion light came on and the chances for a Scunthorpe victory looked slim. In the re-run Bergström just had the advantage over Smith but the young Australian was determined, perhaps too determined, to reclaim the lead and he ended up crashing at the start of the second lap. He was quickly to his feet but with him unable to re-start his bike the Scorpions claimed a 3-2 and it meant only a finisher was required in heat 15 to complete victory. Despite that Bergström wasn’t going to settle for third behind Doolan and Topinka and on the third lap he forced his way past Topinka to prevent him going home with a maximum.
After the meeting promoter Rob Godfrey was “We knew it was always going to be extremely difficult meeting but it was a great tonic after the week we have had with. With the two break-ins and last week’s rain-off we needed something good to happen and tonight was a fantastic meeting. I believe King’s Lynn came here expecting to win but a great team performance, all the way through, ensured we claimed the points”. The Scorpions are in action again at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday night, 25th July (start time back to the usual 7.30pm), against the Birmingham Brummies, another side with a powerful heat leader trio. Their line-up contains Australians Jason Lyons and Craig Watson along with Canadian Kyle Legault who used to ride for the Sheffield Tigers.
STARS SET TO PROVE STIFF TEST FOR SCORPIONS
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 11th July 2008
Tonight the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions are set to face one of their stiffest tests on home shale when second-placed King’s Lynn Stars visit the Eddie Wright Raceway for a Premier League clash. The Stars have already won three away meetings and drawn two others this season and are spearheaded by two of the league’s top eight riders, Australian Kevin Doolan and Czech rider Tomas Topinka.
Doolan was a big hit in the Elite League with Belle Vue last season and it was a surprise to many that the 27-year old dropped down to the Premier League to be with the Stars again this season. He currently sits third in the league averages, just behind Workington’s Daniel Nermark and Somerset’s Jason Doyle. Topinka has already visited the Eddie Wright Raceway and racked up 18 points as a guest for Newcastle back in May.
For once it will be the Scorpions who have to utilise a guest tomorrow with Peterborough’s Henning Bager stepping in to cover for Magnus Karlsson who is back home in Sweden with his partner who suffered a miscarriage last weekend. Bager put up an impressive performance as a guest for Berwick at the Eddie Wright Raceway last weekend and Promoter Rob Godfrey believes his side can claim the league points “I’m sure King’s Lynn will come looking for the win but so did Somerset and Workington. It going to be a phenomenal meeting, that’s for sure, but I believe our lads can win it. If there is anyone who hasn’t seen speedway on our track then I’d urge them to come along to tonight’s meeting. It is almost certainly going to be a classic”
SWITCH HAS HELPED POWELL FIND HIS SPARKLE
By Scunthorpe Telegraph ~ 9th July 2008
AFTER losing his shine as a Diamond, Ben Powell believes he has rediscovered his sparkle as a Scorpion. Stepping in to replace Benji Compton and switching to Scunthorpe has been a good move according to the 23-year-old. Powell has scored 39 points over eight meetings for the Scorpions, helping to rebuild his confidence following a disappointing opening to the campaign with Newcastle.
"I was struggling at the start of the season" he admitted. "My confidence was getting a bit low with Newcastle, but I'm confident I can beat anyone here (at Scunthorpe). "I'm really confident of winning races here with the Scorpions. The track suits me." A change in scenery seems to have done the Australian good as he noted the differences between the Eddie Wright Raceway and his former club's track. "The corners at Newcastle are a lot harder and it's a bit dirtier as well" he said. "The whole type of track is different, but steering-wise it's not that much of a change."
And after just over a month, Powell now feels at home in North Lincolnshire. "It's been going pretty good. I'm settling in and adapting to the track" he added. "We've just had some engine work done and this engine suited the track better last Friday (a 52-41 victory against Berwick). "I know what the track is going to be like. We're still fine-tuning a few things, but I'm pretty happy with the bike."
The Scunthorpe reserve is also happy with the team spirit in the Scorpions' camp.
In only his first ride against the Bandits last week, Powell suffered machine difficulties just after the two minute call.Up stepped captain Richard Hall to the rescue, supplying his team-mate with his own bike. "It was great of Richard" said Powell. "It's the same with the rest of the team, if anybody's having trouble, the other riders will help. "It's great. It's good to know the support is there, I get on really well with most of the riders. I've been with a few of them before at previous teams, so that helps."
SCORPIONS TAKE ON ISLANDERS
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 8th July 2008
Tonight the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions travel to the south coast to take on the Isle of Wight Islanders in Premier League action. The Islanders’ side are seventh in the league, just one place behind the Scorpions but the Scorpions will be without their leading rider, Magnus Karlsson, who is back home in Sweden on compassionate leave.
The rider replacement facility will operate for Karlsson tonight whilst on Friday, 11th July, when the powerful King’s Lynn Stars visit the Eddie Wright Raceway; the Scorpions will use Henning Bager as a guest rider after his impressive performance against the Scorpions for Berwick last weekend.
The Stars side have arguably the best spearhead in the league with Tomas Topinka and Kevin Doolan leading their side whilst further down their order they have two riders who have a lot of experience of the Scunthorpe track, Simon Lambert and John Oliver, who were regularly a thorn in the Scorpions’ side during their time in the Conference League. Friday’s meeting starts at the usual time of 7.30pm.
BANDITS SENT PACKING
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 5th July 2008
The Berwick Bandits were sent packing by the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions after another scintillating night of speedway at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night. With just three points separating the sides with three races to go the meeting looked set for a last heat decider but a 5-1 for Richard Hall and Emiliano Sanchez in heat 13 was followed by a heat win for Viktor Bergström and the Scorpions had secured the league points with a race to go.
With the visiting Bandits side taking a liking to the track the first nine races saw nine different heat winners, four of them Bandits, and not one 5-1 either way. Six drawn heats were interspersed with 4-2s to the Scorpions in heats 2, 5 and 8 but heat 10 saw four riders who had already won a heat go head to head. It was the Scorpions’ Captain Richard Hall who became the first rider to win two races and he went on to take the chequered flag on four occasions. Carl Wilkinson followed Hall home and the Scorpions had suddenly opened up a ten point gap.
Unsurprisingly the Bandits’ guest rider, Henning Bager, was given a tactical ride (for double points) in the next race and at the second time of asking he claimed six points for the win. At the first attempt Emiliano Sanchez had passed Bager but Powell fell whilst trying to round Bager on turn three and the race had to be re-run. It halved the gap to five and in the next race the Bandits cut that to three with a 4-2 from Michal Makovsky and Paul Clews.
Thankfully, the Bandits didn’t get any closer and the win ensured the Scorpions stayed ahead of Berwick in sixth place. Once again it was a solid team performance with every rider contributing. Richard Hall was in exceptional form after his first ride and his last bend pass of Norbert Magosi in heat 6 was quite incredible after four laps working over the Hungarian rider. Viktor Bergström produced a similarly breath-taking move in heat 14 before winning a great battle with Michal Makovsky in the nominated riders’ race. Emiliano Sanchez had some great battles with Henning Bager. He was ahead of him in heat 11 before the race was stopped and he just failed to work his way past the Dane in the re-run. Then in heat 13 he re-passed Bager on the line after the Peterborough rider had managed to claim second place after starting fifteen metres back for breaking the tapes.
Carl Wilkinson dropped just one point in the three races he finished whilst Magnus Karlsson, Ben Powell and Byron Bekker all chipped in with useful contributions. After the meeting Viktor Bergström said “I was a bit better today. Definitely at the end of the meeting I was going well. I didn’t make the starts but I was passing well. I’m getting more comfortable with the tracks in England and the engines are going really, really well now. At the beginning of the season I wasn’t going fast or having the starts but my starts have improved. They’re not the best but at least I’m there going into the first corner with the others. For my last two races tonight my bike was set up for the inside but I found myself going on the outside. It was pretty scary but you have to keep your throttle on. It’s better to risk crashing quickly than to definitely crash going a bit slower”
Promoter Rob Godfrey was understandably upbeat, proclaiming “That was entertainment with a capital ‘E’. If you want entertaining come here because we haven’t had a bad meeting all year. The crowds are increasing and it’s because the racing here is out of this world. Some people think speedway is first out the gate but at the Eddie Wright Raceway you are guaranteed great racing”.The Scorpions are next in action on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday night before taking on the high-flying King’s Lynn Stars at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday, 11th July (start time 7.30pm). Before then the Conference League Saints side travel to Kent on Sunday morning to take on the Sittingbourne Crusaders (12pm start).
SCORPIONS MISS OUT AT REDCAR
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 4th July 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions were looking for an away win at Redcar last night but they came back disappointed after going down 50-40. The Scorpions did lead 25-23 after eight races but a 5-1 heat advantage in heat 9 was followed up by another in heat 13 and the Bears were all but home and dry. Leading the scoring for the Scorpions was Magnus Karlsson who scored eight points.
The meeting opened with four consecutive drawn heats but it was the Scorpions who opened the deadlock with a 4-2 from Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson in heat 5. Unfortunately in the next race Emiliano Sanchez was excluded after falling in the first bend and the Bears turned things around with a 5-1 from Gary Havelock and former Scorpion James Cockle.
Viktor Bergström and Magnus Karlsson combined for a 4-2 over Ty Proctor in heat 7 and when Carl Wilkinson defeated the young Aussie in the next race the Scorpions were back in the lead. However, after two pointless outings another former Scorpion, Josh Auty, combined with James Grieves, who had to start from the fifteen metre mark because of ploughing through the tapes, for a 5-1 to take the Bears into a two point lead.
Try as they might the Scorpions couldn’t claim a heat advantage and in the end the Bears pulled away to claim the league points. After the meeting Team Manager Kenny Smith said “It was a fairly good meeting and I thought we were going to do it at one stage. Poor old Byron (Bekker) has got some clutch problems and he also blew up Rob’s (Promoter Rob Godfrey) engine. Emiliano got caught up in the first turn and could have been invited back into the re-run but the lads were all trying. We’re just looking forward to tomorrow now. Berwick have got Peterborough’s Henning Bager in for Adrian Rymel as their number one but I think we’ll be okay”.Tonight’s meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway is a Premier League clash against the Berwick Bandits. The Bandits sit just two places and two points below the Scorpions in the league table with racing starting at 7.30pm
HALL ECLIPSES WOFFINDEN'S RECORD
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 21st June 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions saw off a valiant challenge from the Mildenhall Fen Tigers last night at the Eddie Wright Raceway, finally coming through 48-42 victors with a last heat decider courtesy of a 4-2 heat win from Magnus Karlsson and Richard Hall. The meeting also saw Tai Woffinden’s track record beaten by club captain Hall with the new mark set at 56.90 seconds for four laps.
Whilst heat one saw Hall break the track record the Scorpions were behind after Byron Bekker fell in heat 2, and although they briefly edged ahead after heat 8, the Fen Tigers still led after eleven races. However, Karlsson and Bekker combined for just the Scorpions second heat advantage, a 4-2, in heat 12 before debutant Emiliano Sanchez and Karlsson combined for a 5-1 in the next race to finally open up a four-point gap. After the penultimate race was drawn it still left the Scorpions needing two points from the last race to claim the two league points.
In a race in which all four riders could have been covered by a blanket from beginning to end the Scorpions’ duo of Karlsson and Hall just managed to keep the Mildenhall pairing of Kaj Laukkanen and Tomas Suchanek at bay to claim the league points that have propelled the club back into seventh position in the Premier League.
After the meeting Emiliano Sanchez commented on his debut for the Scorpions by saying “I got a bit nervous, having a slow start and not finding the required set-up. It the end it worked okay but I try and improve my score every single match. Mildenhall are not the strongest opposition but at the end of the day it was a very competitive match and I’m really looking forward to going to Rye House and Mildenhall”. Skipper Richard Hall added “I thought Kenny (Kenny Smith – the Scorpions’ Team Manager) said we needed better than a 3-3 in the last race so I just kept going and I managed to get him (Tomas Suchanek) on the line” and when asked about the track record Hall said “I didn’t think I was fast at all. I know Tai’s fast round here but he’ll just have to go a bit faster now”.
The Scorpions travel to Rye House tonight (start 7pm) to take on Tai Woffinden’s Rye House Rockets side before the return fixture against the Fen Tigers takes place at Mildenhall on Sunday afternoon (start 4.30pm). With the Premier League Pairs event and the British Grand Prix next weekend the Scorpions have a week off and return to action at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday 4th July when the Berwick Bandits are the visitors (start time 7.30pm).
SCORPIONS EYE BIG WEEKEND
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 19th June 2008
Many people would expect the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions to concentrate on defeating the Mildenhall Fen Tigers twice this weekend but there is a real desire within the side to go to Rye House on Saturday night and cause an upset against former Scorpion Tai Woffinden and his team-mates. Promoter Rob Godfrey acknowledges Mildenhall must not be under-estimated and the side’s initial focus will be to ensure that the Fen Tigers go home empty-handed from the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday night.
“Mildenhall have defeated King’s Lynn this season and we don’t want to be the next team to come unstuck against them. Somebody will be and we have to ensure it isn’t us. Kaj Laukkanen and Robbie Kessler are an experienced top pair and their Dane, Jan Graversen, has done well. Mark Baseby has previously shown a liking for our track but hopefully we can see them off on Friday night and perhaps go down to Suffolk on Sunday and nick the points there too. It would be great to have five league points this weekend but we shouldn’t take Mildenhall for granted or they will bite us on the bum.”
Between the two Mildenhall meetings the Scorpions visit the reigning league champions, Rye House, on Saturday night and Godfrey continued “We aren’t giving up on the match at Rye House though, far from it. The team are really keen to go down there and take the league points. It would be a great effort as the Rockets hardly ever lose on their own track (just twice in four and a half seasons) but the boys definitely feel they can go down there and win”.
The Rockets will be led by former Scorpion Tai Woffinden and it will be the first time the Scunthorpe-born British Under-21 Champion will have faced the Scorpions. He is joined in by Chris Neath, Tommy Allen and Luke Bowen from the 2007 title-winning side but a fifth member, Stefan Ekberg, broke his collarbone in Sweden on Tuesday night and the Rockets are expected to operate rider-replacement for the Swede. Two Conference League stars, in Danny Betson and Robert Mear, stepped up to join the Rockets over the winter and both have acquitted themselves well in their debut season.
The Mildenhall side that prove the opposition at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday night (start time 7.30pm) and in Suffolk on Sunday (start time 4.30pm) are led by the experienced former Grand Prix rider Kaj Laukkanen and German Robbie Kessler. Kessler did ride in Wayne Carter’s Farewell Meeting last season whilst Mark Baseby, the Sittingbourne Conference League rider, is the other visitor to have ridden the Eddie Wright Raceway. The club have Dane Jan Graversen who is performing well in his first British League season whilst Pole Michal Rajkowski is looking to regain his 2007 form after starting the season with Belle Vue in the Elite League. With rider replacement likely to be used, for the injured Jari Makinen, German Henning Loof is the final member of the side, joining Baseby at reserve.
MAGNUS MAGNIFICENT IN FIRST AWAY VICTORY
By Scunthorpe Telegraph ~ 9th June 2008
THE Scorpions claimed three valuable league points last night as they registered their first away win in the Premier League. The 47-43 victory at Stoke, in which a Scorpions' rider won an impressive 11 of the 15 races, sees the side move up to seventh place and just one point from the playoff positions. With Andrew Moore ruled out with a back injury, the Scorpions operated rider replacement and Stoke had two guest riders in place. Birmingham's Craig Watson came in for the injured Lee Complin whilst Edinburgh's Ryan Fisher stood in for Ben Barker who was away on international duty.
The meeting started with a 5-1 for Stoke but the Scorpions' super Swedes, Viktor Bergstrom and Magnus Karlsson, soon evened things up in heat three. Bergstrom took the first rider replacement ride and he combined with Byron Bekker for a surprise 5-1 in heat four. Stoke then regained the lead in heat six but Karlsson and Bergstrom claimed two more heat advantages, a 4-2 in heat seven and a 5-1 three races later. It put the Scorpions back in the lead (31-29) and the rest of the meeting saw them finish first past the post in each race.
Carl Wilkinson, who had struggled in his first two rides, came out with a heat eight victory which he then followed that up with two comprehensive victories in heats 11 and 13. With Karlsson winning two more races and Bergstrom heat 14 it left the Potters having to settle for the minor places and there was no way back for the home side. Like Byron Bekker, new signing Ben Powell made a useful contribution from reserve but it looked like he was going to have a spell on the sidelines after nasty crash in heat 12. Ryan Fisher, Jesper Kristiansen and Powell all made contact in the first turn and the latter two hit the deck. Powell actually flew through the air and landed very heavily but it was a great relief to see the young Aussie eventually make his own way back to the pits.
After the meeting, Karlsson (pictured right) admitted his delight with his first ever paid maximum in Scorpions' colours. He said: "It was very good. Only Viktor beat me so you can't ask for anything more. I'm enjoying this season a lot and with no more engine problems it's starting to go better." Scorpions number two Carl Wilkinson added: "I started off slow but we made drastic changes after two rides and it was either going to work or be carnage "Thankfully we guessed right, it worked and I got a good score in the end."
Friday sees the Scorpions back in action at the Eddie Wright Raceway hoping to do the double over Stoke (7.30pm start).
SCORPIONS POWELL UP FOR STORMING VICTORY
By Scunthorpe Telegraph ~ 7th June 2008
BEN Powell quickly endeared himself to Scunthorpe fans with some terrific racing as the Scorpions pulled off a great comeback to beat Redcar 52-41. New to the Eddie Wright Raceway, Powell made a slow start but effectively scored the points which swung the meeting the home side's way. A large travelling contingent turned up at Normanby Road sporting fancy dress wigs and there was certainly some hair-raising moments as the Scorpions gradually chipped away at their visitors.
They needed to find inspiration from somewhere after struggling in the early stages and it came in the form of super Swedish pairing Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom. The duo's 4-2 heat advantage in the third race acted as a turning point after Redcar had taken an early lead. It was a welcome return for the recently injured Bergstrom who demonstrated terrific form in a fine meeting which yielded nine points.
Together with his fellow countryman, he provided Scunthorpe's first 5-1 in heat five to bring the scores level. Richard Hall ensured it remained that way as he stalked former Scorpion Josh Auty all the way in heat six before pouncing in the final lap to take first place. After a debut race to forget - machine problems getting in the way - Powell quickly made amends seven heats in. The Aussie gates well and given time will eventually get the measure of the Scunthorpe track.
The potential was clear for all to see as he fought off James Grieves to take the flag and turn the pendulum in the Scorpions' favour for the first time. Combining with Andy Moore for a heat advantage, this paved the way for a hat-trick of home 5-1s. The sequence was brought to a shuddering halt when Moore's meeting came to an unfortunate end.
The Scorpion suffered a nasty-looking crash under pressure from Gary Havelock on the fourth turn, excluding him from race 11 and ruling him out of the rest of the meeting with a back injury. Powell was left to fight alone.
Hopes were not high given that he was up against a man on form and in a black-and-white helmet in Havelock and a man with inside knowledge in Auty. Powell was left trailing at the back but, showing the sort of determination which marks him out as a true Scorpion, he refused to give up and battled past Auty.
Nevertheless, the gap had been closed to a nerve-wracking nine points which became seven when Grieves and Auty combined for a heat advantage in race 12. Again Powell came to the rescue. Hall took the glory by finishing ahead of his team-mate, though not Havelock, but it was the new boy who stole the show. A determined ride saw him almost catch Havelock and beat off Ty Proctor to see the points shared.
Clearly on a roll, the former Newcastle man put on a fine show in the penultimate race to finish ahead of the pack and lead a chorus of 'catch us if you can' alongside Bergstrom. The finale finished all-square with Havelock proving too fast for Hall and Karlsson. But it mattered little. Scunthorpe have the points and a new star in their midst.
SCUNTHORPE: Richard Hall 10; Carl Wilkinson 7+1; Magnus Karlsson 10+1; Viktor Bergstrom 9+3; Andy Moore 2+1; Ben Powell 9+1; Byron Bekker 5+1.
REDCAR: Gary Havelock 15; James Grieves 8; Joni Keskinen 0; Ty Proctor 5; Josh Auty 7; Arlo Bugeja 4; Adam McKinna 2.
SCORPIONS MOVE INTO TOP HALF
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 6th June 2008
The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions defeated the Redcar Bears 52-41 at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night and for the first time they moved into the top half of the Premier League. The meeting saw the debut of Australian Ben Powell and he thrilled the crowds with some breathtaking racing within inches of the boards but the star in an excellent team performance was Swede Viktor Bergström who was undefeated by a Bears rider.
The opening salvos in the meeting went the way of Redcar and after two heats the visitors were already six points to the good. With the Bears fielding a potent spearhead, in former World Champion Gary Havelock and Scotland’s number one rider James Grieves, along with two riders, Josh Auty and Tyron Proctor, with an excellent pedigree around the Eddie Wright Raceway, there was an ominous feel about proceedings. However, the Scorpions Swedish duo, Viktor Bergström and Magnus Karlsson, pulled things back with a 4-2 in heat 3 and tied things up with a 5-1 two races later.
After a fall in his first ride Ben Powell got to grips with the track in heat 7 and lead home James Grieves before the Scorpions rattled in three 5-1s in three races. Byron Bekker kept out former-Scorpion Josh Auty to join Carl Wilkinson for a the first in heat 8 before Viktor Bergström had to fend off Tyron Proctor on the last bend of heat 9 to once again combine for maximum points with Magnus Karlsson.
Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson made it look easy when defeating James Grieves and Joni Keskinen in heat 10 but the Bears then gave their Captain, Gary Havelock, a tactical ride for double points. In the first running Andrew Moore was leading Havelock but slid off on turn four. He hurt his back and after medical treatment had to withdraw from the meeting. In the re-run Ben Powell produced an incredible fence scraping ride to split the Bears and prevent an 8-1 heat score and the debutant went on to provide more of the same in heats 13 & 14. Heat 14 was the race where the Scorpions clinched victory and it also gave Viktor Bergström his first maximum in British speedway. He did it the hard way by following Powell past one of the masters of the Scunthorpe track, Josh Auty, and afterwards confirmed his delight “I’ve a newly tuned engine and it goes well on this track. It feels good to score a maximum and to be at number four. It’s not that big a change to move up from number six because at six there was always a lot of pressure to score heat wins. I’m feeling confident about tomorrow. Hopefully I can score a few and we can get a win”.
After the meeting debutant Ben Powell declared himself happy with his first night in a Scorpions’ race jacket “I was a bit worried about the first race. I had that crash and thought “here we go” but after a couple of races the dirt came out and I was able to use that to my advantage. I don’t think I actually hit the fence but there wasn’t much more than a few millimetres gap. If that’s the fastest way round the track then that’s where you’ve got to be and if you’re scared of being next to the fence you shouldn’t be really in the sport should you. It was good to hear that the fans found me entertaining. That makes me happy because that’s what the riders are here to do, entertain the crowd. I think some riders forget that sometimes but that is definitely what I am here to do.”
The Scorpions travel to Stoke tomorrow night hoping to move further up the league table by securing their first away win of the league campaign. Powell, who lives in the Stoke area, feels the Scorpions can do well “Stoke is somewhere I’m generally pretty confident of going to. I’ve been going a few years and go well there. I only live three or four miles away from the track so we’ll still be at home when the others are sat in their vans”. Tomorrow’s meeting at Stoke starts at 7.30pm whilst the next action at the Eddie Wright Raceway sees Stoke in the return fixture next Friday night (13th June, start time 7.30pm).
BEN HAS BIG AMBITIONS
By Scuthorpe Telegraph ~ 6th June 2008
HE MAY have arrived in the flat-lands of North Lincolnshire, but Ben Powell is aiming for the clouds. Scunthorpe Scorpions' newest signing has big ambitions for his time at the Eddie Wright Raceway. The 23-year-old joined Kenny Smith's team from Newcastle Diamonds this week and will make his debut against Redcar Bears tonight (7.30pm).
"This is a chance for me to start afresh now and score some big points" he said. "I should be able to put another couple of points on my average by the end of the season. "It's a big ask but it's better to reach for the clouds. "I've been racing in the Premier League for the last few years and doubled my average, so I've still got to aim high.
"I'm still learning. I'm not going to say that I'll win everything, but I'm going very well. "I believe Scunthorpe have a very good team now. There's no reason why we can't go forward and be in the play-offs by the end of the season." The accomplished Aussie has just finished a 28-day ban, issued following a disagreement with the Diamonds promotion over a missed meeting.
Since moving to England and joining Sheffield in 2002, Powell has travelled across the country, serving time with various clubs at both Conference and Premier League level, including Rye House and Boston. He feels that joining Scunthorpe will be perfect for his development. "I've known Rob Godfrey and the promotion at Scunthorpe for quite a few years" he said. "All the little things just added up. Right now it seems to be the right decision for me. "I'm looking forward to going there and getting some points.
"The track is quite good but the main thing was the development of the place. Every time I go there something new seems to have been done. "As long as that continues everything should be fine." Powell will take the place of Benji Compton at reserve, a switch from his place at four for the Diamonds. Victor Bergstrom will move back into the main body of the team. "At six or seven there isn't as much pressure as at two or four. Apart from that it doesn't make much difference really" he said. "I'm happy that I'm at number six. It gives me the couple of meetings I need to learn the track. "At two you have to win the races because the team need your points. "There's not as much pressure to win at six, but there will be the pressure which I put on myself."
FULL STRENGTH SCORPIONS LOOK TO CLIMB TABLE
By Scunthorpe Speedway ~ 5th June 2008
Viktor Bergström will return to the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions’ side this weekend and with new signing, Ben Powell, making his bow for the club there is real optimism that five league points can be collected to propel the club towards the playoff places. The Scorpions, as usual, start the weekend at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday night (7.30pm) when they take on the Redcar Bears before Saturday night (7.30pm) sees them cross the Pennines to take on the Stoke Potters.
The Scorpions dropped points in the corresponding Premier Trophy fixtures but Co-promoter and Team Manager, Kenny Smith, feels his side have significantly improved since then “The team have got to grips with our track now and riders like Viktor (Bergström) and Byron (Bekker) have improved no end since Redcar’s last visit. Of course Redcar have a great top two, in Gary Havelock plus James Grieves, and we all know what Ty Proctor and Josh Auty can do on our track. Proctor and Josh certainly don’t know when to give up and the meeting has all the makings of an absolute cracker. I hope that with the fans right behind us the side can put one over on my old mate Brian Havelock and collect the league points.”
“Then on Saturday we have a real chance of claiming an away win. The Potters are without Lee Complin but they can draft in a guest. They also have Ben Barker and Emiliano Sanchez plus the Dane (Jesper Kristiansen) as a trump card at reserve. However, we are strong from number one to number seven and if we can lower the colours of their top riders a few times then we can win that one too. It’s going to be a tough weekend but if we ride close to our best we can win both meetings and move quite a few places up the league table”.
With the new green sheet averages taking effect the Scorpions side will see Richard Hall move up to the number one position whilst Andrew Moore takes Hall’s number five jacket. Viktor Bergström will return to number four, allowing the club’s new signing, 23-year old Australian Ben Powell, to slot in at reserve.
POWELL IS NEW SIGNING
By Scunthorpe Telegraph ~ 3rd June 2008
SCUNTHORPE Scorpions were today unveiling young Aussie ace Ben Powell as their new signing. The 23-year-old rider will make his debut in Friday night's home meeting against Redcar. Powell has just served a one month ban after a fall-out with the management at Premier League rivals Newcastle.
He will ride at reserve for the Scorpions, with Viktor Bergstrom returning to the main body of the team. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey has been searching for the past two weeks for a replacement for Benji Compton, who was axed from the squad after a series of low scores. He was linked with Powell early on in that search - but also chased Elite League Peterborough's Danish star Henrik Mollor.
Mollor moved up to the top flight this season as second reserve for Peterborough after spells with both Edinburgh and Birmingham. "We spoke on the telephone with Henrik but could not reach an agreement" said Godfrey. "He wanted to join us for 28 days - and we wanted him to commit for the rest of the season "In the end he decided to take a break from speedway here."
Godfrey was more than happy then to switch back to Powell. "A number of clubs were interested in signing Ben - but we have managed to get him" said the Scunthorpe promoter. "He has not ridden enough meetings at Premier League level to have a 2008 average. "So he comes here on a rating of 4.38 - and that will mean he starts out as a reserve, which will help him settle in. "We have an exciting squad of riders here at the Eddie Wright Raceway - and Ben will add to that. "He too is an exciting rider who gives 110 per cent every time he races.
"I am sure he will settle down quickly at Normanby Road and he is the type of rider who will also help us score well away." Born on the Gold Coast, Powell has ridden twice for Young Australia. Since coming over to England he has also had spells at Sheffield, Boston, Covcntry and Rye House, before joining Newcastle at the start of this season. Godfrey insists that Powell will be Scunthorpe's last new signing during this, their first season in the Premier League.
BEN SIGNS FOR SCUNTHORPE
By Ben Powell Racing ~ 3rd June 2008
Ben has signed for the Scunthorpe Scorpions for the Rest of the 2008 Premier League season, he makes his home debut at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday against the Redcar Bears
Full Story to Follow
BEN POWELL RACING STATEMENT
By Ben Powell Racing ~ 5th May 2008
Having had time to reflect on yesterdays events and today's news stories in various media outlets, Ben Powell Racing would like to clarify the events which led upto Ben not been able to race at Glasgow yesterday. As you are already aware Ben's van suffered a cambelt failure whilst en route to Berwick on Saturday 27th April. Since then Ben has borrowed vans from friends to enable him to get to meetings for Newcastle, Bens van was expected to be fixed and ready for use for this weekends meetings at Glasgow and Newcastle but late on Friday he was informed that it wouldn't be the case. Ben informed the Newcastle promotion of this after he had tried to hire a van himself but failed due to his age and the number of points on his driving licence.
Ben heard nothing from the Newcastle promotion until 10.30pm on Saturday night when Darren Bond contacted Ben and basically said he was "blackmailing them and was pathetic and didnt care about riding". At no time did Newcastle offer Ben a hire van like they have claimed in their various press releases. Ben was contacted again by the promotion on Sunday morning and told to hire one but he informed them he couldn't due to his age and licence situation. Ben was then informed that if he didn't turn up at Glasgow he would get a twenty eight day ban for withholding his services, since Sunday morning no one from Newcastle have been in contacted with Ben. His mechanics have assured him his van will be fixed by Wednesday.
BPR STATEMENT
By Ben Powell Racing ~ 4th May 2008
It is with deep regret that I was unable to ride for the Diamonds at Glasgow Today. My van suffered a cam belt snap and is still being worked on. Once I realised I was unable to use it I notified Newcastle of the problem on Friday 2nd May. I tried to hire one big enough but was unable to. Since my vehicle has been off the road, I have attended meetings through the help of friends and have never withheld my services to Newcastle Speedway. I was told that we (BPR) were "pathetic and did not care about racing" when I explained the situation to Newcastle, at which I decided it was not in our best interests to ride this weekend
Ben
FORMER DIAMOND SET TO SPARKLE
By Evening Chronicle 3rd May 2008
GLASGOW’S Ross Brady will be the latest in a bunch of ex-Newcastle riders to pose a severe threat to the current Diamonds when the sides meet twice in as many days this weekend. Brady was sacked in August last year, ironically at the end of a night when he scored a match-winning eight points in a Newcastle victory at Edinburgh and now he has dropped to reserve for Glasgow, Brady could play an important part as the Tigers, like the Diamonds, go hunting their first Premier League points of the season.
Other former Byker favourites have been in form against Newcastle, most recently. Andre Compton who notched a 15-point maximum for Sheffield on Thursday. Somerset’s Brent Werner weighed in with nine in helping the Rebels to a draw at Newcastle Stadium last Sunday, while Carl Wilkinson and Richard Hall were big hitters as Scunthorpe completed a Premier Trophy double over the Diamonds last month.
Newcastle team manager George English said: “Every match we race we seem to come across one of our former riders and they all seem to want to prove a point. I’m sure Ross will be no exception and we know how good he can be. “However, I was most encouraged by our display at Sheffield, despite the defeat, and I think supporters of both Glasgow and Newcastle will see two cracking matches.” Glasgow boss Stewart Dickson accused his side of turning in a gutless performance last Sunday after they were thrashed at home by Edinburgh 34–58, and has warned any repetition will lead to changes being made.
Newcastle still track a six-man team in the absence of George Stancl. The Czech would have been a key figure against his parent club as he knows the Ashfield track so well. English added: “If we had George in the side, I would have been thinking about possibly beating the Tigers home and away and picking up five points. We just have to get on with it and hope our other riders rise to the challenge.” Monday’s match at Byker starts at 7pm.
DIAMONDS STARS RETURN DELAYED AFTER SETBACK
By Evening Chronicle ~ 2nd May 2008
NEWCASTLE star George Stancl will miss at least the next four matches as his proposed practice session was aborted at the last minute yesterday and to round off a miserable day for the Tyneside outfit, the Sapphire Engineering-backed Diamonds were beaten 59-33 at Sheffield in a Premier Trophy match, a result that sent the Tigers through to the semi-finals.
The about-turn in Stancls plans came when he decided to travel to Ipswich and consult Brian Simpson, a specialist in speedway injuries who, with his use of laser equipment, has helped many a rider return to the track much earlier than expected. Stancl, suffering from the effects of a broken collarbone and a dislocated shoulder, had some treatment while he was there, but his idea of riding a few laps at Sheffield last night was firmly knocked on the head by Simpson.
It now seems the earliest possible date for Stancl to get back on a bike will be May 11, when a junior championship meeting is scheduled for Newcastle Stadium. The Diamonds were due to race a Premier League match at Newport that day but, following the death of promoter Tim Stone, the Welsh clubs immediate future has been put on hold and Newcastles visit postponed. At Owlerton Stadium last night, it was a familiar story of a comfortable Sheffield victory, though Newcastle team manager George English was pleased with his sides efforts.
He said: I thought we were competitive all the way through and rode very well, and with a bit of luck we could have had around 39 or 40 points. We were looking good for a 5-1 in the opening race, which would have really rocked them, when Ben Powells carburettor came adrift, and we shared the points in four of the first six heats to be trailing by just four at 20-16. Christian Henry then had some engine problems and went out on Sean Stoddarts bike only to finish last and tell Sean his engine had even less power than his own! It was the sort of night when all our riders deserved more points than they actually got.
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