Play Offs are here!

The 2011 Elite League play offs are just around the corner and what an exciting time of the year it is for Speedway!

With the Coventry Bees losing at Eastbourne on Monday, meaning they could not qualify for the play offs, and therefore not able to defend their title they won impressively 11 months ago. This year we will see a new team crowned 2011 champions in just over 4 weeks time! The 4 contenders for the title are Poole Pirates, Eastbourne Eagles, Kings Lynn Stars and Lakeside Hammers.

Poole have been favourites since the start of the season and it wouldn't be a shock to see them win the title, however it's fair to say luck hasn't been on their side in recent weeks. New signing Mateusz Szczepaniak didn't have the best of debut's after he fell in his second ride and was ruled out for the season with knee ligament damage. Another new signing, Thomas H Jonasson has been troubled with an on going abdominal injury which ruled him out of the pirates knockout cup semi-final clash with Eastbourne, in that same meeting Dennis Andersson, Jason Doyle and Davey Watt withdrew with injuries too. Kevin Wolbert will take Doyle's place, whilst Kevin Doolan replaces Andersson for the play off semi-final at Kings Lynn. Everyone knows that Poole won't give up till it's over. They definitely don't want a repeat of last year! People might think their injuries are too much for them to make the final, but many thought that for the knockout cup and they beat Eastbourne at home by 12 points! This shows how un-predictable Speedway can be!

Eastbourne were predicted for big things at the start of the season and they haven't failed to deliver. They were winning meetings for fun at the start of the season and they've managed to keep their winnings way going till the end of the season. They've got a real trump card in Cameron Woodward at reserve. With Lukas Dryml out with a broken leg, Cameron has been having 7 rides most meetings and racking up double figures. Also their other reserve Timo Lahti really has made big strides with his British racing lately. Having seen him ride from when he started racing in the UK up until now, you really can see how much progress the young Finn has made and has showed why Eastbourne were right to stick by him. Apart from winning the knockout cup in 2008, the eagles haven't had the most successful seasons since winning the league in 2000 so it's nice to see the East Sussex side back to winning ways.

Kings Lynn deserve huge credit for making it into the play offs in their 1st season back in the elite league since 2002. Having been so succesful at premier league level, there's no reason to say they can't be at elite league level. Kings Lynn will take great confidence that they've beaten Poole at home this season and that was when Poole had a full team. Kings Lynn have top quality riders in Kenneth Bjerre, Niels K Iversen and Mads Korneliussen, to take control of this semi, Kings Lynn need their top guns to be firing on all cylinders. Kings Lynn should take advantage of being the only team in the play off semi-final with a full 1-7 and no injured riders!

Many thought Lakeside wouldn't do too good this year but they've proved people wrong by making the top 4. They've done well to make the play offs, especially as Adam Shields and Piotr Swiderski have had their season's come to an end due to injuries and Stuart Robson has just started racing again after suffering from a punctured lung and broken ribs. Luckily they have their reliable Swede Jonas Davidsson who they have brought back for the business end of the season. The signing of Kim Nilsson really bolstered the team greatly, also Robert Mear has come on leaps and bounds this season. Shape wise, Eastbourne's track is very similar to Lakeside's so this meeting could be pretty close.


In my opinion I think it's Poole's title to lose. They'll be more determined than ever after losing it to Coventry last year and will be doing everything they can to not let that happen again (against a different team of course). Eastbourne will give them a run for their money and have been on top form this year especially at home. I predict these 2 teams to make the final but don't count Kings Lynn or Lakeside out at all. In my opinion the Elite League has benefited from having 10 teams this year, throughout the year meetings have been unpredictable and sometimes gone the way you wouldn't have thought. The play offs always deliver brilliant meeting's with superb racing, exciting 6 meetings coming up and as my team aren't in the play offs, I can enjoy it without being so nervous and relax (a little ha ha)



Play off picture:

Monday 19th September

Kings Lynn v Poole

(at Norfolk Arena)

Lakeside v Eastbourne

(at Arena Essex raceway)

Line Ups:

Kings Lynn

1. Kenneth Bjerre. (Denmark)

2. Lasse Bjerre. (Denmark)

3. Olly Allen. (Great Britain)

4. Mads Kornelliusen. (Denmark)

5. Niels K Iversen. (Denmark)

6. Filip Sitera. (Czech Republic)

7. Sam Masters. (Australia)

One to watch: Lasse Bjerre

Poole

1. Chris Holder. (Australia)

2. Thomas H Jonasson. (Sweden)

3. Davey Watt. (Australia)

4. Kevin Doolan. (Australia)

5. Darcy Ward. (Australia)

6. Kevin Wolbert. (Germany)

7. Morten Risager. (Denmark)

One to watch: Darcy Ward

Lakeside

1. Lee Richardson. (Great Britain)

2. Peter Ljung. (Sweden)

3. Stuart Robson. (Great Britain)

4. Jonas Davidsson. (Sweden)

5. R/R for Piotr Swiderski. (Poland)

6. Robert Mear. (Great Britain)

7. Kim Nilsson. (Sweden)

One to watch: Kim Nilsson

Eastbourne

1. Bjarne Pedersen. (Denmark)
2. Simon Gustafsson. (Sweden)
3. Lewis Bridger. (Great Britain)

4. R/R for Lukas Dryml. (Czech Republic)

5. Joonas Kylmakorpi. (Finland)

6. Cameron Woodward. (Australia)

7. Timo Lahti. (Finland)

One to watch: Cameron Woodward

My Prediction:

Kings Lynn 49-41 Poole

Lakeside 48-42 Eastbourne

Monday 26th September

Poole v Kings Lynn
(at Wimborne Road)

Eastbourne v Lakeside
(at Arlington Stadium)

Past 2011 results:

Kings Lynn 50-43 Poole (22nd April)

Poole 58-36 Kings Lynn (6th July)

Lakeside 44-46 Eastbourne (22nd April)

Eastbourne 50-43 Lakeside (22nd April)

British Final 2011

Tomorrow (6th June) see's sixteen of Britain's finest riders do battle for the national title with the wildcard for the British Grand Prix on the line too. The winner of the British final or second place if Harris wins will be rewarded with a place at the Millenium Stadium Cardiff competing with the top 15 riders in the world.

Last month two semi finals were held to secure the line up for the final.

The first semi was held at Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield. Scott Nicholls won the meeting, dropping his only point to Richard Hall. The other 6 qualifiers were Ben Barker (Birmingham/Plymouth), Richard Hall (Leicester), Danny King (Birmingham), Chris Harris (Belle Vue), Jordan Frampton (Rye House) and Ricky Ashworth (Sheffield). Scott Nicholls last won the British title in 2008 and there's no doubt that he's determined to be British champion for the 6th time, he's been scoring consistently for Swindon this year and will be one of the favourites going into the meeting. Nicholls nearest challenger Ben Barker is having a great run of form at the moment especially top scoring for Team GB against Aus on friday and being the only rider to beat Emil Sayfutdinov at Birmingham on Thursday, dont rule him out from being on that rostrum tomorrow night. Chris Harris is the current British champion after winning it for the third time last year. Chris hasn't had the best start to the Grand Prix series so far, sitting in 15th place and with talk about him not being fast enough on the GP tracks, there's pressure on him to up his game, especially being the sole representative for Great Britain but there's a reason why he's in the GP series, he's the best of Britain and along with Scott will be one of the favorites to win the British title.

The second semi final took place at the Eddie Wright Raceway, Scunthorpe which saw David Howe come out on top with a 15 point maximum. Many say this was down to home track advantage but Howe used to ride for Wolverhampton (where the British final is being held) and is having a superb season so he could be a dark horse. The other qualifiers from this semi were: Eddie Kennett (Coventry), Ben Wilson (Scunthorpe), Stuart Robson (Lakeside/Newcastle), Leigh Lanham (Newport), Lewis Bridger (Eastbourne) & Lee Richardson (Lakeside). Eddie Kennett has always been there or therabouts when it comes to British Finals, coming second in 2008 and 2009 but is still trying to go one better and become British champion, which he is definitely capable of and would be nice to see him do, it would also take his career a step forward. Unfortunately Ben Wilson has had to withdraw from the meeting due to injury and is replaced by Kings Lynn star Olly Allen, a rider who on his day can be up there with the top Brits and can make an impact on this meeting. Although they qualified lowered down, Lewis Bridger and Lee Richardson have having brilliant seasons and you can't count them out either.

There were 2 wild cards given for this event which went to Tai Woffinden (Wolverhampton) & Josh Auty (Coventry/Sheffield). I think both deserved their place. Tai has been out injured and therfore had to miss his semi, there's no doubting he's a top rider and will do well especially on his home track. Josh would have qualified from his semi had until he had trouble with his chain whilst leading his last race. Unfortunately he broke his ankle whilst riding in an under 21 meeting in Slovakia yesterday and has had to withdraw which is a real shame and unlucky for him, he would of made his debut in the British final. Auty's place will be taken by Ipswich witch Jerran Hart who scored 7 points in his semi at Scunthorpe. Some people thought Simon Stead should have been given a wildcard as he was in the same situation as Woffinden and has been on the sidelines for 2 months, before the semi's took place, I would of given the wild cards to Stead and Woffinden but due to Auty's effort in his semi, you can't blame him for receiving a place.

In my opinion this is one of the most wide open British finals in recent years and it's so hard to pick a winner. There's about 8 riders that are in for a shot. It will be probably be wrong but I'll go with 1) Nicholls. 2) Harris. 3) Barker. 4)Kennett. Let's hope for a thrilling meeting with Britain's best.

BRITISH FINAL LINE-UP: Tai Woffinden, Lewis Bridger, Daniel King, David Howe, Scott Nicholls, Oliver Allen, Jordan Frampton, Stuart Robson, Richard Hall, Edward Kennett, Ben Barker, Jerran Hart, Leigh Lanham, Chris Harris, Lee Richardson, Ricky Ashworth.

P.S lack of blogs due to uni work. :)

Wolverhampton v Eastbourne

For the second time this season, Sky Sports take another trip to Monmore Green for what looks to be a very exciting fixture against the top of the table Eastbourne Eagles.

On paper Wolverhampton have a strong top 5 but so far their season looks like this: lost away to Eastbourne, lost away to Lakeside and lost home & away to Poole. Luckily they bounced back last week to win by 4 points at home to Swindon and this week they'll be hoping to do the same if not better as this is not the start the 2009 champions would of hoped for. You can always rely on Freddie Lindgren, Peter Karlsson and Tai Woffinden to produce the goods, however maybe Ty Proctor and Ludvig Lindgren need to up their game a little but you can't fault their efforts. Tai will be full of confidence after becoming British Under 21 champion again on Friday after a 6 ride maximum. For Wolves to grab all 3 points from this meeting they need their reserves get on the scoreboard a bit more and help with heat advantages. Last time Sky were at Wolves, they lost to titles favourites Poole but with Eastbourne unbeaten so far this year, will this prove to be a harder test for the monmore men?

Eastbourne have had possibly the best start to the season they could ask for after winning all 5 of their matches, 4 at home and 1 away. This away meeting will be the toughest of their season so far as Wolverhampton are known for having such a good home record (until a couple of weeks ago of course). Eastbourne benefited from Poole needing to drop a rider due to averages as the eagles now have a great number 1 in Bjarne Pedersen. They've also welcomed back Lewis Bridger to East Sussex, who is a brilliant reserve, and won't be there for much longer! The way Eastbourne have built there team means they will always have a strong reserve. Joonas Kylmakorpi, Cameron Woodward, Lukas Dryml and Simon Gustafsson make their team strong throughout, especially with young Simon Gustafsson gaining his first British maximum last week. Eastbourne have just signed Timo Lahti at reserve as a replacement for departing Pole Dawid Lampart. On Saturday the Eagles ended Poole's unbeaten record so the team will head to the Midlands full of confidence, will they leave with the a 6th straight win?

Line Ups:

Wolverhampton:

1) Freddie Lindgren

2) Ty Proctor

3) Ludvig Lindgren

4) Tai Woffinden

5) Peter Karlsson

6) Tyson Burmeister

7) Ricky Wells

One to watch: Tai Woffinden

Eastbourne:

1) Bjarne Pedersen

2) Lukas Dryml

3) Simon Gustafsson

4) Cameron Woodward

5) Joonas Kylmakorpi

6) Lewis Bridger

7) Taylor Poole

One to watch: Lewis Bridger

Prediction: 46-44; I was going to opt for an away win but I think Wolverhampton might just take it, either way a very close match.

Kings Lynn v Lakeside

Norfolk Arena is the venue for this weeks Sky Sports Elite League Clash between the Kings Lynn Stars and Lakeside Hammers.

Kings Lynn are a new edition to the British Speedway Elite League this year and in my opinion I think Sky Sports have rightly predicted them to finish 3rd. They have a very strong top 3. Kenneth Bjerre took a step up in his career last year, he shone both on the Grand Prix stage and in his league racing and he'll be sure to do this same this year, if not improve! Niels Kristian Iversen is also a top class rider and on his day can beat the best. Mads Korneliussen can be a bit hit and miss, one meeting he's an awesome rider, the next not so great, but will definitely score a lot of double figure points for Kings Lynn. They've brought Olly Allen & Tomas Topinka up from their premier league side and they'll benefit from knowing the track well. The rest of the team is filled with young riders..Lasse Bjerre, Sam Masters, Morten Risager and Filip Sitera. Kings Lynn will be hoping they can continue their winning run at home in front of the sky cameras.

Lakeside built their team around Lee Richardsson and Adam Shields, who are a great top 2 and have a lot of experience under them and are also ex kings lynn stars. They've retained Peter Ljung from their 2010 team after he was brought in towards the end of the season to replace Daniel Davidsson, and it's so far so good for Swede. Their flying finn Kauko Nieminen is definitely living up to his name this season which makes their top 5 so strong. They've had a bit of trouble with their last rider in the main body as Piotr Swiderski has not been able to get permission to ride for the hammers due to his homeland Poland having issues with the new silencers, however he finally was allowed to ride last week. Luckily Lakeside could rely on home favourite Jonas Davidsson to come back for 1 meeting only to help his old side out. Lakeside's reserve berths are made up of young Brit Robert Mear and Kyle Legault/Stuart Robson. After drawing at Swindon on Thursday, Lakeside will be hoping to go 1 better and bag their first away win of the 2011 season.

There is a big difference in Kings Lynn & Lakeside tracks. Kings Lynn is a very fair track with no real home track advantage which has been rewarded with holding big meetings such as the World Cup and major Elite League events. Norfolk Arena has been known for the great racing it produces. Whereas Lakeside is a small tight track that takes a while to get used to which allows Lakeside to have a good home track advantage. Not many riders like going there due to the tightness and trickiness of the track but next week the Arena Essex Raceway stages the British Under 21 final.

Team Line Ups:

Kings Lynn:

1) Kenneth Bjerre 9.47 (DEN)

2) Tomas Topinka 4.58 (CZ)

3) Olly Allen (C) 4.78 (GB)

4) Mads Korneliussen 6.26 (DEN)

5) Niels Iversen 7.76 (DEN)

6) Lasse Bjeere 3.48 (DEN)

7) Fillip Sitera 3.00 (CZ)

Key rider / One to watch : Olly Allen / Lasse Bjerre

Lakeside:

1) Lee Richardson 8.45 (GB)

2) Kauko Nieminen 5.35 (FIN)

3) Adam Shields 7.39 (AUS)

4) Piotr Swiderski 6.48 (POL)

5) Peter Ljung 4.92 (SWE)

6) Robert Mear 3.15 (GB)

7) Kyle Legault 4.20 (CAN)

Key rider / One to watch : Piotr Swiderski

Prediction: Kings Lynn 48-42 Lakeside

Wolverhampton v Poole

Wolverhampton Wolves play host to the Sky Sports cameras this week as they take on the Poole Pirates in an exciting looking elite league fixture.

Poole and Wolves finished 1st and 2nd in last seasons regular table and guess what, Poole are predicted 1st and Wolves predicted 2nd for this years title, that shows how strong both teams are.

Wolves brought back Peter Karlsson after a year away at Belle Vue last year and so far this season he has been in unbelievable form! I've seen him ride so many times but after seeing him ride at Lakeside friday I was shocked/impressed with how brilliant he was! 18 point maximu

m for a man of his experience is incredible. His gating was superb as well! Without a doubt Freddie Lindgren is an amazing number 1 rider, proved by him finishing top of the elite league averages last year. Ty Proctor hasn't had a great start to the season and I think is having trouble with the new silencers (like many people), he needs to improve for Wolves to do well. Wolves reserves are a bit unpredictable, Ricky Wells has been doing better than first though which is great news for Wolves, It's Tyson Burmeisters first season in the UK so understandably might take a bit for him to find his feet but should come good.

Poole's top 2 of Chris Holder and Davey Watt are also on great form and can expect good things from them both. With Darcy Ward still out injured from his motorcross accident, Poole might find it a bit hard to cover for him. and with this originally being an elite shield fixture, it comes as a surprise that Poole agreed for it to change to an elite league one, i'm sure they would have prefered Ward to be riding for their elite league clash with Wolves Another chance to see up and coming Swedish star Dennis Andersson, it will be interesting to see if he continues his impressive from, such a talent! Jason Doyle was the star of the show for Poole in last weeks Sky meeting, can he repeat that and win the match for Poole again? I guess we'll have to wait and see but Poole will be hoping he rides like he did last week. He's doing really well for both Poole and Rye House considering when he left Australia he didn't even have a UK team!

Team Line Ups

Wolverhampton:

1) Freddie Lindgren

2) Ludvig Lindgren

3) Ty Proctor

4) Tai Woffinden

5) Peter Karlsson

6) Tyson Burmeister

7) Ricky Wells

One to watch: Peter Karlsson

Poole:

1) Chris Holder

2) Renat Gafurov

3) Jason Doyle

4) R/R for Darcy Ward

5) Davey Watt

6) Christian Hefenbrock

7) Dennis Andersson

One to watch: Dennis Andersson

Prediction: 49-41

Birmingham v Poole

The Sky Sports camera's head to the Midlands tomorrow for the first live televised Speedway meeting of 2011 which see's the Birmingham Brummies take on Poole Pirates.

Birmingham have moved up to the Elite League this year, a place they haven't been since 1983 so this is a big meeting for them. Spearheading the Brummies is Pole Krzysztof Kasprzak who had a great season last year winning the title with Coventry, joining him as heat leader is Danny King who made the switch to Birmingham after Ipswich opted to drop down to the Premier league and will be a great back up to KK. Daniel Nermark makes a return to British Speedway after missing out last year. Like King, Ales Dryml also lost out on his place at Ipswich after having a good season with them but I think this year will be the same with the Brummies. The last place in the top 5 goes to 2 doubling uppers, Ben Barker and Rene Bach who are both capable of being full time elite league riders. Their reserves are Claus Vissing and Kevin Wolbert/James Wright, however Birmingham have already been dealt a blow with Claus Vissing out injured before the season properly started, this means they have been using their number 8 Theo Pjiper whilst Vissing recovers, as Theo is unavailable tomorrow, Dakota North will step in. Birmingham haven't had the most positive start to their season losing 3 out of their 4 first meetings but they'll be hoping they can bounce back from that.

Their opponents Poole finished top of the table by 20 points last year but lost out to Coventry in the grand final (sorry to remind Poole fans). This season they'll be hoping to go one better but they havn't got off to the best start after Darcy Ward broke his shoulder and wrist in a motorcross accident and they've had to replace Rafal Dobrucki due to Poland's ban on the new silencers but they've brought in Jason Doyle who I think can do a solid job for them. The top 2 Aussie duo of Chris Holder and Davey Watt will definitely be one of the strongest in the league. The pirates have signed Russian Renat Gafurov and so far he has shown signs that it was worth going through all the work permits and english tests to get him there! Young Swedish prospect Dennis Andersson makes his Elite League debut tomorrow and after seeing him race at Eastbourne last week, he's one to watch! Such a talent with potential. Kyle newman joins him at reserve and after riding at Birmingham last year it could prove beneficial for Poole. I think the pirates have strength in depth to secure a sneaky away win.

Team Line Ups:

Birmingham

1. Krzysztof Kasprzak

2. Ales Dryml

3. Ben Barker

4. Danny King

5. Daniel Nermark

6. Dakota North

7. Kevin Wolbert

One to Watch: Ben Barker

Poole

1. Chris Holder

2. Renat Gafurov

3. Jason Doyle.

4. R/R for Ward

5. Davey Watt

6. Dennis Andersson

7. Kyle Newman

One to watch: Dennis Andersson

Prediction: 43-47

Elite League Begins!

Arlington Stadium in East Sussex tonight plays host to Eastbourne v Wolverhampton for the very first Elite League meeting of the 2011 season.

Both teams took part in pre-season meetings last week with Wolverhampton beating Birmingham to the West Midlands trophy 103-80 on aggregate (see photo), whilst Eastbourne came out on top (96-87) in their challenge meeting with Poole.

Eastbourne acquired a new number 1 over the winter months in ex Poole Pirate Bjarne Pedersen. It's a shock for many people to see Bjarne in Eastbourne colours as he was at Poole for so long but it's a signing that definitely strengthens the Eagles side. The rest of the Eastbourne team is the same as 2010 apart from Lewis Bridger returning to Arlington after a year away with Peterborough/Coventry and should benefit from winning the league with the Bees last year. Over the winter we also saw experienced Swede Peter Karlsson make his way back to his 'home' Monmore Green after a year up in Manchester with the Belle Vue Aces. Wolverhamton also signed 2 American's in Tyson Burmeister and Ricky Wells. Tyson is new to British Speedway and Ricky has made the move back up to the Elite League after a year with Stoke in 2010.

Line Ups:

Eastbourne Eagles:

1. Bjarne Pedersen

2. Lukas Dryml

3. Simon Gustafsson

4. Cameron Woodward

5. Joonas Kylmakorpi

6. Lewis Bridger

7. Dawid Lampart.

Rider to watch/ Key rider: Joonas Kylmakorpi

Wolverhampton Wolves:

1. Freddie Lindgren

2. Ludvig Lindgren

3. Ty Proctor

4. Tai Woffinden

5. Peter Karlsson

6. Tyson Burmeister

7. Ricky Wells.

Rider to watch/ Key rider: Tai Woffinden

Prediction: 47-43