Yes, it’s true!  There will be a free speedway meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway. 

The date is Friday 1st August, the time 7.30pm.  The meeting is the Scunthorpe Saints Conference League clash with the Sittingbourne Crusaders with the Saints hoping to maintain their challenge for a playoff place. 

Scunthorpe Promoter Rob Godfrey sees the meeting as an ideal introduction to speedway “All those people who haven’t seen speedway live or believe it is processional need to get to the Eddie Wright Raceway on the 1st August and see what is on offer here.  We have a tremendous race track that produces first class racing week in, week out and two sides who are looking to win a trophy before the season is out”. 

However, before then there are two opportunities for fans to take in the racing at the Eddie Wright Raceway.  The Scorpions have home league meetings against two of the top sides in the league whilst the Saints are part of a 30-heat extravaganza of racing this Friday evening. 

Next week (25th July, 7.30pm) the Birmingham Brummies come to town but this Friday, 18th July, sees the Scorpions take on the powerhouse King’s Lynn Stars before the Saints take on the Buxton Hitmen in a Conference League meeting.  The start time is thirty minutes earlier than normal, 7pm, and every attempt is going to be made to complete the two meetings without any unnecessary delays.

The King’s Lynn meeting is sure to prove one of the biggest tests of the season for the Scorpions with them led by two of the top riders in the league.  Kevin 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 whilst Tomas Topinka has already visited the Eddie Wright Raceway and racked up 18 points as a guest for Newcastle back in May. 

The Scorpions will be back to full strength this weekend with Magnus Karlsson back in the side after having returned to Sweden to be with his partner who had suffered a miscarriage.  For the Saints Adam Wrathall will be making his debut and it is the end of a long recovery for the 16-year old from Blackpool.  After finishing third in the 2006 British Under-15 Championship Wrathall’s Conference League career got off to the worst start in April 2007 when, in his very first race, he and his bike cleared the safety fence at Oxford. He broke his right leg, left hand, both shoulders, a collarbone and had compartment syndrome in an arm. 

He also had severe bruising to his lungs and, most worryingly, bruising to his head with some internal bleeding on the back of the brain.  Thankfully he has made a full recovery and after completing his GCSE exams he is now ready to re-start his racing career with the Saints.  The meeting will also see the home debut of fellow Lancastrian Ben Hopwood.