Conference League
Redcar Speedway: Hectic spell ahead for Cubs
By Nick
May 21, 2008, 17:52

THE ‘TLS/Simpson Racing UK’ Cubs face a hectic spell of three meetings in four days with a home meeting against the Scunthorpe Saints at South Tees Motorsports Park having taken place last night and then a southern tour over the weekend to Hertfordshire and Kent.

The Cubs currently occupy second place in the Conference League and need to consolidate their prospects for the fourth qualifying spot in the end of season play-offs. Team manager Jason Pipe was confident that his team could possibly take points from all three matches following on from the superb back from the dead result against the highly fancied Plymouth Devils. Realistically Rye House is one of the toughest places to get a result at, whilst it’s possible that last night’s match against Scunthorpe will have to gone to the last heat but the Cubs are made of sterner stuff this season.

The Cubs travel south on Saturday to face the newly renamed Rye House ‘Cobras’ who race at Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire at 7pm and then face an earlier start time than usual with a meeting against the Sittingbourne Crusaders at noon on Sunday. They will have to do it without the services of Aaron Summers who has been told he cannot ride by his parent club, Edinburgh.  Summers was signed to take the place of Greg Blair who remains on the injured list.  New Zealander Jade Mudgway may come into the reckoning but it depends on what transpires from his visit to hospital on Tuesday.  If he doesn’t ride then the rider replacement facility will be used.  Durham-based squad member Steve Jones has been added to the team and who will be looking to win at least one of these matches.  The match against Rye House may possibly see former Redcar Bears rider Jamie Courtney making an appearance as the Hertfordshire side have added him to their squad recently  Courtney promised much but delivered little before he got injured and in his lone appearance for the Cleveland Bays last season he failed to distinguish himself.   Last season Sitttingbourne was the scene of the club’s record away victory at Conference League level by 54-38pts but that was achieved with Greg Blair scoring a maximum from reserve.  Blair is still on the injured list but this season the Crusaders have strengthened their line-up quite considerably and will prove a much tougher nut to crack.  Meetings between the two teams are usually much closer and the least time the two teams met at STMP, the Crusaders fought for a share of the spoils and gained a well earned draw.

TEAM LINE-UPS for Rye House & Sittingbourne:

1 Scott James; 2 Jade Mudgway or Rider Replacement; 3 Gary Beaton; 4 Martin Emerson; 5 Steve Jones; 6 David Wallinger; 7 Guy Kendrew.

REDCAR Cubs rider Jade Mudgway made his first appearance since fracturing his wrist in two places at Scunthorpe recently.  Mudgway, representing New Zealand, scored four points from five rides at the World Under-21 meeting at Norden, Germany on Sunday afternoon.  It was obvious that Mudgway was far from being 100% fit and his highlight being a second place to the Czech Republic’s Adam Vandirek in Heat 15.  Poland’s Robert Kasprzak won the meeting and goes through to the final at Pardubice, Czech Republic.  Other qualifiers were Adam Kajoch (Poland), Patrick Hougaard (Denmark), Hynek Stichauer (Czech Republic), Max Dilger (Germany) and Ricky Wells (USA). 

REDCAR BEARS rider Arlo Bugeja has clinched a three figure sponsorship deal with Stockton on Tees based Hartburn Garage. Aussie Arlo, who lives locally at Coulby Newham during the season has produced his own brochure to attract would-be sponsors. Hartburn Garage have a long association with speedway riders on Teesside as the company based in Darlington Road used to sponsor Steve Regeling & Stuart Swales in the early nineties and also sponsor Chris Kerr & Greg Blair of the current Redcar speedway team.

IT’S been a few years since a speedway team from Sunderland Stars raced on Teesside, well 38 to be precise, but I understand that a group of diehard Sunderland supporters who frequent the South Tees Motorsports Park are keen to see their team in action again.  Headed by Sunderland businessman Paul McLvenny and team managed by former Sunderland captain Russ Dent watch out for the Sunderland Stars appearing against the Tees Valley Tigers in second half action following the Edinburgh Monarchs Knockout Cup match at STMP next week. 

THE last few remaining Premier League matches have been snapped up by sponsors: Edinburgh Knockout Cup – Kettlewell Fuels Group of Melmerby;  Mildenhall – Addison Plant Hire of Thornaby; Edinburgh/Stoke/Birmingham – Chatfields Leyland DAF of Stockton-on-Tees; Reading - Cleveland Motorcycle Training Scheme of Billingham;  Rye House – Tyne Tees Demolition of Newton Aycliffe & Glasgow – Private Booking. It means for the first time in the history of speedway racing on Teesside - which goes back to 1928, every scheduled meeting is sponsored. Even the club’s Conference League meetings have attracted sponsors this season with TLS Vehicle Rentals of Billingham, SA Utilities of Newcastle and MF Engineering of Newton Aycliffe backing meetings against Buxton, Plymouth and Scunthorpe.