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LATEST NEWS NOVEMBER 2008
BATTLE IS ON TO SAVE BEARS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Wednesday 26th November 2008
THE future of Redcar Bears could be under threat. Brian Havelock, head of a consortium in line to take over the Premier League club, is urging fans to write to Redcar and Cleveland Council as he battles to keep the Bears on track. Havelock and his four-man consortium have agreed a deal to buy out promoter Glyn Taylor and have funds in place to do so. Because of debts accumulated by Redcar Bears Ltd, which Taylor took over from club founder Chris van Straaten in January, they had formed a new company - Redcar Speedway Ltd - to run the show.
However, after a meeting with council officials yesterday, a despondent Havelock said: “I’m worried. “The council have said that because they issued the lease to Redcar Bears Ltd, that’s the company which has to run the speedway. If a new company were to run it, they’d have to issue a new lease and, because of the procedures involved, that could take until January or February and that’s too late. Glyn has offered his creditors 35p in the pound and I understand that nine of the 12 have agreed to that. But it needs to be sorted out before we can move forward. I’ve got seven or eight riders waiting to make their minds up about next year but I can’t tell them anything."
“I’m hoping now that the fans can play their part by writing to Redcar and Cleveland Council. Tell them what a great amenity it is and how we’ve had three fantastic years here. Tell them about the visiting fans who come every week during the season. I’d urge them all to be polite - we just want to make the council know what an important facility the speedway is and how it brings so much pleasure to so many people. My fear is that it could be dead in the water so we need everyone to pull together to find a solution.”
Taylor made no secret of his difficulty in dealing with the financial pressures of promoting last year and sacked skipper Gary Havelock as a cost-cutting measure before reinstating him following the formation of an SOS Fund which made up the difference in pay. Taylor said today: “Negotiations have broken down with the current consortium. The future of Redcar Speedway matters a lot to me because I’ve put a lot of hard work in there over the past three years. But I can’t see a way forward unless someone else comes forward with an offer - I’m half-tempted to say it’s back on the market. But we only have 14 days to find a solution because clubs have to give a 100% declaration that they are running.”
Taylor also confirmed that it would be difficult to settle all of the debts without any takeover cash being handed over and said he may have to put the company into administration.
GRIEVES IS SAYING GOODBYE TO BEARS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 22nd November 2008
NEW boss Brian Havelock will have to make do without heat leader James Grieves as he assembles his Redcar Bears team for 2009. But Havelock, who is leading a consortium to buy out promoter Glyn Taylor, remains confident he will put out an exciting and formidable team. Flying Scotsman Grieves, 34, has confirmed he is joining Glasgow after establishing himself as an inspirational figure at South Tees Motorsports Park over the past two seasons.
His solid scoring and never-say-die attitude made him a huge favourite with fans and he was voted Rider of the Year in 2007. But, with his partner facing a major and complex operation ahead of giving birth to their second child, he has put his family first and agreed to spend a third spell at his local club. He’s looking forward to being back with the Tigers but admits he’ll miss Teesside.
“I’ve really enjoyed being at Redcar,” he said. “I love the track and I love the fans - they’ve been fantastic to me. But I’ve done it for family reasons. My partner is pregnant and she’s having a major and complicated operation next Friday. She’s had cervical cancer and she has no cervix, so the operation she needs involves taking out the womb with the baby in it, performing the operation and then putting it back. There’s a 90% chance she’ll go home with a baby and this operation has only been done 70 times before. So I’m keen to be close to home in case anything does go wrong - in fact, I’m keen to be closer to home anyway to spend time with my family.”
Grieves, who also rode for the Tigers between 1989-1995 and 2000-2004, will be missed at Redcar, but he goes with Havelock’s best wishes. “I understand his reasons,” said Havelock, also the team manager, “and I have no qualms with it. The deal he has been offered is better than we can afford anyway. It looks we’ll lose Josh Auty too because he is going to Sheffield, but I’ve got three or four good riders lined up. There has been no shortage of riders phoning up wanting to come here, so I’m confident we’ll have a good team.”
:: THE Bears have been drawn against born-again Newport in the first round of next season’s KO Cup.
HAVELOCK LEADS BEARS TAKEOVER
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Tuesday 18th November 2008
REDCAR Bears will be under new ownership by the end of the week. A consortium fronted by team manager Brian Havelock is on the verge of completing a deal to buy out current promoter Glyn Taylor. And that means, for the first time since the club was formed in 2006, it will be under local ownership. Yarm-based Havelock heads a four-man Teesside-based consortium which has negotiated to take control of the Premier League club from beleaguered boss Taylor.
Oldham-based Aussie Taylor completed a deal to buy out club founder Chris van Straaten last January but very quickly found the going tough. He spent much of last season looking for a buyer and made no secret of the fact he found it difficult to handle the financial pressures. But the Havelock-led takeover will secure the future of the club and, when van Straaten represented the Bears at last weekend’s annual promoters’ conference, he was able to confirm their entry into next year’s Premier League.
“We just need to complete the paperwork and sort out the financial details,” confirmed Havelock. “Chris van Straaten has been instrumental in the process and we need to wait for him to come back from Spain before we can take it any further. We expect to meet up this week though, and then it should all go through.”
Havelock and his consortium will lead the Bears into a league containing at least 14 teams. Berwick, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, King’s Lynn, Newcastle, Newport, Rye House, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Somerset Stoke and Workington have all confirmed they will come to the tapes, and could be joined by another, as yet unnamed, track too. Mildenhall and the Isle of Wight will be part of a new beefed up third tier, to be known as the National League.
The points limit has been set at 42.5 and the Premier Trophy will be split into two regional seven-team groups. The tactical substitute rule has been axed with teams now permitted to use one tactical ride when they are 10 points down and another if they are losing by 12. The promotion and relegation play-offs will remain and a ‘tactical gate’ system will be trialled in the KO Cup, giving the losing team a chance to select their gate positions on two separate occasions if they are behind.
But the biggest change implemented at the conference concerns the league scoring system and has been designed to reward strong away performances. The system is as follows. Any home defeat 0 points; home draw 1pt; home win by between one and six points 2pts; home win by seven points or more 3pts. Away defeat by seven points or more 0pts; away defeat by six points or less 1pt; away draw 2pts; away win by between one and six points 3pts; away win by seven points or more 4pts.
“It’s certainly an incentive to do well away from home,” said Havelock.
WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE FOR BEARS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 7th November 2008
THE sweet smell of burning methanol has wafted away for another year after Redcar Bears brought the curtain down on another speedway season. Martin Neal looks back at the highs and lows of the past seven months. IF IT’S true that all’s well that ends well, then the Redcar Bears didn’t fare too badly in 2008. Once again it was a rollercoaster ride for speedway fans on Teesside, though this season it’s the lows that will be remembered more vividly than the highs.
The now familiar hard-hitting injury crisis made an early appearance, with Chris Kerr breaking a leg in the Premier Trophy match at Scunthorpe. The season wasn’t even three weeks old when the Californian kid came a cropper and it was July before he was back on a bike. The Bears management bravely bid to plug the gap with the temporary signing of Joni Keskinen but the Finn’s short and not so sweet spell in British speedway was a total disaster. Rising Czech star Hynek Stichaueur looked an ideal replacement but his move was shelved when the BSPA announced he would have to come in on a higher average than expected. By the time Kerr was out on the track again James Grieves, Josh Auty, Dan Giffard and Arlo Bugeja had all been in the wars.
After Kerr’s crash at Scunthorpe it took four long months to track a full-strength side again - and then it didn’t even last a full meeting, with Giffard suffering a badly broken collarbone on his comeback match from a broken wrist. The wet start to the season was a major frustration too, with the “match postponed” signs going up outside South Tees Motorsports Park no fewer than three times in as many weeks - and that was before the clash with Edinburgh was washed out after just six heats with the season only a month old. But all of that was nothing compared to the bombshell dropped by promoter Glyn Taylor in June.
The former Aussie Test star had only concluded a deal to buy out Chris van Straaten five months earlier when he rocked British speedway by putting the club up for sale. “It’s far more difficult that I ever expected it to be so I’m done,” he announced. “I’m not dealing with the financial pressures.” Despite an initial flood of interest, no buy-out was ever forthcoming and it would take a brave man to bet on who will control the club in 2009. Taylor revealed earlier this week that he’s talking to potential buyers and, with the BSPA conference looming, he’s looking to tie up a deal ASAP. The saga took another twist in July when Taylor announced he had sacked skipper Gary Havelock as a cost-cutting measure.
“The bottom line is that our crowds are down and we could not afford the deal Gary was on,” explained the TLS Bears chief. Havvy however was back in the saddle the following night at Workington following the swift formation of an SOS (Save Our Skipper) Fund to bridge the gap between what the former world champion’s contract stated he should be paid and what Taylor said he could afford to shell out. He responded by proving his worth with a stunning 16-point total against the Comets and remained in the team for the rest of the year. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom - far from it.
The Bears largely performed well on the track and the name on everyone’s lips was that of Ty Proctor. Brought over from Australia as a complete unknown in the winter, he was an instant success in his first season of British speedway. “I’m going to take it week by week, day by day, and hopefully by the end of the season I’ll be flying,” said the 21-year-old Victorian after agreeing terms. Flying he was too, scoring his maiden maximum against Newcastle in August and rattling off double figure scores for fun.
Despite a club record six wins on the trot early in the season, those costly injuries proved too much of a barrier for the Bears’ play-off hopes. But they retained the Tyne Tees Trophy and booked their place in the Jack Young Shield by which time, with a full team and Benji Compton bedded down well at reserve, they harboured a genuine belief they could retain the trophy. They not so much beat as obliterated Reading in the second leg of their semi-final, doling out a 60-33 thrashing to the Racers to record their biggest ever away win. But a five-point lead from the home leg against Workington proved their undoing in the last four. There were tears on the terraces after the Bears bowed out at Derwent Park - but they had fought to the bitter end and can hold their heads up high.
It won’t be a comfortable winter after the off-track problems that provided the backdrop to the season. But if pride and passion provide the platform for success, the future is bright for 2009.
TAYLOR TALKS TO BEARS BIDDERS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Wednesday 5th November 2008
REDCAR Bears appear virtually certain to be under new ownership for the second year in succession. Former Australia Test star Glyn Taylor, who initially joined the club as track builder and curator before becoming co-promoter, took over the reins from Chris van Straaten in January. But now he has confirmed talks are taking place with two interested parties for the acquisition of speedway rights at South Tees Motorsports Park from 2009.
Taylor admitted early in his tenure that he was struggling with the financial aspects of the job and even sacked skipper Gary Havelock to save money, although the former world champion was kept on following the formation of an SOS fund. He has spent much of the past four months looking for a solution and for a time it appeared he would remain in charge. But the credit crunch has done him no good at all and he is now eager to get the matter sorted before the forthcoming BSPA conference when promoters planning to operate in 2009 will meet.
One potential suitor is a locally-based consortium led by Bears team manager Brian Havelock. The other is a credible figure in the sport at national level who says he would stick by the current management team. “I have had an offer on the table from Brian,” confirmed Taylor, “and I am scheduled to meet the other party to discuss the level of his bid today. Obviously I want to resolve matters as soon as possible to both kill speculation and to inform the BSPA of the latest developments with the annual conference imminent.”
TICKETS (£5 for members and £6 for non-members) are still available for the Bears Supporters’ Club Christmas party at Liberty’s in Middlesbrough on Saturday, December 6. Ring 07796 051134 to book.
GLYN TAYLOR IN TAKEOVER TALKS
By Redcar Speedway ~ Tuesday 4th November 2008
Redcar Bears club owner Glyn Taylor has confirmed that talks are taking place with two interested parties for the acquisition of the Speedway rights at the South Tees Motorsport Park from season 2009.
One is a consortium led by Bears team boss Brian Havelock and involves several local commercial contacts. The other is a credible figure in the sport at national level who has declared that he would plan to retain the current management team under all circumstances. There has been speculation over the future plans of Director of Operations Gareth Rogers, who was a main architect of setting the club up in 2006, and Glyn Taylor himself.
Said Glyn: 'I have had an offer on the table from Brian whilst I am scheduled to meet the other party to discuss the level of his bid on Wednesday. Obviously I want to resolve matters as soon as possible to both kill speculation and to inform the BSPA of the latest developments with the annual Conference imminent.'
LATEST NEWS OCTOBER 2008
AWARD HAT-TRICK FOR AUSSIE ACE!
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Tuesday 28th October 2008
AUSSIE ace Ty Proctor completed a clean sweep of awards at the Redcar Bears Rider of the Year evening. Fans were asked to vote for their favourite rider on www.gazettelive.co.uk and Proctor emerged victorious with 49.4% of the nominations. He polled more than twice as many votes as his nearest rival James Grieves, the 2007 winner (19.6%), with skipper Gary Havelock just a single vote behind (19.4%). And he also picked up the Most Exciting Rider and Most Improved Rider accolades at the Marton Hotel and Country Club.
Proctor was delighted at being voted Bear of the Year but reckoned all his team-mates would have been just as worthy winners. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “People like Gary Havelock and James Grieves deserve it as much as me. They’ve been brilliant all season, as has Benji Compton, when he came in, Arlo Bugeja’s early form was quality and Chris Kerr came back really well from his broken leg. Everybody deserved an award but for some reason they chose me! I can’t quite believe the season I’ve just had. Deep down I knew what I wanted and I knew I could do it if I put my mind to it and I’ve had great support around me which is awesome. Dan Giffard came on board mechanicing for me for the last month and a half of the season and we just clicked.”
The newly-crowned Bear of the Year also paid tribute to the work put in by skipper Havelock this season. “He probably deserves the award more than me,” he insisted. “He works so hard and before every heat he gives you a pat on the back and says ‘come on, let’s do it’.”
With the ownership of the club still up in the air beyond the end of this season and the decisions of the BSPA annual conference to be considered, it’s anyone’s guess who will line up for the Bears in 2009. But Proctor admitted: “If I could come back next year and have all of us back together - that would be awesome.” However despite his free-scoring exploits, he admitted he actually lost money this season and he will have to carefully weigh up his options over the winter. “Without my family I would be completely up the creek without a paddle,” he revealed. “Some weeks I’ve have to ring them and say ‘I’ve scored 10 points this week but I just can’t get by’.
"Fans don’t understand how much it costs to keep a bike running. I was making sure my bikes were wicked - I piled everything into my bikes. I’ve no regrets but I’m going to have to go back to Oz now and work really, really hard. I’m not being big-headed, but I think that if I get some good equipment and some good sponsors, the sky’s the limit. I want to be a world champion. A few weeks ago, before I started getting those maximums, I’d have said I’d be one of those riders who rides in the Elite League and doesn’t get any further. But since then things have progressed and I want to finish next year with a 10-point average and be one of the top boys like Chris Holder was. He’s the man.”
Benji Compton was named Cubs rider of the year, while Aaron Summers was the Conference League side’s most entertaining rider, Richard Lawson was Most Entertaining Rider, Steven Jones was crowned Bonus Point King and Scott James won the Mr Ever Present trophy - though ironically he wasn’t there.
THE season may be over, but fans still have a couple of important dates to put in their diaries. The Bears Supporters’ Club hold their Christmas party at Liberty’s in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, on Saturday, December 6. The BSG will make their annual presentations and there will also be a buffet plus live music. Tickets are available at £5 for members and £6 for non-members. Phone 07796 051134 to book.
The Cubs’ Christmas party takes place at the same venue on Friday, November 14 and will feature a buffet, disco, raffle, presentations and an auctioning of 2008 race jackets. Tickets are £5 - call 01642 294455 or 07595 252812.
CRUMP MAGIC SHOW EARNS TOP PRIZE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 24th October 2008
DOUBLE world champion Jason Crump bowed out of British speedway last night by winning the South Tees Silver Helmet in flawless fashion. And the Aussie superstar left Teesside urging more top names to take the opportunity to ride in future stagings of the event. Belle Vue ace Crump, who announced yesterday he will not return to the Elite League in 2009, won every one of his five races in convincing style. Head and shoulders above each of the other 15 riders in the field, it was obvious from the word go he would be the latest winner of a prize first raced for 80 years ago at Cleveland Park.
“It’s a great track,” said Crump. “It’s a pleasure to come and race on good racing tracks and this is one of them. It’s good for speedway as a whole if some of the bigger names in the Elite League are prepared to come to Premier League tracks and it’s good for the fans, who have watched me on TV, to come and see me ride here. More Elite League riders should do it. I knew I couldn’t take anything for granted because there were 15 other riders and the only person they wanted to beat was me. If you’re not going good you can easily get beaten - and I didn’t want to let anyone beat me. It was my last meeting of the season and it was nice to finish with a few good rides. Now I can rest up and get myself ready for next year.”
Newcastle’s Josef Franc was the only other rider to win more than twice and his 13-point total earned him second spot. Wolves’ Ludvig Lindgren took the third rostrum place with 10, having tied with Tai Woffinden of Rye House - the Swede getting the nod by virtue of finishing ahead of his rival when they met. Ty Proctor was the best-performing Bear, clocking two wins on his way to an eight-point total while Gary Havelock and Chris Kerr both finished on six, the former withdrawing from his last ride, while Benji Compton caught the eye by taking the scalps of Jason Lyons and 2006 winner Richard Hall on his way to a creditable four-point return.
Most spectacular rider of the night was former Middlesbrough Bear Stuart Robson, back in the saddle after suffering career-threatening injuries in a 2007 crash. Looking like he’d never been away and showing he has lost none of his racing instincts, he twice surged through the pack to finish with nine, while Elite League-bound PLRC winner Woffinden came from behind to beat home pair Proctor and Kerr in his final race.
CRUMP AIMS TO PUT ON A SHOW
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 23rd October 2008
HE’S the biggest name on the current speedway circuit with a trophy cabinet that’s the envy of all his rivals. But Jason Crump admits he’ll be taking nothing for granted when he lines up in tonight’s South Tees Silver Helmet at South Tees Motorsports Park (tapes up 7.30pm). The twice world champion, who recently won his fourth Elite League Riders’ Championship crown and also has three world team gold medals with Australia under his belt, is the star name in tonight’s 16-man individual meeting.
The field is made up of mainly top names from the Premier League, but Crump admitted: “You learn from experience to take nothing for granted. There will be 12, 13 or 14 riders out there all looking for a feather in their cap by beating me. So I’m coming to Redcar with the intention of winning the meeting and showing the fans what I can do.”
Belle Vue ace Crump - who announced today he is quitting British speedway to concentrate on winning a third world title - has never visited the current Bears’ lair, but enjoyed his visits to the old Cleveland Park. “I rode at the old Middlesbrough track,” he said, “and there’s a lot of speedway history in the area so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve ridden at Somerset, which I understand is similar to Redcar, and is another track built by Glyn Taylor and he’s one of the best track builders in the world. There will be no pressure as I’m coming because I want to, not because I have to. I think top riders should come to meetings like this to support promoters like Glyn and show what a good job they are doing.”
Crump is one of two former world champions in the line-up - the other being the Bears’ own Gary Havelock. “Havvy won his title when I was a kid,” he said, “and by the time I’d won my first world title, he was starting to feel the effects of his injuries. But we’ve had some great races and he and his wife are part of a select band of people from that I socialise with outside speedway.”
Crump is also looking forward to seeing new Aussie sensation Ty Proctor perform on his home track. “At this stage of my career I’m really pleased to see fresh Australian talent coming through,” he said, “and Glyn has got some of that at Redcar. The future of Australian speedway is on the shoulders of riders like Ty.”
Tonight’s line-up also features Josh Auty and Chris Kerr from the Bears team along with former Middlesbrough rider Stuart Robson who is on the comeback trail following career-threatening injuries sustained in a 2007 horror crash. Former winner Richard Hall and recently-crowned Premier League Riders’ Champion Tai Woffinden are likely to feature heavily in the race for honours while Ricky Kling and Ludvig Lindgren join Crump in flying the Elite League flag.
LINE-UP:
1 Ty Proctor (Redcar and Australia), 2 Jason King (Newcastle and England), 3 Josef Franc (Newcastle and Czech Republic), 4 Jason Crump (Belle Vue and Australia), 5 Ricky Kling (Lakeside and Sweden), 6 Christian Isomette (Unattached and Sweden), 7 Gary Havelock (Redcar and England), 8 Richard Hall (Scunthorpe and England), 9 Ryan Fisher (Edinburgh and USA), 10 Chris Kerr (Redcar and USA), 11 Stuart Robson (Unattached and England), 12 Ludvig Lindgren (Wolves and Sweden), 13 Peter Kildemann (Unattached and Denmark), 14 Josh Auty (Redcar and England), 15 Tai Woffinden (Rye House and England), 16 Jason Lyons (Birmingham and Australia). Reserves: 17 Benji Compton (Redcar and England). 18 Arlo Bugeja (Redcar and Australia).
END OF SEASON AWARDS
By Gareth Rogers, Redcar Speedway ~ Wednesday 22nd October 2008
'Fans attending the end-of-season awards at the Marton Hotel and Country Club are reminded that the interviews with first the Cubs and then the Bears will start at 7.30pm so arrival from 7pm to sort your table and refeshments is advised.
During the evening there will be a raffle with speedway-related prizes and a silent auction for a Middlesbrough FC football shirt signed by the 2006 Eufa Cup Finalists. A silent auction entails bids being submitted in envelopes made available.
The presentation of 3 awards to the Cubs, 3 awards to the Bears climaxing in the 2008 Bear of the Year as voted on www.gazettelive.co.uk plus cash awards to the fastest Cub and Bear of the season will be followed by the gargantuan buffet and finally the dance floor will be active.'
WORLD CHAMPION MATERIAL
By Redcar Speedway ~ Tuesday 22nd October 2008
Two World Champions top the bill as the prestigious South Tees Silver Helmet brings the 2008 Speedway season to a climax at the South Tees Motorsport Park off South Bank Road, Middlesbrough on Thursday evening with the rider parade at 7.20pm and tapes up for the first of 20 heats of individual racing at 7.30pm. Jason Crump of Belle Vue Aces and Australia plus Teesside's own Gary Havelock of Redcar Bears and England have achieved the sport's ultimate prize in their respective racing careers. Crump is still actively involved in the Grand Prix World Championship series and finished runner-up this season.
Tipped as a future World Champion is Tai Woffinden of Rye House and England who although only 18 has already won the British Under 21 title and the Premier League Riders Championship this season. Tai moves to the Elite League with the Wolverhampton Wolves in season 2009. There he will be a team-mate of Ludvig Lindgren and will compete against Ricky Kling of Lakeside Hammers, Essex. Both are Swedish.
Amongst the other Premier League club number one's competing will be Jason Lyons of Birmingham and Jason King of Newcastle. King is joined by fellow Diamond Josef Franc. Whilst there will be a lot of interest in two unknown young Scandinavians attempting to put themselves in the shop window for a British team place in 2009 - Christian Isomette from Sweden and Peter Kildemann from Denmark.
At the other end of the experience scale there will be an emotional return to racing for Sunderland's Stuart Robson of whom it was feared he would never ride again after suffering multiple injuries at Mildenhall Speedway in early 2007 whilst skipper of the Rye House Rockets. Richard Hall of Scunthorpe is a previous Silver Helmet winner having taken the sport's longest running individual title in 2006 whilst American Ryan Fisher is a member of Premier League Champion's Edinburgh's successful septet. The field is completed by Redcar Bears Chris Kerr, Tyrone Proctor and Josh Auty.
The Silver Helmet was first staged in 1928 at the former Cleveland Park Stadium. This was the inuaugural season of the sport in Britain. As ever the event will be held over 20 heats with each rider meeting every other ride once over five starts.
SILVER HELMET FIELD IN DRAW ORDER:
1. Tyrone Proctor (Redcar and Australia), 2. Jason King (Newcastle and England), 3. Josef Franc (Newcastle and the Czech Republic), 4. Jason Crump (Belle Vue and Australia), 5 Ricky Kling (Lakeside and Sweden), 6. Christian Isomette (Unattached and Sweden), 7. Gary Havelock (Redcar and England), 8. Richard Hall (Scunthorpe and England), 9. Ryan Fisher (Edinburgh and America), 10. Chris Kerr (Redcar and America), 11. Stuart Robson (Unattached and England), 12. Ludvig Lindgren (Wolverhampton and Sweden), 13. Peter Kildemann (Unattached and Denmark), 14. Josh Auty (Redcar and England), 15. Tai Woffinden (Rye House and England), 16. Jason Lyons (Birmingham and Australia), Meeting reserves: 17. Benji Compton (Redcar and England), 18. Arlo Bugeja (Redcar and Italy)
With the Redcar Bears having gone out of the Jack Young Shield after a last heat decider at Workington last Saturday evening then the end-of-season awards, buffet and dance will take place as planned at the Marton Hotel and Country Club this Saturday night. There will be no entry other than by ticket. However, some fans who have not yet paid for and collected theirs from the Speedway Office on a racenight, despite many announcements - may yet do so on Thursday evening courtesy of the hotel extending to Friday morning the deadline for catering numbers.
BATTLING BEARS KO'd BY COMETS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Monday 20th October 2008
THE dream is over. There were tears on the terraces at Workington as Redcar Bears’ brave bid to retain the Jack Young Shield finally came to and end. Backed by the now familiar army of passionate fans, the TLS Bears travelled to Derwent Park for the deciding leg of their semi-final showdown knowing that a five-point lead from the first leg would be hellishly difficult to defend. But they kept fighting until the bitter end, finally missing out on a run-off for a place in the final in the last heart-breaking heat.
The Comets, for whom veteran Carl Stonehewer romped to an impeccable 18-point maximum, finished up 51-42 victors on the night – enough to secure a 94-90 aggregate victory and book their place in the final against Berwick who overcame the Isle of Wight. Mechanical misfortunes added to the heartache too, with Benji Compton snapping a chain while approaching the line in second place in his first ride and skipper Gary Havelock doing likewise on the final lap while leading heat 13. Jason Lyons had already been excluded from the restart of the latter heat after wiping out Ty Proctor, leaving Havvy to run valiantly around the big Workington oval pushing his stricken bike within the time limit to score a potentially crucial point. With no time to remove his crash helmet or face mask, he could hardly breathe at the end.
It took the Comets until heat six to get their noses ahead on aggregate for the first time, but they were never allowed to feel comfortable. The impressive Chris Kerr took double points for winning heat 10 in the black and white tactical double helmet colour, though the opportunity to claw back the deficit further was missed when James Grieves was uncharacteristically passed by both home riders. The black and white helmet was out again two races later, this time worn by tactical substitute Proctor, although he found the 15-metre handicap too much of a burden. But with the scores at 48-39, a 5-1 from the final race would have been good enough to force a run off. And although Havelock came from behind to beat Jason Lyons, neither he nor Kerr could find a way to lower Stonehewer’s colours.
“I think we probably lost in on the first leg,” reflected manager Brian Havelock. “I was looking for a lead of around 10 points and that didn’t quite happen. I thought our top five would have been strong enough to look after them on Saturday but we had a couple of chain offs and James said that his engines were too strong – they’d both just been done which mean they were just spinning.”
COMETS
Carl Stonehewer 18, Charles Wright 9+1, Joe Haines 9, Jason Lyons 6+2, Tomi Reima 5+1, John Branney 4+2, R/R for Kauko Nieminen.
BEARS
Chris Kerr 14, Gary Havelock 9+2, James Grieves 7+1, Ty Proctor 7, Benji Compton 3, Josh Auty 2+2, Arlo Bugeja 0.
IT was a ‘so near yet so far’ night for Redcar TLS/Simpson Racing UK Cubs as well on Saturday after they missed out on the Conference League Fours title by a point at Stoke in controversial cirmumstances. They sailed through their qualifying group to reach the final against Group B winners Weymouth, Sittingbourne and Scunthorpe. And they had just slipped behind Weymouth for the first time when the meeting was abruptly ended with two races remaining as the Loomer Road curfew had been reached.
The final score was Weymouth 13, Redcar 12, Sittingbourne 7, Scunthorpe 4.
WE CAN KO COMETS - BOSS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 18th October 2008
WE can still do it! That was the rousing warcry from boss Brian Havelock today as his Redcar Bears side battled to keep their Young Shield dream alive. The TLS Bears proudly lifted the trophy - the first major title in their short history - with home and away wins over Birmingham in last autumn’s final. And they are just one match away from a place in this year’s final - but they know they’ll need a massive effort to be there. Opponents Workington limited them to a slender 48-43 advantage from the Teesside leg of their semi-final on Thursday.
But the Premier League clash between the sides at Derwent Park went to a last heat decider in July, and Havelock believes his men have every right to feel optimistic when the sides line up against each other there again tonight (7pm start). “Last time we went there we didn’t have a full squad,” he pointed out, “and we do now. Workington have got Jason Lyons guesting for Daniel Nermark and, all things being equal, he won’t be as strong. We can do it. We’ve done it before - we beat them over two legs at the same stage last year. We know what we’re doing. We know what it’s all about and we’ll go there with a little bit of confidence. We’ll try and lift them early doors and see what we come up with.”
Havelock also is also confident that his son Gary, who scored 16 points on his last visit to Workington with the Bears, can recover from a disappointing first leg. “He had an off night,” he said. “He tried both bikes but I’m sure he’ll get his gear sorted for tonight. He blew the engine he’d been going well on at Sheffield and he hasn’t got it back yet.”
COMETS
1 Jason Lyons, 2 Charles Wright, 3 R/R for Kauko Nieminen, 4 Joe Haines, 5 Carl Stonehewer, 6 Tomi Reima, 7 John Branney.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
REDCAR Cubs aim to make up for the disappointment of missing out on the Conference League play-off final by winning the CL Fours at Stoke tonight (7.30pm). The TLS/Simpson Racing UK Cubs were cruelly robbed of progress to the play-off final when Aaron Summers snapped a chain at the tapes prior to the deciding heat of their semi-final, second leg against Boston on Tuesday. But manager Jason Pipe believes his side will have recovered in time to mount a serious challenge tonight.
“Looking at some of the line-ups, we’ve got a good chance,” he said. “We must start as one of the favourites and winning it would make up for Tuesday. The way Richard Lawson is riding at the moment, he could be one to watch. He gets better and better every time you watch him. He weighs the track up in his first race or two and the more races he has, the better he goes.”
The Cubs are in Group One along with Sittingbourne, Boston and Plymouth, while Buxton, Weymouth, Scunthorpe and Rye House make up the other half of the draw.
CUBS
1 Scott James, 2 Richard Lawson, 3 Adam McKinna, 4 James Cockle.
BEARS BUILD UP NARROW LEAD
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 17th October 2008
REDCAR Bears will take a slender five-point lead to Workington tomorrow as they battle to hold on to the Jack Young Shield. The TLS Bears had hoped for a winning margin of at least 12 points from last night’s semi-final first leg at South Tees Motorsports Park, but had to be content with a 48-43 victory. Ty Proctor scorched to another flawless maximum, showing the style, confidence and determination that has made him the man to beat in the Bears’ Rider of the Year poll. But at the top, No 1 Gary Havelock struggling to get the best out of both his bikes and ended the evening winless. And, at the bottom, Arlo Bugeja looked woefully out of sorts at reserve and threw points away in his first two rides.
With Jason Doyle proving an excellent guest in place of the injured Daniel Nermark and No 6 Tomi Reima adding a sting in the tail early on, the Comets edged ahead after holding their hosts to five successive drawn heats at the start of the meeting. When the pendulum swung the Bears’ way, it had as much to do with luck as it did with skill. Josh Auty thrilled a good-sized crowd by coming from behind to beat Reima while Benji Compton - who can nevertheless be proud of his seven-point return from reserve - inherited the lead when John Branney’s machine gave out while leading. That turned a Comets 4-2 into a Bears 5-1, and they followed it up with more of the same to take a 30-24 lead.
But they were never allowed to run away with it and, when the advantage was stretched to eight points with two races left, the Comets reached straight for the black and white helmet colour. Out came Doyle as a tactical substitute for heat 14 and, although he found a way past the determined Compton, he was never able to make a serious challenge on Chris Kerr. So although the damage was limited, the Comets still added another potentially crucial point to their tally.
“We’ve got a lead,” reflected manager Brian Havelock, “but it’s a case of whether it’s enough. It was a cracking meeting - it was nip and tuck all the way through. But Gary had an off night, Arlo had a poor night and I’m a little bit disappointed with the overall score. But it’s a lead and we’ll take it to Workington and try to defend it. On the plus side, Ty is going really well and he’s full of confidence. He got a maximum and he made it look quite easy.”
THERE’S still time to vote! Don’t forget to log on and visit www.gazettelive.co.uk/bearspoll to cast your vote in the official Bears Rider of the Year poll.
BEARS
Ty Proctor 15, James Grieves 9+1, Chris Kerr 7+2, Gary Havelock 7, Benji Compton 7, Josh Auty 3+2, Arlo Bugeja 0.
COMETS
Jason Doyle 17, Joe Haines 10+2, Tomi Reima 7+1, John Branney 5+2, Carl Stonehewer 4, Charles Wright 0, Craig Cook (No 8) DNR, R/R for Kauko Nieminen.
BEARS CAN REACH SHIELD FINAL - HAVELOCK
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 16th October 2008
GLORY-HUNTING Redcar Bears aim to get one foot in the Jack Young Shield final tonight when they entertain Workington in their biggest meeting of the season so far. The Bears KO’d the Comets at the same stage last season on their way to winning the trophy. And manager Brian Havelock believes they’re perfectly poised to reach the final for the second season in a row.
The visitors arrive at South Tees Motorsports Park for tonight’s eagerly-awaited encounter (tapes up 7.30pm) with a string of injuries, while the TLS Bears are on form and fully fit. They marched into the last four with a club record away win at Reading, brushing the Racers aside 60-33 10 days ago. And Havelock said: “Ian Thomas (the Workington promoter) is frightened of us. He knows we can beat them over two legs. Earlier in the season it was us who had injury problems, but now the boot is on the other foot. If we can get a 12-point advantage from tonight to take to their place, I’ll be happy.”
The Bears won 47-43 when the Comets visited Teesside in the league, although Chris Kerr was still feeling his way in after coming back from a broken leg, and Josh Auty was still enduring a difficult spell - both should score more points tonight. The Comets will be without two, possibly three, of their team. Daniel Nermark’s season was cut short after he suffered severe knee ligament damage in a horrifying crash at South Tees Motorsport Park in July. He is replaced by guest Jason Doyle at No 1, while rider replacement is used to cover skipper Kauko Nieminen’s rides after he broke a collarbone recently. In addition the Comets will give a late fitness test to reserve John Branney who has a bruised ankle. If he is not fit, they will give a second tier debut to find-of-the-season Richard Lawson. The former motocrosser has been in sensational form for Redcar Cubs since switching sports in the summer but is a Comets asset.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
COMETS
1 Jason Doyle, 2 Charles Wright, 3 R/R for Kauko Nieminen, 4 Joe Haines, 5 Carl Stonehewer, 6 Tomi Riema, 7 John Branney.
IF the Bears reach the final and meet Berwick, the away leg will be staged at Shielfield Park a week on Saturday - the scheduled date for the club’s end-of-season presentation evening at Marton Hotel and Country Club. If that is the case, the following Monday (October 27) has been earmarked for the presentation evening. The venue remains unchanged.
END OF SEASON PARTY
By Jason Pipe, Redcar Speedway ~ Thursday 16th October 2008
I'm pleased to announce that I have booked the venue for the Cubs yearly end of season party. This party will take place at 'LIBERTYS IN TOWN' on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough in the upstairs room on FRIDAY 14th NOVEMBER from 7.30pm until midnight. The evening will feature a Disco, Raffle, Presentations and an Auctioning of the Cubs 2008 race jackets. There will also be a buffet and most of the 2008 Cubs will be in attendance.
This yearly and much needed event has always been well attended in the last 2 years and it's advisable to buy your tickets quickly in advance. This is an all ticket event due to numbers having to be known for catering. Only 200 tickets will be printed. We hope this date will suit all because it's 3 weeks after the main Redcar Speedway End of Season dance and 3 weeks before the BSG Xmas Party. With this 3 week gap in between each party this should hopefully mean all 3 will be well attended.
All proceeds from this event will go towards helping the Redcar Cubs in 2009 at whatever level they race at.
Tickets will be on sale from tomorrow, Thursday 16th October by approaching myself or my Girlfriend Yvonne around the track until the end of the season. Tickets can also be reserved and purchased from myself by calling me on 01642 294455 or 07595252812. Once the season has finished then I don't mind fans collecting tickets from my home in Coulby Newham or I can arrange to have them delivered. All tickets are priced at only £5.00
SEMI-FINAL WEEK FOR THE BEARS
By Redcar Speedway ~ Monday 13th October 2008
The Redcar 'TLS' Bears face the Workington Comets in the first leg of the Jack Young Shield Semi-Final at the South Tees Motorsport Park, South Bank Road, Middlesbrough this Thursday evening with tapes up at 7.30pm. The second leg is at the Derwent Park Stadium on Saturday evening October 18th. The Bears are defending the Young Shield title which they won in October 2007 and come into the Semi-Finals on the back of a 112-73 Quarter Final victory over the Reading Racers including a 60-33 victory away in Berkshire. The winners of the Bears v Comets clashes will face either the Berwick Bandits or the Isle of Wight Islanders in the Final.
Workington are unfortunately missing their top two riders. Daniel Nermark was injured in one of the worst crashes seen at the Motorpark in July and suffered severe ligament damage in his right knee. He is replaced by guest Jason Doyle the number one rider with the Somerset Rebels. Club skipper Kauko Nieminen suffered a broken collarbone in a fall last week so the Comets management will operate the rider replacement rule in his absence which allows other team members to cover his programmed rides. However they do track one of the Division's outstanding racers in the form of Carl Stonehewer the former England international and Grand Prix rider. Veteran Stonehewer will no doubt be well supported by the lively 16-year-old Joe Haines who loves his outings on the 271 metre shale oval at the Motorpark.
The Bears are at full strength and will want to build a healthy lead to take to Cumbria 48 hours later.
REDCAR 'TLS' BEARS
1. Gary Havelock (C), 2. Josh Auty, 3. James Grieves, 4. Chris Kerr, 5. Ty Proctor, 6. Benji Compton, 7. Arlo Bugeja
WORKINGTON COMETS
1. Jason Doyle, 2. Charles Wright, 3. Rider replacement for Kauko Nieminen, 4. Joe Haines, 5. Carl Stonehewer (C), 6. Tomi Riema, 7. John Branney
The club management have been in negotiation with the Marton Hotel and Country Club to organise a contingency date should both Redcar and Berwick both reach the Final and have to stage a leg at Shielfield Park in the Borders on the evening of Saturday October 25th when the Redcar Bears and Redcar Cubs end-of-season awards evening is scheduled. The only date available at the well-appointed venue is Monday October 27th.
Subject to weather the semi-finals should be complete by Saturday evening and the situation for the awards evening will be confirmed or denied through the club website www.redcarspeedway.co.uk, the club hotline 09068 664 665 (calls cost 60p per minute) and local media outlets. November dates are neither available or relevant as Chris Kerr will be returning to America with Ty Proctor and Arlo Bugeja returning to Australia at the end of the season.
TOMORROWS’ STAR BEKKER IS BUZZING
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 10th October 2008
BUZZING Byron Bekker made a sizzling return to the place he calls his “second home” last night to win his first individual meeting on British shale. The South African starlet lived in Coulby Newham when he first came to the UK and retains a special bond with Teesside. And last night he took victory in South Tees Motorsports Park’s Stars of Tomorrow meeting. The Scunthorpe ace won three of his four heats before taking victory in the semi-final and coming from behind to beat Richard Lawson in the final.
Lawson, who has come from nowhere since switching from motocross in the summer, was among a trio of Cubs riders in the trophy showdown. The progress he has made in such a short space of time has been phenomenal and he was untouchable throughout the heats - his only defeats coming when he finished second to Scott James in the semi-final and Bekker in the final. James went on to finish third in the final, with Adam McKinna fourth.
“This is the first meeting I’ve won individually since I’ve been here,” said a beaming Bekker. “The closest I came was the Conference League Riders’ Championship recently when I was second to Benji Compton. It’s a good feeling. I need to win some more! I lived with Jason Pipe (Cubs team manager) for quite a while and I enjoy the track and I enjoy the people. I suppose you can call it a second home because I’ve spent so much time up here. I struggled a little bit with the speed of my bike early on in the meeting, but riding in the Premier League this year gave me the experience to sort it all out. If I’d just been in the Conference League, I probably wouldn’t have known where to start, but riding with the senior guys in the Premier League, you pick up on what they do.”
Arlo Bugeja, the only Bears rider in the meeting, won only one of his heats and bowed out after finishing third in his semi-final.
REDCAR Bears will face Workington at home and away in the Jack Young Shield semi-finals - the team they defeated at the same stage last year. The Isle of Wight completed a 97-83 aggregate win over Sheffield last night and will face Berwick in the other last four clash. After the meeting Tigers No 1 Andre Compton announced his retirement.
The Bears will entertain the Comets next Thursday, before visiting Derwent Park for the concluding leg a week on Saturday. “I’m pleased with the draw,” said Bears team manager Brian Havelock. “I’d sooner go there than Berwick, and the Isle of Wight might take care of them now. Workington are going to be weak as well because Daniel Nermark and Kauko Niemenen are both injured. We went there without Chris Kerr and Arlo Bugeja and nearly beat them, so I’m delighted.”
BEARS STAR IS RIGHT ON TRACK!
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 9th October 2008
AS the dust settles on their incredible 60-33 win at Reading, Redcar Bears’ Jack Young Shield heroes have a well-earned Thursday evening off tonight. All except Arlo Bugeja, that is, as South Tees Motorsports Park stages a Stars of Tomorrow individual meeting (tapes up 7.30pm).
Bugeja scored paid eight against the Racers on Monday night as the TLS Bears roared into the Young Shield semi-finals with a stunning 112-73 aggregate victory. And he will start as one of the favourites for tonight’s prize, which will be contested over 12 heats, followed by two semi-finals and a final. All four finalists will receive prize money thanks to meeting sponsors North-east Bearings and Transmission, Cleveland Clearwaste and the Bears Supporters’ Group. Likely to be one of the Coulby Newham-based Aussie’s biggest rivals, however, will be Byron Bekker of Scunthorpe.
The South African finished second to Redcar’s Benji Compton in the recent Conference League Riders’ Championship at Rye House and has also been racing for Scunthorpe’s Premier League team this term. Another interesting name on the scorecard is Ben Hopwood. The 17-year-old was on the verge of joining the TLS/Simpson Racing UK Cubs earlier this season but the deal broke down at the last moment. Current Cubs riders Scott James, Gary Beaton and Richard Lawson are in the line-up too, along with team-mate Adam McKinna who has a CL maximum to his name this season.
Admission is £10 adults, £8 concessions and £5 season ticket holders. Children under 16 are admitted free and there will be no charge for the racecard.
FULL LINE-UP:
1 Arlo Bugeja, 2 Adam Mckinna, 3 Ben Hopwood, 4 James McBain, 5 Scott James, 6 Gary Beaton, 7 Ben Taylor, 8 Mike Pickering, 9 Byron Bekker, 10 Richard Lawson, 11 Scott Richardson, 12 Craig Cook. Reserve: Jack Hirst.
DON’T forget to to vote in the official Bears Rider of the Year poll. The winning rider will be presented with his trophy at the end-of-season presentation evening at Marton Hotel and Country Club on Saturday, October 25.
STARS OF TOMORROW
By Redcar Speedway ~ Tuesday 7th October 2008
As the Redcar Bears management catch their breath after the Bears' stunning 60-33 away victory over Reading in the Jack Young Shield Quarter-Finals on Monday evening and the senior team prepares for the Semi-Finals with a provisional trip to opponents Berwick in the Borders on Saturday evening and the home leg against the Bandits on Thursday October 16th - the Cubs management of Jason Pipe and Steve Harland spring into action to organise a 'Stars of Tomorrow' individual meeting at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening at 7.30pm.
The format will involve 12 riders competing over an initial 12 heats to qualify for the two semi-finals and the Grand Final which will carry generous prize money for the four finalists courtesy of meeting sponsors: North East Bearings & Transmission Ltd; Cleveland Clearwaste Limited and The Bears Supporters Group. Many of the Redcar 'TLS/Simpson Racing UK' Cubs will be competing and are supplemented by some of the best young riders in the Conference League including Scunthorpe's Byron Bekker and Buxton's Ben Taylor. Redcar Bears' Arlo Bugeja also features and will provide a measure by which the aspiring youngsters can judge themselves.
Rider order - with ages
1. Arlo Bugeja 22, 2. Adam Mckinna 21, 3. Ben Hopwood 17, 4. James McBain 20, 5. Scott James 24, 6. Gary Beaton 21, 7. Ben Taylor 18, 8. Mike Pickering 24, 9. Byron Bekker 21, 10. Richard Lawson 22, 11. Scott Richardson 19, 12. Craig Cook 22, First reserve: Jack Hirst 15
Admission prices will be £10 adults, £8 concessions, £5 season ticket holders, Free for children under 16. Racecard is also free. Fans who have ordered or wish to purchase their tickets for the End-of-Season Presentations at the Marton Hotel and Country Club on Saturday October 25th are advised that the deadline to visit the Speedway Office has been set as this Thursday evening.
ROARING THROUGH
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Tuesday 7th October 2008
RAMPANT Redcar Bears stormed into the Young Shield semi-finals last night with a stunning 60-33 win at Reading. The TLS Bears had arrived at Smallmead hoping a 52-40 lead from the home leg of their quarter-final would be enough. They needn’t have worried. Such was their dominance that the hosts were pressed into using Ulrich Ostergaard as a tactical double as early as heat five after conceding two 5-1s and a pair of 4-2s.
Ostergaard’s win in the black and white helmet temporarily stemmed the tide but the Bears quickly began to extend their advantage again and the match was over as a contest long before the end. The Racers suffered a blow before the start when they were told that, with no medical certificate to account for former Bear Tomas Suchanek’s absence, they could not use the rider replacement facility to cover his rides.
“I’m over the moon,” said delighted manager Brian Havelock. “Everyone was on fire. I don’t know what I said to them, but they were all up for it. Anyone could have team managed them last night. The referee gave them until 7.30 to produce a certificate for Suchanek and, when it didn’t come, their heads went down. The fact we were 18-6 up after four heats tells the story.”
The Bears are now set to meet Berwick in the semi-finals, although when those matches take place is anyone’s guess. Whatever happens, a Stars of Tomorrow meeting will take place at STMP this Thursday featuring, among others, Adam McKinna, Arlo Bugeja, Richard Lawson, Ben Hopwood, Byron Bekker, Scott Richardson and Scott James.
RACERS
Ulrich Ostergaard 16, Mark Lemon 7, Tom P Madsen 6, Danny Warwick 3, Andrew Bargh 1, Chris Mills 0.
BEARS
Ty Proctor 13, James Grieves 10+1, Chris Kerr 9+1, Gary Havelock 8+2, Josh Auty 8+2, Benji Compton 6+2, Arlo Bugeja 6+2.
REDCAR Cubs’ rained-off Conference League play-off semi-final, second leg away to Boston has been confirmed for Tuesday, October 14 (7.30pm) at the Norfolk Arena.
BEARS v RACERS ~ POSTPONED
By Redcar Speedway ~ Sunday 5th October 2008
UNFORTUNATELY, Sunday evening's Young Shield match between Reading the Bears at Smallmead has been postponed because of a waterlogged track. The meeting has been quickly re-arranged and will now take place tomorrow evening, Monday 6th October with a 7.30pm start.
BEARS ON PROWL IN TROPHY DEFENCE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 4th October 2008
TITLE-CHASING Redcar Bears will show no sympathy to soon-to-be-evicted Reading Racers tomorrow (6pm start) as they continue the defence of their Jack Young Shield. The Racers will be booted out of their Smallmead home later this month to make way for the bulldozers, before taking a season out as they await the construction of a new home. And that means a TLS Bears aggregate win would make tomorrow’s match the Racers’ last until they move into a new stadium.
Brian Havelock’s side travel to Berkshire with a healthy 52-40 lead from the first leg and he believes that could be enough of an advantage to propel them into the semi-finals. His side crashed 57-35 on their last trip to Reading, earlier in the season - but that was when the disappointing Joni Keskinen was riding in place of the injured Chris Kerr, and he failed to score.
“I asked for a lead of 10 to 12 points from the first leg, and that’s what we’ve got,” said Havelock. “We know it won’t be easy down there but we’re strong at the top and we need to protect what we’ve got.”
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
RACERS
1 Mark Lemon, R/R for Tomas Suchanek, 3 Ulrich Ostergaard, 4 Chris Mills, 5 Tom P Madsen, 6 Klaus Jakobsen, 7 Danny Warwick.
SEMIS HERE WE COME ~ HAVELOCK
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 3rd October 2008
WE’RE on the brink of a place in the Jack Young Shield semi-finals - that was the proud cry from delighted Redcar Bears boss Brian Havelock today. Havelock told his TLS Bears side to build up a lead of 10-12 points against Reading in the home leg of their quarter-final clash with Reading last night, and they responded with a 52-40 victory on a night of pulsating speedway. Every member of the team recorded at least a paid win as they did exactly the job that was asked of them.
Ty Proctor led the way with a brilliant 15-point maximum, sealed with a scintilating on-the-line win over Premier League No 1 Ulrich Ostergaard in the final race. The Aussie ace has had some memorable meetings in his first year of British speedway, but last night’s was perhaps his best yet. Twice he came from the back to defeat Ostergaard, whose mighty 10.27 average is solid proof of his calibre, and did likewise to defeat the lively Mark Lemon too. Skipper Gary Havelock Havelock had a disappointing night by his standards but with Proctor, James Grieves and Chris Kerr all piling up the points, it didn’t really matter. Josh Auty was at his tenacious best too - the highlight of his night coming in heat six when he battled past Tom P Madsen and then Klaus Jakobsen to record a paid win behind Havelock.
Jakobsen was kept largely quiet by an effective Bears unit and among those to lower his colours was new Conference League Riders’ Champion Benji Compton. Compton, who paraded the trophy before the match, made a lightning gate and stayed ahead to win heat 14. He wouldn’t have seen it, but the crowd’s eyes were at the back where Kerr came from behind to pip Jakobsen on the line. The Racers had thrown in Ostergaard as a tactical substitute and Jakobsen as a reserve replacement for the out of touch Danny Warwick in heat eight to stop the Bears running away with it. Auty’s win blunted the effect and, although the visitors produced a 5-1 out of nowhere two races later, the Bears were soon back in control.
“We did well,” said team boss Havelock. “Gary had a bad night but the lads did what I asked of them. I’m happy with that result - I think we can contain them down there because our top five are going well. Benji is a little star and Ty had an excellent meeting. He was superb and even going into the last heat he wasn’t bothered which gate he had, he was so confident.”
BEARS
Ty Proctor 15, James Grieves 9+1, Chris Kerr 8+1, Josh Auty 7+2, Gary Havelock 6, Benji Compton 5, Arlo Bugerja 2+1.
RACERS
Ulrich Ostergaard 15, Mark Lemon 10, Chris Mills 6+3, Klaus Jakobsen 6+2, Tom P Madsen 2, Danny Warwick 1, R/R for Tomas Suchanek.
BEARS SEEKING DOUBLE REVENGE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 2nd October 2008
TROPHY-HUNTING Redcar Bears head into their biggest match of the year tonight determined to get one foot in the semi-finals of the Jack Young Shield. The TLS Bears entertain Reading at South Tees Motorsports Park (tapes up 7.30pm) looking for a big lead to take into Sunday’s quarter-final second leg in Berkshire. The Racers beat the Bears home and away in the Premier League earlier this season, and manager Brian Havelock is expecting another tough match this evening - especially as Stoke’s track specialist Klaus Jakobsen has been drafted in as a guest reserve for the injured Jamie Smith.
But his side have recovered from the injury crisis which severely hampered them when they faced the Racers in those two PL matches and is backing them to progress. “It’s going to be harder than we first thought,” admitted Havelock, whose team are the current Shield holders. “They are a good side. At the end of the league season we’ve only had one more win than them so it’s going to be close. They’ve made a shrewd move by bringing in a rider at reserve who scores eight, nine, 10 points at our place in place of a rider who would score four. He’ll be their ace in the pack. I’ll be making sure I see a certificate for Jamie Smith!"
"But I’m looking forward to it and I think we’re a match for anyone over two legs. I’ll be telling the lads to tan their backsides at home - build up a lead of 10-12 points, maybe more, to take to their place. Mark Lemon doesn’t go awfully well round our track - I’ve looked at their team and I think Ulrich Ostergaard and Jakobsen will score well, but apart from that they’re not particularly good travellers. We were carrying two passengers and had to use R/R last time they came here - this time we’ve got seven riders all capable of scoring points. We didn’t have Chris Kerr in the side for either of the league matches because we was recovering from his broken leg, but he’s going to make a difference for a start.”
New Conference League Riders’ Champion Benji Compton is a confirmed starter at reserve for both legs, which means he misses the Cubs’ CL play-off semi-final second leg away to Boston. As well as being without Smith, the Racers are missing former Bear Tomas Suchanek who was left “battered and bruised” after a high-speed crash in his native Czech Republic.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
RACERS
1 Mark Lemon, R/R for Tomas Suchanek, 3 Ulrich Ostergaard, 4 Chris Mills, 5 Tom P Madsen, 6 Klaus Jakobsen, 7 Danny Warwick.
PART 3 ~ LATEST NEWS ~ SEPTEMBER 2008
BEARS STRIVE FOR DOUBLE SUCCESS
By Redcar Speedway ~ Monday 29th September 2008
The Redcar Bears start the defence of the Jack Young Shield - which they won at the climax of season 2007 - when they take on the Reading Racers at the South Tees Motorsport Park, off South Bank Road, Middlesbrough on Thursday evening from 7.30pm. This is the first leg of the Quarter-Finals with the second leg at the Smallmead Stadium, Reading on Sunday October 5th from 6pm.
The Racers beat the Bears by 48 points to 42 at the Motorpark on June 19th in a Premier League fixture so will approach the fixture with confidence. However the Bears were depleted that night with Chris Kerr and Daniel Giffard both on the injured list - they also had to use the rider replacement rule for Joni Keskinen. On Thursday the Bears top five are back to full strength and so a very competitive enecounter is in prospect with the added incentives of it being an aggregate knockout competition plus the chance for back-to-back silverware to parade in front of the Teesside faithful eveentually.
As stated Reading are no slouches. Dane Ulrich Ostergaard has a prolific points scoring record at the Motorpark and ex-Middlesbrough Bear Mark Lemon is still among the top riders in this division. With injuries at reserve level the Royal Berkshire management have made a shrewd choice of guest in the shape of Stoke's Klaus Jacobsen who rides the 271-metre shale oval very effectively. As does Racers second string Chris Mills. The Bears will have to be on top form to build a reasonable margin to take to the second leg.
Talking of silverware - there will be a lap of honour prior to the match on Thursday for the Bears young reserve Benji Compton. Representing the Redcar 'TLS/Simpson Racing UK' Cubs at the Conference League Riders' Championship at Rye House Speedway in Hertfordshire on Saturday evening he won the national title at his first attempt scoring 14 points out of 15 from his five starts. He emulates Andy Howe of the former Cleveland Bays based at the defunct Cleveland Park Stadium - who won the inuagural CLRC in 1994. Benji is assured of a great reception for this outstanding achievement. Particularly as he was retiring from the sport after being dropped by the Scunthorpe Scorpions in mid-season. He was talked around by Bears team boss Brian Havelock who encouraged him not to sell his machinery but give it another go with the Redcar club. The rest, as they say, is history.
REDCAR 'TLS' BEARS
1. Gary Havelock (C), 2. Josh Auty, 3. James Grieves, 4. Chris Kerr, 5. Ty Proctor, 6. Benji Compton, 7. Arlo Bugeja
READING RACERS
1. Mark Lemon (C), 2. Tomas Suchanek R/R, 3. Ulrich Ostergaard, 4. Chris Mills, 5. Tom P. Madsen, 6. Klaus Jacobsen, 7. Danny Warwick
COMPTON LOOKS FORWARD
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 27th September 2008
TWO months ago his bikes were up for sale and he was ready to quit - but now Benji Compton is looking forward to playing a major part in Redcar Bears’ defence of the Jack Young Shield. The TLS Bears today confirmed that they would meet Reading at home and away in the quarter- finals of the knockout competition they won last autumn. The Racers will visit South Tees Motorsports Park this coming Thursday, with the return leg at the soon-to-be-demolished Smallmead the following Sunday (6pm start).
Bears fans’ group, the BSG, are already considering a coach trip to the away match. Such a high profile fixture is great news for Compton, who is relishing his new lease of life on Teesside after being talked out of premature retirement by Bears team boss Brian Havelock. “Two months ago I had my bikes up for sale,” revealed Compton who initially signed for Redcar’s junior team, the Cubs, but has been a regular fixture at reserve for the Bears. I took two months out and then Brian saw me on the off chance when I was mechanicing for my brother and asked if I fancied having a go again if he could fit me in. I’ve known Brian for a long time so I said ‘yeah, why not?’”
The Bears had hoped to be paired with Sheffield in the quarter-finals - which would have taken Compton back to his parent track where brother Andre is skipper. But the Tigers have ended as one of the top four qualifiers - with Redcar, Workington and Berwick - thus scuppering hopes of the tie. Both clubs lobbied the BSPA today to allow it to take place, but the sport’s ruling body stood firm.
The Bears crashed 57-35 at Reading in the Premier League this season, but were using Joni Keskinen in place of the injured Chris Kerr at the time and he failed to score a point. They also lost 48-42 at home, but again injuries were biting hard and the Bears team featured two CL guests and rider replacement.
GARY Havelock, Josh Auty and Arlo Bugeja are among the riders playing for a Bears personnel team - which also includes the Gazette’s Martin Neal - against a fans’ septet in a charity seven-a-side football match, at Goals on the site of the old Cleveland Park stadium tomorrow (2pm). Proceeds will go to the Tico Barnett Fund to benefit prematurely born children in the Middlesbrough area. Spectators are welcome and will be asked for a donation.
TY PROCTOR is the early leader in the official Bears Rider of the Year poll.
Visit www.gazettelive.co.uk/bearspoll to cast your vote.
BATTLING BEARS SHIELD WAR CRY
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Monday 22nd September 2008
GLORY-HUNTING Redcar Bears went within a whisker of becoming the first away team to win a Premier League clash at Berwick before missing out in a tense last heat decider. But team boss Brian Havelock professed himself delighted with his side after their narrow 46-44 defeat and says it sends out exactly the right message to their potential Jack Young Shield quarter-final opponents. Saturday’s Shielfield Park showdown was the Bears’ last in the Premier League this year and their attention now turns to their defence of the Shield.
Once again qualifying teams will pick their next opponents according to their finishing order and Havelock said: “They won’t want to pick us. In fact I don’t think anyone would want to meet us over two legs. If anyone picks us, they’re off their trolleys because they’ll just put themselves out of the competition early doors.”
Despite having to operate rider replacement for Ty Proctor who was on World Under-21 Team Cup final duty with Australia, the Bears called the shots early on and built up a six-point lead. They benefited from the heat two exclusion of Gugliemo Franchetti who was involved in a horrifying back straight clash. The Italian collided with team-mate Scott Smith and smashed straight through the safety fence and was catapulted over the brick wall and head-first into a floodlight pylon on the terrace side of the wall. Thankfully, after a worryingly long period of medical attention, he not only walked back to the pits but went on to complete the meeting. But after trailing 15-9 with four heats gone, the Bandits shipped away and went ahead for the first time after race nine.
Still the Bears dug in, however, and consecutive 4-2s had them in front again going into the last race. James Grieves and Chris Kerr had been immense all night on a big and bumpy track that takes no prisoners, but had no answer to the fast-gating Tomasz Piszcz and Michal Makovsky who led the way from tapes to flag.
If you wanted to be harsh you could reel off a string of if onlys – if only Proctor had been in the side; Josh Auty had scored before his final ride; Gary Havelock hadn’t finished at the back in heat 11; Kerr hadn’t hit one of the many bumps and let Piszcz past; Arlo Bugeja had held firm and not allowed Paul Clews past after the Bandits second string had started from a 15m handicap because he’d touched the tapes.
But this was a good performance and the Bears deserve praise, not criticism. “It’s a long way round and it’s hard,” reflected boss Havelock. “The track was atrocious - it was about four inches deep on the first turn. But we ran them closer than I expected.”
BANDITS
Tomasz Piszcz 13, Michal Makovsky 12+1, Tero Aarnio 6+1, Scott Smith 6+1, Paul Clews 5+1, Gugliemo Franchetti 3+1, Tamas Sike 1.
BEARS
James Grieves 14, Chris Kerr 11, Gary Havelock 8, Arlo Bugeja 7+1, Josh Auty 3, Benji Compton 1, R/R for Ty Proctor.
CRUMP'S COMING TO TOWN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 20th September 2008
TWO-TIMES world champion Jason Crump is coming to South Tees Motorsports Park. Redcar Bears promoter Glyn Taylor has pulled off a major coup by booking the Belle Vue star for the South Tees Silver Helmet on October 23.
Taylor said: “Jason is coming because he likes to help Premier League tracks prosper. The only thing that will stop him is if he has any play- off commitments but I think they’ll all be done by then.”
Richard Hall, Tai Woffinden, Jason and Daniel King plus the Bears’ top five are also confirmed starters for the meeting.
HAVVY GOES FOR WEEKEND GLORY
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 20th September 2008
IN-FORM skipper Gary Havelock aims to give Redcar Bears fans a double reason to celebrate in their biggest weekend of the season so far. The Marton-based former world champion begins at Berwick tonight (7pm) when he leads the TLS Bears into Premier League battle against the Bandits. And tomorrow at Sheffield he goes for glory in the big Premier League Riders’ Championship (4pm). Havvy goes into this evening’s twice rained-off match at Shielfield Park on the back of a paid maximum against Stoke on Thursday.
His side will be without Ty Proctor who is in the Australia team for the World Under-21 Team Cup final in Denmark. But Berwick will be weakened too after bringing in rookie Tamas Sike to replace Hungarian Norbert Magosi who has returned home, although Tomasz Piszcz looks a strong guest in place of Adrian Rymel, who is riding for the Czech Republic in the European Pairs final. It’s both sides’ final PL match of the season but they are each chasing a strong finish to give themselves a good Young Shield quarter-final draw.
Meanwhile tomorrow’s Sheffield showdown features the No 1 riders from each of the PL’s 16 teams. “I’m on good form at the moment, the bikes are going well and I’ve got some good set-ups going,” said Havelock. “I’m really looking forward to the PLRC - Sheffield’s a track I like riding and for once I’m not going to be going into a big meeting as one of the favourites. In a way the pressure’s off me - there are probably six or seven riders rated higher than me but I know that on my day I can beat any of them so I’ll go there and give it my best shot.”
BANDITS
1 Tomasz Piszcz, 2 Tamas Sike, 3 Michal Makovsky, 4 Paul Clews, 5 Tero Aarnio, 6 Guglielmo Franchetti , 7 Scott Smith.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 R/R for Ty Proctor, 3 James Grieves, 4 Josh Auty, 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
HAVVY UNBEATEN AS BEARS SEE OFF STOKE AGAIN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 19th September 2008
CAPTAIN Marvel Gary Havelock roared to his second full house of the season last night as Redcar Bears stepped up their bid for a good draw in the Jack Young Shield quarter- finals. The 39-year-old evergreen former England skipper led the way as the TLS Bears brought down the curtain on their home Premier League campaign with a 51-40 victory over Stoke. The win hoisted them over Berwick - who they visit in their final PL clash tomorrow tonight - into sixth place in the table, to boost their chances of finishing as one of the top four Young Shield qualifiers, which would earn them a pick of their next opponents.
But manager Brian Havelock has warned his side they’ll need to improve if they are to win in the Borders tomorrow. He’s right too. His son Gary’s paid 15-point score speaks for itself, while James Grieves and Ty Proctor were also on top form and dropped just one point each. Josh Auty seems to have chased away his mechanical gremlins and rode far better than his paid six return suggests. The youngster battled tenaciously, passing both Potters riders in heat six and coming from behind in his next two races too, to earn the Bruce Forrester Memorial Trophy for the Bears rider of the night as voted for by referee Tony Steele. But Chris Kerr was a little short of his top form while birthday boy Benji Compton failed to make it onto the scoresheet and Arlo Bugeja scored in only two races, and was gifted one of his three points when Jesper Kristiansen retired in one of those.
The Potters had a strong spearhead in Ben Barker - the man the Bears fans love to hate - and a trump card in Danish track specialist Klaus Jakobsen who made a mockery of his 4.15 average with a paid 13 total from reserve. They slashed the Bears’ early advantage from six points to two with a pair of mid-meetings 4-2s before the Bears began to open up a more comfortable looking lead. When Proctor fought his way from last to first in heat 13 to partner Havelock to a 5-1 in heat 13, the gap was up to 10 points.
A final throw of the dice by the visitors saw Barker come out as a tactical substitute off 15m for the next race but he could finish no higher than third behind Kerr, ensuring the Bears completed a home and away double over Stoke in the space of four days. Havelock completed his paid maximum in heat 15 as he and Grieves team-rode their way to a 5-1.
“It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” admitted team boss Havelock Snr. “They had a strong reserve who rides well here every time. We could have slipped up, but we got the two points and that’s the important thing. We’ll have to be better than this if we’re going to win at Berwick.”
BEARS
James Grieves 14, Gary Havelock 13+2, Ty Proctor 11, Josh Auty 5+1, Chris Kerr 5, Arlo Bugeja 3+1, Benji Compton 0.
POTTERS
Ben Barker 13, Klaus Jakobsen 12+1, Shane Parker 7, Andy Moore 4+1, Mark Burrows 2+1, Jesper Kristiansen 1, Krister Jacobsen 1.
HAVELOCK RALLIES BEARS FOR SPEEDWAY SEASON FINALE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 18th September 2008
IN-FORM Redcar Bears go into their final home Premier League match of the season tonight determined to end their campaign on a high. The TLS Bears, who entertain Stoke this evening (tapes up 7.30pm) before completing their PL fixtures at Berwick on Saturday, are virtually certain to miss out on the promotion play-offs. But boss Brian Havelock is urging his team to keep their good form going in order to secure the best possible draw for the Jack Young Shield quarter-finals.
The teams finishing between fifth and 12th in the final table go into the end-of-season knockout competition, which the Bears won in 2007. And with the top four qualifiers getting to choose their opponents in order of finishing, the race is on to end up top of the pack. “A place in the top four looks beyond us,” admitted Havelock, whose side won away to this evening’s opponents on Sunday. But I don’t see any reason why we can’t beat Stoke again and if we win at Berwick as well - and they’re weaker now they’ve lost the facility for Norbert Magosi - that’s another three points. We’ll be looking to finish top of the qualifiers to get the best possible pick for the Young Shield.”
The Bears have looked a strong unit recently, with reserve Benji Compton giving them a useful sting in the tail. Havelock believes Compton can celebrate his 22nd birthday today with another big points haul tonight - but he’s told Josh Auty he’ll be looking for a higher return. The England Under-23 star had hit a good run of form before suffering bike problems in each of his last two meetings. He injured an arm in a fall at Stoke but has recovered and takes his place in the return match.
“We need to get Josh going,” said Havelock, “because the others can’t keep carrying him. It took him long enough to get going this year and now he’s started to have bike problems, he’s getting down about it. He’s coming to our place to do some work on his carburetor, although I think the problems could be electrical so he’ll be having a look at that as well.”
Stoke have still not received medical clearance for No 1 Lee Complin to return after suffering serious injuries in a car crash, so they will again use a guest. The Bears’ rider of the night, as voted for by referee Tony Steele, will be presented with the Bruce Forrester Memorial Trophy, awarded in recognition of the former Middlesbrough captain who was a great favourite at Cleveland Park.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
POTTERS
1 TBC, 2 Mark ‘Buzz’ Burrows, 3 Ben Barker, 4 Krister Jacobsen, 5 Andy Moore, 6 Jesper Kristiansen, 7 Klaus Jakobsen.
BEARS LOOK TO DO DOUBLE ON POTTERS
By Redcar Speedway ~ Tuesday 16th October 2008
The Redcar Bears look forward to wrapping up their home Premier League campaign in style when they entertain the Stoke Potters at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening from 7.30pm. The Bears have been in good form since the return of their top five although several ended the 48-41away victory at Stoke on Sunday among the walking wounded.
Ty Proctor suffered ligament damage to his right foot in a bizarre accident as he rode back up the ramp to the Stoke pits after heat 11 and caught himself under the footrest. He took part in heat 13 against medical advice and won it! The tough as teak Aussie has declared that he will line up for the Bears on Thursday evening. As part of a nightmare evening involving mechanical problems and an exclusion for tangling with Buzz Burrows - young Josh Auty ended up receiving medical attention for a painful left wrist after a first bend encounter with the Stoke safety fence in heat 10. Again he is expected to be on parade.
Man of the match in many senses at Stoke was reserve Benji Compton who had to take extra rides and included two heat wins in his vital nine-point tally. Benji was knocked flying by Stoke skipper Ben Barker in heat 5 of the match in the Midlands. Barker was excluded for unfair riding with the Bear having to be restrained by the management team. Compton was hobbling after the incident but elected to ride on and will be keen to continue his improved form against Stoke.
The Potters have been missing their number one rider Lee Complin in recent months following serious injury in a road traffic accident. Complin however hopes to return for his team on Thursday evening and the Stoke management have requested that a blank be left in the programme just in case. if not they will rely again on a guest rider although the return from this facility has been disappointing on occasions for the Staffordshire side.
Ben Barker will no doubt be at the centre of the action and there is certainly never a dull moment on and off track when Ben is in town! The youngster has recently had his contract purchased by Elite League Coventry Bees who see a progressive career for the Cornish 20-year-old. Another rider who is guaranteed to entertain is the evergreen Mark 'Buzz' Burrows. The former Middlesbrough Bear and Cleveland Bay is still wowing them at 44-years-young and is a popular figure on both sides of the pits.
The outstanding member of Stoke's new Scandinavian cluster is Dane Klaus Jakobsen. He scored double figures guesting for Glasgow at the Motorpark in August and followed that up by a 15-point maximum for Stoke in his next home match. He will prove a lively threat from the number seven spot.
REDCAR 'TLS' BEARS
1. Gary Havelock (C), 2. Josh Auty, 3. James Grieves, 4. Chris Kerr, 5. Ty Proctor, 6. Benji Compton, 7. Arlo Bugeja
STOKE POTTERS
1. To be confirmed, 2. Buzz Burrows, 3. Ben Barker (C), 4. Krister Jacobsen, 5. Andy Moore, 6. Jesper Kristiansen, 7. Klaus Jakobsen
The meeting is sponsored by LF Direct of Newport Business Park, Middlesbrough. It will incorporate the Bruce Forrester Memorial Trophy to be awarded to the outstanding Bear on the evening as selected by match referee Mr Tony Steele. Bruce was a top rider and popular captain of the team when Speedway was staged at the former Cleveland Park Stadium. Bruce sadly died prematurely following a long illness. Members of his family and support team have been invited. The match day programme will feature memories of and tributes to Bruce.
BENJI'S WELCOME WEEKEND HEROICS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Monday 15th September 2008
IN-FORM Benji Compton had a weekend to remember as he helped Redcar Bears boost their bid for a favourable Jack Young Shield draw as well as spearheading the Cubs’ march into the Conference League play-offs. The former Scunthorpe star racked up nine points – his biggest ever score for the Bears – in last night’s 48-41 victory at Stoke.
With Josh Auty again suffering engine problems before being withdrawn from the meeting with a wrist injury after crashing in heat 11 and skipper Gary Havelock having a rare exclusion for touching the tapes – his only dropped points - Compton’s contribution was crucial to the Bears’ win. The Potters had led until James Grieves and Chris Kerr turned the tables with a 5-1 in heat 10. The hosts put their noses in front again but Havelock but Ty Proctor scored the first of two consecutive Bears 5-1s in heat 13, and the second of them – from Compton, with his second win of the night, and Chris Kerr – wrapped up the points.
Auty’s torrid night began when he failed to beat the two-minute warning for the first race, got worse when he was harshly excluded for bringing down Buzz Burrows in heat five despite being in front of the former Middlesbrough rider, and ended when, mounted on Kerr’s machine, he crashed into the fence.
“Benji was absolutely superb,” said delighted manager Brian Havelock, who has constantly trumpeted the young reserve’s qualities, “and it was a great performance by the rest of the lads too.”
POTTERS
Krister Jacobsen 11, Ben Barker 10+1, Jesper Kristiansen 5+2, Klaus Jakobsen 5, Andrew Moore 5, Jason Bunyan 3+2, Buzz Burrows 2.
BEARS
Gary Havelock 11+1, James Grieves 9+1, Ty Proctor 9, Benji Compton 9, Chris Kerr 8+3, Arlo Bugeja 2+1, Josh Auty 0 w/d.
BRING ’EM ON!
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 13th September 2008
WE’VE beaten the best, now bring on the rest! That’s the battlecry from Redcar TLS Bears manager Brian Havelock ahead of his side’s Premier League trip to Stoke tomorrow evening. Havelock’s side gave a strong and gritty performance to see off PL table-toppers Edinburgh at South Tees Motorsports Park on Thursday.
Now he’s backing them to follow it up by producing another good result at Loomer Road. “We’ll be going to Stoke with our tails up,” said a confident-sounding Havelock. “That’s the name of the game. Stoke is a good track, it’s got an air fence and all of our lads like it. We did a cracking job against Edinburgh on Thursday night - that performance will have given our lads plenty of confidence.”
Havelock’s men lost 49-41 at Stoke in their opening match of 2008 in the Premier Trophy, but Gary Havelock was hurt in a heavy fall on that occasion, it was wizard of Aus Ty Proctor’s first ever meeting in British speedway and Josh Auty has since rediscovered his best form. Tomorrow the Bears keep the same side that beat Edinburgh which means Benji Compton is again included at reserve. Compton, who has improved steadily since being promoted from the Cubs’ Conference League side, is having a very busy few days. For, as well as racing in both the Bears’ meetings, he is also in the Cubs team for both matches in this afternoon’s Conference League double header against Weymouth and Sittingbourne at South Tees Motorsports Park (3pm start).
Another good result is crucial for the Bears who are aiming to give themselves the best possible chance of retaining the Jack Young Shield. Once again the top four qualifiers have the choice of who to meet in the two-leg quarter-finals - with the order in which teams get to choose decided on finishing order. Meawhile Stoke are still waiting to get the all-clear to include No 1 Lee Complin in their line-up after recovering from serious injuries sustained in a car crash. This morning the 2007 Garry Stead Grand Prix winner had still not been given medical clearance to ride and the Potters were facing up to bringing in a guest replacement. Krister Jakobsen was brought in on loan from Wolves to replace Barrie Evans last month but Stoke were swept aside 57-36 by Edinburgh in their last home match.
POTTERS
1 TBC, 2 Krister Jacobsen, 3 Ben Barker, 4 Jesper Kristiansen, 5 Andrew Moore, 6 Mark ‘Buzz’ Burrows, 7 Klaus Jakobsen.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
PROUD BOSS HAILS BEARS AS LEADERS BEATEN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Friday 12th September 2008
PROUD boss Brian Havelock couldn’t conceal his delight today after his Redcar TLS Bears side stormed to a thrilling 49-41 victory over Premier League leaders Edinburgh. The Bears chief had promised “a belter” of a meeting - and he was spot on. He also reckoned on the Bears’ top five being too strong for the title-chasing visitors - and he was four fifths right on that one. Ty Proctor was denied a paid maximum only in the nominated riders’ race, skipper Gary Havelock played a true captain’s innings, James Grieves rattled off three wins and Chris Kerr gave another impressive show.
The only disappointment was Josh Auty, who has been in flying form lately, but was plagued by bike problems against the Monarchs. The reserves played their part too, and another hero of the hours was Benji Compton, who twice beat visiting No 1 William Lawson. He brought a huge roar from a very respectable crowd with a superb win in heat seven. After gating first he kept his focus and, with Proctor doing an outstanding job to keep the determined Andrew Tully at bay, he took the chequered flag to spearhead a home 5-1. Another 5-1 in heat 13 - when Proctor and Havelock saw off Lawson and the fallen Ryan Fisher - opened the gap to 10 points.
That allowed Edinburgh boss Alan Bridgett to send out Aaron Summers as a tactical double in the next race and, although Kerr was passed by Tully at the front, Compton produced another stunning performance to pass the man in black and white and leave him at the back. It was a case of sweet revenge for the Bears, who had lost home and away to the Scottish side in the KO Cup but are now coming to the boil nicely as they prepare to defend the Jack Young Shield they won last autumn.
“I knew it would be a good meeting, but I didn’t expect to win by that many,” admitted proud team boss Havelock. “I thought we might win it by five or six so I’m delighted with that. Josh had a bad night but he says it’s his motors, not him. They don’t seem to be right so he’ll be taking them back to Eddie Bull, who does them. But I was over the moon with Benji - a bit more experience and he’ll come on in leaps and bounds. He wants to come back here next year and I don’t blame him - I’d love to have him.”
BEARS
Gary Havelock 12+1, Ty Proctor 11+1, James Grieves 10+1, Chris Kerr 7+1, Benji Compton 5+1, Arlo Bugeja, Josh Auty 1+1.
MONARCHS
Andrew Tully 10, Derek Sneddon 9, Aaron Summers 7+3, Matthew Wethers 7+2, William Lawson 4, Ryan Fisher 4, R/R for Thomas H Jonasson.
BEARS CLASH WILL HAVE THE WOW FACTOR ~ HAVELOCK
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Thursday 11th September 2008
GET set for the match of the year! That’s manager Brian Havelock’s message to fans as his Redcar TLS Bears side prepares to take on Premier League leaders Edinburgh at South Tees Motorsports Park tonight (tapes up 7.30pm). The title-chasing Monarchs arrive on Teesside determined to put some distance between themselves and Somerset, with who they are currently tied on 43 points at the top of the table. But the Bears are determined to avoid a second home defeat of the year at the hands of the Monarchs, and boost their chances of a favourable draw in the Jack Young Shield.
“This is probably the meeting of the year,” declared Havelock. “It’s certainly got the wow factor. Edinburgh will be coming here looking for three points, there’s no doubt about that. They are so close to winning the league now, so they will be well and truly fired up - they’re likely to bring a decent crowd with them too. But we want to keep our unbeaten run going and this time we’ve got a full team out. The higher we finish in the table, the better our chances of being able to pick one of the weaker teams in the Young Shield. We won it last year and we certainly don’t plan to give it back in a hurry.”
The Monarchs dealt out a 55-38 drubbing to the Bears when they visited in the KO Cup in May, but Havelock has vowed there will be no repeat. Reserve Arlo Bugeja, who failed to score from four rides on that occasion, has hit a decent run of form since then, while Chris Kerr has returned and been scoring well since then too. His place in the side was taken by Joni Keskinen last time out, and the Finnish flop managed just one point.
“We’re stronger this time and our top five are a match for anyone on their day,” said Havelock. “What I need to do now is squeeze six or seven points out of the reserves and that should be good enough to see us home. It’s going to be a belter of a match.”
Bugeja and fellow reserve Benji Compton will need to be on top form however. For their counterparts are Aaron Summers, who has had plenty of experience of South Tees Motorsports Park with the Cubs, and Matthew Wethers, who rode as a heat leader on his last visit but now lines up at No 6 despite an average approaching seven points. Both teams had faced being weakened due to losing riders to the current England v Australia Under-23 Test series, but the BSPA have given the Bears and the Monarchs permission to withdraw their riders from international duty.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
MONARCHS
1 William Lawson, 2 Derek Sneddon, 3 Thomas H Jonasson, 4 Andrew Tully, 5 Ryan Fisher, 6 Matthew Wethers, 7 Aaron Summers.
BERWICK WILL BE TOUGH BUT BEARS CAN DO IT
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette ~ Saturday 6th September 2008
SKIPPER Gary Havelock is expecting a tough test when Redcar Bears visit Berwick tonight (7pm start) - but he’s refusing to rule out an away win. Like the TLS Bears, the Bandits are chasing a strong finish in the Premier League to be certain of a favourable draw for the Jack Young Shield. They have assembled a strong side this year and that, coupled with the home advantage of their big and bumpy Shielfield Park track, will give Havvy and his side a stern examination.
“Berwick’s going to be tough because they’ve got a decent team this year,” said former world champion and England skipper Havelock, who led his side to a historic victory in last year’s Shield final against Birmingham. I was guesting for Workington a couple of weeks ago when Berwick came and beat them at Derwent Park. They’re pretty strong all the way through the team so it’s going to be difficult. It’s definitely a track which gives them a big home track advantage. It’s a nice shape - it’s big and fast - but it’s always so rough and bumpy! It’s a place I have to go to, grit my teeth and do my job. But the way our top five are riding at the moment, we are a match for anybody on our day. Because of that there is no pressure on the reserves - they can go out and ride with a bit of freedom and we’ve seen the benefits of that. Over the last three or four weeks, it’s the best I’ve ever seen Arlo Bugeja ride.”
The Bandits have injury worries over Tero Aarnio while Norbert Magosi is ruled out after unexpectedly returning home to Hungary for personal reasons recently. BEARS team-mates Josh Auty and Ty Proctor become rivals for a night on Monday when England take on Australia in an Under-23 Test match at Wolverhampton. Cubs starlet Aaron Summers joins Proctor in the Aussie line-up. A COLLECTION by the Bears Supporters’ Club on Thursday raised £400 for Cubs funds.
BEARS
1 Gary Havelock, 2 Josh Auty, 3 James Grieves, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Ty Proctor, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Arlo Bugeja.
BANDITS
1 Adrian Rymel, 2 R/R for Norbert Magosi, 3 Michal Makovsky, 4 Paul Clews, 5 Tero Aarnio, 6 Guglielmo Franchetti, 7 Scott Smith.
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