LATEST NEWS ~ MAY 2006

TEAM TALK
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Tuesday 30th May 2006
BEARS skipper Gary Havelock has been offered a contract to ride in Russia. It's common practice for many British-based riders to also ride for a team on the continent, and Havvy has been approached by a Russian team called MegaLada to ride in the European Speedway League this season. The team are based about 1,000 miles east of Moscow but, despite the distance, Havvy hasn't yet ruled out putting pen to paper.

FIT-AGAIN Kevin Little has revealed that his damaged shoulder gave him no cause for concern in his comeback meeting against the Isle of Wight last week. The popular Scot missed four meetings after crashing heavily at King's Lynn and left a big hole in the Redcar Bears line-up. He failed to score in his first two races back in the saddle, but then burst back into form with a paid win and a victory. "The shoulder gave me no problems at all," said Little. "I was a little bit edgy in my first couple of rides because I didn't know if I was 100 per cent fit. But it came together after that. I missed a few meetings so I needed to get some points! I noticed afterwards I was the lowest points scorer in the team and that pleased me, actually, because it showed that everyone picked up points and rode reasonably well. It was a good, solid performance."

TEAM boss Brian Havelock gave his team a pep talk ahead of last week's win over the Isle of Wight. The Bears had lost at home to Workington seven days earlier and he was determined to avoid a repeat. "I had a chat with them before the meeting," said Havelock, "and I told them we had to pick up a bit. "Chris Kerr had lost a bit of form in the last couple of meetings and, although the reserves had started to do well, it was important for them to keep it up."
 

PATCHED-UP CLEVELAND BAYS LOSE OUT
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Tuesday 30th May 2006
Redcar Bears' second team, the Cleveland Bays, had a patched up look to them as they went down 19-11 in a second half challenge at Workington on Saturday. Rusty Hodgson, from Hutton Rudby, pulled out after hurting himself in a practice crash while Ashley Johnson, of Ingleby Barwick, was ruled out by bike problems.

Karl Langley had two great races with John Branney but couldn't prevent the Northside Stars from taking an aggregate victory.

BAYS: Karl Langley 7, Gary Irving 3, Maurice Crang 1, Greg Blair 0.
 

LOOKING AHEAD
~ STOKE ‘POTTERS’ Sunday 28th May 2006
The Redcar Bears, having gained their first Premier League points against the Isle of Wight at the South Tees Motorsport Park last Thursday evening, wind up their home Premier Trophy North campaign against the Stoke Potters this Thuirsday evening at 7.30pm.

With a narrow defeat six point defeat in Staffordshire in April - the Bears will also have their eye on the bonus point on offer for aggregate victory. They go into battle operating the rider replacement for Mathieu Tresarrieu who will be away racing in Italy on World Championship duty for his native France. However, the management were encouraged by the return of Kevin Little last week. Despite finishing last in his first outing back after injury Kevin roared to victory in Heat 14. There was also an outstanding contribution from the Bears reserves Daniel Giffard and Jack Hargreaves with a total of paid eighteen in a close match with the Isle of Wight - this making the difference for a home victory.

These will be crucial players against a solid Stoke team spearheaded by former Middlesbrough Bears Mark Lemon and Alan Mogridge. Lemon is one of the most consistent number one riders in the Premier League whilst 'Moggo', as he is affectionately known, is in his 25th season as a speedway rider and was voted the Rider of the Year by speedway fans in a national poll in 2005.
 

VICTORY ROAR
~ BY Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 26th May 2006
Redcar Bears bounced back from a shaky start to clinch victory in their first home Premier League clash last night. Brian Havelock's men beat the Isle of Wight Islanders 51-42, and it proved a successful comeback for Kevin Little after a four-match absence with a shoulder injury. After failing to score in his opening two rides he went unbeaten by an opponent in his next two to play his part in a solid all-round team performance.

The Islanders arrived with a similar record to Redcar in the Premier Trophy but any hopes of a runaway win were jolted in the very first heat when young Aussies Jason Doyle and Chris Holder scored a shock 5-1 over Gary Havelock and Matt Tresarrieu.

The sides traded 5-1s in the early stages as the pendulum swung first one way and then the other. Redcar got their noses in front for the first time when Havelock led the way home in race six and Tresarrieu battled his way past Chris Johnson to secure a 4-2 heat advantage. It was to be a lead they never lost although, with the exception of their two reserves, the visitors certainly found the fast South Tees Motorsports Park track to their liking, reaping six (paid seven) points from the rider replacement facility. With reserves Jack Hargreaves and Dan Giffard looking a potent force at home and playing their part in a strong "throughout the order" display, the Bears stretched their advantage to ten points after heat ten.

Visiting skipper Krzysztof Stojanowksi was unbeaten going into that race but Havelock was streets ahead of him as Tresarrieu went looking for a way past. The pair appeared to make contact on the back straight as the Frenchman attempted to dive inside him on the final lap and Stojanowksi never recovered. Redcar's lead was slashed to three points in the very next race when tactical double man Doyle led home team-mate Holder, leaving Chris Kerr and Hargreaves in their wake.

But the Bears wrapped up victory with a 5-1 in the penultimate heat as Little and Hargreaves showed Stojanowski and Nick Simmons the way home. Then, in the last race, Havelock racked up a fourth straight win to ensure he finished unbeaten after his third place finish in the opening heat, while Tomas Suchanek came home third to turn the tables on the partnership of Doyle and Holder.

Bears: Gary Havelock 13, Tomas Suchanek 10, Dan Giffard 7+3, Jack Hargreaves 6+2, Kevin Little 5+1, Matt Tresarrieu 5+1, Chris Kerr 5+1.

Islanders: Jason Doyle 17+2, Krzysztof Stojanowksi 10, Chris Holder 8+2, Jason Bunyan 5+1, Chris Johnson 2, Nick Simmons 0, Krister Marsh R/R, Adam Roynon (No 8) DNR.
 

LITTLE BACK FOR RECORD PUSH
~ By Evening Gazette Thursday 25th May 2006
Inspirational Redcar Bears heat leader Kevin Little is back in the saddle tonight - and he has his sights set on ending the season with a 100pc home record in the Premier League. The Bears have lost twice at the South Tees Motorsports Park this season, but both of those defeats were in the Premier Trophy. Tonight's clash with the Isle of Wight Islanders is their first at home in the league.

Little, whose fine form has made a mockery of his 4.91 average, has missed the last four matches since damaging his collarbone in a frightening fall at King's Lynn. But he has declared himself fit and he is looking forward to picking up from where he left off. "I don't know much about the crash," he admitted, "but I certainly felt the effects of it for a few days. I did all sorts of damage to my shoulder. Nothing was broken but it was dislodged and I damaged things I didn't even know were there! It's OK now. It's not great but I'm ready to come back. Things were going well before the crash, so hopefully I'll be able to quickly get back into the swing of things again."

The Bears are looking to erase memories of last Thursday's 49-42 home defeat by Workington in the Premier Trophy when the rider replacement facility to cover for Little yet again did them no favours at all. With French thrill merchant Matt Tresarrieu also fit after hurting his knee against the Comets, Little sees no reason why he can't celebrate his return to the side with a victory. "It's important for us to get our home league campaign off to a winning start," he declared. If we do that it can give us the confidence to go on and maintain a 100pc home record throughout the season.There are some strong teams out there but now that we're back to full strength and we've got seven riders all trying their best for Redcar Bears, we can go unbeaten in the league for the rest of the year. That has to be the aim."

The Islanders are not among the strongest teams in the league although they are led by Chris Holder, one of the most exciting teenage riders to emerge from Australia in some time. His main source of support is likely to come from compatriot Jason Doyle and captain Krzysztof Stojanowski.

Bears: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Matt Tresarrieu, 3 Tomas Suchanek, 4 Kevin Little, 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.

Islanders: 1 Chris Holder, 2 Jason Doyle, 3 Krister Marsh, 4 Krzysztof Stojanowski, 5 Jason Bunyan, 6 Chris Johnson, 7 Nick Simmon.
 

LITTLE FIT FOR THURSDAY
~ Tuesday 23rd May 2006
Kevin Little has declared himself fit and returns from injury for this Thursday evening's speedway fixture against the Isle of Wight Islanders this Thursday at 7.30pm.
 

LOOKING AHEAD
~ ISLE OF WIGHT Monday 22nd May 2006
The Redcar Bears stage their first home Premier League match of the season when British Speedway's most southern club the Isle of Wight Islanders are at the South Tees Motorsport Park this Thursday from 7.30pm.

A touch of speedway history in another sense as this brings together two clubs which the Bears' Director of Operations Gareth Rogers was instrumental in the creation of. The sport was introduced to the island in 1996 by Gareth - who operated the then Wight Wizards in the Conference League. Ten years later and a few miles further north (!) the now Premier League Islanders bring a team of emerging talents - including newcomer Chris Holder who is regarded as one of the best teenage riders to arrive from Australia in recent years along with his compatriot Jason Doyle who is in his second British season. Club captain Krzysztof Stojanowski only joined the team last August and scored his first maximum in only his eighth meeting! The remainder of the team have all returned to the Island track after periods away with other clubs and were happy to do so.

Redcar are waiting on a confirmation from Kevin Little of his likelihood to return on Thursday. He had indicated to team manager Brian Havelock last week that he felt he needed another seven days to help his injured shoulder recover but club owner Chris Van Straaten has told Kevin that he needs to be specific as the management are not keen to continue to be under-strength as the League season kicks in. So if there is a further delay - changes may have to be made.

One change that is confirmed - the Bears will not be at Derwent Park, Workington this Saturday evening as the Comets attempt to re-stage last Saturday's postponed cup match against Newcastle.

(Media outlets are reminded that results and scorers can found on the hotline 09068 555801 at the end of each match.)
 

WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO A WIN
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Friday 19th May 2006
Sooner or later someone is going to get thrashed here! That was the defiant message from team boss Brian Havelock despite Redcar Bears' 49-42 defeat by Northern Group leaders Workington in last night's Premier Trophy clash at South Tees Motosports Park.

It was always going to be a big ask for the Bears to get the better of a powerful- looking Comets without the injured Kevin Little. They opened a six-point lead in the early stages but that was soon cancelled out. And their hopes were hit further when thrill merchant Matt Tresarrieu twisted his knee and damaged his bike in a heat eight fall, ruling him out of the rest of the meeting.

But Havelock said: "It won't be long before someone gets turned over here. It's coming together and you can see there's potential for more. We've come up against the side who are top of the table and I didn't expect to beat them. Even when we were in front I knew it would be difficult to stay there."

Little has now missed four meetings with a shoulder injury and the sort of score he could have been expected to return has never looked like being matched by the rider replacement facility. That has not gone down well with promoter Chris van Straaten who revealed: "I've told Kevin he must tell me by Monday if he is going to be fit for next Thursday's meeting. If he's not, I'll make changes to the team because the rider replacement facility is costing us matches."

The Bears led 12-6 after heat three when James Wright knocked off Workington team-mate Ritchie Hawkins - an incident which sparked angry scenes in the pits and led to the pair having to be separated. But, with Garry Stead passing Gary Havelock and Tomas Suchanek in successive races on his way to a paid maximum, the visitors took control. Jack Hargreaves had by far and away his best meeting for the Bears at reserve, but the Comets were simply too strong and had the points in the bag after the penultimate heat.

BEARS: Gary Havelock 11, Jack Hargreaves 9+1, Tomas Suchanek 8, Chris Kerr 6+1, Dan Giffard 5, Matt Tresarrieu 3+2, Kevin Little R/R, Karl Langley DNR.
COMETS: Garry Stead 14+1, Paul Thorp 9, Ritchie Hawkins 9, Tomasz Piszcz 7+1, Aidan Collins 5+1, James Wright 3+1, John Branney 2+1.

ASHLEY JOHNSON scored a three-ride maximum as the Cleveland Bays beat Workington Stars 18-12 in a second half junior development challenge.
 

HAPPY RETURNS
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Thursday 18th May 2006
Redcar's battered Bears will again be without Kevin Little for tonight's Premier Trophy clash with Workington (7.30pm start). But better news is that skipper Gary Havelock has recovered from a knee injury sustained in last Sunday's defeat at Glasgow. In-form Little has made a mockery of his 4.91 point average this term and has been badly missed since tearing shoulder ligaments in a fall at King's Lynn eight days ago. The fact that he has regularly produced high scores from such a low average means the rider replacement facility has done the Bears few favours.

So they must hope for a solid all-round performance against a useful-looking Comets side at South Tees Motorsports Park tonight. Fortunately, though, former world champion Havelock is fit to lead the side. "The track at Glasgow had just been relaid," he explained, "and it started breaking up. I hit one of the holes that appeared and twisted my knee. It was quite sore and that's why I didn't come out for heat 15. I've done it before, though, and it seems to be okay after a couple of days."

Matt Tresarrieu and Tomas Suchanek also return to the Bears side tonight after being absent from the 58-36 reverse at Glasgow last weekend. Tresarrieu was on World Under-21 Championship duty at Sheffield while Suchanek was racing in a European Championship qualifier in the Ukraine. Although neither qualified from their respective meetings, they will both have key roles against the Comets. Suchanek has started to discover his top form while new boy Tresarrieu looks like a real battler. He made a delayed start to the season after hurting a shoulder in practice but showed no signs of discomfort as he burst from a 15-metre handicap to pass both home riders on the last bend at Somerset last week, even losing his steel shoe during the pursuit.

With only their home and away matches with Redcar to ride, the Comets are currently top of the Premier Trophy Northern Group table with 22 points - 13 more than their hosts with the benefit of just one more meeting. They suffered a blow at Sheffield earlier this month when Lee Derbsyhire broke his leg, but John Branney has been drafted in. The Comets have a powerful look about them with the experienced Garry Stead and evergreen Paul Thorp spearheading the side, which includes teenager James Wright, rated as one of British speedway's hottest young prospects. South Tees Motorsports Park has become the home of last-heat deciders this year and, with a tight match looking likely, you wouldn't bet against another one this evening.

Bears: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Matt Tresarrieu, 3 Tomas Suchanek, 4 Kevin Little R/R, 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.
Comets: 1 Paul Thorp, 2 Tomasz Piszcz, 3 Ritchie Hawkins, 4 James Wright, 5 Gary Stead, 6 John Branney, 7 Aidan Collins.
 

BAYS RACING BACK TO LIMELIGHT
~ By Evening Gazette Thursday 18th May 2006
The Bays are back in town! Following the successful relaunch of speedway on Teesside last month, the Redcar Bears management have added another string to their bow with the introduction of a junior development team. And the Cleveland Bays will race their first second-half mini-match after tonight's Bears v Workington Premier Trophy match.

The Cleveland Bays were the Middlesbrough Bears' junior team until Cleveland Park closed in 1996 and were members of the old Third Division, now the Conference League Under the management of Jason Pipe and Steve Harland, the new Bays are planning regular second-half matches both at home and away. Among the fixtures already arranged is a trip to Belle Vue on Monday, June 19.

Club owner Chris van Straaten has placed youth development high on the agenda at South Tees Motorsports Park and the Bays hold a provisional entry in the new Conference Shield - a full seven-a-side, 15-heat Conference League standard competition - which begins later this summer.

Van Straaten has already admitted he is keen to track a side in the Conference League - speedway's third division - next term alongside the Premier League Bears. The Bays' scheduled curtain raiser at Glasgow last Sunday was abandoned after two heats due to track conditions, so this evening's clash against Workington Northfield Stars becomes their first official fixture.

Ashley Johnson, from Ingleby Barwick, and Hutton Rudby's Rusty Hodgson make up the team along with Karl Langley and Gary Irving.
 

ROUGH RIDE
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Monday 15th May 2006
Glasgow Tigers rediscovered their roar yesterday as they gained revenge for a last heat defeat by the Redcar Bears. The Bears had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when the two sides met at South Tees Motorsports Park last Thursday. But it was a different story north of the border as the Scots eased to a 58-36 win to clinch an aggregate 104-82 Premier Trophy Northern Group triumph.

The Bears were without three regulars - the injured Kevin Little, Tomas Suchanek who was on European Championship duty and Matt Tresarrieu who was racing in the World Under-21 Championship at Sheffield. The rider replacement rule was used to cover for Tresarrieu. And, although guests Matthew Wethers and Derek Sneddon both notched ten-point totals, skipper Gary Havelock was the only other visiting rider to seriously trouble the hosts. Wethers did exceptionally well to get past Glasgow pair Robert Ksiezak and Lee Dicken to win heat three when it had looked like a ending in a home 5-1.

He was at it again in heat ten when David McAllan made a mess of the final bend, allowing Wethers and Sneddon to get through and grab a 3-3. And once again Wethers was the beneficiary of McAllan's misfortune in the penultimate race. The Tigers' second string held a healthy lead when he was hit by mechanical problems, allowing the Bears guest to inherit victory. But the day belonged to Glasgow, with Shane Parker and Danny Bird earning a last race 5-1 to ensure they both finished the meeting unbeaten by a visiting rider.

TIGERS: Danny Bird 15+3, Shane Parker 15, Robert Ksiezak 8, James Cockle 7+2, David McAllan 7, Lee Dicken 6+2, Kauko Nieminen R/R, Andrew Tully DNR.

BEARS: Matthew Wethers 10+1, Derek Sneddon 10, Gary Havelock 8, Chris Kerr 4, Jack Hargreaves 3, Dan Giffard 1, Matt Tresasrrieu R/R.

MATT TRESARRIEU went out of the World Under-21 Championships after scoring three points at Sheffield - all coming in his last two rides after two exclusions and a retirement in his opening three heats.
 

BEARS FACE TOUGH ENCOUNTER ~ LOOKING AHEAD
The Premier Trophy North leaders Workington Comets are at the South Tees Motorsport Park, off South Bank Road, Middlesbrough this Thursday at 7.30pm and are guaranteed to give the Redcar Bears a stiff test.

Spearheaded by wily veterans Paul Thorp and Gary Stead (both former team-mates of Bears skipper Gary Havelock at Elite League Bradford) the team is balanced by the emergings talents of young Englishmen James Wright. Ritchie Hawkins and Aidan Collins plus the never-say-die Polish international Tomasz Piszcz.

Redcar will be waiting on a late fitness test for Kevin Little who suffered ligament damage in his right shoulder in a first ride pile-up at Kings Lynn the previous Wednesday and had to withdraw from the meetings also missing subsequent fixtures at Redcar, Somerset and Glasgow.

They will be looking for another consistent performance from Tomas Suchanek in support of number one Gary Havelock. The young Czech's performances in Heats 14 and 15, in support of heat winners Daniel Giffard and Gary Havelock respectively, narrowly swung the match in the Bears' favour. He was also in good form at Somerset Speedway on the Friday night with several heat wins and a total of 14 points in support of his captain's 16 point haul. Both included six point double tactical rides when called upon. Highlight of the Somerset meeting however was the performance of Mathieu Tressarieu in coming from a 15 metre handicap to burst past both home riders on the outside of the final bend in Heat 14 and join Tomas up front - and having lost his steel shoe during the pursuit too! That attitude will be required from all the Frenchman's team-mates on Thursday as the Comets are definitely one of the best teams in Premier League speedway. So yet another night of excitement is guaranteed
 

WORKINGTON COMETS IN TOWN TONIGHT
A warm welcome to promoters Tony Mole and Graham Drury plus those fans who have made the journey across country to be with us tonight. The septet who will carry the Blue and white into action are, in riding order:

PAUL THORP: Aged 41 and from Macclesfield in Cheshire. Paul made his racing debut as a 16 year old for Scunthorpe in April 1981. Interestingly in a fulsome career he made his international debut for Young England versus Australia at Cleveland Park, Middlesbrough in September 1986. Obviously has worn the colours of several clubs over the years and was a team- mate of Gary Havelock at Bradford in the 1990s. In various divisions has also been associated with Berwick, Stoke, Newcastle, and latterly Hull at second tier level with Birmingham, Belle Vue, Bradford and Hull again at senior level. Paul was a World Team Champion in 1989 and a World Finalist at Gothenburg, Sweden in 1991. Joined Workington at the beginning of this season.

TOMASZ PISZCZ: Aged 28 from Lublin in Poland. Tomasz made his British Speedway debut for Elite League Peterborough at Poole in March 2004. He was an instant success on his move to Derwent Park in 2005 and to quote Graham Drury; ' He only joined us at the tail end of l;ast season but what an impression he made on the fans. Indeed, the way the supporters took to him was one of the reasons that he wanted to come back. Tomasz can ride big tracks and small tracks, which is perhaps surprising for a Pole plus he gives 100% effort in every race.'

RITCHIE HAWKINS: Aged 22 and from Peterborough, Cambs. Ritchie is the son of Kevin Hawkins who spent the bulk of his career at Peterborough and Coventry. Made his racing debut with Conference League the Sheffield Prowlers in the 2000 season before moving up to Premier League Swindon in 2001. Made his international debut that winter on a tour by Young Great Britain to Australia. Ritchie did temporarily retire from speedway toward the end of the 2003 season but came back in 2004 to ride under present boss Graham Drury at then Conference League Mildenhall and to re-establish himself at Premier League Somerset too.

JAMES WRIGHT: Aged 19 from Stockport in Cheshire. James is the grandson of former Belle Vue Ace Jim Yacoby and the elder brother of Buxton's Charles Wright, Indeed it was Conference League Buxton Hitmen that James carved a quick reputation since his debut at Boston in May 2002. His nine plus average by the end of the 2003 season him given opportunities by both Belle Vue and Workington - the teams with whom he remains associated. He will race full time for the Comets but can double-up with the Aces. He will also conducting an assault on the World Under-21 title. Rightly regarded as one of Britain's great hopes for the future.

GARY STEAD: Aged 34 and from Holmfirth in Yorkshire. Gary made his debut for Stoke at Edinburgh in October 1990. In his subsequent career has also ridden at Premier League level for Newcastle and Hull. Whilst at Elite League level was another team-mate of Gary Havelock at Bradford and in addition rode at Sheffield, Wolverhampton and again Hull. Gary won league winners' medals with Bradford in 1997 and Hull in 2004. Joined Workington at the beginning of this season with the loss of Craven Park as a venue for the Vikings.

JOHN BRANNEY: Aged 20 from Whitehaven in Cumbria. Is a guest replacement for Lee Derbyshire who broke both his legs at Sheffield in recent weeks. The younger brother of Berwick's Craig Branney, John developed his skills as a member of the Newcastle Gems Conference League side from season 2002. John has been riding in our second halves and so should approach the starting line with a degree of confidence tonight.

AIDAN COLLINS: Aged 20 and from Stockport, Greater Manchester. Aidan is the youngest racing member of the famous Collins dynasty. The son of former World Number Two Les Collins and the nephew of Peter, Phil and Neil. His latter Uncle he has raced against in recent seasons. Aidan was an 8 point rider with Conference League Buxton in his first full season with them in 1999 raising that to ten plus by the end of 2000. Rode for both Glasgow (alongside his Dad!) and Edinburgh but has had his happiest association with Workington in recent years. Regarded as about the best reserve in the 2006 Premier League.
 

NO DOUBTING TOMAS’S TALENT
~ By Evening Gazette Saturday 13th May 2006
Man-of-the-moment Tomas Suchanek gave another tremendous performance last night, only this time he was unable to finish on a winning side. The Coulby Newham-based Czech looked assured once again as he scored 14 points in Redcar Bears 57-41 Premier League defeat at Somerset. Having taken a while to adapt to British tracks, he has spectacularly clicked into gear and is showing the form that took him to within the toss of a coin of the World Under-21 Champonship title.

The Bears were always going to find it tough without shoulder injury victim Kevin Little and memories of Wednesday's heavy defeat at King's Lynn started to surface when the Rebels followed a first heat 4-2 with a string of three 5-1s.

But this time they rose to the challenge and skipper Gary Havelock won the next heat as a tactical double substitute. Beating Magnus Zetterstrom around his home track is something of a rarity but Havvy managed it twice during the meeting. Matt Tresarrieu suffered from mechanical problems for much of the night and failed to beat the time allowance for heat 11. But he again looked an exciting prospect and made up for missing that race in heat 14 when, after going out as a tactical substitute off a 15m handicap, he swept past both Simon Walker and Paul Fry on the last bend to partner Suchanek to a 7-2 heat advantage.

Havelock and Suchanek then combined in the final race for a 4-2 - Zetterstrom being the man to split them - which ensured they finished on a high note, having been 54-30 down two races earlier.

REBELS: Magnus Zetterstrom 13, Stephan Katt 10+1, Ben Barker 9+3, Glenn Cunningham 9+1, Simon Walker 6+1, Glen Phillips 5+1, , Paul Fry 5+1.

BEARS: Gary Havelock 16, Thomas Suchanek 14, Matt Tressarieu 7+1, Chris Kerr 3, Jack Hargreaves 1, Dan Giffard 0, Kevin Little R/R.

THE Bears team for tomorrow's rearranged Premier Trophy Northern Group clash at Glasgow has an unfamiliar look to it.

The rider replacement facility will be used to cover for Matt Tresarrieu who races in the World Under-21 Championship qualifying round at Sheffield while Edinburgh's Derek Sneddon comes in as a guest for Tomas Suchanek who has a European Championship qualifier in the Ukraine.

Heat leader Kevin Little has not ruled out a return after missing two matches with a shoulder injury, but another guest may be required to take his place.
 

MATCH WINNER
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Friday 12th May 2006
After a crushing defeat at King's Lynn 24 hours earlier, Redcar Bears bounced back with a cliffhanger win over Glasgow Tigers last night. Without Kevin Little who damaged shoulder ligaments in a fall at the Norfolk Arena, they pipped their visitors 46-44 after being six points behind at one stage. Hero of the hour was Czech ace Tomas Suchanek who gave his best ever performance in a Bears racejacket and played a match-winning role on a nail-biting night.

It started well for the Bears, with Gary Havelock and debutant Matt Tresarrieu - who looks like he has the potential to be a good acquisition - leading home David McAllan for a first heat 5-1 after Tigers No 1 Danny Bird had fallen and was excluded. But on a wet track left tricky by an unexpected early evening downpour, the visitors hit back to level the scores immediately.

With Havelock and Suchanek looking both determined and confident, the Bears were always in with a shout but, trailing 35-31, you sensed they may have left it too late. Then came the sting in the tail. Two drawn heats, the first of which included a stroke of luck when Bird fell while third, set up a tense finale.

Dan Giffard and Tomas Suchanek roared past James Cockle after the Glasgow reserve reared up to score a 5-1 and level the scores at 42-42 with just the nominated riders' race remaining. Havelock and former Middlesbrough skipper Shane Parker had each beaten each other once going into the clincher - and this time Havvy got out of the traps first and stayed there. Suchanek was left at the back but surged inside Bird to claim the all-important third place and secure a 4-2 heat win. Bird retired shortly afterwards but Suchanek's role should not be underplayed.

"It was a cracking result," said delighted manager Brian Havelock afterwards. We had a talk in the changing rooms before the meeting to try and put things right after our performance at King's Lynn. "We had caught them on the rebound and got a trouncing, but I told the lads I was bitterly disappointed and that I didn't sleep that night. One or two of the lads said that they didn't either, so we talked about how to make sure it didn't happen again."

Like the Bears, Glasgow also arrived short-handed and were forced to use the rider replacement rule to cover for shoulder injury victim Kauko Niemenen. But Havelock said: "We knew they would still go well - Bird and Parker go well anywhere and they are two of the best gaters in the league."

The Bears will again use rider replacement for Little in Tonight's Premier League clash at Somerset, although he will have a fitness test ahead of Sunday's re-arranged Premier Trophy trip to Glasgow.


BEARS: Gary Havelock 14, Tomas Suchanek 13+1, Dan Giffard 7+1, Matt Tresarrieu 5+2, Chris Kerr 5+1, Jack Hargreaves 2+2, Kevin Little R/R, Karl Langley (No 8) DNR.

TIGERS: Shane Parker 12+1, Danny Bird 9, James Cockle 7+1, Robert Ksiezak 7, David McAllan 7, Lee Dicken 2+2, Kauko Niemenen R/R, Adam Roynon (No 8) DNR.
 

BEARS BATTERED
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Thursday 11th May 2006
Redcar Bears boss Brian Havelock is sweating on the fitness of inspirational heat leader Kevin Little after he damaged a shoulder in last night's 70-22 crushing at King's Lynn. The Bears were second best throughout their opening Premier League fixture against one of the hot tips for the title at the Norfolk Arena, and they could have well done without the loss of Little in his opening ride.

Now the popular Scot is in a race to be fit for this evening's Premier Trophy clash with Glasgow Tigers at South Tees Motorsports Park (7.30pm start). "It's touch and go," said a frustrated Havelock. "He had movement in it last night but he was expecting it to stiffen up today. He will have an X-ray on it and we can't say any more until we have seen the results. He has to be a doubtful starter though."

Little was left nursing the injury after a nasty-looking heat three crash involving team-mate Tomas Suchanek and Stars rider Troy Batchelor whose bike almost ended up over the fence. Suchanek suffered a bruised arm in the clash and was in discomfort for the rest of the meeting.

The Stars - who had been given a roasting after their 64-32 defeat on the Isle of Wight the previous night - were always in command of a one-sided match and sent the Bears crashing to their biggest defeat since their launch last month. They romped to maximum 5-1 heat wins in 11 of the 15 races, with Bears skipper Gary Havelock the only visiting rider to take the chequered flag in heat 11.

In fact along with the battling Chris Kerr (twice) and French debutant Matt Tresarrieu, he supplied the Bears with one of only four top-two finishes all night. Kerr gave a typically determined performance while Tresarrieu stormed past John Oliver to finish second in the eighth heat.

"We knew King's Lynn were good round their own track, but not quite that good," said team chief Havelock. "They got a tonking the night before and we felt the backlash of it. "Without Kevin and with Tomas in pain as well after the crash, it was always going to be tough. I had to use reserves in Kevin's place and they struggled. Chris Kerr rode well but I might have expected both him and Gary to have scored two or three points more. Matt Tresarrieu looked good in spells but it wouldn't be fair to expect too much of him straight away. He'll need to bed in."

STARS: Tomas Topinka 14, Kevin Doolan 13+2, Daniel Nermark 11+1, Troy Batchelor 9+1, Chris Mills 8+3, Trevor Harding 8+2, John Oliver 7+3.

BEARS: Chris Kerr 8, Gary Havelock 6, Matt Tresarrieu 2, Tomas Suchanek 2, Dan Giffard 2, Jack Hargreaves 1, Kevin Little 0.

TONIGHT'S visitors to South Tees Motorsports Park are led by the familiar figure of Shane Parker, who was captain of the Middlesbrough Bears at the time of Cleveland Park's closure in 1996. The Tigers have injury worries of their own, with heat leader Kauko Nieminen facing a late fitness test. He hurt a shoulder at Edinburgh last Friday and missed Saturday's 51-44 defeat at Berwick.

BEARS: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Matt Tresarrieu, 3 Tomas Suchanek, 4 Kevin Little (if fit), 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Jack Hargeaves, 7 Dan Giffard.

TIGERS: 1 Danny Bird, 2 David McAllan, 3 Lee Dicken, 4 Kauko Nieminen (if fit), 5 Shane Parker, 6 Robert Ksiezak, 7 James Cockle.
 

MATT AIMS FOR A GLOSS FINISH
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette 1th May 2006
Fit-again Frenchman Matt Tresarrieu makes his delayed Redcar Bears debut at King's Lynn tonight. And he has wasted no time in rediscovering some flying form. The 20-year-old from Bordeaux was the Bears' first ever signing, but has yet to make his bow after breaking his shoulder in a pre-season practice crash. But, having declared himself fit for action, he stormed to victory in Sunday's World Long Track quarter-final at Morizes. He emerged victorious from his last two heats and went on to cap a performance that will delight the Bears management and fans alike by winning the A final.

Having proved his fitness, he now slots into the line-up at No 2 in place of Richard Juul who had been brought in as a short-term replacement. Having begun the season with a flurry of Premier Trophy matches, the Bears welcome Tresarrieu back for the start of their Premier League campaign this evening. The former Reading rider - who makes his home debut 24 hours later against Glasgow Tigers - had two good meetings at the Norfolk Arena for the Racers last year and his new side will be hoping he can repeat that form.

"King's Lynn is a difficult place to go and get a result," admitted skipper Gary Havelock, "but it's a decent track."

Last Sunday's trip to Glasgow was rained off but the Bears gave assured performances to win their previous two matches - at home to Berwick and Newcastle respectively. "If we turn up and race like we did in our last two meetings, they'll certainly know they have been in a match," added Havvy.

The Stars are again led by Czech international Tomas Topinka this term and have been tipped to be in the thick of the title race. Boss Buster Chapman tried to sign Topinka's compatriot Tomas Suchanek over the winter but was beaten to his signature by his Redcar counterpart, Chris van Straaten. And Topinka is expecting a big score from the Coulby Newham-based former Czech Under-21 champ tonight. "Tomas has a lot of potential," he said, "and he will love the size and shape of the track at King's Lynn." The Stars will be back to full strength with Daniel Nermark back at No 1 after having to honour a commitment in his native Sweden.
 

GLASGOW ‘TIGERS’ IN TOWN TONIGHT
A warm welcome to promoters Stewart Dickson, Alan Dick and Gordon Pairman plus those fans who have made the journey South to be with us tonight. The septet who will carry the Red and White into action are, in riding order:

DANNY BIRD: Aged 26 and from Guildford in Surrey. Danny began his riding in 1998 when he went straight into the Isle of Wight's Premier League team. He stayed with the Islanders for six seasons and in that time progressed from a novice to a genuine number one rider. In all he rode in over 250 matches for the Islanders and collected Knock Out Cup and Young Shield medals as well as winning the Premier League Best Pairs with Adam Shields in 2002. In 2004 Danny sought fresh pastures and joined Reading, then still in the Premier League. Again he won the Premier League Best Pairs - this time with Phil Morris. His signing for the Tigers came completely out of the blue after he could not be fitted into Reading's new Elite League team in March.

DAVID McALLAN: Aged 25 and from Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a former Scottish Junior Champion who rejoins parent club Glasgow for this season. He has also ridden for Berwick, Linlithgow, Ashfield, Boston, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Workington in the last decade.

During his spell at Edinburgh he surprised everyone, including propbaly himself, by reaching the British Final. His spell in the reserve berth for Edinburgh was so successful that he had to stand down after 11 matches as the seven point average he achieved would make it very difficult to obtain a future Premier League place. The test comes for David with the regulations meaning he will have to race in the top five of the side.

LEE DICKEN: Aged 27 and from Hull, Lee was the final Tigers signing of 2006 and it is his second spell with the club. He is regarded as an unfortunate example of the sport's regulations working against important middle order riders. Twice he was frozen out of the Hull side for performing well and so has become a man of many clubs for whom Lee has been a popular and valued member. So he is a relatively experienced rider with over 300 Premier League appearances also representing Stoke, Sheffield, Exeter, Newport and Newcastle.

KAUKO NIEMINEN: Aged 26 and from Seinajoki in Finland. He joins Glasgow on loan from Workington with whom he first began regularly racing in 2002. Last season was Kauko's most successful season to date when he made a heat leader slot at Workington his own. He averaged over seven and a half points ahead of such established riders as Scott Robson, Shaun Tacey and our own Kevin Little. Kauko has ridden in the Swedish League regularly since 2000 with several clubs and remarkable has also won a league winners' medal with Saint Petersburg in the Russian League! He will provide important and effective support to Glasgow's big two of Shane Parker and Danny Bird.

SHANE PARKER: Aged 36 and from Adelaide, Australia. He first came to this country in 1991 with Ipswich and has primarily competed in the top flight of British Speedway. Shane was based at Cleveland Park as a Middlesbrough Bear in 1995 and 1996. Shane has also ridden for Kings Lynn and Peterborough joining Glasgow at the start of the 2004 season. He was an instant success and build on that with an even better 2005 campaign. Shane increased his home and away average and only just missed the magic landmark of a 10 point average.

ROBERT KSIEZAK: Aged 19 and also from Adelaide, Australia. It looked for a long time that Robert would miss the start of the Premier League season after a successful debut for Edinburgh in 2005 was marred by a serious leg injury which took him out of action for four months. Edinburgh decided that there was team spot for him in 2006 and when Glasgow heard that Adam Roynon would miss the start of the Ashfield campaign - they were quick to snap Robert up. The young Australian is now in possession of the racejacket and it is now up to others to prove they are the better bet.

JAMES COCKLE: Aged 19 and from London. One of the first riders signed for the 2006 season - James will be out to prove that he is one of the best reserves in the division. James joined the Tigers mid-way through the 2004 season and such was the belief within the Glasgow management that he was destined for better things, the promotion purchased him from Rye House. On track last season his highlights were three double figure scores at home and the same at Stoke. So plenty of potential to realise.
 

LOOKING AHEAD ~ Bears v Tigers
The Redcar Bears take on a powerful Glasgow Tigers side at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening in Premier Trophy action. The Scottish side boast heat leaders of reputation in the shape of Shane Parker, Danny Bird and Kauko Nieminen.

Australian Parker has spent the bulk oh his career riding in the top flight of British Speedway - including a spell as the Middlesbrough Bear's number one at Cleveland Park in 1995 and 1996 when the leagues were combined. Englishman Danny Bird has twice been a Premier League Pairs Champion as well as making over 50 appearances for Ipswich in the Elite League. Finn Kauko Nieminen established himself at Workington Speedway before his move to Scotland at the start of this campaign. Interestingly he has a league winners' medal with Saint Petersburg in the Russian League!

For the Bears the clash with Glasgow comes in the middle of another busy flurry of fixtures - which should be good news for the Bears' late arrival Mathieu Tresarrieu. The French teenager broke a shoulder in pre-season practice and is scheduled to meet up with his new team-mates at Kings Lynn on Wednesday for the first Premier League match of the era. He has every opportunity to get match fit as the Bears are also at Somerset Speedway, Highbridge on Friday evening again in Premier League action with last Sunday's postponed Premier Trophy match at Glasgow beiing re-staged on May 14th.

With mobile phones banned from speedway pits - Middlesborough FC fan and club captain Gary Havelock will be wired for sound at Kings Lynn on Wednesday - via a radio - as the Boro take on Seville in the Eufa Cup Final in Eindhoven.
 

AIMING TO TAME TIGERS
~ By Evening Gazette Saturday 6th May 2006
Redcar Bears are heading north of the border for the first time as they chase their third successive victory. Good all-round performances at home to Berwick and Newcastle have sent a real buzz around the Bears camp, although they know they will face a tough task against Glasgow in the Premier Trophy tomorrow (4pm start).

The Tigers' main threat is likely to come in the familiar form of Shane Parker - captain of the Middlesbrough Bears when Cleveland Park closed in 1996. The battles between Parker and Redcar No 1 Gary Havelock should be quite something on the banked Ashfield circuit - and the former Boro star is relishing the prospect too. "Gary raced in my testimonial last season," he said, "but I imagine things will be a little bit more serious when we get down to action tomorrow. There is no doubt that he is still a class act and he will relish the pressure that is being heaped upon him with the expectation."

Parker believes his Glasgow side are better than recent results have suggested and warned: "Redcar may be the unlucky side to find that out."

GLASGOW: 1 Danny Bird, 2 David McAllan, 3 Lee Dicken, 4 Kauko Nieminen, 5 Shane Parker, 6 Robert Ksiezak, 7James Cockle.

REDCAR: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Richard Juul, 3 Tomas Suchanek, 4 Kevin Little, 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Dan Giffard, 7 Jack Hargreaves.
 

ACE CHRIS AT DOUBLE
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Friday 5th May 2006
American ace Chris Kerr blazed to his first double figure score in British speedway last night, but couldn't prevent Redcar Bears from missing out on another bonus point. The Californian newcomer finally rattled up a score to reflect his all-action performances as the Bears beat Newcastle Diamonds 51-44 at the South Tees Motorsports Park. But their hopes of fully avenging their recent 52-43 defeat on Tyneside were dashed at the death by a brave Diamonds side who completed an aggregate 96-94 Premier Trophy victory.

The visitors were forced to use the rider replacement rule to cover for the flu-hit Christian Henry, and were without Adam McKinna from the re-run of the first heat after he was taken to hospital following a heavy fall. With the hosts again looking strong throughout most of the the order, there never looked any likelihood of an away win on the night. The Bears are a feisty bunch and simply don't know when they are beaten, with Kerr, Gary Havelock - who took more than a second off the track record in heat one - and Kevin Little all thrilling a huge crowd with some great overtaking moves.

With 13 heats gone, Redcar were ahead by 12 points overall and in front on aggregate for the first time. But tactical double Josef Franc won the next race ahead of Little and Jamie Robertson to slash the overall gap to seven points. It meant Havelock and Kerr needed a 5-1 from the final race to force a run-off for the bonus point. But they couldn't repeat their heat 13 heroics and had to settle for a 3-3 after Franc made the gate and repelled valiant attempts by both Bears men to get past. We were feeling confident going into the last race after doing so well in heat 13," admitted Kerr. "It's a shame we didn't get the bonus point but it's nice to get a win. I was pleased with my own performance - I'm feeling comfortable now. I thought I had scored much more last week and I had quite a shock when I looked at the scorecard."

BEARS: Gary Havelock 11+1, Chris Kerr 10+1, Kevin Little 10, Dan Giffard 6+1, Tomas Suchanek 6+1, Richard Juul 5+2, Jack Hargreaves 3.

DIAMONDS: Josef Franc 18, James Grieves 9, Jamie Robertson 7+1, George Stancl 5+1, Manuel Hauzinger 5, Adam McKinna 0. Christian Henry R/R.
 

BRING IT ON
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Thursday 4th May 2006
Teesside welcomes the old enemy from up the road for the first time in 12 years this evening. And the local lads are determined to make sure their visitors go home empty-handed. Middlesbrough v Newcastle clashes were always eagerly anticipated before the closure of Cleveland Park. Now the launch of Redcar Bears has revived the battle for local pride and Newcastle Diamonds are the visitors at South Tees Motorsports Park this evening (7.30pm start).

The Bears went down 53-42 at Brough Park in the first leg of their Premier Trophy Northern Group 11 days ago, so the Diamonds start as favourites for the bonus point from tonight's return clash. However, a stunning all-round team performance against Berwick overturned a ten-point deficit last week and earned the Bears a 97-92 aggregate triumph - so don't rule out another rousing response.

Reserve Dan Giffard played a key role in last week's win, and believes the team is beginning to gel nicely. "It was so good to get a win against Berwick," he said. "And the mood in the pits was tremendous. The team spirit is amazing here and the team walk we do out on the track after a victory is so useful - it's a great bonding session and gives us a chance to talk about the meeting."

Getting used to a brand new track, which rode very differently on the opening night to subsequent weeks, was also going to be a challenge and Giffard admitted: "It was difficult to get the set-up right. But things are coming together now and we are enjoying ourselves." Giffard will look to build on his improved performance tonight, as will several of his team-mates.

American newcomer Chris Kerr has caught the eye with some incredibly gutsy performances, but has yet to really post a score that matches the effort put in. He was out on the track practicing while the rest of the team were getting changed after last Wednesday's meeting and must surely be close to a well-deserved breakthrough.

The Diamonds arrive with something of a bad boy reputation. Earlier this season, reserve Jamie Robertson was banned for two meetings after appearing to headbutt the Berwick starting marshal, while skipper James Grieves was thrown out of Sunday's Premier League clash at Newport after an altercation with the Wasps' former England star Neil Collins.

Both clubs track the same sides that met at Brough Park last month, although the Bears make one notable change - their team manager. Regular boss Brian Havelock has a prior commitment so track boss Glyn Taylor, also an experienced former rider, steps up to help out.

Tonight's match is due to be Richard Juul's last at South Tees Motorsports Park, with Matt Tresarrieu recovering well from a pre-season shoulder injury. The Frenchman is due to make his Bears debut in next Wednesday's Premier League fixture at King's Lynn, but Juul is on stand-by just in case.

BEARS: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Richard Juul, 3 Tomas Suchanek, 4 Kevin Little, 5 Chris Kerr, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.

DIAMONDS: 1 George Stancl, 2 Christian Henry, 3 Manuel Hauzinger, 4 Josef Franc, 5 James Grieves, 6 Adam McKinna, 7 Jamie Robertson.
 

NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS IN TOWN TONIGHT
A warm welcome to promoters George English, Darryl Illingworth and Barry Wallace plus those fans who have made the short journey South to be with us tonight. The septet who will carry the Black and White into action are in riding order:

GEORGE STANCL: Aged 30 and from Prague in the Czech Republic. George is rightly regarded as one of the most professional riders in the Premier League. He also has a distinctive and stylish riding style. Previously with Wolverhampton at Elite League level plus Sheffield and Glasgow at Premier League level - George was the first of the new-look Newcastle's winter signings and a rider whom the Diamonds management had been after for years. Will add extra power to the Tynesiders away performances as George is known to have no hang-ups about any track.

CHRISTIAN HENRY: Aged 25 and from Sydney, Australia. Newcastle have brought Christian back on a further loan deal with his parent club Edinburgh. He will have a key role riding as partner to George Stancl. Christian was going very well when his 2005 season finished early through injury. So the Newcastle management were willing to give him a further stay with the expectation that Christian can find his confidence and sharpness reasonably quickly.

MANUEL HAUZINGER: Aged 23 and from Vienna, Austria. Manuel is a new boy to the Brough Park set up and is regarded as a key player in their season's aspirations. Riding at number three pairs him with Josef Franc and means the shortest riding combination in the Premier League. His 2005 debut season with the Isle of Wight Islanders should allow Manuel to improve his average overall on all tracks that he encounters for the second or third time.

JOSEF FRANC: Aged 27 and from Caslav in the Czech Republic. Affectionately known as 'Pepe', he first came to this country riding for Berwick where he remained for several seasons. Pepe proved a formidable rider at Brough Park when he moved down the A1 to change clubs. Very popular with his brand of victory celebrations and capable of becoming a good all-round scorer for the Diamonds this season.

JAMES GRIEVES: Aged 31 and from Paisley, Scotland. The new club captain of Newcastle and a very experienced Premier League campaigner with both Edinburgh and Glasgow in past seasons. He has also league medals with Elite League Wolverhampton. James' battles with Gary Havelock at Brough Park were breathtaking and having been narrowly pipped by the skipper in both Heats 13 and 15 will be keen to put one over Havvy here at the Motorpark

ADAM McKINNA: Aged 19 and born in Crewe, Cheshire when his dad Kenny was riding in the North West as a Belle Vue Ace. Adam came through training schemes at Glasgow Speedway run by his illustrious father - who, of course, is a former Middlesbrough Bear. Adam gained Conference League experience with the Dale Devils based at Edinburgh Speedway. This is Adam's first season in the Premier League with Newcastle delighted to get his signature on a contract.

JAMIE ROBERTSON: Aged 19 and from Berwick-upon- Tweed. Jamie is an outstanding product of the former Conference League side the Newcastle Gems. He has also made more appearances in a Diamonds bodycolour than any of his current team-mates despite his tender years. He is regarded in the sport as one of the outstanding A-grade reserves in the new Premier League set-up and will pose Daniel and Jack a stiff test tonight.
 

LOOKING AHEAD
Teesside speedway fans are advised to arrive early to claim their favourite viewing position when the old enemy Newcastle arrive in town on Thursday night (May 4th) for Premier Trophy action. An influx of travelling fans is anticipated at the South Tees Motorsport Park in Dormor Way, Middlesbrough and with the Redcar Bears having taken the aggregate bonus point off Berwick as well as the two points for victory last week - a battle royal is expected on the 266 metre racetrack. For the score at Brough Park was Newcastle 53- Redcar 42 and a 12 point margin of victory is therefore required to gain the three points on offer.

The Diamonds are formidable opponents being spearheaded by George Stancl, James Grieves and Josef Franc as experienced and creditable heat leaders. However, the Bears were not daunted away on Tyneside and produced a solid team performance against Berwick at home the previous week with six of the seven winning at least one heat.

Both sets of fans have waited over a decade to see their teams face each other again on track so interest in the fixture is very high. Redcar track two former Newcastle team members in the shape of Kevin Little and Richard Juul -both of whom have a point to prove to their previous management.