LATEST NEWS ~ SEPTEMBER 2006

WE'LL BE TALK OF THE TYNE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Saturday 30th September 2006
It might not be a league match - but it's one we want to win! That was the battlecry from Redcar Bears boss Brian Havelock today as his side prepared to take on Newcastle Diamonds in the first leg of the Tyne-Tees Trophy tomorrow (6.30 start). Havelock's side head to Brough Park in good spirits despite their defeat at King's Lynn in the Premier League play-off quarter-finals on Wednesday. The Diamonds pipped them to the bonus point in both the Premier Trophy and the Premier League - so Havelock is determined to have the last laugh this time.

"This is a trophy we want to win," declared Havelock. "It's not a league match but it's a needle match. "It's a derby, so local pride is at stake. We've run them close for the bonus point twice this year, so we can do it. If we can get within six or eight points of them tomorrow, I believe we can bring them back to our place next Thursday and finish the job."

Havelock will again be without injured pair Tomas Suchanek and Mat Tresarrieu for the trip up the A19. He will use rider replacement for Tresarrieu - who moves up to No 5 in the new averages - and brings in guest Lee Smethills as cover for Suchanek. Because Tresarrieu is now second in the averages, it means every one of the Bears team is eligible to take one of his rides, including skipper Gary Havelock. Havelock will call on his team to produce a solid all-round performance and will hope former Newcastle rider Kevin Little gives a repeat of his last visit to Brough Park in July when he scored nine points.

Newcastle have been beset by injuries lately but Adam McKinna, George Stancl and Christian Henry are all expected to return, although Manu Hauzinger is still banned for withholding his services.

DIAMONDS (probable): 1 George Stancl, 2 R/R for Manu Hauzinger, 3 Christian Henry, 4 Josef Franc, 5 James Grieves, 6 Adam McKinna, 7 Jamie Robertson.

BEARS: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Chris Kerr, 3 Kevin Little, 4 Lee Smethills, 5 R/R for Mat Tresarrieu, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.
 

TOMAS' INJURY ANGUISH
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 29th September 2006
Czech star Tomas Suchanek has a suspected broken leg and looks set to miss the rest of Redcar Bears' season. Suchanek fell in his final ride for ZP Pardubice in the Czech League against PSK Olympia Prague, PK Plzen and AKL Slany on Wednesday night. Ironically his decision to ride there instead of in the Bears' play-off quarter-final at King's Lynn brought him a ban from the sport's governing body, the BSPA. However, he would have completed his suspension in time for Sunday's Tyne Tees Trophy first leg at Newcastle and was to have been included in the team. Lee Smethills has now been drafted in as a replacement.

"There is a possibility of a break, but we don't know yet," said Bears manager Brian Havelock. "It could be ligament damage. Either way, he won't be fit for Sunday." Havelock was at South Tees Motorsports Park last night to see the Cleveland Bays lose their Conference Shield clash with Stoke 46-43.

Jack Hargreaves romped to a 15-point maximum while 15-year-old Joe Haines (13+1) gave another outstanding display. Haines blasted from last to first in one race and came from behind to beat Sam Dore in another - but he and Hargreaves were the Bays' only race winners. Martin Emerson rode better than his one-point return suggests, but the Bays were let down by their middle order.

Bays: Jack Hargreaves 15, Joe Haines 13+1, Steven Jones 6, Rusty Hodgson 5, Jitendra Duffill 2+2, Greg Blair 1+1, Martin Emerson 1.
Spitfires: Sam Dore 13+2, David Meldrum 13, Ben Hopwood 8+2, Rob Grant 8, Kris Irving 3, Gareth Isherwood 1+1, R/R for Ben Barker.
 

DREAM IS OVER
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 28th September 2006
Redcar Bears bowed out of the race for Premier League honours last night. But Brian Havelock's side can be proud of their achievements in what has been a memorable debut season. Going into the second leg of their championship play-off quarter-final at King's Lynn was always going to be tough after they lost the home leg 47-43. The Stars are red hot favourites for the trophy and finished top of the table at the end of the regular season. They gobbled up every single bonus point available to them along the way as they stamped their dominance on the league - so the Bears' 63-32 defeat at the Norfolk Arena was no disgrace.

It was certainly an improvement on their last visit when they crashed 70-22, and better than many other sides have managed too. Without both Tomas Suchanek and Mat Tresarrieu they battled gamely, with guest Trent Leverington - in for the injured Frenchman - contributing seven points. Skipper Gary Havelock erased memories of his last nightmare visit to the home of the Stars, though he did suffer an ultra-rare engine failure in heat nine when taking the rider replacement ride in place of Suchanek.

The home side quickly took control of the match although Havelock won heat five on a tactical double and Chris Kerr came second in the black and white helmet three races later to peg them back a little.

Stars: Troy Batchelor 13+1, Tomas Topinka 13+1, Daniel Nermark 9+2, Trevor Harding 9, Kevin Doolan 7+1, Chris Mills 6+2, John Oliver 6+1.
Bears: Gary Havelock 12, Trent Leverington 7, Chris Kerr 6, Kevin Little 4, Dan Giffard 2+1, Jack Hargreaves 1, R/R for Tomas Suchanek,.

Meanwhile Cleveland Bays chase another Conference Shield bonus point when they entertain Stoke Spitfires at South Tees Motorsports Park this evening (7.30pm start). They went down 53-42 at Loomer Road earlier this month, so an aggregate win is entirely possible.

Jack Hargreaves - on a season-long loan from Stoke - again skippers the side in his third meeting of the week, although Dan Giffard is unavailable. The popular teenager spent Tuesday repairing his bike after his primary chain broke at Scunthorpe on Monday. He struggled to make an impression in the Bears' match at King's Lynn last night but will be looking for a big score this evening.

Ashley Johnson, from Ingleby Barwick, has pulled out due to engine problems after being initially named in the team. He is replaced by another Teessider, Jitendra Duffill.

"I fancy us to win and I'd like to think we'll get the bonus point as well," said Bays boss Jason Pipe. "My main concern is at reserve because Stoke look very strong there. Sam Dore scored 18 at Weymouth recently and Ben Hopwood is a very good rider too. If we can contain their reserves, I think we can take the bonus point."

Bays: 1 Jack Hargreaves, 2 Martin Emerson, 3 Jitendra Duffill, 4 Rusty Hodgson, 5 Steven Jones, 6 Greg Blair, 7 Joe Haines.
Spitfires: 1 David Meldrum, 2 Gareth Isherwood, 3 Kris Irving, 4 R/R for Ben Barker, 5 TBC, 6 Ben Hopwood, 7 Sam Dore.
 

TESTING TRIP
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Wednesday 27th September 2006
Patched-up Redcar Bears are bracing themselves for a tough test at King's Lynn tonight in the second leg of their Premier League play-off quarter-final. The Bears are already 47-43 down following the home leg last Thursday and suffered a nightmare 70-22 defeat on their last visit to the Norfolk Arena in May. They head to the home of the Stars without Mat Tresarrieu who has broken a bone in his foot, and Tomas Suchanek who is facing a ban after choosing to ride in the Czech Republic instead.

Bears boss Brian Havelock will use rider replacement for Suchanek and has brought in Stoke's Trent Lever- ington as guest cover for Tresarrieu. "We need every man to come to the party," said skipper Gary Havelock. "Everyone must stand up and be counted. They are a very good team but they also have a huge home track advantage. Their track is clay rather than shale so you get a lot of traction on the back wheel, which means you need a lot of power. You need a specialist set- up to go there, and all the home boys have it. A lot of visiting riders just can't compete there because they don't have the right set-up. It all went wrong for us last time we were there, but we'll be aiming to do better this time."

Havvy goes into the meeting having got the better of Stars skipper Tomas Topinka in the final of Sunday's Premier League Riders' Championship at Sheffield. He was nevertheless disappointed with his performance - especially his gating - but says he's raring to go again now. "You can't stay down for long," he said. "I'll be giving it my best shot at King's Lynn, and I know the rest of the boys will be too."

And although the Bears face the prospect of defeat, which would end their debut Premier League campaign, the former world champion says the Bears can be proud of their first season. "We've gone from standing in a muddy pit last winter to finishing sixth in the Premier League," he said. "It's been a phenomenal season. It's a fantastic achievement right from the promoter at the top to the riders and, more than anything, the fans who have given us such tremendous support week in, week out."

Meanwhile King's Lynn boss Rob Lyon has issued a note of caution to his team. "My job will be to keep the riders focused," he said, "because it would be easy to become over-confident and believe that we have won everything already. Yes we are nearly there but there's still some hard work to do" And he added: "This is the play-off quarter-final and Redcar will not fall to the wayside like some of us might think."

Stars: 1 Kevin Doolan, 2 Troy Batchelor, 3 Trevor Harding, 4 Daniel Nermark, 5 Tomas Topinka, 6 Chris Mills, 7 John Oliver.
Bears: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Chris Kerr, 3 Kevin Little, 4 Trent Leverington, 5 R/R for Tomas Suchanek, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.
 

SUCHANEK COULD BE FACING BAN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette, Tuesday 26th September 2006
Teesside-based Czech international Tomas Suchanek is facing a ban of up to two weeks after ruling himself out of Redcar Bears' Premier League play-off clash with King's Lynn tomorrow. Suchanek has signed up for a short programme of Czech league meetings and will be riding in his homeland when the Bears go into their play-off quarter-final second leg at the Norfolk Arena.

The sport's governing body, the BSPA, have granted Redcar a facility to cover for his absence and will meet later this week to decide on whether to issue a temporary ban on him riding in Britain. Bears promoter Chris van Straaten confirmed: "Tomas will be riding in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. I can understand the predicament he is in and it shows the frailties of the play-off system. "If we had drawn Sheffield, for example, who ride on a Thursday, this situation would not have arisen."

Suchanek's team-mate Mat Tresarrieu also misses the meeting after being diagnosed with a broken metatarsal in his left foot. The injury also forced him to miss last Sunday's European Grass Track Final at La Reole and he will not ride again this season.

Meanwhile Cleveland Bays were beaten 63-31 in their final Conference Shield away clash of the year last night at Scunthorpe. Jack Hargreaves and Joe Haines provided the backbone of the Bays' resistance, although both had a frustrating end to their evening.

Hargreaves, the only rider to beat Tai Woffinden, snapped his primary chain, damaging his engine in the process, as he did a practice start on the back straight before heat 13. He came out on Steve Jones' bike but looped at the start and trailed in last. Haines, only just 15, underlined his promise with another double figure score but the youngster tired towards the end and was passed by Byron Bekker in his final ride.

Martin Emerson justified his call-up at the expense of the more experienced Paul Burnett. Though it was a heavy defeat, Scunthorpe have made a habit of hammering teams at home this season so it was a creditable performance by the Bays.

SCORPIONS: Paul Cooper 15, Benji Compton 13+2, Tai Woffinden 11, Richie Dennis 10+1, Byron Bekker 6+2, Andrew Tully 5+3, Scott Richardson 3+1.

BAYS: Jack Hargreaves 10, Joe Haines 10, Martin Emerson 6, Ashley Johnson 2+1, Greg Blair 2+1, Steve Jones 1, Rusty Hodgson 0.
 

CLEVELAND BAYS v STOKE SPITFIRES
Conference Shield ~ Tuesday 26th September 2006
A youthful Cleveland Bays speedway team face visitors from the Potteries at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening at 7.30pm in Conference Shield action. The Spitfires beat the Bays by 53 points to 42 on September 13th in a match which marked a noteworthy debut by 15-year-old Joe Haines. The Bays' new signing returned eleven and one bonus point including taking a tactical ride in his first match. Joe is tipped for future progress in his chosen sport and a lot of attention will be paid to his performance on Thursday evening. The fact that he rides as a reserve also gives Bays' team manager Jason Pipe extra options to use Joe's talents beyond his programmed rides.

Free scoring skipper Daniel Giffard is not available for this fixture and so 18-year-old Jack Hargreaves assumes the mantle of number one and captain. Jack has been in fine form since returning from back problems suffered during a match for the Redcar Bears at Premier League level. With the exception of 15-year-old Scot Greg Blair - who is a protege of Redcar Bears' veteran Kevin Little - the remainder of the squad are from the North-East with Martin Emerson and Rusty Hodgson being the sons of former Middlesbrough Bears Alan Emerson and Russ Hodgson.

The Redcar Bears speedway club would like to apologise for the recent lack of updates and reports on the clubline 09068 555801. This was a national technical problem and beyond the club's control.

They also congratulate the club captain Gary Havelock on finishing on the rostrum at the Premier League Riders' Championship at Sheffield on Sunday evening. Gary finished third in an ultra-competitive meeting with Jason Lyons of Mildenhall in second place and Magnus Zetterstom of Somerset the new champion.
 

CLEVELAND ‘BAYS’ v SCUNTHORPE ‘SCORPIONS’
By Jason Pipe ~ Tuesday 26th September 2006
Martin Emerson once again rode very well and is showing signs of progression in every meeting now. Shame the season is coming to an end so soon for him. One to watch next season and he justified my decision in dropping Burnett for him!!! Blair also learning a lot and more points will come along his way next season. Greg is learning by every ride and even when in 4th place he's not far behind the others. Another one for the future. I can't wait to see the day when Emerson, Blair and Haines become very good gaters!!

Jones was very poor for a rider of his experience. Expected more from Johnson, especially with it being his former home and knowing the track well. Though to be fair, Ashley hasn't been riding much lately and was a little rusty. Hodgson struggled with his bike set up all night, which seems to by happening a lot with him lately. He maybe needs to find some one to help him in the pits that can help him on race nights with his set ups?! Hargreaves was flying until he had the misfortune of 1 chain snapping and the other coming off on way to start of heat 13 and then having to borrow a strange bike. This also resulted in Jack missing out on Heat 15.

As for Haines, what a pleasure to work with. Always listening and always improving and learning with each ride and using his head a lot. Joe would have had more points last night but after heat 8 he asked for a rest until heat 14, unless he needed to be called upon. It was agreed that I'd only give him 5 rides.

Once again it was good to give Emerson and Blair the experience of Heat 15, Though Blair was so over whelmed to be in heat 15 that he couldn't speak when I asked him if he wanted Heat 15 and then a voice from his Dad in the background said YES for him and then he was so keen to get out on track that he asked what gate and colour he was in before the coin had been flipped for gates and then I really confused him when I told him he was in RED and then PINK when he asked what colour he was in after coin toss and the look on his face was priceless when I told him he would be going off gate 4 and 15 metres back against Cooper and Compton for triple points and that his team mate ( Emerson ) would be going out in Orange !!!! These young lads are a great bunch of lads to work with and we have a very good team spirit with lots of laughs and mickey taking during a meeting, which seems to relax the lads a lot and they enjoy their racing more.
 

HAVVY FRUSTRATED
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette, Monday 25th September 2006
Redcar Bears skipper Gary Havelock roared to third place in last night's Premier League Riders' Champion- ship at Sheffield - but there was no disguising his disappointment afterwards. The 1992 world champion never finished outside the top two in his five heats, but won only twice. That meant he took his place in the semi-final to chase one of the two remaining places in the final. He duly went through, finishing second to Tomas Topinka (King's Lynn) to join Magnus Zetterstrom (Somerset) and Jason Lyons (Mildenhall) who qualified direct as the top scorers.

Zetterstrom had looked the best rider of the night - his only defeat coming at the hands of home star Andre Compton whose evening ended early when he crashed and aggravated his recent shoulder injury. And sure enough he led Lyons all the way for a deserved victory.

Havvy went into the back straight last, but dived inside Topinka on the first lap and clinched the final place on the rostrum. It gave the large and vocal travelling Teesside support something to cheer, but there weren't many smiles in his pit afterwards. Havvy genuinely believed he could have won the meeting and admitted his gating let him down. His two wins came the hard way - he charged from last to first in heat 11, then battled past Chris Neath of Rye House in heat 11. "I'm gutted," he admitted. "I've been starting so well all year, but it deserted me. I only made two good starts all night and both races were stopped - the first time when Andre Compton went down and then after Danny Bird touched the tapes in the semi-final. Fair play to Magnus - he was the best rider. But you can't expect to win if you make seven bad starts. The track was heavy and there was a lot of spray coming off your back wheel so passing wasn't easy."

Teessider Ashley Johnson makes his first Cleveland Bays appearance of the season at Scunthorpe tonight (7.30pm start). Paul Burnett makes way for Martin Emerson after a poor display at Weymouth on Friday.

Bays: 1 Jack Hargreaves, 2 Rusty Hodgson, 3 Martin Emerson, 4 Ashley Johnson, 5 Steven Jones, 6 Greg Blair, 7 Joe Haines.
 

CHASING CROWN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Saturday 23rd September 2006
Redcar Bears skipper Gary Havelock aims to add another trophy to his glittering collection at Sheffield tomorrow night. He's been world champion, Overseas champion and British champion - now he is aiming to add the Premier League Riders' Championship title to his glittering collection. The 37-year-old Teessider won the PLRC in 1995 too - though that was before the formation of the Elite League. And that will make him the only rider who has won the sport's ultimate prize to challenge for the top individual honour in the second echelon of British speedway. He counts Sheffield as one of his favourite tracks and scored heavily in both the Bears' visits there this season.

However the rider to watch will undoubtedly be home star Andre Compton. Compton has already beaten Havvy four times at Owlerton this year and marked his return from a shoulder injury with a 15-point maximum against Workington on Thursday. Tomorrow's action starts at 6pm - gates open at 4.30pm.

PLRC line-up (in riding order): George Stancl (Newcastle), Chris Holder (IOW), Kevin Doolan (King's Lynn), Carl Wilkinson (Newport), Chris Neath (Rye House), Michal Makovsky (Berwick), Jason Lyons (Mildenhall), Theo Pijper (Edinburgh), Mark Lemon (Stoke), Garry Stead (Workington), Shane Parker (Glasgow), Andre Compton (Sheffield), Tomas Topinka (King's Lynn), GARY HAVELOCK (REDCAR), Magnus Zetterstrom (Somerset), Danny Bird (Glasgow).

DAN GIFFARD gave another outstanding disaplay - but Cleveland Bays were unable to make the long journey back from Weymouth with any reward last night. Even the Conference Shield bonus point was beyond them as the Wildcats won 58-32, to overturn a 50-39 defeat at South Tees Motorsports Park last Saturday. Giffard's only defeat came in heat seven - as a tactical double - when he was beaten by Chris Johnson who went on to complete a six-ride paid maximum. But although he had his colours lowered on that occasion, Giffard was the only visiting rider to inflict defeat on both David Mason and Jordan Frampton.

Until heat ten the bonus point was still within grasp but the Wildcats ended with a flourish, notching 5-1s in four of the last five heats. In a last throw of the dice, team boss Jason Pipe brought in Steven Jones as a tactical substitute off a 15-metre handicap in place of Joe Reynolds for heat 14, but he was unable to make up enough ground on the Weymouth pair of Frampton and Adam Filmer. The Bays are next in action at Scunthorpe on Monday.

WILDCATS: Chris Johnson 17+1, David Mason 15+2, Jordon Frampton 12+1, George Piper 6+1, Adam Filmer 5+3, Terry Day 3, R/R Danny Warwick.

BAYS: Dan Giffard 13, Steven Jones 7, Martin Emerson 4+2, Paul Burnett 4, Rob Smith 2, Joe Reynolds 1, Greg Blair 1.
 

GLORY BID OVER
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 22nd September 2006
Disappointed boss Brian Havelock was forced to admit last night that Redcar Bears' brave bid for Premier League glory was over. A 47-43 home defeat by King's Lynn in last night's play-off quarter-final first leg left them with a near impossible task at the Norfolk Arena in next Wednesday's return clash. But at least Havelock had something to cheer after crowd pleaser Mat Tresarrieu made his stay at South Tees Motorsports Park a permanent one.

The French thrill merchant arrived on loan from the Isle of Wight at the start of the season but has now joined on a full transfer for what promoter Chris van Straaten described as "a significant investment" and will have a new bike bought for him by Kirkby Fleetham Haulage of Northallerton. His first match as a Bears asset ended in the ambulance, however, after he crashed trying to go round Daniel Nermark at the start of heat 14. Nermark had been excluded after falling while trying to go round Chris Kerr in his previous race - a decision that so incensed Stars promoter Buster Chapman that he stormed off towards the referee's box to try and argue his case in person. Nermark was clearly fired up for his next race and was in no mood to let Tresarrieu past.

The score stood at 41-37 in the Stars' favour at the time and, with Tresarrieu nursing a bruised left foot and unable to take his place in either the rerun or the nominated riders' race, any hopes of a comeback were all but over. The visitors had led from heat two although they were never more than four points in front. The scores were level after heat ten when Gary Havelock roared round leader Trevor Harding following Nermark's exclusion, but a 5-1 against in the very next race had the Bears chasing the match again.

It was nonetheless a brave performance by the Bears against a powerhouse side. Havelock was back to his best, Chris Kerr had the big crowd roaring their approval when he went past both Tomas Topinka and Chris Mills to win heat six and Jack Hargreaves looked more like his old self. The only concern, however, must be Tomas Suchanek whose form has dipped alarmingly and shows no sign of improving. "I thought we had a chance until Mat went down," said Havelock snr. "But King's Lynn run like the proverbial train and it will be a catastrophe if they don't win the league. At least we had some good news with Mat signing. He is young and attractive to watch."

BEARS: Gary Havelock 13, Mat Tresarrieu 7+1, Dan Giffard 6+2, Chris Kerr 5+1, Kevin Little 5, Jack Hargreaves 4, Tomas Suchanek 3.

STARS: Kevin Doolan 11, Tomas Topinka 10+1, Chris Mills 8, Daniel Nermark 8, Trevor Harding 4+1, Troy Batchelor 3+1, John Oliver 2.

CLEVELAND Bays make the long trek to Weymouth tonight looking to at least clinch the Conference Shield bonus point against a Wildcats side they beat 50-39 at home last Saturday. The team shows several changes - including the absence of 15-year-old Joe Haines who can't ride because he's at school today!

BAYS: 1 Paul Burnett, 2 Rob Smith, 3 Dan Giffard, 4 Joe Reynolds, 5 Steven Jones, 6 Greg Blair, 7 Martin Emerson.

DON'T forget to vote for your Bears rider of the year. Send nominations to Martin Neal, Sports Desk, Evening Gazette, Borough Road, Middlesbrough TS1 3AZ along with your name, address and telephone number.
 

LET'S STAY AHEAD
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 21st September 2006
Pile up the points early on and we can get on the right track for victory. That's the call from team boss Brian Havelock as Redcar Bears go into the biggest match of their short history tonight. The Bears entertain King's Lynn Stars in the first leg of their Premier League play-off quarter-final at South Tees Motorsports Park this evening (7.30pm start) just two weeks after losing 49-44 at home to the same opponents.

The Stars also romped to a 70-22 victory when the sides met at the Norfolk Arena in May and finished top of the PL table at the end of the regular season - but Havelock is hell bent on revenge. "I'm not too concerned about meeting them again," he said, "and I'm confident we'll give them a better run than before. I'm looking to get ten or 11 points on them in the first leg. It's a tall order but it's not impossible. We need to hit them early doors and get a couple of 5-1s. If we do that, their confidence will be down and we can take advantage of that."

Havelock missed the Stars' last visit because he was competing in an angling tournament in Ireland, and the master motivator's presence in the pits tonight can only be a help. His son Gary, the usually dependable skipper, had an uncharacteristic off night last time the sides met, finishing higher than third only once in five races. But Havvy snr said: "We can't depend on him all the time."

He'll also be looking for an improved performance from Tomas Suchanek whose form has dipped in the last month or so, and will welcome back Jack Hargreaves who missed the Stars' last visit with a back injury. He has since ridden three meetings for the Cleveland Bays, looking sharp and confident as he went through last Saturday's double header against Sittingbourne and Weymouth unbeaten by an opponent.

Bears: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Chris Kerr, 3 Kevin Little, 4 Mat Tresarrieu, 5 Tomas Suchanek, 6 Jack Hargreaves, 7 Dan Giffard.
Stars: 1 Kevin Doolan, 2 Troy Batchelor, 3 Trevor Harding, 4 Daniel Nermark, 5 Tomas Topinka, 6 Chris Mills, 7 John Oliver.

Tickets for the forthcoming boxing show at Eston Sports Academy on September 30 featuring Paul Truscott and Dave Pearson will be on sale at the track this evening.
 

WHO HAS BEEN THE STAR OF REDCAR BEARS’ SPECTACULAR DEBUT SEASON? Tuesday 19th September 2006
Make your nomination and you could end up presenting the winner with his award at the team's end of season presentation evening! The return of speedway to Teesside has been a roaring success this year, with the Bears now almost certain of a place in the Premier League championship play-offs. Now, with the season coming towards a close, thoughts are turning to the inaugural Rider of the Year awards ceremony.
 
Who will the winner be?

Captain Marvel Gary Havelock has been an inspiration, regularly top scoring and helping out younger members of the team.
 
Reserve Dan Giffard has been a sensation, rattling up double figure scores that a heat leader would be proud of both at home and away.
 
Flying Frenchman Mat Tresarrieu's thrill-a-minute style has become a firm favourite with the fans while American Chris Kerr has emerged as a crowd pleaser too.
 
Tomas Suchanek, Kevin Little and Jack Hargreaves have played their part in the Bears' successes too, so finding a winner of the Rider of the Year award won't be easy - but we want you to choose one!
 
Simply write your nomination on a postcard or sealed down envelope, along with your full name, address (including postcode) and telephone number. Then send your entries to Bears Rider of the Year, c/o Martin Neal, Sports Desk, Evening Gazette, Borough Road, Middlesbrough TS1 3AZ. Your entries will then be passed to the Bears management and the rider who polls the most votes will collect the trophy on awards night at the Blue Bell Hotel on Friday, October 20.
 
All of the winning nominations will then be put into a hat - and one of them will be pulled out at random by Bears director of operations Gareth Rogers. Whoever made that nomination will then be invited to the awards ceremony, along with a guest, to make the presentation to the winning rider. All nominations must be received by Wednesday, October 11.
 

VICTORY IN SIGHT
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 15th September 2006
Redcar Bears will meet title favourites King's Lynn in the Premier League play-offs. But despite being handed the toughest possible draw, team boss Brian Havelock is refusing to rule out a shock victory. The Stars are the only team to have beaten the Bears at home and away in the Premier League this season, but Havelock believes his side are capable of building up enough of a lead at home this Thursday and defend at Norfolk Arena the following Wednesday.

"They are the best side in the league," he said, "but nothing is impossible. I am quite optimistic about what we can do." Havelock was at South Tees Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon to watch Cleveland Bays chalk up their first ever wins in the Conference Shield. They did it in style too, brushing aside Sittingbourne Crusaders 60-32 before beating Weymouth Wildcats 50-39. Bears reserves Dan Giffard and Jack Hargreaves were drafted in for both fixtures and both ended the day unbeaten by an opponent.

Gary Beaton and Joe Haines also recorded paid maximums against Sittingbourne. Haines' score was particularly impressive since he has just turned 15 and it was only his second senior match, while Beaton had contemplated quitting less than 24 hours earlier following his first practice spin since suffering a hip injury.

Weymouth - already using rider replacement for David Mason - were down to five riders after Gordon Meakins crashed heavily and hurt his ankle trying to avoid Rusty Hodgson in his opening race.

BAYS (v Sittingbourne): Paul Burnett 14, Dan Giffard 12, Jack Hargreaves 10+2, Gary Beaton 10+2, Joe Haines 9+3, Rusty Hodgson 3+1, Greg Blair 2+1.

CRUSADERS: Dean Felton 10, Aaron Baseby 6+2, Dan Blake 5+1, Dean Garrod 3+1, Andre Cross 3, Luke Goody 3, Gary Cottham 2+1.

BAYS (v Weymouth): Dan Giffard 12, Joe Haines 11, Jack Hargreaves 10+2, Steve Jones 10+1, Rusty Hodgson 6+2, Jitendra Duffill 1, Martin Emerson 0.

WILDCATS: Danny Warwick 14, Adam Filmer 10+2, George Piper 8+2, Terry Day 4+2, Wayne Dunworth 3+2, Gordon Meakins 0, David Mason R/R.
 

BEARS FACE KINGS LYNN STARS
Monday 18th September 2006
Against the predictions of several speedway 'experts' the Redcar Bears have qualified for the Premier League play-offs in their inaugural season back on Teeside. They face the team-of-the-moment the Kings Lynn Stars in the first leg of the first round at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening with the return at the Norfolk Arena the following Wednesday.

Even though the Stars beat the Bears 49-44 only a fortnight previously at their home circuit in the league - this is a match that team manager Brian Havelock believes can be won this time. 'Mathieu Tressarieu and Daniel Giffard were outstanding that night in beating the top Kings Lynn boys between them and we only needed our heat leaders to have ridden to their normal level to have beaten the league leaders. I will emphasise that point to all the team. Ride as you have ridden all season and victory is well within your means and with the potential for a reasonable margin too.' Brian was also pleased with the racing return of 18-year-old Jack Hargreaves at the Motorpark on Saturday afternoon when he was unbeaten in both of the Cleveland Bays' Conference Shield victories over Sittingbourne and Weymouth respectively.' It was good to see Jack looking well after his recent back problems and those race victories should give him the confidence to be competitive on Thursday.'

So Brian and the boys will up for it and so will a large batch of fans expected to travel from East Anglia. Bears' fans are advised to arrive in good time to claim their favourite viewing spot and be ready to shout support with their usual brand of enthusiam for the Bears' match of the season.
 

JACK GEARS UP
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 15th September 2006
Fit-again Jack Hargreaves plans to use tomorrow's Conference League double header as the platform to a successful climax to the season. Like fellow Redcar Bears reserve Dan Giffard, Hargreaves has been called into the Cleveland Bays side for tomorrow's matches against Sittingbourne (3pm) and Weymouth (5pm) at South Tees Motorsports Park. And he plans to use the fixtures to sharpen up his fitness for when the Premier League title race reaches its conclusion. The Bears look to have clinched a place in the play-offs and will know for certain after Workington and Newcastle have raced this weekend.

"I'm feeling much better," said Hargreaves, who scored 16 points for the Bays in his comeback meeting at Stoke on Wednesday. "I need to get my speed back so I'm looking forward to riding in both matches this weekend and then, hopefully, the play-offs." Hargreaves and Giffard will spearhead the Bays' bid for their first ever Shield victory tomorrow. Giffard romped to a 21-point maximum on his last Bays appearance and it's difficult to see him being beaten tomorrow.

Also in the frame for a big score is 15-year-old Joe Haines who makes his home debut. He scored paid 12 on his debut at Stoke and is rated as one of the hottest prospects in speedway. Ashley Johnson, from Ingleby Barwick, is in the team to face Weymouth.

Bays (v Sittingbourne): 1 Jack Hargreaves, 2 Gary Beaton, 3 Paul Burnett, 4 Rusty Hodgson, 5 Dan Giffard, 6 Greg Blair, 7 Joe Haines.

Sittingbourne: 1 Dean Felton, 2 Dean Garrod, 3 Gary Cottham, 4 Dan Blake, 5 Andre Cross, 6 Luke Goody, 7 Aaron Baseby.

Bays (v Weymouth): 1 Jack Hargreaves, 2 Ashley Johnson, 3 Steven Jones, 4 Rusty Hodgson, 5 Dan Giffard, 6 Martin Emerson, 7 Joe Haines.

Weymouth: 1 David Mason R/R, 2 George Piper, 3 Wayne Dunworth, 4 Gordon Meakins, 5 Danny Warwick, 6. Adam Filmer, 7 Terry Day.

Adult admission to both meetings is £11 - Concessions £7, children £2. There will be a free programme to adults and concessions.
 

STUNNING DEBUT
By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Thursday 14th September 2006
Teen sensation Joe Haines made a spectacular debut as Cleveland Bays pushed Stoke Spitfires all the way before losing last night's Conference Shield clash 53-42. The 15-year-old whizz kid roared to an 11 (paid 12) total in the Potteries and won his first race in senior speedway. He did it in some style too, blasting round the outside after being left at the back going into turn one.

He showed his confidence and maturity in his next outing too, sitting behind Sam Dore and David Speight before making his move and hitting the front. "He had Chris van Straaten and I purring," said a delighted director of operations Gareth Rogers after watching the club's latest signing in action. "The way he rode showed he is an intelligent rider as well as a very quick one."

Haines was delighted as his dream debut too - and admitted he never expected to reach double figures. "It was a higher level to what I've been used to - all the riders are better than the ones I've ridden against before," he said. "I thought I might get about two points, so I'm delighted with my score. It could have been even higher if I'd made some starts."

Further good news came as Jack Hargreaves came through last night's meeting unscathed after a spell on the sidelines with a back injury. He chalked up three victories including one as a tactical double in heat 11. That proved an important one because, with team-mate Paul Burnett third, it gave the Bays a 7-2 heat win and kept the Spitfires in sight.

In all it was a respectable performance by the Bays, though Martin Emerson will have been disappointed to have left Loomer Road empty-handed and Greg Blair too will surely soon be scoring more than the one point he picked up.

Ben Barker proved a particular thorn in the visitors' side, going through all his five rides unbeaten.

SPITFIRES: Ben Barker 15, Scott Courtney 12, Sam Dore 9, David Meldrum 8+1, David Haigh 4+2, Gareth Isherwood 3+2, Adam Lowe 2.

BAYS: Jack Hargreaves 16, Joe Haines 11+1, Rusty Hodgson 7, Paul Burnett 5+2, David Speight 2, Greg Blair 1, Martin Emerson 0.

FANS are reminded there is no speedway at South Tees Motorsports Park this evening. The next action is Saturday's Conference Shield double header when the Bays take on Sittingbourne Crusaders (3pm start) and Weymouth Wildcats (5pm start).
 

'CHAMP' ON TRACK
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Wednesday 13th September 2006
Teenage whizz kid Joe Haines makes his Cleveland Bays debut at Stoke tonight. And Bays boss Jason Pipe believes the fans there will be watching a future world champion in action. Haines was snapped up on his 15th birthday this month on the back of some spectacular second half solo spins. Now he is old enough, he has been given his chance to race at senior level in this evening's Conference Shield clash at Loomer Road.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing Joe in action," said Pipe. He has been going out on his own in the second half at South Tees Motorsports Park this season and I've never seen such an exciting talent at 14-years-old. I remember seeing Gary Havelock around Cleveland Park when he was the mascot - and I think that Joe is quicker than Havvy was when he was that age. I timed him a few weeks ago and his quickest time was 55.5 seconds - that was only a second and a half off the track record! I think he is a world champion in the making. Tonight there's no pressure on him though - I've told him to go out and enjoy himself."

Tonight's opponents are going through something of an injury crisis with Adam Allott, Ben Barker, John Branney and Chris Irving all ruled out or doubtful.

The Bays, meanwhile, welcome back Jack Hargreaves who came through a fitness test after a practice session at Wolverhampton on Monday night. Hargreaves had been sidelined since the recurrence of a back injury while riding for Redcar Bears but has responded to daily treatment. He replaces Gary Beaton who has a hip injury.

BAYS: 1 Paul Burnett, 2 David Speight, 3 Rusty Hodgson, 4 Martin Emerson, 5 Jack Hargreaves, 6 Greg Blair, 7 Joe Haines.

Redcar Bears have confirmed that they will entertain Newcastle in the Tyne-Tees Trophy on Thursday, October 5. A date for the return leg at Brough Park has yet to be finalised.

The curtain is scheduled to come down on the first season of action at South Tees Motorsports Park on Thursday, October 19 when - subject to rain-offs - the South Tees Silver Helmet will take place.

The meeting will feature a mixture of Bears riders and Premier League stars plus at least one rider from the Elite League and possibly some surprise international names not currently racing in Britain.
 

SHIELD ‘DOUBLE HEADER’
Wednesday 13th September 2006
This Saturday from 3pm there will be a 'double-header' of speedway racing at the South Tees Motorsport Park, Dormor Way, Middlesbrough when the Cleveland Bays take on the Sittingbourne Crusaders then the Weymouth Wildcats in consecutive Conference Shield matches.

Saturday afternoon racing is a first for the sport on Teesside and the promotion will monitor the attendance with interest. 30 heats of racing will be provided at normal admission prices with the programme free for adults and concessions.

Welcome news in the Bays' camp is that Jack Hargreaves has declared himself fit after testing his troublesome back in competitive second-half racing at Wolverhampton Speedway on Monday evening. Jack collapsed in agony at the end of heat two in the Premier League home match against Workington on August 31st and missed the Redcar Bears' match against Kings Lynn last Thursday evening at the Motorpark.

As Jack returns to spearhead the Bays alongside Daniel Giffard who sped to a 21 point maximum in the Conference Shield fixture against Scunthorpe in August - there is a new boy on the block who is tipped for a progressive future in the sport.

Joe Haines turned 15 on September 4th and has laid a worthwhile foundation already. He won the sixth round of the British Under-15 Championship at Sheffield in 2005 and finished third overall with four rostrum placings. He has also raced regularly in the British Academy League and was crowned 2005 ACU Youth Division Grass Track Champion at Intermediate level - his third major schoolboy grass track title. In the first match he forms a reserve partnership with another 15 year old in the shape of young Scot Greg Blair who is a protege of Redcar Bears' veteran Kevin Little.

With two matches on offer team manager Jason Pipe takes the opportunity to give a spread of riders in the Bays' squad some valuable meeting experience.

Admission: Adults £11, Concessions £7, Children £2. Free programme to Adults and Concessions. 
 

ENDS WITH A LOSS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 8th September 2006
Redcar Bears ended their debut Premier League campaign on a frustrating note last night when they were beaten 49-44 by champions elect King's Lynn. And, though they will still hopefully have the title play-offs to look forward to, there was no disguising the disappointment in the Bears camp. The Stars, who have already won the Premier Trophy and will surely take the league honours too, were without doubt the best side to visit South Tees Motorsports Park this season.

They had already battered the Bears 70-22 at the Norfolk Arena in May and provided the winner in no fewer than 11 of last night's 15 races, with reserve John Oliver the only visiting rider not to take the chequered flag. They were quicker out of the gate and, after a sequence of drawn heats, began to exert their authority in the latter stages. They had their noses in front from heat seven when Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding scored a 4-2 over the out-of- sorts Tomas Suchanek and young reserve Tai Woffinden, and it was a lead they never lost.

They might have edged in front earlier but Dan Giffard brilliantly dived between Tom Topinka and John Oliver to take a notable victory in heat four. Mat Tresarrieu was again the Bears' best rider, though he was unable to repeat his maximum heroics of the week before. He was, however, the only rider to finish in front of Nermark, lowering his colours in spectacular style when taking a tactical ride in heat 14. He won the last race too, passing both Topinka and Kevin Doolan to spearhead a 4-2 with Gary Havelock.

Captain Havelock fought his way past Doolan in that race as the Bears restored some respectability to the scoreline, having trailed 45-33 after 13 races. But it wasn't a happy night for the skipper who won only once in five attempts and failed to reach double figures at home for the first time this season. "King's Lynn are a great side and they are on a roll," said the former world champion. "We always knew we were going to be up against it. But I'm disappointed with my own performance - I seem to have dipped a bit. I'm not making the starts like I was and it's annoying. It's nights like these when you need the captain to go out and score big points and lead by example, but that didn't happen."

With their league programme complete, Havvy and Co must now sit tight and wait for their rivals to do likewise before learning if they have won a place in the play-offs. The smart money, however, would be on the Bears being in the mix.

Bears: Mat Tresarrieu 15, Gary Havelock 7+2, Chris Kerr 7, Dan Giffard 6+1, Kevin Little 5+3, Tomas Suchanek 3, Tai Woffinden 1.
Stars: Tomas Topinka 13, Daniel Nermark 11, Kevin Doolan 10+1, Troy Batchelor 5+1, Trevor Harding 4, Chris Mills 4, John Oliver 2+1.
 

FIGHTING SPIRIT
~ By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Thursday 7th September 2006
Flying Scotsman Kevin Little has called on his Redcar Bears team to show their fighting spirit and end their regular Premier League season on a high tonight (7.30pm start). Title favourites King's Lynn visit South Tees Motorsports Park and are expected to give the Bears a tough test. The Norfolk club romped to a 70-22 victory when the sides met at Saddlebow road in May - when Little fell and damaged his shoulder. The visitors will arrive full of confidence after crushing Sheffield in the Premier Trophy final last week, then beating reigning champions the Rye House away from home.

But, with a place in the championship play-offs all but sealed, Little is backing the Bears to gain revenge. "When we went to King's Lynn it was our first match in the Premier League and it was a heavy defeat," said Little. "But we have come a long way since then and those riders who were supposedly not a lot of good are now not so bad after all!

"We've had a good season and now we are looking to end it on a high. King's Lynn are going well and they are the best team in the league. They are up at the top of the table for a reason. But we have good fighting qualities - we never give up. An example of that was at Workington where, at one point, we were heading for a heavy defeat but we pulled it round and got the bonus point. We've managed to steer clear of long term injuries this season too, which has helped because when you've got the same riders week in, week out, it builds up team spirit."

Unfortunately, the Bears are forced into making one change from the team which swept Workington aside 59-36 a week ago. Teenage reserve Jack Hargreaves has lost his fight to be fit for tonight's match and Scunthorpe's highly-rated Tai Woffinden - a big scorer for the Scorpions in the Conference League this term - is brought in as a guest replacement. Hargreaves collapsed in agony after his first race against the Comets last Thursday with a recurrence of an old back injury. He had hoped to be fit for this evening's match but has been ruled out and it is unclear when he'll be fit to resume.

But Redcar welcome back Mat Tresarrieu who scored a 15-point maximum seven days ago, then missed the return trip to Workington as he was riding in the second World Long Track grand prix in Morizes, France, where he finished fifth.

King's Lynn track the side which lost 46-44 at Newcastle on Sunday - a fixture they would have won had Czech international Tomas Topinka not retired with engine failure while leading the final race.

BEARS: Gary Havelock, 2 Chris Kerr, 3 Kevin Little, 4 Mat Tresarrieu, 5 Tomas Suchanek, 6 Tai Woffinden, 7 Dan Giffard.
STARS: 1 Kevin Doolan, 2 Troy Batchelor, 3 Trevor Harding, 4 Daniel Nermark, 5 Tomas Topinka, 6 Chris Mills, 7 John Oliver.

AFTER the main event tonight is a six-heat British Academy League match between the Buffalos and the Cobras. The Academy League features riders aged 15 and under who compete in a mini-league at circuits all over the UK. Featuring in the Cobras' line-up are 15-year-olds Greg Blair, a Cleveland Bays rider, and Joe Haines, the club's new signing who promises a bright future in the sport.

It will be interesting to see if Haines can go on and match the achievements of another rider who cut his teeth as a teenager on Teesside - Eric Boocock. The former England captain and manager will be signing copies of his highly-praised autobiography BOOEY: Around in Circles at the track tonight.

BUFFALOS: 1 George Piper, 2 Brendan Johnson, 3 James Patterson, 4 Rusty Dougan.
COBRAS: 1 Joe Haines, 2 Greg Blair, 3 James Cartmell, 4 James Sergeant.
 

AMERICAN ACE
~ By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Monday 4th September 2006
California kid Chris Kerr kept up his fine run of form as Redcar Bears continued their Premier League play-off push at the weekend fresh from his paid nine total in last Thursday's home clash with Workington, the American ace clocked up an impressive 13+1 total in the return leg at Derwent Park. The Bears went down 52-42 on the night - but their big win at South Tees Motorsports Park two nights earlier meant they clinched a vital bonus point.

They had gone to Workington without Mat Tresarrieu who was on World Long Track duty and Jack Hargreaves who is nursing a back injury. Sheffield's Benji Compton was brought in a guest replacement for Hargreaves but failed to score - just as he had done on his two previous visits to Derwent Park with the Tigers. His torrid night got off to the worst possible start when he was excluded from heat two for bringing down Aiden Collins who was taken to hospital with a back injury.

But the remainder of the Bears team - led by Havelock and Kerr - did their job and never let the Comets seriously threaten their claim to the bonus point. With the score at 47-32 after 13 races, Kerr hit back by winning the last two races - the first as a tactical double and the second to lead team-mate Gary Havelock to a 4-2 over James Wright, to deny him a six-ride maximum, and Gary Stead.

Comets: James Wright 17, Rusty Harrison 11+2, Alan Mogridge 10+2, Gary Stead 9, Tai Woffinden 5+2, Aiden Collins 0, Tomasz Piszcz R/R
Bears: Chris Kerr 13+1, Gary Havelock 12, Dan Giffard 7+3, Kevin Little 6, Tomas Suchanek 4, Benji Compton 0, Mat Tresarrieu R/R.

RUSTY HARRISON enjoyed his best ever meeting as Cleveland Bays took hosts Sittingbourne Crusaders to a last heat decider in the Conference Shield yesterday. The 24-year-old from Hutton Rudby won four times as the Bays 49-43 after trailing by ten points early on. Martin Emerson had his best ever meeting too, but Gary Beaton had to pull out of the meeting after suffering a hip injury in a heat five crash.

Crusaders: Dean Felton 10+1, Andre Cross 10, Luke Goody 8+1, Aaron Baseby 8, Dean Garrod 5+2, Gary Cottham 5+1, Dan Blake 3.
Bays: Rusty Hodgson 14, Paul Burnett 12+1, Steven Jones 7+1, Martin Emerson 5+1, Maurice Crang 3, Jitendra Duffill 2+1, Gary Beaton 0.
 

REDCAR FACE RAMPANT KINGS LYNN
~ Sunday 3rd September 2006
Kings Lynn Stars arrive at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening at 7.30pm on the back of crushing the Sheffield Tigers in the Premier Trophy Final over two legs and then defeating Premier League Champions the Rye House Rockets away from home.

However, the Bears septet have proved resilient under pressure in their Premier League campaign and an exciting tussle for the points is guaranteed. With the Bears having gained a bonus point in their encounters with the Workington Comets by 101-88 last week they will more than keen to keep up their points momentum plus secure another home victory to wind up their current Premier League campaign at the Motorpark in Dormor Way, Middlesbrough.

The tough Norfolk septet are led by club stalwart Tomas Topinka who made his British debut with the Stars in 1993. The Czech Republic international is still one of the top riders in the Premier League and sits high in the national averages. He is ably supported by Australian Kevin Doolan who has made great strides this season in achieving a nine-plus average. The strong heat leader trio is cemented by Swede Daniel Nermark who launched his British career at Elite League Wolverhampton under the promotion of Redcar club owner Chris Van Straaten. Daniel has recovered from two major pelvic injuries that threatened his career and has made an impact at Premier League levels in recent seasons. The Stars also boast three teenage Australian riders who are improving in leaps and bounds in the shape of Troy Batchelor, Trevor Harding and John Oliver.

Several Redcar riders will receive an extra dimension of vocal support on the pre-match parade. Frenchman Matthieu Tresarrieu scored a maiden fifteen point maximum against Workington last Thursday, American Chris Kerr topped the Bears' score chart at Workington on Saturday with victories in both heats fourteen and fifteen, whilst Jack Hargreaves is named in the starting seven with hopes and expectations that remedial treatment will allow him to ride after his painful collapse and meeting withdrawal with vertebrae problems in the home match with Workington.However, the usual Motorpark 'wall of noise' will no doubt be heard from the enthusiastic Teesside fans for each and every Bear as they line up for the tasks ahead.

The second half of Thursday's evening will see a British Academy League match over six heats between the Buffalos and the Cobras. These features riders aged 15 and under who rotate fixtures in a mini-league across various circuits in the UK. Other teams include the Bulls and the Dinosaurs!

Featuring in the Cobras four-man line-up are 15-year-olds Greg Blair, who is also a Cleveland Bay, and the club's new signing Joe Haines who is tipped for a progressive future in the sport.

It will be interesting to see if young Joe can eventually match the achievements of another teenager who made his debut for the Middlesbrough Bears at the former Cleveland Park circuit in 1962 and went on to reach national and international status both as a rider and a manager. Eric Boocock will be signing copies of his autobiography 'Booey' on Thursday evening. The book is available at £15.99.
 

Star Interview Mathieu Tresarrieu
~ With Keith McGhie of Speedway Star magazine Sunday 3rd September 2006
When Chris van Straaten, Glyn Taylor and Gareth Rogers embarked upon bringing speedway back to Teesside after an absence of a decade, they didn’t promise instant success but stressed their desire to make it young, fresh and exciting. No-one has epitomised those goals more than thrill-making Frenchman Mat Tresarrieu.

Unfortunately a damaged shoulder meant Mat making a late start to the campaign and he has missed many other meetings through Continental commitments – some of which were beyond his control and at the insistence of the French motorcycling’s body.

In between the 20-year old from Bordeaux has won the affections of everyone at Redcar through his spectacular style, non-stop effort, electrifying blasts around the ‘boards’ and, recently, his high scoring in a Bears’ race jacket. Mat’s faultless 15-point maximum in the victory over Workington last week – his first on British soil – was the highlight to date and he stressed afterwards: "For two years I have wanted to score 15 points and now I have done it - it's perfect for me.”

Teesside’s favourite Frenchman has had spells with the Isle of Wight (2002-2003) and Reading, for whom he rode 40 meetings last season, but while still an Islanders’ asset he is in no doubt where his future lies: “I want to come here for sure,” Mat continues: “Chris van Straaten I think is a good boss, the set-up is good and I am very happy riding for Redcar. “I live in Swindon when I am in Britain at the moment but for sure I think I’ll move closer if I am here next year because it is too far really.”

Mat missed Saturday’s return at Workington due to contesting the second of three World Longtrack Grand Prix at Morizes in his native France and, by the end of the season, he could easily gain honours outside of speedway. “This month I have three big meetings – at Morizes, then the final Longtrack at Vechta in Germany on September 16th, and also now the European Grasstrack Championship at La Reole on the 23rd.

Mat motored past a quality field to finish third in the UEM Grasstrack semi-final at Swingfield in Kent and must now start among the favourites in his native France. He goes on: “I have ridden before at La Reole and won a few races there, although the track has changed – before it was longer and now it is not so big. The meeting is also in the evening, whereas every other time I have ridden there it has been in the day but this good because I like riding in the evening – it is better for me. I think I have a good chance and will be going for four wins.

Both my brothers Sebastien and Stephane are in the competition also – I don’t know who will be the best – I think maybe Stephane and me are about the same but it has been a long time since Sebastien has ridden much on grass. La Reole is only about an hour from my home near Bordeaux so my parents will also be there and we will all have much support.

Stephane lives in La Reole – he is the local favourite, but longtrack and grasstrack are completely different to speedway – technique is more important in speedway – you need technique in grasstrack but it is different. To finish third in a World or European Championship is good money and that helps pay for my speedway.”
 

SACK MANAGER!
~ By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Saturday 2nd September 2006
Sack the manager if we don't get the bonus point tonight! That was the cheeky message from Redcar Bears boss Brian Havelock as his team head off to Workington without him tonight. Havelock will miss this evening's Premier League clash (7pm start) because of a pre-arranged angling trip to Ireland and promoter Chris van Straaten will take over the team manager's job for the night.

And, although his words were said in jest, Havelock knows it will be no laughing matter if his side don't clinch aggregate victory over their play-off rivals following last Thursday's 59-36 win over the Comets at South Tees Motorsports Park. Skipper Gary Havelock scored 16 as the Bears went down by only seven points in the Premier Trophy at Derwent Park earlier in the season, and a similar result would do just fine tonight.

"If we don't get the bonus point, Chris van Straaten should be sacked," joked Havelock. "But seriously - after a win like that we have got to be looking good to get it. We need it too, because we want to finish about fifth or sixth in the table and it's getting very tight. The way the play-off system works is that whoever finishes top of the league can choose who they face, at home and away, in the quarter-finals by choosing from the teams finishing between fifth and eighth. The team finishing second can pick from the remaining three teams in the bottom half of the qualifying pack and so on.”

With virtually no hope of getting the bonus point from King's Lynn in their final league match next Thursday following a heavy defeat at the Norfolk Arena in May, Havelock has ruled out a top four finish. But he said: "If we finish with a flourish there's a chance the top teams won't fancy choosing us when it comes to the play-offs."

Maximum man Mat Tresarrieu won't be able to capitalise on last Thursday's fantastic full house against the Comets as he is riding in the second World Long Track Grand Prix in France. The rider replacement rule will be used to cover for him. The riding order is changed slightly as a result. Jack Hargreaves is also missing after being taken from the track in an ambulance last Thursday with a back injury. Sheffield's Benji Compton is drafted in as a guest replacement.

COMETS: 1 Gary Stead, 2 Alan Mogridge, 3 Tomasz Piszcz, 4 Rusty Harrison, 5 James Wight, 6 TBA, 7 Aiden Collins.

BEARS: 1 Gary Havelock, 2 R/R for Mat Tresarrieu, 3 Kevin Little, 4 Chris Kerr, 5 Tomas Suchanek, 6 Benji Compton, 7 Dan Giffard.

CLEVELAND Bays are back in action tomorrow when they make the long trek to Sittingbourne (noon start) in search of their first Conference Shield victory.

After a narrow home defeat by Scunthorpe and a one-sided drubbing at Buxton, they are hoping to fare better against the Crusaders.

New signing Gary Beaton makes his debut.

BAYS: 1 Paul Burnett, 2 Maurice Crang, 3 Jitendra Duffill, 4 Gary Beaton, 5 Steven Jones, 6 Martin Emerson, 7 Rusty Hodgson.

A COLLECTION for the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund at South Tees Motorsports Park last Thursday evening raised the magnificent sum of £863.69.
 

MATS 'PERFECT'
~ By Martin Neal,Evening Gazette Friday 1st September 2006
Flying Frenchman Mat Tresarrieu celebrated his first maximum in British speedway as Redcar Bears roared to an impressive 59-36 win over Workington last night. Tresarrieu described it as a "perfect" night for him - and it was pretty damn good as far as his team-mates were concerned too!

From the moment skipper Gary Havelock shaved 0.1 of a second off his own track record in the opening race it was clear that his dad, team boss Brian Havelock, had his team fired up. And from then on there was never any doubt that the Bears would gain handsome revenge for May's 49-42 home defeat by the Comets in the Premier Trophy.

Gary Stead became the first - and so far only - visiting rider to score a maximum at South Tees Motorsports Park on that occasion, but he couldn't hit those heights last night. The only down side for Redcar was that reserve Jack Hargreaves collapsed in agony with the recurrence of an old back injury after scoring a well-earned paid win behind Dan Giffard in heat two. He was ruled out of the rest of the meeting and will miss tomorrow's return trip to Workington too. However the popular teenager will have physio sessions on Saturday as well as early next week and is determined to ride in next Thursday's clash with Premier League title favourite's King's Lynn.

For Tresarrieu, though, the night couldn't have been any better. He never looked like being beaten and a stunning blast round the outside from gate four in heat five brought a rapturous response from another big crowd and was probably his best ride of the night. "I am very happy," he said afterwards. "For two years I have wanted to score 15 points and now I have done it - it's perfect for me."

It was a great team effort from the Bears too, with Tresarrieu getting solid support from the dependable Gary Havelock and Giffard, while Chris Kerr and Kevin Little enjoyed their best meetings for some time on a hugely entertaining night of speedway. Every member of the team except Hargeaves won at least once - and even he was paid for first place in his only outing.

Giffard was the busiest man on a night when passing was high on the agenda, covering for the injured Hargreaves. And he boosted his growing reputation further with some spectacular performances. In heat seven he picked off first Rusty Harrison and then Tomasz Piszcz to follow team-mate Kerr across the line - then repeated the feat in heat 12, with Aiden Collins and Piszcz the victims this time.

With the battle for Premier League play-off places hotting up, team boss Brian Havelock had demanded a strong performance from his side - and their response was even better than he'd envisaged. "I wanted 55 points from this meeting, so I'm delighted," said Havelock. "We'll have a great chance of getting the bonus point on Saturday night now. It was a brilliant performance. We had a chat before the meeting and I told the lads to get into them early doors and that's exactly what they did."

Bears: Mat Tresarrieu 15, Gary Havelock 12+2, Dan Giffard 11+2, Chris Kerr 8+1, Kevin Little 7+1, Tomas Suchanek 4, Jack Hargreaves 2+1.

Comets: James Wright 11, Alan Mogridge 10, Gary Stead 6+1, Rusty Harrison 5, Aiden Collins 4+1, Ben Powell 0, Tomasz Piszcz 0.

# Cleveland Bays were beaten 19-10 by Belle Vue Colts in a second half mini-match.