LATEST NEWS ~ OCTOBER 2006

BAYS A SUCCESS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 27th October 2006
It wasn't the result he'd hoped for to end the season. But Cleveland Bays manager Jason Pipe could nevertheless afford himself a smile of satisfaction as the Cleveland Bays ended their debut Conference Shield campaign last night. Pipe had warned the Hitmen would be a tough prospect - and he was spot on there! The visitors - who had already swamped the Bays 70-20 in the Peak District earlier in the season romped to a 59-32 victory in last night's return.

Almost without exception they were quicker out of the gate and provided all but one race winner - Paul Burnett being the only exception in heat three. But, while the Bays' first fixture wasn't until the end of August, Pipe pointed out: "Buxton have been riding together all season and you could tell that by the way they came out of the start. But being part of the Cleveland Bays team has been great experience for our lads and that's what it's about. Take Martin Emerson, for example. It was only his first season of riding speedway. He kicked his bike in frustration after falling off in one race last night. But I told him not to be so hard on himself because at least he is getting himself into points-scoring positions. It's not as if he was just going round at the back on his own. Things like that are all part of the learning process. Steve Harland and I are grateful to Chris van Straaten, Glyn Taylor and Gareth Rogers for giving us the opportunity to do this because we've been able to offer a chance to riders who wouldn't have otherwise got one due to a lack of teams in the Conference League this year."

Last night's defeat was a painful experience in more ways than one for two of the Bays riders. Rusty Hodgson was taken to hospital - where he was kept overnight - with a broken elbow and suspected fractured wrist after a frightening third bend fall which also involved Buxton's Andrew Braithwaite while Gary Irving's torrid night was brought to an early end when he knocked himself out in a heat 11 crash and was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting.

With the Hitmen already using rider replacement for Adam Roynon and Braithwaite sharing an ambulance ride with Hodgson after bruising his thigh - but later getting the all-clear - in the same crash, it reduced both sides to five riders apiece. As a result Hitmen reserve Jack Roberts - who had plenty of opportunity to shine. And the exciting young prospect seized it with both hands, celebrating his 16th birthday a day early by storming to an impressive paid 21-point maximum.

Bays: Joe Haines 15, Paul Burnett 7, Steve Jones 6, Greg Blair 2+2, Martin Emerson 2+1, Rusty Hodgson 0, Gary Irving 0.
Hitmen: Jack Roberts 19+2, C harles Wright 14+1, Ben Taylor 10+1, Jonathan Bethell 9, Lewis Dallaway 7+1, Andrew Braithwaite 0, R/R for Adam Roynon.
 

FITTING FINALE
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 26th October 2006
We're one of the best in the business when it comes to putting on speedway! That's the proud boast of the Redcar Bears promoting team ahead of South Tees Motorsports Park's final meeting of a memorable first season tonight. For although they were pipped to the award by King's Lynn, the Bears were shortlisted for the the Promotion of the Year award at the Speedway Riders' Association's presentation ceremony at the Coventry Hilton Hotel this week. Sky TV commentator Nigel Pearson hosted the ceremony and the awards were presented by Sophie Blake, the channel's pits reporter.

The Bears have been one of speedway's big success stories since Chris van Straaten and Gareth Rogers brought the sport back to Teesside after a ten-year gap in April and their nomination recognised that. "It's a fantastic to be nominated," said director of operations Rogers. "A lot of hard work has gone into making this season a success but we have been delighted with the outcome."

As well as running the Bears in the Premier League, Rogers and club owner van Straaten have also revived the Cleveland Bays at Conference level. And it's the Bays who bring the curtain down on the season this evening with their final Conference Shield clash with Buxton Hitmen. The Hitmen romped to a 70-20 victory at Hi-Edge Raceway in August, but Bays boss Jason Pipe is hoping it will be a different matter this time around. "The bonus point has already disappeared out of view," he conceded, "but I'm hoping we can finish the season with a win. Buxton are putting out a strong side so it won't be easy but it would be nice to end on a high note."

Although the Bays have lost more than they have won this year, the emphasis at Conference level is bringing along fresh talent and Pipe's outfit have certainly been doing that. "People like Joe Haines and Martin Emerson have stood out," he said. "They have shown a lot of promise." Former road racer Rusty Hodgson, from Hutton Rudby, also caught the eye early on, although Pipe admitted: "He has gone off the boil lately. "He hasn't been the same since his crash in our double header on September 16 - it's obviously affected him. But hopefully he'll put that behind him and produce the sort of performance we know he's capable of."

With neither Bears Rider of the Year Dan Giffard nor Jack Hargreaves available, Pipe spent this week attempting to register a new rider to line up at No 5. Eventually yesterday it was confirmed Gary Irving would ride. Back by popular demand after the main event is a programme of veteran riders' races.

Bays: 1 Steven Jones, 2 Rusty Hodgson, 3 Paul Burnett, 4 Martin Emerson, 5 Gary Irving, 6 Joe Haines, 7 Greg Blair.
Hitmen: 1 Jonathan Bethell, 2 Andrew Braithwaite, 3 Charles Wright, 4 Ben Taylor, 5 R/R for Adam Roynon, 6 Lewis Dallaway, 7 Jack Roberts.

Tickets for the Bays rider of the year presentation and Middlesbrough reunion at Liberty's in Town on November 25 will be available from the speedway office tonight.
 

WE WON THE CUP
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Monday 23rd October 2006
Redcar Bears brought down the curtain on their first season in style by winning the Tyne Tees Trophy last night. Just hours after Gareth Southgate's Boro beat Newcastle at the Riverside, Brian Havelock's men completed a notable sporting double over their Tyneside counterparts. Ahead by 12 points after the first leg at South Tees Motorsports Park, the Bears were always favourites to win the battle for local bragging rights. And they finished the job with aplomb, beating the Newcastle Diamonds 49-41 to complete a convincing 103-83 aggregate victory. They took the lead early on at Brough Park and, although the Diamonds edged ahead, the Bears were in front again after heat eight and never looked back, wrapping up victory on the night with a race to go.

Both sides were forced to use rider replacement and a guest to cover for missing team members, and it was the Bears who adapted better. Skipper Gary Havelock was quick out of the gate all night and ended the season as he had started it, with a flawless maximum. The former world champion might have added to his 15-point total too, but passed on the nominated riders' race after aggravating a knee injury.

The other hero of the night was Kevin Little who ended his long career in fitting fashion. For not only was it his 3-3 with Jack Hargreaves that clinched the trophy in heat 12, but he also roared from behind to beat both Christian Henry and Josef Franc to win heat 15 - his last ever race before retiring.

"It was a good way to go out," agreed team manager Brian Havelock. "He asked if he could go out in heat 15 (the nominated riders' race) and I pointed out that he hadn't won a race at that point. 'Not yet,' he said, 'I'm just about to, though!' He was determined he was going to win that race. He came out of the gate third but he found some dirt on the outside and away he went. It was a brilliant all-round team performance too. Everyone played their part. The Boro beat Newcastle earlier in the day and then we did the same in the evening - what a double!"

DIAMONDS: George Stancl 12, Christian Henry 11+1, Josef Franc 10+2, Jamie Robertson 6, Adam McKinna 2+1, Sean Stoddart 0, Ashley Johnson (No 8) DNR, R/R for James Grieves.

BEARS: Gary Havelock 15, Kevin Little 12, Dan Giffard 8+1, Chris Kerr 6, Lee Smethills 5+4, Jack Hargreaves 3+2, R/R for Mat Tresarrieu.
 

KERR THE KEY
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Saturday 21st October 2006
American ace Chris Kerr is the key to Redcar Bears' hopes of lifting the Tyne Tees Trophy. That's the view of team boss Brian Havelock as his side go into the second and deciding leg of the battle for North-east honours at Newcastle tomorrow. Kerr has found it difficult at times in his first season of UK action, but has discovered his form in recent weeks. He had two outstanding rides in Thursday's South Tees Silver Helmet, coming from behind to beat Great Britain international David Howe in one race and passing former world champion Gary Havelock in another.

Now Havelock snr is looking for him to reproduce that form in the Bears' last match of what has been a memorable debut season. They go to Brough Park defending a 54-42 lead from the home leg and he said: "I think that should be enough. We've run them reasonably close on both other occasions we've been there this season, so I'm sure we can do the same again. If we have to use the black and white helmet for a tactical double, then so be it. We're without Mat Tresarrieu again but being able to use Gary for one of his rider replacement rides will be a big help. Chris Kerr will be the key. He's got the potential to score double figures and that could make the difference."

In addition to using R/R for Tresarrieu, the Bears will again use Lee Smethills as cover for their other injury victim, Tomas Suchanek. Tomorrow's meeting is a re-staging of the one which was controversially postponed on October 1 when both sets of riders refused to race due to track conditions.

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.

DAN Giffard was presented with Redcar's inaugural Rider of the Year award at last night's awards ceremony at the Blue Bell Hotel in Acklam.
 

HALL THE WAY
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 20th October 2006
He promised his sponsors something to cheer at their local track - and Richard Hall didn't disappoint last night. For the 22-year-old Peterborough Panthers star from Bedale gave a thrilling performance to win the South Tees Silver Helmet. By far the most spectacular of the Elite League riders in action at the South Tees Motorsports Park, he took the trophy with a 14-point total from his five rides. Wolves' Freddie Lindgren was second on 13 while Redcar Bears skipper Gary Havelock (12 points) was third after a run-off with Oxford's David Howe.

An absorbing meeting produced some cracking racing for the big crowd - but the biggest smile of the night belonged to Hall. "I really enjoyed that," said a beaming Hall after being presented with his prize. "I'd only ever ridden four laps round the track before the meeting and the engine I was going to use was in the workshop. But I knew I was above the standard of most of the other riders so I wouldn't have been happy losing to them. I knew that Gary Havelock and David Howe would be up there challenging so it's nice to have beaten them. I've finished the season on a high."

A first Great Britain call surely can't be far away for Hall, who has come on leaps and bounds this year. He found racing lines that many a visitor to South Tees Motorsport Park has left undiscovered and showed a never-say-die spirit that made him a popular winner. National team boss Neil Middleditch could do much worse than consider him for a place in this summer's World Cup squad, but Hall is keeping his feet on the ground and said: "I'm just taking one step at a time."

The only point he dropped last night came in his opening ride when Poland's Adam Skornicki took the chequered flag. But while Skornicki faded after his opening couple of rides, Hall grew stronger and stronger. He put himself firmly in the running with victory in a breath-taking heat nine. Havelock forced his way past both Hall and Lindgren - who at that point was unbeaten - but the Panthers star would not be beaten. He stayed on Havvy's tail, then blasted round him on the pit bend to take victory. He was at it again in heat 15 after being squeezed out at the start, passing George Stancl on the outside to take his third win of the night. And he wrapped it up after an epic duel with Howe in heat 18, finally sneaking past on the line.

Howe had looked the early favourite after winning each of his first three races. But his title hopes were left in tatters in heat 16 as Lindgren past him on the outside and Bears star Chris Kerr dived past him on the inside on the back straight. It was a fine race by Kerr who got quicker as the night progressed. His defeat of Howe certainly did team-mate Havelock a favour as he went looking for a place on the rostrum. But there was no room for sentiment when the two clashed next time out and the American came from behind to beat the Bears skipper. That put Havvy into a run-off with Howe for the final rostrum place. And, after making the start, he was comfortably ahead when his rival's engine gave out.

Finishing order: 1 Richard Hall 14pts, 2 Freddie Lindgren 13, 3 Gary Havelock (after run-off) 12, 4 David Howe 12, 5 James Wright 11, 6= George Stancl, Chris Kerr both 9, 8 Lee Smethills 7, 9= Theo Pijper, Dan Giffard, Adam Skornicki all 6, 12= Jack Hargreaves, Claus Vissing, Kevin Little, Kenneth Hansen all 3, 16 Ricky Kling 2.

# Tickets for the Cleveland Bays' end of season presentation night and Boro Bears/Tigers reunion at Liberty's in Town on Saturday, November 25 can be purchased by calling Jason Pipe on 07725 859968.
 

SILVER STARS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 19th October 2006
Elite League Grand Final hero Richard Hall is among the top names aiming to lift the South Tees Silver Helmet tonight (7.30 start). The Bedale-based ace played a starring role as Peterborough Panthers staged an amazing comeback to pip Reading Racers for the title last week. Now he makes his first appearance at South Tees Motorsports Park in what promises to be a hotly contested individual meeting.

The meeting stars all the Redcar Bears team - with the exception of injured pair Tomas Suchanek and Mat Tresarrieu - plus a selection of names from the Elite league, Premier League and overseas. Gary Havelock starts as the main hope for a home win while Oxford pair Adam Skornicki and David Howe, along with Freddie Lingren of Wolves, will aim to show their top-flight class. Bears skipper and former world champion Havvy knows his way round the South Tees Motorsports Park track blindfolded and has taken some notable Elite League scalps elsewhere this season, including this Monday when he scored paid eight for Peterborough at Belle Vue.

But, with sky-high confidence after a fantastic first season in the Elite League and a big following to cheer him on, Hall is certain to be among the front runners. "It took me about four days for it to sink in that we had won the title," he admitted. "We were getting hammered going into heat 13 but we ended up winning it by two points. I keep watching the video and thinking 'we can't have done that - it's impossible! I started the season slowly but I started getting better and better, and before long I was beating some good riders. I've learned more this year than I did in the previous two at Sheffield. So I'm going into the meeting with a lot of confidence. I'll have a lot of sponsors watching me. They can't all get down to see me at Peterborough so this is a good opportunity - hopefully I will reward them with a good performance."

The unknown trio in tonight's meeting are Danish pair Claus Vissing and Kenneth Hansen plus Ricky Kling from Sweden. They all raced in Monday's Banks's Olympique at Wolverhampton and have stayed on. The Silver Helmet is speedway's oldest surviving individual meeting, having first been staged at Middlesbrough's Cleveland Park way back in 1928. Current Bears manager Brian Havelock won it as a Workington rider in 1978, while David Bargh and Mark Thorpe made it a Newcastle one-two the last time the meeting was staged in 1991. Daz Sumner was the last home winner in 1989.

The whereabouts of the original Silver Helmet are something of a mystery, but Julie Lewis and Rostrum Trophies have donated a new one. The action takes place over a traditional 16-man, 20-heat formula as used in the old World Finals. After the presentation is a firework display. Admission prices are £12 for adults, £8 concessions and £2 for children under 16.

Line-up (in draw order): 1 Gary Havelock, 2 Jack Hargreaves, 3 George Stancl, 4 Lee Smethills, 5 James Wright, 6 Freddie Lindgren, 7 Claus Vissing, 8 Christian Henry, 9 David Howe, 10 Ricky Kling, 11 Kevin Little, 12 Dan Giffard, 13 Kenneth Hansen Denmark, 14 Adam Skornicki, 15 Chris Kerr, 16 Richard Hall. Reserves: 17 Rusty Hodgson, 18 Steven Jones.

# Team manager Jason Pipe will be selling tickets tonight for the Cleveland Bays end of season presentation night, which also incorporates a Middlesbrough Bears reunion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their National League title win.

The event takes place at Liberty's in Town, Middlesbrough, on Saturday, November 25 (7.30pm start). Tickets priced £5 - which includes a buffet and live music from Martin Dixon's band - are also available by calling Jason on 07725 659968.
 

STORM CLOUDS
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Wednesday 18th October 2006
The Redcar Bears team which refused to race at Newcastle last month because of track conditions has been hit with a suspended six-match ban. The Newcastle Diamonds team, who also refused to ride, were given the same punishment. All the riders involved were also fined £250.

Redcar promoter Chris van Straaten has confirmed that all his riders will now be appealing via the sport's union, the Speedway Riders' Association (SRA). The ban, which is suspended for two years, was meted out by the Speedway Control Board, after both sets of riders walked away from what should have been the first-leg of the Tyne-Tees Trophy on Sunday, October 1, without a wheel being turned.

Heavy rain earlier in the day had affected track conditions and, even after work had been carried out on the racing strip, all the riders due to take part insisted it was not safe to ride. Referee Chris Durno disagreed, however and fined each rider on the spot before informing them they would be reported to the SCB.

Skipper Gary Havelock said at the time: "There were one or two inches of sloppy slime on top - if they had regraded it, it could have been raceable." And he added: "If the meeting had gone ahead it would have been, at best, a mudbath procession. It would have been like watching paint dry and that's not speedway. At worst, someone would have ended up in hospital."

Now Bears supremo van Straaten is supporting his riders' efforts to clear their name. "My understanding is that the SRA has launched an appeal on their behalf - they are all members," he said. "Although the ban has been suspended, the riders do not want this stigma on their records. "Take Kevin Little for example. He is coming to the end of a long career and has never had any disciplinary issues before - he doesn't want this on his record now."

The size of the punishment does seem harsh, especially considering that all of the Bears riders - Gary Havelock, Chris Kerr, Kevin Little, guest Lee Smethills, Jack Hargreaves and Dan Giffard - plus the entire Diamonds team were unanimous in their decision. And van Straaten admitted: "It is quite surprising when you consider that all the riders were in agreement."
 

STAR INTERVIEW KEVIN LITTLE
With Keith McGhie of ‘Speedway Star’ Tuesday 17th October 2006
Thursday evening Kevin Little makes his final competitive appearance at the South Tees Motorsports Park and on Sunday, at Newcastle, brings the curtain down on a 20-year career. Not that it’s the last time we’ll see the Bears’ hugely popular Scot as a farewell meeting – “A Little bit of a Do” – has already been programmed for April 5 next year. But Kevin, who has also ridden for Berwick, Bradford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Workington, is adamant that the time is right to call a halt, having not been far from hanging up his kevlars last winter before the Bears’ snapped him up.

He recalls: “I hadn’t decided to retire but I had resided myself to not riding at the start of the season in March. I still kept fit and my way of thinking was that if anything did come up I’d be ready and that’s exactly what did happen when Redcar asked me to ride. The call came and, as it turned out, they weren’t gong to start until April anyway so everything worked out really well -from my point of view I couldn’t have scripted it any better. I always enjoy wherever I’ve ridden but the move to Redcar was different because it was brand new to everyone at the club, not just me - it’s been a unique experience

Redcar has been a great place to finish my career and I think I speak for many of the riders here when I say that I wasn’t even expecting to be riding, so to belong to such a great club has been a bonus. The crowds and the atmosphere has been fantastic and the supporters are so enthusiastic and very vocal – which is good to hear!

I’ve not asked myself why am I retiring – more why not? I’ve been riding 20 years and I run a business and there’s a lot of time involved in both. The time is right for me – I’m 34 now but I can still go out and win races and feel I can do a job but these days you have to be 100% committed. I’ve always coped pretty well combining the two but the Premier League is very professional now and more and more recently it’s become difficult.”

The ever-cheerful Kevin is very much an optimists - a glass half full rather than half empty man – preferring to concentrate on the positive side of life. He admits: “I don’t dwell on the bad times – I’d rather remember the good times.”

Thursday night he faces an awesome field in the quest for individual honours but reckons he could go out winning trophy at one of his former clubs when the Bears’ defend a 12-point lead at Newcaste in the Tyne-Tees Trophy second leg on Sunday. Kevin adds: “I hope 12 points will be enough – we could have done without the last two races last week (when the Diamonds’ pulled back nine points with a late flurry) but we are just as capable of going to Brough Park and doing the same to them. It was very close between the sides in the league and I’m sure it will be just as close again. We’ll certainly be in their fighting because we are determined to bring back one trophy this year and it would certainly be a nice way to end my career.”
 

BEARS CLOSING IN
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Friday 13th October 2006
We've got one hand on the Tyne Tees Trophy! That was the confident boast from team manager Brian Havelock today after Redcar Bears chalked up a fine 54-42 first leg win over Newcastle at South Tees Motorsports Park last night. The deciding leg is at Brough Park a week on Sunday, and Havelock believes last night's score will give them enough of an advantage to clinch the silverware.

"We've got a chance," he said. "It was a good effort from everyone. Now we've just got to motivate them to finish the job off. We've got a great chance of winning the trophy so hopefully we'll have a few fans up there to cheer us on."

Jack Hargreaves missed last night's clash after being involved in a road traffic accident in which his van was written off. He was treated for whiplash injuries and replaced by guest Robert Ksiezak but should be fit for the second leg. Newcastle, too, were forced into a late change with Lee Dicken drafted in after James Grieves was hurt in a workshop accident.

It was a confident all-round performance from the injury-hit Bears, who also used Lee Smethills as a guest for Mat Tresarrieu and rider replacement for Tomas Suchanek. They quickly took control and opened up ten-point lead after three heats. A sequence of four successive drawn heats kept them in check but it wasn't long before the Bears were roaring again. Chris Kerr and Kevin Little gave valuable support to Gary Havelock at the top end while reserve Dan Giffard continued his fine run of form.

Little and Giffard starred in the race of the night - heat 12 - when the former lost the lead, then won it back, while his team-mate battled from the back to finish second. The winning margin might have been even greater too, with both George Stancl and Josef Franc winning their tactical double rides.

The rule - where a rider can score double points if they finish ahead of an opponent when their team is nine points or more adrift - is one of speedway's most controversial regulations as it can often give a false look to a scoreline. But Havelock was not fazed. "It works both ways," he said. "It we get in trouble up at Newcastle, we can use it too."

Stancl was perhaps a little fortunate to be in a position to score any points at all, let alone a double portion, after heat nine was stopped and rerun. The Czech star got out of shape going into the second bend and Kevin Little appeared to lay his machine down to avoid him. Stancl certainly appeared to be the primary cause of the stoppage, but all four riders were called back for the rerun.

Franc wore the black and white helmet colour in heat 14 and was followed home by team-mate Adam McKinna for an 8-1 after Smethills and Ksiezak got in each other's way while chasing and a 4-2 to the Diamonds in the final race meant what had been a 21-point lead two races earlier was suddenly down to 12.

Bears: Gary Havelock 15+1, Chris Kerr 10+1, Kevin Little 9+3, Dan Giffard 9+3, Lee Smethills 7, Robert Ksiezak 4, R/R for Mat Tresarrieu.
Diamonds: George Stancl 19, Josef Franc 14, Christian Henry 5+1, Adam McKinna 3+1, Jamie Robertson 1, Lee Dicken 0, Ashley Johnson DNR.

# There is still time to vote for your Bears rider of the year. Send nominations to: Martin Neal, Evening Gazette, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3AZ, along with your name, address and telephone number.
 

PRIDE OF THE NORTH
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 12th October 2006
Let's go out with a bang! That's the message from team manager Brian Havelock as Redcar Bears go into their final home match of the season this evening. The Bears have enjoyed a fine debut season, reaching the Premier League play-offs and confounding a good few critics along the way. Now they go looking to win their first piece of silverware as the battle for local pride commences.

The Tyne Tees Trophy between the Bears and Newcastle should have been done and dusted by now but both the scheduled home and away legs were rained off. Instead the Diamonds now visit South Tees Motorsports Park for the first leg this evening (7.30pm start) with the concluding leg taking place at Brough Park a week on Sunday.

"We're looking for a decent lead to take into the second leg," said Havelock. "About ten points would be good - we want to end our season on a high note. Both sides have had a gap since their last meeting and it will be interesting to see how the riders react to it. It could mean they go into it refreshed or it could mean they are a little rusty."

The Tyne Tees Trophy was always an eagerly-anticipated contest when the Boro Bears flew the Teesside flag at Cleveland Park. Now the Bears' return has reopened local rivalries and the new breed will be keen to do something about a ratio of victories that stands at 18-1 in the Tynesiders' favour. The Bears won 51-33 when the teams met in the Premier Trophy in early May, then triumphed 49-43 in Premier League action the following month. Dan Giffard scored ten points in the second of those matches and Havelock will be looking for another big score from him tonight. Lee Smethills is brought in to replace the injured Tomas Suchanek, while rider replacement is used to cover for the absence of fellow injury victim Mat Tresarrieu.

The Diamonds, fresh from clinching third place in the Premier League Pairs last Sunday, are at full strength except for the absence of Manu Hauzinger.

Second half action is provided by veteran riders on their original machines - a stark contrast to last Saturday's meeting at South Tees Motorsports Park when Joe Haines was crowned British Under-15 champion.

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.
Diamonds: 1 George Stancl, 2 R/R for Manu Hauzinger, 3 Christian Henry, 4 Josef Franc, 5 James Grieves, 6 Adam McKinna, 7 Jamie Robertson, 8 Ashley Johnson.

# Although tonight's match is the Bears' last at home this season, there are two more scheduled meetings at South Tees Motorsports Park before the winter.

Next Thursday sees the South Tees Silver Helmet individual meeting featuring, among others, Elite League riders David Howe and Adam Skornicki.

A week later the venue's first season is brought to a close with a Conference Shield clash between the Cleveland Bays and Buxton Hitmen.
 

CROWNING GLORY
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Monday 9th October 2006
Pocket rocket Joe Haines is celebrating his first speedway trophy after being crowned British Under-15 champion. Now the pint-sized Cleveland Bays starlet has his sights on going right to the very top. Haines, who turned 15 last month, has been a revelation in the Conference Shield this year, scoring double figures in all but one appearance for the South Bank-based Bays - and on the other occasion he recorded a paid maximum!

He went into Saturday's final round of the British Under-15 Championship at South Tees Motorsports Park with a two-point lead over nearest challenger Ben Hopwood in the aggregate standings. And he duly completed the job on his home track, even coming from behind to beat Hopwood in the final. "It's brilliant," said Haines, who is rated one of the hottest young prospects in speedway. "Ben beat me once when I missed the start but beat him in the final."

Among the spectators at Saturday's meeting was Redcar Bears captain Gary Havelock, who won the 1992 world championship. Now Haines believes he can follow in Havvy's tyre treads by winning the sport's richest prize after cutting his speedway teeth on Teesside. "If I didn't think I was going to become world champion, I wouldn't be doing it," said Haines. "It's no good coming second - winning is what it's all about."

Haines scored 11 points from his four programmed rides on Saturday, losing only to Hopwood in his second outing. That was good enough to put him straight through to the final, along with Hopwood who scored ten. Adam Wrathall and George Piper made up the quartet in the final, but it was always going to be about Haines and Hopwood. Hopwood trapped the quickest but Haines had the measure of him, roaring past on the first lap and stayed in front.

Next year there will be a 250cc British Championship for the young guns too, enabling our hottest young prospects to compete at an even younger age. The riders will use purpose-built Jawa engines and the initiative should put British riders on an even keel with their counterparts in Scandinavia where youth speedway has long since flourished. The 80cc engines used to such good effect by youngsters in Sweden and Denmark are no longer made, so the introduction of a 250cc championship over here will level the playing field. Fans at South Tees Motorsports Park on Saturday were given a glimpse of the future in the form of seven non-championship 250cc races. All were won by 12-year-old Marc Owen in some style - watch for the name in a few years!

Cleveland Bays' final match of the season at home to Buxton Hitmen has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 26. It had been due to take place this Thursday, but that is when the Bears' rained off Tyne Tees Trophy first leg against Newcastle will now take place.
 

BAYS' HAINES IN LINE FOR U15 CROWN
By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Friday 6th October 2006
Cleveland Bays starlet Joe Haines is the favourite to be crowned British Under-15 champion tomorrow. The highly-rated young gun has been the most impressive rider in the title chase so far and has home track advantage when it reaches its climax at South Tees Motorsports Park tomorrow (3pm start). The meeting also features a six-heat British Academy League match plus reserves races and 250cc action.

Admission prices are £10 for adults and £5 concessions. Children under-16 are admitted free.

* AS reported in later editions of yesterday's Gazette, last night's scheduled Redcar Bears v Newcastle Tyne Tees Trophy clash at South Tees Motorsports Park was rained off. It will now take place next Thursday.
 

CLASH IS ON AT LAST
By Martin Neal, Evening Gazette Thursday 5th October 2006
After the controversial postponement of Sunday's scheduled first leg, Redcar Bears stake a delayed claim for local honours in the Tyne Tees Trophy tonight. Last weekend's clash with Newcastle Diamonds at Brough Park was called off after both sets of riders claimed the track was unsafe, despite referee Chris Durno insisting it was raceable. Now what should have been the second leg at South Tees Motorsports Park this evening (7.30pm start) becomes the opening leg.

Lee Smethills is drafted in to replace the injured Tomas Suchanek, who is in hospital in his native Czech Republic recovering from an exploratory operation on suspected ligament and cartilage damage to his knee. Like Suchanek, Mat Tresarrieu is ruled out for the rest of the season having broken a bone in his foot. The Bears will use rider replacement to cover for him and, because he has risen to second in the Bears' averages, every one of his team-mates is now eligible to take one of his rides.

Reserve Jack Hargreaves goes into the clash full of confidence after his performance in the British Under-18 Championship at Wolverhampton on Monday. He finished fourth in the meeting on 12 points and was pipped to third in a run-off with Ben Barker.

The Diamonds appear to be over their recent injury nightmare, although they are still using rider replacement to cover for the absent Manu Hauzinger. Teessider Ashley Johnson will wear the No 8 racejacket for them.

"I fancy our chances," admitted team boss Brian Havelock. "I can't see them beating us on our own track. I'm looking for a cushion of around 10 points to take into the second leg - we're going to need that if we're going to win the trophy. It's a battle between two evenly- matched teams so it's going to be about how well each of us goes on our home track. Lee Smethills goes well on our track and he's clocked up some big double figure scores in individual meetings recently."

Meanwhile, the Bears team boss revealed he had written a letter to the Speedway Control Board supporting his riders' actions last Sunday. A former rider himself, Havelock agreed the track was unsafe for racing, although referee Durno disagreed, threatening to fine every rider £250 and reporting them to the SCB. It's not the first time Durno has been embroiled in controversy this season. In August Matt Ford, promoter of Elite League Poole Pirates, told the SCB he didn't want Durno to officiate any more of his team's matches after making controversial decisions.

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.
Diamonds: 1 George Stancl, 2. R/R for Manu Hauzinger, 3 Christian Henry, 4 Josef Franc, 5 James Grieves, 6 Adam McKinna, 7 Jamie Robertson, 8 Ashley Johnson.

# Because of the threat of rain, the Bears management have urged fans to call the official Clubcall line (09068 555801) before setting out. The service will be updated regularly and, if the meeting is postponed, news will appear on the line immediately.
 

TRACK UNSAFE
By Martin Neal Evening Gazette Tuesday 3rd October 2006
Any attempt to punish Redcar Bears' riders for refusing to race in Sunday's scheduled Tyne Tees Trophy clash at Newcastle will be fought all the way. That was the message today from skipper Gary Havelock after every rider in both the Bears and Newcastle teams claimed the Brough Park track was unsafe due to heavy rain earlier in the day. All 12 riders due to take part in the scheduled first leg of the battle for North-east bragging rights were fined £250 and reported to the Speedway Control Board by referee Chris Durno.

But Havelock insisted: "We will be fighting it. Full stop. We apologise to all the fans who made the journey to Brough Park but the unanimous belief of all 12 riders was that the track was unsafe. If the meeting had gone ahead it would have been, at best, a mudbath procession. It would have been like watching paint dry and that's not speedway. At worst, someone would have ended up in hospital."

The Brough Park turnstiles remained locked for an extra hour while track staff worked feverishly on the circuit. But both sets of riders expressed their concerns after looking at the racing strip. "I asked James Grieves, their captain, what he thought and he said he wasn't happy," revealed Havelock. "I told him that our lads weren't either, although the referee said he'd seen riders race in worse conditions. There were one or two inches of sloppy slime on top - if they had regraded it, it could have been raceable."

Further track work failed to convince either set of riders that the surface was fit, although Durno insisted it was. "I asked him if he'd ever ridden a speedway bike," said Havelock, "and he told me he hadn't done to my level, I offered him by bike and crash helmet to go out and test the track himself and he wasn't happy with that. He told us that if we weren't going to ride he would fine each of us £250 immediately and report us to the SCB."

A statement from Durno to fans, read out on the centre green, stated: "All 12 riders have refused to ride, not even considering trying out the circuit. The calling-off of the meeting is the riders' decision and nothing to do with either the Newcastle promotion or the referee." Ironically more rain soon afterwards would almost certainly have meant an early end to the meeting anyway. The postponement means that this Thursday's clash between the sides at South Tees Motorsports Park now becomes the first leg of the Tyne Tees Trophy.

* The restaging of the Brough Park leg will take place on Sunday, October 22.
 

STAR INTERVIEW Martin Neal
with Keith McGhie of Speedway Star magazine Tuesday 3rd October 2006
You may have seen him every week in the pits, armed with a notebook and mobile phone, talking to riders and promoters. You may have heard about his recently co-created book ‘Booey – Around in Circles’ on the life and times of former Boro rider and lots more - Eric Boocock. Or you may have even seen him on TV, dipping for the line with the winner in a breathtakingly close finish to last Sunday’s Great North Run !!!

If you did the latter you’re possibly hallucinating and almost certainly spent much too much time in front of the telly last weekend. Because the Evening Gazette’s speedway scribe Martin Neal was indeed among the 50,000 or so people who ran the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields but, not wishing to upset the often highly strung superstars of athletics at the front of the field, he opted to sneak home in 35,871st position…in a time of 3 hours 37 minutes and 20 seconds… and he was rightly proud of it.

Because, unlike South African winner Hendrick Ramaala in his go-faster shorts, Martin was in pure fancy dress and further weighed down with a bucket-load of well-destined cash for a cancer charity – the Katie Trust – set up in loving memory of his own daughter, who tragically died at the tender age of six after a long and brave battle against a medulloblastoma brain tumour.

With his tortured feet immersed in another bucket, this time full of warm water, Martin admitted afterwards: “I’ve done it five times now and I think I’ve got steadily slower each time!” This might come as some surprise to those who’ve seen the Essex-born one-time Rayleigh Rockets supporter (don’t knock it – I was too!) crank up his training programme by reducing alcohol input to five pints a night just prior to the race!

“The first time I did it I was reasonably fit but the second time I wasn’t, so I decided the best thing to do was to dress up and rattle a bucket.” A pink fairy and an old lady with blue rinse and walking stick preceded this year’s attempt to get arrested – a fetching French Maid’s outfit…

The bottom line is wonderful work that can be done by the money raised by Martin and his family and friends. He explains: “After we lost Katie in 1999 we formed a charity to help children affected by cancer. We had two minibuses to the race this year so had about 25 people running and hopefully will raise a couple of thousand pounds. We do other things from coffee mornings to a Queen tribute band who are doing a concert for us next May at the Middlesbrough Theatre (further details and tickets see www.katietrust.org). “The Great North Run is terrific day, although I took over half an hour to cross the start line this year. Although it’s more organised now as runners are separated in different batches depending on the time they think they’ll take. At one time it was a free-for all with old ladies walking it lining up alongside athletes checking their watches for a good time.”

After we spoke I duly promised Martin my 25p for his redoubtable efforts and blisters and if anyone else would still care to donate, I’m sure the money would be very welcome and find a very deserving cause. Congratulations Martin and don’t forget you can read the very latest on the Bears and Bays in the Evening Gazette throughout the week.