Update 9.45am: Due to the adverse weather conditions, tonight’s planned races have been postponed.
This in from Bryn on behalf of the Wightlink Islanders speedway team. Ed
Indeed there’s best pairs action at Smallbrook stadium, Ashey Road, Ryde on the Isle of Wight tonight and let’s hope the sun shine’s down on what promises to be a full-blooded affair starting at 7pm – Speedway action that is!
Six pairs of riders will be vying for the Wightlink Pairs title, racing each over four laps per outing around the 385metre circuit on their 500cc highly-tuned fixed gear machines all vying to win the meeting for both themselves and their partner for the night. Those pairings are:
- 1&2: Josh Bates (Mildenhall) and Chris Widman (IOW)
- 3&4: Adam Ellis (IOW & Ipswich) and Adam Portwood (looking to gain a National League place after rising through the youth and amateur ranks)
- 5&6: Darryl Ritchings and Ben Hopwood (both IOW)
- 7&8: Brendan Johnson (IOW and over his foot injury) and Shane Waldron (King’s Lynn)
- 9&10: James Sarjeant (Coventry) and Oliver Greenwood (Coventry)
- 11&12: Lewis Rose (King’s Lynn) and Tom Young (IOW and back from injury)
Some interesting looking couples therein for sure and a meeting that’ll be somewhat different from the normal team matches.
It’ll also be good to see how various riders taking part are faring after their recent injuries as they look to get back to tip-top form and the visiting riders from other tracks plus Adam Portwood who no doubt will be keen to impress.
Adam goes from reserve berth to No.1 in the team
A new set of National League riders’ averages have now come into effect from July 24th as far as the Wightlink Islanders following the completion of their first actual league matches (National Trophy and KO Cup fixtures etc are NOT included in the calculations) and are as follows:
Adam Ellis 10.00
Tom Perry 9.88
Ben Hopwood 6.44
Brendan Johnson 6.20
Darryl Ritchings 6.18
Danny Stoneman 3.83
Chris Widman 3.49
Somewhat amazingly therefore in his first season of speedway racing, teenager Adam Ellis has risen very, very rapidly indeed from reserve berth to having, under league rules, to ride at No.1 in the team’s line up in league and KO Cup matches in the weeks ahead.
Parade of riders at 6.50pm and first race 7pm.
