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Post by Administrator on Sept 17, 2015 14:57:31 GMT
Rockets Injury Update They have dealt with adversity throughout their 2015 campaign, but the Restart Rockets are now at a point where they are impacted by no less than FIVE rider absences. There is positive news on at least two fronts, however. John Sampford updates the situation here, starting with the positive news: “It looks as though Nikolaj (Busk) Jakobsen has escaped from last Saturday’s nasty crash with only soft tissue damage to his shoulder. He is therefore hoping to ride in the third and final leg of the World U-21 Championship series in the Czech Republic on Saturday – and then to join the Rockets for their League finale at Newcastle the following Sunday. “Luke (Bowen) has indicated to me that he intends to ride at Newcastle as well, which is also good news after the calf and ankle damage he suffered at Berwick two weeks ago. “On the flip side, Robert (Lambert) unfortunately has a broken scaphoid, and is now in plaster for the next four weeks. He is due to return to hospital at that point for a further assessment. Obviously, that could mean a variety of outcomes: he may go back in plaster, have a new lightweight fitting, or require an operation. “That leaves Kasper (Lykke), whose season has to end early because of his scheduled knee operation next Wednesday, and Dan (Greenwood), who as we already know has called a halt to his racing for the year, but at least our general position isn’t quite as drastic as it looked a few days ago.” [/i][/b][/font][/font]
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Post by Administrator on Sept 20, 2015 7:39:36 GMT
NBJ Finishes Joint-10th in World U-21 Championship A World U-21 Final series that began so brightly with third place in the opening round ended with pain and disappointment for Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen in Pardubice in the Czech Republic yesterday. The Restart Rocket soldiered through the discomfort of shoulder ligament damage, although two last places and a couple of retirements in his 2 point total give an indication of his struggles. The Dane finished the three round series in joint-tenth place with 15 points, as the championship was won by Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik. Anders Thomsen took a run-off against Mikkel Michelsen to claim the silver medal. Third Round result: Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) 14, Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 13, Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 13, Mikkel Bech (Denmark) 12, Max Fricke (Australia) 11, Valentin Grobauer (Germany) 9, Andrzej Lebedev (Latvia) 8, Brady Kurtz (Australia) 8, Pawel Przedpelski (Poland) 7, Zdenek Holub (Czech Republic - wildcard) 5, Viktor Kulakov (Russia) 4, Stefan Nielsen (GB) 4, Victor Palovaara (Sweden) 4, Eduard Krcmar (Czech Republic - wildcard) 3, Emil Grondal (Denmark) 3, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen (Denmark) 2 Final standings: Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 39, Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 34 (after run-off), Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) 34, Michel Bech (Denmark) 29, Pawel Przedpelski (Poland) 29, Max Fricke (Australia) 28, Andrzej Lebedevs (Latvia) 24, Brady Kurtz (Australia) 22, Victor Palovaara (Sweden) 18, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen (Denmark) 15, Viktor Kulakov (Russia 15), Stefan Nielsen (GB) 15, Valentin Grobauer (Germany) 14, Emil Grondal (Denmark) 12 Wildcards: Maksym Drabik (Poland) 10, Zdenek Holub (Czech Republic) 5, Michele Paco Castagna (Italy) 4, Michael Hartel (Germany) 4, Eduard Krcmar (Czech Republic) 3, Nicholas Vincentin (Italy) 2
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Post by Administrator on Sept 22, 2015 21:30:11 GMT
THE draw has been made for the National League Riders Championship which is being staged at Rye House this coming Saturday (September 26, 7.00pm).
As follows:
1 Kyle Hughes (Rye House) 2 Liam Carr (Buxton) 3 Danny Halsey (Mildenhall) 4 Ben Morley (Kent) 5 Adam Ellis (Birmingham) 6 Lee Payne (Stoke) 7 Max Clegg (Cradley Heath) 8 Zach Wajknecht (Birmingham) 9 Connor Mountain (Mildenhall) 10 Darryl Ritchings (Coventry) 11 Tom Stokes (King’s Lynn) 12 Danny Ayres (Kent) 13 Robert Branford (Rye House) 14 Ryan Blacklock (Buxton) 15 Marc Owen (Eastbourne) 16 Jon Armstrong (Stoke)
Reserves: 17 Alfie Bowtell (Rye House) 18 George Hunter (Rye House)
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Post by Administrator on Sept 24, 2015 15:10:22 GMT
NBJ to Miss Rockets’ Finale Rye House’s World and European U-21 star Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen has been forced to sit out the Restart Rockets’ final Premier League match of the season, which comes at Newcastle this Sunday. The Dane suffered shoulder ligament damage in a crash at Hoddesdon on September 12th, and as team manager John Sampford updates, “Nikolaj has been advised by his doctor not to ride on Sunday. He tried to compete in last Saturday’s final World U-21 round, but he was in tremendous pain, and very much needs to rest his shoulder. Brough Park is a tight and awkward circuit, and wouldn’t do it any good at all.” NBJ’s absence means that the Rockets will close out their official fixtures with only two of the riders – Edward Kennett and Luke Bowen – who appeared in their opener back on March 21st. For their trip to Byker, Rye will operate Rider-Replacement for broken wrist victim Robert Lambert, and call on three year Diamond Richie Worrall and two season Tynesider Carl Wilkinson to deputise for NBJ and Kasper Lykke (knee surgery), respectively. Danny Ayres will receive another opportunity to impress, after covering at No.8 in the Rockets’ recent home double header, as the guest for Dan Greenwood. Despite its unfamiliar look, the team is determined to go out on a high. Says Sampford, “A win will push us up to eleventh place, and if we can pick up all four match points, we would leapfrog to ninth. That would make a very difficult season just that little bit more palatable, so it has to be our target.” Rye House team: Danny Ayres (guest), Luke Bowen, Edward Kennett (captain), Robert Lambert R/R, Danny Maassen, Carl Wilkinson (guest), Richie Worrall (guest)
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Post by Administrator on Sept 27, 2015 21:15:11 GMT
Sunday September 27, 2015: PREMIER LEAGUE NEWCASTLE 52: Steve Worrall 11, Tero Aarnio 11, Ludvig Lindgren 10+1, Simon Nielsen 7+2, Anton Rosen 7+1, Lewis Rose 6+2, Lewis Kerr r/r. RYE HOUSE 40: Richie Worrall 15, Edward Kennett 12+1, Carl Wilkinson 7, Luke Bowen 5+1, Danny Maassen 1, Danny Ayres 0, Robert Lambert r/r.
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Post by Administrator on Sept 27, 2015 22:00:29 GMT
Rockets Sign Off on Tyneside Shored up by three guests and the Rider-Replacement facility, an injury-blitzed Restart Rockets team gave a spirited display before ultimately going down 52-40 at Newcastle in their final Premier League match of 2015. The result means that the Rockets have finished twelfth out of thirteen teams in the League, this after a campaign of almost constant rider change that, of course, actually began to hit them in pre-season. Edward Kennett and guest Richie Worrall carried much of Rye’s points-scoring workload at Brough Park – and indeed combined for a 5-1 in the Rockets’ final race of the season - although there was also a pleasing return to action from Luke Bowen. Speaking after the conclusion of play, Rye House co-promoter Len Silver felt that, “Considering that we had a very depleted side we put up an extremely good performance and got the best out of all of our riders. “Richie Worrall was a first class guest, with Edward (Kennett) the other outstanding rider. “The track was greasy. We’ve no complaints about that, but it was a bit strange to ride, and Danny Ayres certainly found it weird. Having said that, and even though he failed to score, he got better race by race as the night went on, which showed just how much he learned out there. “Luke (Bowen) deserves a special mention too. He hadn’t ridden for ages, but after a first race duck, he sorted out his set-ups, and if he hadn’t fallen in his final race, I think he would have got an excellent score. Nevertheless, paid 6 was still a very respectable total.” “And 40 points as a team total was respectable too, considering the circumstances.” Rye House scorers: Richie Worrall (guest) 15, Edward Kennett 12+1, Carl Wilkinson (guest) 7 (inc 4 as a TR), Luke Bowen 5+1, Danny Maassen 1, Danny Ayres (guest) 0, Robert Lambert R/R Newcastle scorers: Steve Worrall 11, Tero Aarnio 11, Ludvig Lindgren 10+1, Simon Nielsen 7+2, Anton Rosen 7+1, Lewis Rose 6+2, Lewis Kerr R/R.
Match Points: Newcastle 3 Rye House 0
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Post by Administrator on Sept 29, 2015 14:28:12 GMT
Season Finale: Aces High! A familiar friend returns to Rye House on Saturday, October 10th, but under a new guise, with a new format and featuring several specially invited headline stars. Last staged in 2011, the Ace of Herts has traditionally been an end-of-season individual championship at the Hertfordshire circuit. Now it is back - but as a Pairs spectacular under the appropriate title “A Pair of Aces”! And it will definitely be “Aces High” in terms of the invited cast list. Chris “Bomber” Harris is already making plans for his tenth straight Grand Prix series in 2016, having made sure of his place with a stunning display in the Grand Prix Challenge. The three-time British Champion brings with him his trademarked never-say-die attitude and passing prowess. Bomber is not the only Grand Prix star who will be at Rye House on October 10th, however. Sam Masters has been named as the Wildcard for the Australian Grand Prix which will be staged in Melbourne at the end of next month. The 2011 Premier League Riders’ Champion and 2014 Pairs titlist – he was also the co-winner alongside Justin Sedgmen of Luke Bowen’s Testimonial meeting that same year – the 24 year old is also a key component of treble-chasing Edinburgh. Talking of trophy chasers, Davey Watt may well arrive in Hertfordshire as an Elite League Champion, with his club, Poole, needing to win the return leg of their Play-Off Final against Belle Vue to secure a third straight top flight crown. A three-time World Cup Silver winner for the Roos, the Australian is well known to local fans for his three years with Lakeside, although he was also a Rocket long before that, back in 2004. The invitation list is rounded off by British U-21 Champion Kyle Howarth, who followed up his national success by coming within a run-off of qualifying for the World Final at that level. A powerful season in both the Elite and Premier Leagues is another reason he was also made a travelling reserve for Great Britain in the World Cup. Next Saturday’s guests will be joined on-track by Restart Rockets Edward Kennett and Luke Bowen, plus the successful Restart Raiders, with the new Pairs format facilitating one last appearance for as many riders who have represented Rye House in 2015 as possible. But that’s not all! In addition to the main racing programme, the Mr Rocket and Mr Raider rider of the year awards will be presented to the respective winners during the evening. There will also be a huge firework display to close out the meeting and bring a spectacular end to what is gearing up to be a spectacular night. And for those who still don’t want to say goodbye to the speedway season, there will also be a post-racing disco in the stadium’s Long Bar. Admission next Saturday will be: Adults £18, Seniors £16, Children (12-16) £5, with Children under 12 admitted FREE. The full rider line-up, prior to pairing, is: Chris Harris, Sam Masters, Davey Watt, Kyle Howarth, Edward Kennett, Luke Bowen, Rob Branford, Kyle Hughes, Luke Priest, Danyon Hume, George Hunter and Alfie Bowtell We burn down the night one last time in 2015, next Saturday the 10th at 7pm.
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Post by Administrator on Oct 8, 2015 14:35:24 GMT
King Trumps Aces! As one door closes, so another opens. In this case, Kyle Howarth’s forced withdrawal from Saturday’s A Pair of Aces spectacular at Rye House has led to a late opportunity for Danny King. The 2005 Rocket was originally shortlisted for the season finale when the provisional field was first drawn up, but was unable to commit at that point due to a potential clash with an overseas fixture. With that obstacle now removed, King was quick to jump at his second chance as soon as the unexpected vacancy arose. In addition to a superb season both with Elite League Coventry and as Ipswich’s Premier League No.1, the 29 year old has finished third in the British Championship and represented the Lions in the World Cup. He has also won the Premier League Pairs title alongside Rohan Tungate, and more recently captured the marathon 16 Lapper crown at Ipswich. So it is clear that he means business on Saturday. King joins an invited cast list that already includes Grand Prix star Chris “Bomber” Harris, GP Wildcard Sam Masters and Elite League Champion Poole Pirate Davey Watt. Saturday’s guests will be joined on-track by Restart Rockets Edward Kennett and Luke Bowen, plus the National Trophy Finalist Restart Raiders. The six pairs who will compete across the 15 heat format are: Chris Harris/George Hunter, Danny King/Luke Priest, Edward Kennett/Alfie Bowtell, Sam Masters/Rob Branford, Davey Watt/Danyon Hume, Luke Bowen/Kyle Hughes. In addition to the main racing programme, the Mr Rocket and Mr Raider rider of the year awards will be presented to the respective winners during the evening.
There will also be a huge firework display to close out the meeting, and for those who still don’t want to say goodbye to the speedway season, there will be a post-racing disco in the stadium’s Long Bar. Admission for A Pair of Aces is Adults £18, Seniors £16, Children (12-16) £5, with Children under 12 admitted FREE. The meeting kicks off at 7pm, with the gates open from 5pm, as the 2015 Rye House season goes out with a real bang.
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Post by Administrator on Oct 11, 2015 7:24:48 GMT
Masters and Branford Win Aces! Sam Masters and Rob Branford finished top of the deck in the Pair of Aces event that closed out the 2015 season at Rye House on Saturday night. The duo’s 20 points left them a decisive 3 clear of meeting runners-up Luke Bowen and Kyle Hughes, with Danny King and Luke Priest claiming third spot on 16. For Masters, the Aces provided a second pairs success at the Hertfordshire venue after his 2014 victory alongside Justin Sedgmen in Luke Bowen’s Testimonial meeting, and he has also won the Premier League Pairs title with Edinburgh. He said, “I always enjoy riding in a pairs event, it’s good fun and it was all good racing.” Masters has a huge date coming up later this month, when he rides in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, of which he said, “I’ve got a few pretty important meetings (in the Premier League Play-Off Final) before I do that, but it’s hard to keep it out of the back of your head. It’s everyone’s dream to ride in a GP, and hopefully I can do myself proud.” For partner Branford, it was a great way to round off his season leading the Restart Raiders. “It was awesome. It’s always fun to ride at Rye House, and I was lucky to have Sam with me tonight to guide me through, but it was a good, fun night.” The meeting was marred by injury to Davey Watt, who hit the third bend air fence at speed after falling during a battle with Chris Harris in Heat 1, and was then collected by the Danyon Hume’s machine despite the latter laying his bike down. After two separate and extensive delays for treatment, Watt was taken to hospital complaining of pain in his lower back and right shoulder. Back to the positives, however, and Edward Kennett was the undoubted individual star of the show, reeling off five straight wins for a fifteen point maximum. The Restart Rockets’ No.1 was then the unsurprising recipient of the Mr Rocket rider of the year award that was presented after the final race. After collecting the award for the second straight season, the Rockets captain said, “This has been one of my most consistent years, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. “I just want to thank all the fans who have been here every week cheering us all on. It hasn’t been a good year for the team, but you’ve stuck by us and we appreciate that. Also, I just want to say a big thankyou to the new promotion, to my dad (former rider Dave Kennett), who has been here every week for me as mechanic, and to Martin Hagon.” And, to a big cheer from the crowd, Kennett finished by saying: “A few weeks ago, I spoke to the local paper and got a little bit deviant by saying that I wasn’t sure what I was doing next season – but I’ll be back next year!” Alfie Bowtell received the annual Mr Raider award to cap off an excellent first campaign in the National League after transitioning into Speedway from Motocross. The 18 year old admitted that “I didn’t really know what to expect at the beginning of the year. It’s been hard, but I’ve enjoyed every moment. I couldn’t have done it without the team, though. It’s been a great side, and they’ve helped me loads.” Rye House team manager John Sampford announced the winner of the Sampford Trophy awarded in memory of his parents, who were both avid Rockets supporters, to the most entertaining Rocket of the year. Recipient Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen was not able to be present at the Aces meeting, but Sampford explained the reasons behind his nomination. “Nikolaj is tall and rangy, and because of that it is more difficult to race a bike, but he makes it look quite spectacular. He’s done a lot of passing here this year, and that’s why he’s won the entertainment award.” Pits Marshal Steve Webb presented additional trophies to “Mr Invincible” (Edward Kennett), “Mr Newcomer” (Alfie Bowtell) and “Mr Comeback”, (Kyle Hughes), prior to the fireworks display that formally brought down the curtain on the 2015 season. Finally, Team BMR would like to echo Edward Kennett’s comments by offering a huge thankyou to all Rye House supporters for your continued backing throughout 2015. Have a great Christmas and a prosperous New Year, and we look forward to seeing you back at Rye House next Spring. Pair of Aces result: 1 Sam Masters 13+1/Rob Branford 7+2 = 20 2 Luke Bowen 10+1/Kyle Hughes 7+4 = 17 3 Danny King 12/Luke Priest 4+3 = 16 4= Edward Kennett 15 (max)/Alfie Bowtell 0 = 15 4= Chris Harris 11/George Hunter 4+2 = 15 6 Davey Watt (fns)/Danyon Hume 5/Sam Woods (res) 2+1 = 7
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Post by Administrator on Oct 20, 2015 18:05:08 GMT
Silver Leaves Rye House Team BMR has been saddened to receive the resignation of Len Silver as co-promoter of Rye House Speedway. Len’s decision brings to an end to an era of involvement with the club. He originally masterminded the rise of the Rockets during the 1970s following their switch to Hertfordshire from Rayleigh, an ascendancy that culminated in the team lifting the 1980 League Championship. Len later returned as promoter, alongside the club’s own return to Hoddesdon, in 2000, with the clear highlights of his sixteen season run and the Premier League winning years of 2005 and 2007. The riders who benefitted from his tutelage during that time include, of course, recently crowned and now-double World Champion Tai Woffinden. Confirming his departure, Len commented “I would particularly like to thank John Sampford for his outstanding work with me at Rye House over the last sixteen years – most of which goes unnoticed by the general public – and to those others who have contributed to my happy times in East Herts; they are too numerous to mention.” He adds, “In leaving, I wish the new owners and promoters led by Warren Scott every success in the future.” In return, Team BMR would like to place on record its gratitude to Len for his contribution to the club, and for the extensive knowledge and experience he has shared. There are few, if any, who can match his lifelong devotion, commitment and enthusiasm for the sport. As he himself has said, he has no plans to retire, and we wish him all the very best for his continued involvement in Speedway. Looking forward, following the decisions agreed at the weekend’s BSPA AGM concerning the points limit (retained at 42.50) and the allocation of each team’s No.7 berth to a British 3 point rider in order to support the next wave of Young Lions, the club is working hard on a number of line-up permutations, and looks forward to bringing you news on rider signings as the Restart Rockets’ 2016 team plans fall into place.
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Post by Administrator on Nov 12, 2015 11:35:52 GMT
Rockets Name First Five The dust is still not long settled on the 2015 season, but the Restart Rockets have already named five of the seven riders who will carry their colours into 2016. Let’s start things off at No.1. Interviewed last month at the Pair of Aces meeting that closed out the 2015 campaign, Edward Kennett promised that “I’ll be back next year”, and the great news for Hoddesdon fans is that the former World Cup Lion and Cardiff Wildcard has been true to his word and signed on for a third straight year in Hertfordshire. Kennett’s first two seasons have seen him play a central role as a stand-out - and outstanding - No .1. With over 700 points to his name in that time, it is no surprise that he has walked off with the club’s “Mr Rocket” rider of the year award on both occasions. The Rockets captain will be joined in a heat leader role by new arrival Nicolai Klindt. Now resident in Britain, the 27 year old Dane is best known for runs with Wolverhampton – he won the Elite League title with the Wolves in 2009 - and Scunthorpe, and represented Sheffield in 2015. Away from these shores, he is a former European U-19 Champion, as well as national U-21 and U-19 titlist, and has appeared in two Grand Prix rounds. Also arriving in Hertfordshire is Leigh Lanham, The evergreen 38 year old, best known for his extended associations with Ipswich and Lakeside, was an all-inclusive 7.24 man last season for Somerset before finishing the term with Scunthorpe. Lanham’s 5.78 “green sheet” average ranks him alongside Kasper Lykke’s 5.74 as the Dane returns for a second straight – and fourth in total – season in Hoddesdon. 2015 proved a real breakthrough campaign for the young Dane, who overcame knee and collarbone injuries to put a full point on his starting average, and should continue to grow solidly in 2016. The Rockets can also name one of their two reserves. For Southend’s Ben Morley, it is a case of coming home in 2016, given he has already held regular spots with the Rockets and Raiders between 2009 and 2012. The Rye House asset proved one of the National League’s tour de forces last season, with his near 10 point all-inclusive record topped off by success in both the National League Riders’ Championship and the Pairs event. Every Premier League team must field a 3 point British rider in 2016, and Morley will be the rider taking that role at Rye House. Team BMR detailed the Rockets’ line-up on a rider-by-rider basis: “It goes without saying that Edward Kennett’s return for next season was central to our 2016 plans - and Edward himself has had input into both our team-building and planned track amendments. “Nicolai Klindt will be coming in on a very understated average of just 5.89. There is no reason why he can’t really push that way up as backing to Edward. “It is a pleasure to finally bring Leigh Lanham into the club after a number of guest appearances in the past. Not only will he add stability in our middle order but, again, he has got some slack to go for in his starting average. “So has Kasper Lykke, who enjoyed a terrific 2015 but is absolutely determined to push on much further next year. “We all know what Ben Morley is capable of around our circuit. He showed it on numerous occasions last season, not least in the NLRC and his paid 9 guest spot against Somerset. Away, his initial target will be to beat his fellow No.7s – and he did that plenty of times in 2015. “There are two more spots to announce, but the bottom line is that we are pulling together a set of riders who all share the excitement of our future plans at Rye House. We’ve also very consciously assembled a team that is just that – a team. This is a side that will work together and have fun together, and we believe that together the total will be more than the sum of the individual parts.”
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Post by Administrator on Nov 23, 2015 7:06:38 GMT
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