lucifer sam

RETURN OF TOMMY THE GUN ADDS EXTRA SPICE THE RETURN of former Scorpion Thomas Jorgensen will add extra spice to this Friday’s clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway (7.30pm), as the FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, take on the Redcar Bears in League Cup action. The Dane, who rode for the Scorpions for four seasons between 2011 and 2014, will guest for the Bears in place of the unavailable Stuart Robson. The Scorpions lost 40-53 at Redcar last Thursday, at the beginning of a sequence of four meetings in four days. But following a convincing 53-37 against Newcastle last Friday, the Scorpions are looking to start making their own Eddie Wright Raceway something of a fortress. “The return of Thomas Jorgensen certainly adds another dimension to Friday’s meeting”, says promoter Rob Godfrey. “He is a great guy, and was a popular Scunthorpe Scorpion. But speedway riders are competitive creatures, and once that helmet is on, Thomas will be looking to get one over his old team on Friday, just as our riders will be out to beat him. It’s all part of the make-up of being a professional sportsman. “He did have a good meeting against us on Saturday, when we put in a highly competitive performance at Berwick, and only went down by two points, with Thomas gaining a vital third place for the Bandits in Heat 15. The clashes between Tommy The Gun and our top five on Friday are bound to be mouth-watering.” Godfrey is looking for the Scorpions to maintain the momentum of their home form on Friday. He reflects: “It was an extremely good team performance against Newcastle last Friday. Our top five were rock solid, with every single one of them scoring well. And our two young reserves, Nike (Lunna) and Ellis (Perks), also did their job, taking points off the opposition. “Nike is already a real fans’ favourite at the Eddie Wright Raceway. He really doesn’t know when he’s beaten, and his last bend swoop in Heat 2 last week had the whole crowd on their feet. “One reason I think we’re set for a good year, is that we’re only going to get better and better. Not only the two reserves, but the likes of Alex Davies as well. After his visa problems last season, Alex more-or-less took a whole year out of the sport. “That rustiness showed itself in our first home meeting, but Alex worked hard on it, and last week he was a different rider. He’s been gradually looking more-and-more the part in our away meetings as well. I see him in the mould of another Sam Masters, or closer to home, Ryan Douglas. He’s got that cool Aussie determination. “I don’t think Redcar will make it easy for us on Friday. Lasse Bjerre has got his season off to an absolute flyer; he scored 17 points against us last week at Redcar, and only Theo Pijper was able to stop him recording a full house. We saw Lasse score good points for Peterborough around the Eddie Wright Raceway last season. Matej Kus has also been a tall scorer around here in the past, while we’ve often used Hugh Skidmore as a guest at the EWR, and Jan Graversen is a former Scorpion. “I think we’re in for another cracker of a meeting. But if we ride like we did against Newcastle, I see no reason why we shouldn’t come out of the meeting with another victory”, Godfrey concludes. Admission prices for Friday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (10 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Friday: FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. David Howe, 2. Theo Pijper, 3. Alex Davies, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Josh Auty, 6. Ellis Perks, 7. Nike Lunna. Redcar Bears: 1. Lasse Bjerre, 2. Jan Graversen, 3. Thomas Jorgensen (guest), 4. Hugh Skidmore, 5. Matej Kus, 6. Rafal Konopka, 7. Ben Morley. Redcar Bears at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Lasse Bjerre PL 7 35 57 2 6.51 6.74 13 from 6 rides (2014) Jan Graversen PL 23 104 117 29 4.50 5.62 9 + 4 from 7 rides (2012) Rafal Konopka PL 2 6 3 1 2.00 2.67 2 from 3 rides (2014) Matej Kus PL 4 19 33 0 6.95 6.95 17 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012)) Ben Morley PL 2 8 3 2 1.50 2.50 2 + 1 from 4 rides (2011) Hugh Skidmore PL 20 93 149 11 6.41 6.88 11 + 1 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012)) Other Notes Lasse Bjerre 2011 Danish Under-21 Champion. Member of Denmark's World Under-21 Team Cup Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2011. Jan Graversen Former Scunthorpe Scorpion. Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009. Rafal Konopka Made his Premier League debut for Redcar in April 2014. Matej Kus Has ridden in 4 Speedway Grand Prix and 6 World Cup Events. 2010 Czech Republic Champion. Twice Czech Republic Under-21 Champion (2008 and 2009). 2008 Czech Republic Under-19 Champion. Ben Morley Rides for Kent in the 2015 National League. Made his British League debut for Rye House in the National League in 2009. Hugh Skidmore 2009 New South Wales Under-21 Champion. Redcar Bears' Results at EWR 30 March 2008 PT D Scunthorpe 45 Redcar 45 06 June 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 19 June 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Redcar 44 31 July 2009 KOC L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 39 02 October 2009 YS L Scunthorpe 56 Redcar 34 05 April 2010 PT L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 42 02 May 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 57 Redcar 34 09 September 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 07 October 2011 PL Ph 2 L Scunthorpe 65 Redcar 25 27 April 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 54 Redcar 36 14 September 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 55 Redcar 38 14 June 2013 KOC W Scunthorpe 41 Redcar 49 12 July 2013 PL L Scunthorpe 45 Redcar 44 06 April 2014 LC W Scunthorpe 37 Redcar 50 25 July 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 54 Redcar 39 27 August 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 46 Redcar 43 (stats by John Eyre)

Going to be a long season for you then. Have you considered changing your name from Mr Blobby to Mr Blubby? Might be more appropriate come September time. All the best Rob

Luke Whitehead's correct score reads 6+1. All the best Rob

Some terrific racing last night, including Nike nicking the verdict on the line in Heat 2 after a late surge, and Heat 10 was just brilliant, as the proverbial blanket could have been thrown over all 4. I think Theo went from second to first to third to second, although I think it was even more changes of position than that, absolutely fantastic race. And great performance from Scorpions. A very solid performance from the top five, with Nike & Ellis chipping as well. Wilko is worth his weight in gold, because not only is he proving to be a consistent performer, but he's always looking for his team partner too. All the best Rob

How about letting Rob G be his own spokesman? Here's his thoughts on the meeting at Newcastle tonight, which also contains some throughts on the meeting at Redcar: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=2640 In particular: "I know the whole team is going to be really up for it against Newcastle tonight. “I think the visit of the Diamonds to the Eddie Wright Raceway tonight is going to provide a cracking meeting – it’s going to be top entertainment. And we really want to get that first win under our belts." All the best Rob Peasley

Not at all. The Scorpions are very much going into tonight's meeting against Newcastle with the intention to win it. All the best Rob Peasley

And it looks like it will be Sunny Scunny tomorrow as well. Cracking meeting ahead, I reckon! All the best Rob

I'm hoping for a home win between 10-15 points. But intriguing and hard to call, because Newwcastle have a solid team, but don't really have any stand-out performers there. All the best Rob

A fuller list is here: http://www1.skysports.com/watch/speedway-on-sky I assume it shows EL meetings only - British Final, Glasgow, etc will be in addition to this. All the best Rob

FRIDAY NIGHT IS THE NIGHT! THE first Friday evening meeting of the season takes place at the Eddie Wright Raceway this week, with the visit of the Newcastle Diamonds in a League Cup match (7.30pm). It takes place in a middle of a busy spell for the FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance. Scunthorpe travel to Redcar on Thursday, and then comes the home clash with the Diamonds on Friday evening. Saturday sees the Scorpions involved in their first Premier League fixture of the season, with a visit to Border country to face Berwick. The week is completed by the return League Cup fixture at Newcastle on Sunday. In their opening fixtures against Sheffield, the Scorpions - with the exception of Carl Wilkinson and the brilliant Josh Auty - looked like a team in need of some competitive track time and they will get that in abundance this week. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “I’m really looking forward to Friday’s meeting, against Newcastle, and see how we fare against the Diamonds. “We had a bumper turn-out against Sheffield on Easter Monday, which was terrific to see. The result wasn’t the best for us, but hopefully people can see through that, because we’re just going to get better and better as our new team settles in. “The weather is set fair for the next few days, and there really isn’t anywhere better to be on Friday night than at the Eddie Wright Raceway. “We have the best racetrack in the country and the racing is never better than on a Friday evening. Newcastle have already won at Redcar, and they are going to be up for this meeting, just as we are. “It is going to be a top night of speedway action, and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure we finish the night with the League Cup points in the bag.” Scunthorpe’s full schedule for this week: Thursday, April 16… Redcar vs Scorpions (League Cup) Friday, April 17… Scorpions vs Newcastle (League Cup) Saturday, April 18… Berwick vs Scorpions (Premier League) Sunday, April 19… Newcastle vs Scorpions (League Cup) Admission prices for Friday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (10 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Friday: FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. David Howe, 2. Theo Pijper, 3. Alex Davies, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Josh Auty, 6. Ellis Perks, 7. Nike Lunna. Newcastle Diamonds: 1. Steve Worrall, 2. Christian Henry, 3. Lewis Kerr, 4. Anton Rosen, 5. Ludvig Lindgren, 6. Simon Nielsen, 7. Lewis Rose. Newcastle Diamonds at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Christian Henry PL 8 37 41 6 4.43 5.08 9 + 2 from 6 rides (2013) Lewis Kerr PL 3 12 16 2 5.33 6.00 7 + 2 from 4 rides (2013) Ludvig Lindgren PL 7 34 56 3 6.59 6.94 14 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2009)) Simon Nielsen PL 4 16 10 3 2.50 3.25 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2013) Lewis Rose PL 1 5 5 0 4.00 4.00 5 from 5 rides (2014) Anton Rosen PL 1 6 9 1 6.00 6.67 9 + 1 from 6 rides (2014) Steve Worrall PL 30 125 114 26 3.65 4.48 10 + 2 from 5 rides (2011) Other Notes Christian Henry Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winners in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2013. Lewis Kerr Member of Newcastle's League Cup and Premier Shield Winning Teams in 2013. Made his British League debut with King's Lynn's National League side in 2010. A Fast-Track Reserve with King's Lynn for the 2015 Elite League season. Ludvig Lindgren Member of Wolverhampton's Elite Shield Winning Teams in 2010 and 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Member of Newcastle's League Cup and Premier Shield Winning Teams in 2013. Simon Nielsen Made his Premier League debut with Workington in 2011. Winner of the 2005 Individual FIM Youth Gold Trophy (80cc), unofficial Under-16 World Championship. Lewis Rose Made his British League debut with King's Lynn's National League side in 2013. A Fast-Track Reserve with Swindon for the 2015 Elite League season. Anton Rosen Member of Newcastle's League Cup Winning Team in 2013. Swedish rider who made his British League debut with Newcastle in 2013. Steve Worrall Former Scunthorpe Scorpion and Saint. Member of the Saints' National League Winning Team in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2013. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and League Cup Winning Teams in 2014. Member of Cradley's National League Championship, KO Cup, NL Shield and NL Fours Winning Teams in 2014. A Fast-Track Reserve with Belle Vue for the 2015 Elite League season. Newcastle's Results at EWR: 04 April 2008 PT L Scunthorpe 55 Newcastle 38 16 May 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Newcastle 36 08 May 2009 KOC (1) L Scunthorpe 65 Newcastle 25 07 August 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Newcastle 45 14 May 2010 KOC (1) L Scunthorpe 49 Newcastle 41 23 July 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Newcastle 39 01 April 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 47 Newcastle 42 30 March 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 46 Newcastle 44 13 July 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 48 Newcastle 42 12 April 2013 PS (1) L Scunthorpe 50 Newcastle 43 05 July 2013 PL L Scunthorpe 46 Newcastle 44 18 April 2014 LC L Scunthorpe 49 Newcastle 44 27 June 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 58 Newcastle 38 (stats by John Eyre) * Scorpions’ busy week begins with a trip to Redcar on Thursday evening. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We’ve started the season fairly slowly, but so have Redcar. The Bears have got their own problems, and we will look to take advantage of those.”

To be fair to Sidney, he's held his own on this thread. Fair play. I did chuckle when he called Oldace "Oldass" All the best Rob

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just come along and block my roads again, why don't you? All the best Rob

Perfect example of why 4-3-2-0 shuld be used for pairs meetings. I hope that a team place will become available for Brendan somewhere very soon. All the best Rob

F1, Snooker, Olympics (especially curling at Winter Olympics), occasionally Rugby, only really bother with Football for the World Cup. All the best Rob

But read the whole thread. It was actually started by a Bomber fan, not questioning why he should be in the GP series, but questioning why he hadn't prepared a bit better for this year's GP series. One or two people said he shouldn't even be in the series, but quite a few of us disagreed with that. They are entitled to their opinion, just as you and I are entitled to ours. The thread was dead, but then you've come on here today, shouting the odds (ironically directing your wrath in the direction of one of the Bomber defenders), and stirring it all up again! All the best Rob

I made the point that he had qualified on Page 1. However, if people have their opinion, they can express it. The clue is in the name: British Speedway Forum. All the best Rob

Dave The Mic, I think you're a bit confused, SCB was one of the people DEFENDING Bomber. Read the whole thread, and I think you'll see you owe him an apology All the best Rob

I think he was three-time British Under-21 Champion by the age of 21. If he won any of them aged 22, 23 or 24, then something was a bit amiss. Anyway, the argument is becoming circular. Scunthorpe fans would prefer to have Josh Auty riding for them; Sheffield fans would prefer to have Simon Stead riding for them. Which suggests both are at the right clubs. All the best Rob

I love Silver Bee's updates, but "unbiased"???? All the best Rob

HT, a strange comparison. Josh is not Tai Woffinden, true, but neither is any other British rider. Woffy is exceptional. That's like saying Peter Karlsson is rubbish compared to Tony Rickardsson. Yes, Josh Auty is still in the Premier League at the age of 24.... but then again so is Simon Stead at the age of 32!! Personally, I don't see the problem in either case. If a rider is doing the job for his club, piling up the points and providing a great amount of entertainment at the same time, isn't that what club speedway is all about? Josh is a highly talented motorcyclist, who puts bums on seats, and is one of Scunthorpe speedway's finest-ever servants. I might be missing the point, but to me, that is the point. One thing you're quite correct on, is that those who attend the EWR on a regular or a semi-regular basis will have seen regular moves from Josh like that on Monday (I assume you mean Heat 11 rather Heat 13, although Josh did pass Stead in Heat 13 as well!), and that's why he is special. And maybe, HT, that's one reason we go there so many times during a season? To see moves like that? I think there's still time for Josh to become a regular part of the GB team and maybe be in the Grand Prix at some point. Time will tell if that happens. If it does happen, it will be great for him and I'll be chuffed for him. But to me, and I suspect to you as well, more important are the thrills he gives with his riding around the EWR? To me, that's what it is all about. All the best Rob

But Steady has taken up a whopping 9.96 of your team average, and Josh a bargain 7.16 of Scunny's, despite having been the No 1 at the EWR in two recent seasons, 2012 and 2013. Josh is on the better value average and also the man for the Big Heat 15. I suspect both will end up in the Top Ten of the PL averages, as both Steady and Josh are going to be nigh-on unbeatable around their own circuit. In any case, it's noticable nearly all those raising "concerns" about Josh seem to be Tigers fans. The Scunny fans are very happy to be have Josh back again thank you very much. All the best Rob

It's Arron, not Aaron. And Robbie Perks is the nephew of Dave Perks. Ellis Perks is therefore the great nephew of Dave Perks. All the best Rob

Erm, actually Josh very nearly averaged 9.00 in 2012, the same year he was the No 1 for a team which won the Premier League. And that was despite the fact he got off to quite a slow start that season – take away the first couple of months of 2012 and I suspect his average was in excess of 9.00. Whereas this year he has hit the ground running. Weird that there’s a conversation on here about whether Josh is a top man in the PL or not, a few days after he’s completely owned Simon Stead around the EWR. Remember Stead gated on him twice as well; Josh made him look silly from the back. He’s proved countless times he’s the man for a big Heat 15 at the EWR. I still can’t believe just how far he came from behind to beat Tyson Nelson on the final lap in 2013. That was a truly astonishing ride. He is one of the most entertaining riders I've ever had the pleasure to have watched. Looking forward to Josh having a great year in 2015 - he looks really pumped and ready for it. All the best Rob

There is an incident recorder/timekeeper at each meeting, sits in the box next to the ref! All the best Rob

Was that following the Facebook rant about closed Supermarkets? Yes, the 128-page SS is always a complete delight. Mind you, I enjoy reading it every week. All the best Rob