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VOLUME 73 NUMBER 15 8 COPPERGATE MEWS, BRIGHTON ROAD, SURBITON, SURREY, KT6 5NE EDITORIAL Telephone: (020) 8335 1113 E-mail: star@pinegen.co.uk Editor: Andrew Skeels Assistant editor: Tony McDonald News and feature writers: Paul Burbidge, Peter Oakes and Phil Lanning Art editor: Mick Smith Production editor: Mark Frankham Front cover design: Jeff Davies CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions manager: Dave Fairbrother Telephone: (020) 8335 1113 (9 am-2.30 pm) E-mail: subs@pinegen.co.uk Or visit www.speedwaystar.net and click on the subscriptions link. SUBSCRIPTION RATES UK (52 issues): ......................................£128 UK (26 issues): ........................................£65 UK (13 issues): ........................................£33 EUROPE (52 issues): ............................£144 EUROPE (26 issues): ..............................£74 USA (52 issues):....................................£164 USA (26 issues):......................................£84 REST OF WORLD (52 issues) ................£174 REST OF WORLD (26 issues): ..................£89 DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS www.exacteditions.com/speedwaystar ADVERTISING Advertising manager: Mick Hooker Office: 01279 771125 Mobile: 07957 814639 E-mail: coveadv@gmail.com ACCOUNTS Accounts manager: Marina Abbott Telephone: (020) 8335 1104 E-mail: accounts@pinegen.co.uk Speedway Star is published by the proprietors Pinegen Limited. Printed by: Warners Midlands PLC Printers Distributed by: Seymour Distribution Ltd., 86 Newman Street, London, W1P 3LD. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper © copyright 2024 Pinegen Limited NEWSDESK I‘Devastated’ Doyle PSWICH icon Jason Doyle’s 2024 season appears to be over as he faces four to six months on the sidelines recovering from shoulder damage. Doyle was thrown over the back straight fence during Heat 4 of Witches’ match at King’s Lynn on May 23 and taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs and a lung contusion. Amid concerns over pain and numbness in his left arm, he underwent MRI scans in both Britain and Poland, which confirmed he had suffered a torn rotator cuff and tendon damage. The Norfolk-based racer was set to undergo surgery as Speedway Star went to press on Tuesday and specialists confirmed he faces four to six months on the sidelines following the operation. This ends the Warsaw winner’s SGP world title hopes, handing first reserve Max Fricke a spot in the series for the rest of 2024. It also gives Ipswich a major headache in trying to replace a rider who many would deem irreplaceable at Foxhall. Doyle took to Instagram last Saturday to break the news about the full extent of his injuries. He wrote: “Sorry I have been so quiet regarding my injuries. I needed some time to sort this situation out. “Firstly, most of you will be aware I had a decent crash at King’s Lynn. I ended up joining the fans in the crowd. “I went straight to hospital and they diagnosed me with four broken ribs and a lung contusion. I was in a bit of pain, so I just didn’t know what was wrong at that point in time. I felt like I was shattered. I guess you have this feeling when you land on concrete! “I told them about my left shoulder. They couldn’t see any breaks but there was a weird feeling of numbness and I knew this wasn’t right. So, two days later, I went for an MRI scan in Norwich to check the ligaments and tendons in the shoulder. The results came back and, me being stubborn, I didn’t want to believe what they came back to me with. “I hopped on a plane and went to Rehar Sports Clinic in Poznan and underwent more tests and scans. Once again they told me that I had snapped two tendons and torn my rotator cuff and it needed immediate treatment. “Normally, I would ride with broken bones and injuries but this one I can’t get out of. I have no strength and I can’t wait until the end of the season to get it sorted. I must have it repaired fast or it will have long-term consequences and I won’t lift a beer when I retire.” Despite the heartbreaking news, Doyle remained upbeat as he prepared to undergo treatment and fight his way back on track. “I’m devastated,” he admitted. “But life still goes on. I’m safe and healthy and there are way sadder things in life going on in this world. I’m lucky I can spend time now with my family. My little baby girl and my wife. “I hope the operation will stop all the pain. The specialist has told me I will be out for four to six months. “I would like to thank my clubs, Ipswich Witches, GKM Grudziadz and Outrup (Region Varde) and Speedway Grand Prix for the short memories I have had this season! “This isn’t the end, I have loads more to give. I just need time to recover and repair for another crack at world class speedway. I will be back.” Words: PAUL BURBIDGE SCB ban Covatti NICO Covatti has been handed a 28-day ban due to his unavailability for Plymouth while racing on the continent. Covatti missed Gladiators’ home BSN Series clash with Poole on Saturday but then rode in an open meeting in Slovenia on Sunday, scoring eight points, before ruling himself out of Plymouth’s next match against Redcar on Tuesday. The SCB statement said: “On informing the Plymouth promotion that Mr Covatti had to attend the next Plymouth fixture, the SCB had in writing from Mr Covatti that he was still not ready to race in the Championship as he was still suffering the effects of his injuries received in March in his National Championship in Argentina. “Therefore, as Mr Covatti is refusing to come back to the UK to race for his British club, although currently riding in events in Europe, the SCB have no alternative than to suspend his SCB Registration for a period of 28 days for failing to attend a fixture listed on the official fixture list as per SCB Regulation 017.2 i).” 2 speedway star June 8, 2024 THE chatter of Czecho all week was how to stop the forecasted rain. At 9.39 pm after the final on Saturday night, it changed to how does anyone halt the reign of Bartosz Zmarzlik? There’s little doubt that Martin Vaculik was the hero of the hour with another marvellous display in Marketa, completing an incredible hattrick of wins in the Czech Grand Prix. The Slovakian No. 1 joins Jason Crump and Tai Woffinden as one of only three riders to win three consecutive Prague GPs, although Nicki Pedersen also achieved three victories in the Czech Republic capital. As a result, Vaculik became the fourth different winner of the series so far, after Jack Holder, Jason Doyle and Mikkel Michelsen. But Zmarzlik remains the king of consistency by reaching four successive finals. As the storm clouds gathered for his rivals, he is now 12 points clear in the standings and riding off into the glorious sunset. A clearly emotional Vaculik said: “It’s amazing. I don’t know what to say now. I’m super-happy, this is like a dream for me. To win three times in a row here, it’s just an amazing feeling. “Dreams come true. I can say that everyone who has a dream, don’t be afraid, just go for it. “The dream came true for me when I was a kid. I remember in 2003 I watched here next to the fence. I asked Greg Hancock: ‘Hey, please can you make a picture with me?’. He said: ‘yeah, of course’. I told him I was a big fan. “Today I’m here as a rider and this is my message to young boys: believe your dreams, everything is possible.” In truth, Prague served up the most lacklustre Grand Prix of the season in terms of racing and drama. But the fact they even got it on was nothing short of a miracle. It was another management masterpiece from Race Director
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WHAT’S ON FIXTURES: JUNE 6-19 PHIL LANNING on why a historic night for Czech GP winner Martin Vaculik also left Bartosz Zmarzlik smiling… THURSDAY, JUNE 6 Ipswich v Birmingham (Knockout Cup) 7.30 pm King’s Lynn v Sheffield (Knockout Cup) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, JUNE 7 Edinburgh v Oxford (Championship) 7.30 pm Scunthorpe v Berwick (Championship) 7.30 pm Middlesbrough v Belle Vue (National Development League) 7.30 pm SATURDAY, JUNE 8 Belle Vue: British Final 7.30 pm MONDAY, JUNE 10 Ipswich v Sheffield (Premiership) 7.30 pm TUESDAY, JUNE 11 Plymouth v Berwick (Championship) 7.00 pm WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 Sheffield v World Select (Kyle Howarth Testimonial) 7.30 pm THURSDAY, JUNE 13 Leicester v King’s Lynn (Premiership) 7.30 pm Oxford v Ipswich (Premiership) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, JUNE 14 Redcar v Edinburgh (Championship) 7.30 pm Scunthorpe v Oxford (Championship) 7.30 pm SATURDAY, JUNE 15 Workington v Plymouth (Championship) 3.00 pm SUNDAY, JUNE 16 Oxford v Belle Vue (National Development League) 3.00 pm Glasgow: British Youth Championships 2.00 pm Kent v Rye House (Kent/Herts Trophy) 2.00 pm MONDAY, JUNE 17 King’s Lynn v Oxford (Premiership) 7.30 pm Belle Vue v Middlesbrough (National Development League) 7.30 pm WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 Oxford v Poole (Championship) 7.30 pm ZMARZLIK CLEAR Phil Morris and the Marketa organisers. The forecast was monsoonlike for Saturday and Sunday. Covers were put down on Friday and practice was cancelled on raceday. With more rain scheduled, Morris then made sure the meeting was rattled through quickly. Thankfully, it stayed dry. On and off-track, one by one Zmarzlik’s chief rivals fell by the wayside. At 11 am on Saturday, Jason Doyle – third-placed in the series – announced on social media his season was over. With Holder failing to reach the semi-finals and Robert Lambert not making the final, Zmarzlik’s lead increased from two to 12 points in the space of a couple of hours. Holder never recovered from a below-par opening, just one point from two rides. Fast Lambo was once again very consistent with 11 points in the qualifying heats. However, it just didn’t happen for him when it came to the crunch semi. It was an incredibly disappointing night for his fellow Brits. Dan Bewley never truly got in among the big points, falling short on five. Tai Woffinden, by his own sky-high standards, had a stinker, managing just one point. Woffy must be scratching his head in despair after a display so far short of what he’s capable of delivering. As his buddy, four-time World Champion Greg Hancock, said: “It is really tough. You feel for a guy like Tai. You can see he’s really struggling. “He’s not moving off the white line at all. That tells me he’s not 100 per cent comfortable with his equipment or the situation. “These are the kind of times when you’ve really got to dig deep. You’ve got to find your mojo and realise why you’re here. It’s always fun when you’re winning. When you’re not, you are trying to figure out how to get the fun out of it. “They are working hard, he’s got a great group of guys around him. You need that one good meeting, or even a couple of good heats, just to realise you still are a World Champion and you want to fight for a championship.” Hancock also revealed that he reckoned he knew Vaculik would succeed after seeing his pre-meeting swagger. He added: “I know that Martin really likes this track. You could see when he came here today, I watched him walk through the pits. He was so confident, he almost had a bit of a Conor McGregor swagger to him. Arms were swinging like ‘I’ve got this’. “You could see, right from his first heat, he wanted it. The emotions show everything. Hats off to him. “He’s so confident here, he obviously has a good bike for it. I think his season really turned around here last year. He really kicked on after that. You can see where he’s at now. Let’s watch and see.” Hancock also admitted that even though Zmarzlik is still not at his quickest, the rest of the pretenders have got to up their game to stop him. He concluded: “I watch his riding style and see how his engines are working. It seems like when the door is open he’s just there to capitalise on it. He’s got the speed. “It’s a constant battle when you’re racing. You’re trying to find that little bit extra all the time, talking to the engine tuners. It’s a real fine line with the bike. “Does he really need to make his bike any quicker? He’s so clever. He could be testing all the time and he’s so confident in what he’s doing.” TV TIMES TV TIMES Compiled BY PHIL LANNING ALL eyes are on the National Speedway Stadium. The most hotly-anticipated British Final for over a decade hits our screens on Eurosport. With all three Grand Prix Brits doing battle, it promises to be an epic occasion. The British Speedway Network actually take their biggest pause in a mammoth month of 13 meetings in June. It has to be said that their huge week of Sheffield, Berwick and the British Under-21 was out of the top drawer for action. Tai Woffinden’s sensational ride at Owlerton to pass Birmingham’s Steve Worrall and Zach Cook was very special, while the British Under-21 once again served up a classic at Ashfield Stadium. This week there are two meetings on the agenda for BSN – King’s Lynn v Sheffield tonight (Thursday) and the rematch of Scunthorpe and Berwick tomorrow. LIVE SPEEDWAY THIS WEEK EUROSPORT SATURDAY JUNE 8: Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final at Belle Vue, 7.30 pm BRITISH SPEEDWAY NETWORK (watch.britishspeedway.co.uk) THURSDAY, JUNE 6: King’s Lynn v Sheffield, Premiership KO Cup semi-final, 7 pm. FRIDAY, JUNE 7: Scunthorpe v Berwick, Cab Direct Championship, 7 pm. CLUB STREAMINGS BERWICK: tv.berwickspeedway.com BIRMINGHAM: https://www.brummies.tv EDINBURGH: www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/live- stream LEICESTER: www.leicesterspeedway.com/ Home/LionsTV OXFORD: https://livestream.oxfordspeedway.club PLYMOUTH: plymouth-speedway.com/live- streaming POOLE: livestream.poole-speedway.com REDCAR: www.redcar-speedway.com SCUNTHORPE: tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com June 8, 2024 speedway star 3

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WHAT’S ON

FIXTURES: JUNE 6-19

PHIL LANNING on why a historic night for Czech GP winner Martin Vaculik also left Bartosz Zmarzlik smiling…

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 Ipswich v Birmingham (Knockout Cup) 7.30 pm King’s Lynn v Sheffield (Knockout Cup) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, JUNE 7 Edinburgh v Oxford (Championship) 7.30 pm Scunthorpe v Berwick (Championship) 7.30 pm Middlesbrough v Belle Vue (National Development League) 7.30 pm SATURDAY, JUNE 8 Belle Vue: British Final 7.30 pm MONDAY, JUNE 10 Ipswich v Sheffield (Premiership) 7.30 pm TUESDAY, JUNE 11 Plymouth v Berwick (Championship) 7.00 pm WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 Sheffield v World Select (Kyle Howarth Testimonial) 7.30 pm THURSDAY, JUNE 13 Leicester v King’s Lynn (Premiership) 7.30 pm Oxford v Ipswich (Premiership) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, JUNE 14 Redcar v Edinburgh (Championship) 7.30 pm Scunthorpe v Oxford (Championship) 7.30 pm SATURDAY, JUNE 15 Workington v Plymouth (Championship) 3.00 pm SUNDAY, JUNE 16 Oxford v Belle Vue (National Development League) 3.00 pm Glasgow: British Youth Championships 2.00 pm Kent v Rye House (Kent/Herts Trophy) 2.00 pm MONDAY, JUNE 17 King’s Lynn v Oxford (Premiership) 7.30 pm Belle Vue v Middlesbrough (National Development League) 7.30 pm WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 Oxford v Poole (Championship) 7.30 pm

ZMARZLIK CLEAR

Phil Morris and the Marketa organisers.

The forecast was monsoonlike for Saturday and Sunday. Covers were put down on Friday and practice was cancelled on raceday.

With more rain scheduled, Morris then made sure the meeting was rattled through quickly. Thankfully, it stayed dry.

On and off-track, one by one Zmarzlik’s chief rivals fell by the wayside. At 11 am on Saturday, Jason Doyle – third-placed in the series – announced on social media his season was over.

With Holder failing to reach the semi-finals and Robert Lambert not making the final, Zmarzlik’s lead increased from two to 12 points in the space of a couple of hours.

Holder never recovered from a below-par opening, just one point from two rides. Fast Lambo was once again very consistent with 11 points in the qualifying heats. However, it just didn’t happen for him when it came to the crunch semi.

It was an incredibly disappointing night for his fellow Brits. Dan Bewley never truly got in among the big points, falling short on five. Tai Woffinden, by his own sky-high standards, had a stinker, managing just one point.

Woffy must be scratching his head in despair after a display so far short of what he’s capable of delivering.

As his buddy, four-time World Champion Greg Hancock, said: “It is really tough. You feel for a guy like Tai. You can see he’s really struggling.

“He’s not moving off the white line at all. That tells me he’s not 100 per cent comfortable with his equipment or the situation.

“These are the kind of times when you’ve really got to dig deep. You’ve got to find your mojo and realise why you’re here. It’s always fun when you’re winning. When you’re not, you are trying to figure out how to get the fun out of it.

“They are working hard, he’s got a great group of guys around him. You need that one good meeting, or even a couple of good heats, just to realise you still are a World Champion and you want to fight for a championship.”

Hancock also revealed that he reckoned he knew Vaculik would succeed after seeing his pre-meeting swagger.

He added: “I know that Martin really likes this track. You could see when he came here today, I watched him walk through the pits. He was so confident, he almost had a bit of a Conor McGregor swagger to him. Arms were swinging like ‘I’ve got this’.

“You could see, right from his first heat, he wanted it. The emotions show everything. Hats off to him.

“He’s so confident here, he obviously has a good bike for it. I think his season really turned around here last year. He really kicked on after that. You can see where he’s at now. Let’s watch and see.”

Hancock also admitted that even though Zmarzlik is still not at his quickest, the rest of the pretenders have got to up their game to stop him.

He concluded: “I watch his riding style and see how his engines are working. It seems like when the door is open he’s just there to capitalise on it. He’s got the speed.

“It’s a constant battle when you’re racing. You’re trying to find that little bit extra all the time, talking to the engine tuners. It’s a real fine line with the bike.

“Does he really need to make his bike any quicker? He’s so clever. He could be testing all the time and he’s so confident in what he’s doing.”

TV TIMES TV TIMES

Compiled BY PHIL LANNING

ALL eyes are on the National Speedway Stadium.

The most hotly-anticipated British Final for over a decade hits our screens on Eurosport. With all three Grand Prix Brits doing battle, it promises to be an epic occasion.

The British Speedway Network actually take their biggest pause in a mammoth month of 13 meetings in June.

It has to be said that their huge week of Sheffield, Berwick and the British Under-21 was out of the top drawer for action.

Tai Woffinden’s sensational ride at Owlerton to pass Birmingham’s Steve Worrall and Zach Cook was very special, while the British Under-21 once again served up a classic at Ashfield Stadium.

This week there are two meetings on the agenda for BSN – King’s Lynn v Sheffield tonight (Thursday) and the rematch of Scunthorpe and Berwick tomorrow.

LIVE SPEEDWAY THIS WEEK EUROSPORT SATURDAY JUNE 8: Attis Insurance Sports Division British Final at Belle Vue, 7.30 pm BRITISH SPEEDWAY NETWORK (watch.britishspeedway.co.uk) THURSDAY, JUNE 6: King’s Lynn v Sheffield, Premiership KO Cup semi-final, 7 pm. FRIDAY, JUNE 7: Scunthorpe v Berwick, Cab Direct Championship, 7 pm. CLUB STREAMINGS BERWICK: tv.berwickspeedway.com BIRMINGHAM: https://www.brummies.tv EDINBURGH: www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/live- stream LEICESTER: www.leicesterspeedway.com/ Home/LionsTV OXFORD: https://livestream.oxfordspeedway.club PLYMOUTH: plymouth-speedway.com/live- streaming POOLE: livestream.poole-speedway.com REDCAR: www.redcar-speedway.com SCUNTHORPE: tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com

June 8, 2024 speedway star 3

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