Speedway News

Club Cradley slipped to a narrow defeat at the hands of Arena Essex juniors in their first meeting of the season. The lead changed hands three times in an incident packed eight-heat match in which the Arena Essex emerged 26-22 victors after a last heat decider.

Club Cradley Heath have been handed a sponsorship boost as they prepare for their first fixture of the 2001 season. L.P. Transport of Tividale has agreed to back the supporters-run club for a third successive season, and will also continue as teams main sponsors.

Impressive early season team Poole Pirates have been rocked with the news that Norwegian heat leader Lars Gunnestad could be out for a couple of months. Gunnestad sustained a broken leg after crashing during a Polish League meeting in Opole on Saturday night.

The eyes of the speedway world will be focussed on Owlerton Stadium this coming Thursday night (April 5th) when Sheffield meet Workington in the Premier Trophy competition.

Slovenian star Matej Ferjan, who will make his Grand Prix debut in Berlin on May 5, has been sacked by British Elite League club Peterborough.

Richard Child of Highland, California, has been appointed by the American Motorcyclist Association as Team USA Speedway Manager, effective immediately.

Robbie Kessler begins the 2001 speedway season as 'a man on a mission.' He has again signed for Premier League team Sheffield and is expecting success on a track well suited to his spectacular style.

With the 2001 Speedway season beginning shortly, here's the Crash.Net team-by-team guide of who's hot and who's not in both the Elite and Premier League's. ELITE LEAGUE. Belle Vue Aces:

Hull boss Eric Boocock will finally complete his 2001 team by the weekend. Boocock has been delayed in naming his squad since the collapse of a proposed move to bring Aussie Dave Cheshire to Craven Park.

Ipswich skipper Chris Louis has turned to former World Champion Michael Lee as his new engine tuner. Lee, who lifted the World title in 1980, is building a name for himself in the engine tuning business and first helped Louis at the end of last season.