Duo join Scorpions’ hunt

Redcar new-boy Dan Gilkes and former Bandit Paul Starke have joined the Jewson Bandits, powered by Keenwood Karpets’, bid to get their season back on track at Scunthorpe on Friday night.

They face an uphill task to bounce back from Saturday’s 44-46 defeat at the hands of a Scorpions’ side which has lost only three league fixtures on home shale in as many seasons.

But the Lincolnshire side paid a heavy price for that win at Shielfield Park with Michael Palm Toft – an almost unbeatable performer around the Eddie Wright Raceway missing with the broken collarbone sustained in in a heavy heat six crash at Shielfield. Scunthorpe will operate rider-replacement for the Dane.

Lewis Kerr will be hoping it’s third time lucky as his previous two meetings in Berwick colours have seen him crash out in the first heat both times.

But his battered right leg stood up to a stern test in Monday’s Premiership clash between Oxford and Leicester Lions where he completed all four races on his Spires’ return and looked very much on the pace.

Gilkes, who began the season concentrating on the Premiership with Sheffield, has signed for Redcar in place of former Bandit Jonas Knudsen and made his Bears debut at Scunthorpe last Friday.

He has a decent record around the track from his time in Plymouth colours although it was also the scene of a season-ending April 2022 crash when he suffered arm and chest injuries on a night when the Gladiators won by six points.

Gilkes takes the spot on Jye Etheridge who is still sitting out his mandatory nine-day concussion rest but will be clear to face Plymouth.

Starke has the unenviable task of trying to fill the shoes of flying Dane Bastian Borke who will be watching the action on BSN from his hospital bed in Denmark after crashing at Poole.

“No-one is doing what Bastian was before his crash – scoring eights and tens on a four point average so there is not a like for like replacement,” boss Stewart Dickson admitted.

“But Paul is a solid scorer with a decent record around Scunthorpe.

“We are up against it because the home side are flying at the moment but we have to go there determined to make something happen.

“Before losing Bastian at Poole we had worked ourselves into a four-point lead. We will never know if we could have gone on and caused an upset.

“Amid all our recent problems Rory and Drew have been in top form and we need them to lead from the front again along with Lewis.”

Friday is the first of three away meetings before the Bandits return to Shielfield Park on June 22.

This Saturday the only action on these shores is the Attis Sports Division British Final at the National Speedway Stadium.

2020 Champion Rory Schlein and Lewis Kerr fly the Berwick flag with Drew Kemp still waiting to hear whether he will be called up from the reserve berth.

Ipswich duo Danny King and Adam Ellis are the major injury doubts but there also two Premiership and two Championship meetings featuring riders in the field before tapes-up in Manchester.

In an interview with BSN at Birmingham on Monday night King revealed that he was hoping to be fit to ride after an operation on the hand he broke riding for Redcar in April.

That meeting also marked the Premiership debut of Bandits reserve Freddy Hodder. The teenager was a late replacement for Covid victim Dan Thompson after the Witches’ original guest choice Jason Edwards was ruled out by being cup-tied.

Despite riding at number two in the KO Cup match he was on the pace throughout the night.

Friday’s meeting at Scunthorpe will be live on BSN from 7.15pm. Buy stream/watch

The British Final is live on Eurosport and Discovery+ from 7pm on Saturday.

Scunthorpe: Kyle Howarth, R/R for Michael Palm Toft, Simon Lambert, Connor Mountain, Jake Allen, Nathan Ablitt, Luke Harrison

Berwick: Lewis Kerr, Danyon Hume, Dan Gilkes, Drew Kemp, Rory Schlein, Freddy Hodder, Paul Starke

Referee: Phil Griffin