| Speedway facts | Speedway bikes: - Are powered by 500cc single cylinder engines.
- Use fixed gears.
- Accelerate at the same rate as a Formula 1 race car.
- Have no brakes and virtually no suspension!
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Monday 26 July Workington Comets had to work hard to beat the Isle of Wight 49 - 41 at Derwent Park on Saturday night, and earn the Premier League bonus. Skipper Carl Stonehewer collected a paid maximum 14 points while Simon Stead gained 12 points winning all four of his starts. Tuesday 20 July Workington Comets will be without Kauko Nieminen for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to the Isle of Wight. Nieminen, 24, is back home in Finland to contest the national Championships in his home town of Seinajokic. “I’ve been runner-up top Kaj Laukkanen for the last five years but I really think I have a good chance of finishing on top this time,” he said.
Saturday 17 July Workington Comets top pair Carl Stonehewer and Simon Stead will be chasing a consolation prize after missing-out on the Premier League’s Best Pairs crown.
The 2003 Best Pairs winners couldn’t team-up in June because of Stead’s injury and Stonehewer suffered an early elimination alongside Aidan Collins.
On July 28 they line-up with 15 of the top pairs in the League at King’s Lynn’s Champion Chase for a big cash prize.
Friday 16 July Newport promoter Tim Stone says he has documented proof that he was correct in his proposed line-up for the match with Workington Comets.
Stone was over-ruled by a management committee member after Comets boss Ian Thomas objected and Workington won 46-44.
“I lodged an appeal and now I’ve got written evidence from the BSPA that I was in the right,” claims Stone.
No decision has been made by the Speedway Control Bureau on whether Workington will have to go back to re-run the meeting at Queensway Meadows.
Workington are back in action on Saturday night at home to Somerset Rebels in the Premier League. Thursday 15 July Workington Comets could face a return trip to the Isle of Wight in the semi-final of the Knockout Cup.
The Isle of Wight hold a 23-point lead over Rye House from the home leg but the return was rained-off and no new date has been set.
“I would be more than happy to go back there after our gutsy 45-45 draw on Tuesday,” said the Comets team manager Ian Thomas after his side was paired with the winners of the Islanders/Rockets clash. Tuesday 13 July A 17-point defeat at Exeter last night was the best performance by Workington Comets in six Premier League visits to the County Ground.
“We’re just getting the hang of their place when they close it,” quipped team manager Ian Thomas after the 56-39 reversal against the Falcons.
The County Ground, the least favourite track of most of the Workington riders, won’t be used by Exeter from next year when they move to a new home.
But although Workington were fitting-in the middle leg of their southern tour without much real hope of victory, their effort in defeat has given them real hope of picking-up the bonus point back at Derwent Park from the second leg on September 4.
“We’ve been to Exeter six times in the League since re-launching in 1999 and this was our best effort, so I have to be pleased with that. “Really, though, when we go there my first priority is to get out of the place with all seven riders in one piece and fit. We achieved that last night, so really I’m pleased with how the trip has gone. “I know you shouldn’t be pleased with a defeat, but under the circumstances I can take something from the match – which I haven’t been able to do before,” said Thomas.
Simon Stead (14) and Brett Woodifield (12) did the bulk of the scoring for the Comets who complete the third leg of their mini-tour at the Isle of Wight tonight.
Monday 12 July Newport Wasps have objected over their 46-44 defeat at home to Workington Comets in the Premier League.
Wasps boss Tim Stone had wanted to line-up in a way which would have given Mads Korneliussen one of the replacement rides for the injured Tony Atkin.
But the referee, after discussions with members of the BSPA, ruled in favour of Comets’ boss Ian Thomas that Korneliussen couldn’t take the extra ride. Australian reserve Brett Woodifield scored a massive 19 points as Workington Comets beat Newport Wasps 46-44.
Woodifield had seven rides as heat leaders Carl Stonehewer, Simon Stead and Rusty Harrison scored only 14 points between them.
Team manager Ian Thomas said: “Brett was shattered and I virtually had to drag him onto the bike for his last ride which proved so important to us.”
Saturday 10 July Carl Stonehewer just missed out on a place in the final of the Championship of Great Britain at Oxford.
The Workington captain scored nine points from his five rides, including two wins, and finished sixth of the leading scorers.
The top four contested the final and Joe Screen collected a lucky win from David Norris after Scott Nicholls blew an engine and Mark Loram suffered mechanical problems.
Friday 9 July Workington Comets skipper Carl Stonehewer goes head to head tonight with the top names in British speedway.
Stonehewer is in a class field contesting the Championship of Great Britain at Oxford.
The three current British Grand Prix riders – former world champion Mark Loram, Scott Nicholls and Lee Richardson are all in the line-up along with a host of other top names.
He will be back at Derwent Park tomorrow night to lead the Comets into action against Glasgow which will be the first of four Premier League matches in four days for the Workington side. They go on a mini tour to Newport (Sunday), Exeter (Monday) and Isle of Wight (Tuesday).
Monday 5 July Harrison scores a point Rusty Harrison scored a point, plus a bonus, on his first Elite League appearance of the season on Saturday night.
The Workington heat leader was riding at reserve for Eastbourne as they beat Peterborough 50-40.
Harrison, the former Australian Under-21 champion, had first guested for Eastbourne in 2000 when he came to Britain to ride for Glasgow. Nieminen misses out on place Workington’s Kauko Nieminen has missed out on a place in the World Team Cup finals in Britain next month.
He was part of the Finnish team which could only finish third with 31 points behind Italy (54) and Germany (47) in Lonigo.
Nieminen scored seven from four completed rides with Kaj Laukkanen notching 15 from six as the Finns desperately missed the injured Joonas Kylmakorpi. Comets beat Rockets at home A fine performance from Workington Comets swept them to a 58-34 home win over Rye House Rockets in the Premier League.
Trailing by 17 points from the away leg the margin of victory was sufficient to earn the Comets the bonus point.
Only Scott Robson (16) offered serious resistance as the Comets were pushed to victory by Simon Stead (13), Carl Stonehewer (12), Kauko Nieminen (10) and James Wright (10). Thursday 1 July Workington Comet's Kauko Nieminen will be dashing to Italy after riding for the Comets in Friday's League match with Rye House at Derwent Park.
Nieminen has been chosen to represent Finland in a World Team Cup qualifier on Saturday night against Latvia, Germany and hosts Italy.
"I rode in the Cup final last year and I think we have a good chance of going through," Nieminen told BBC Radio Cumbria, who will be using ex-Comet Geoff Powell as his mechanic. | 
