The next task for the high flying Lakeside Hammers Speedway team is to defeat Wolverhampton in a vital Sky Sports Elite League match at their Arena-Essex Raceway this coming Friday, 11th July.
Historically Wolverhampton have fully tested the Hammers around their Essex circuit in the past so the Hammers will go into this meeting in a very determined mood. The present difference in the League positions of the two sides will mean nothing on the night as the Hammers will be looking to keep their 2008 undefeated home League record intact. The Hammers are currently in third place in the Sky Sports Elite League whereas the Wolves are just one place above the bottom club, Coventry, who won all the major team championships last season.
Despite having already won away in Wolverhampton in April the Essex Club’s supporters will, however, remember the heavy defeat inflicted on the Hammers at the Arena-Essex Raceway by the Midland’s club last season.
The Hammers were due up at Wolverhampton yesterday (Monday) but that fell foul of the weather as did the first occasion the Wolves were due at the Arena-Essex Raceway last month.
Hammers boss Stuart Douglas is looking forward to Friday’s meeting and stated: “Last week we picked up four very valuable League points from our two home matches and that keeps us firmly in the hunt for the play-offs. This week Wolverhampton come to us and they have an extremely capable team that can all ride the Arena-Essex Raceway very well so it will be vital that we remain on our toes on Friday. We have that home record to protect.”
Both teams are expected to go into this meeting at full strength with Joonas Kylmakorpi continuing in the top five and Lubos Tomicek joining Ricky Kling at reserve for the Hammers. Wolverhampton are expected to track former Hammer, Christian Hefenbrock, who returns to the club he rode for part of last season and, like Kylmakorpi, he has moved out of the reserve berth into the Wolves top five. Dropping down to reserve for the Wolves is Nicolai Kling.
Wolverhampton will be led by their two current Grand Prix riders Fredrick Lindgren from Sweden and Dane Niels Kristian Iversen. They also include in their side the experienced Ales Dryml from the Czech Republic and British international David Howe together with young Dane Kenneth Hansen.
The main Sky Sports Elite League action gets underway on Friday at the usual start time of 8pm but before that there will be a series of junior races with heats for both 250cc and 500cc machines. Those races will be staged between 6.45pm and 7.15pm.
