Warriors revving up for speedway season
Coliseum stadium blow for Nora 92 League
By Rob Dyer
THE Nora 92 Speedway League featuring teams representing Plymouth, Cradley, Isle of Wight and Sittingbourne will start in just a few weeks.
However, due to unprecedented pressure from the Speedway Control Bureau, Plymouth promoter Mark Phillips has informed the Nora 92 League that it cannot hire the Coliseum stadium, so Nora 92 League meetings will not be taking place there, at the moment.
Whilst this is massively disappointing, Mark has been placed in an unenviable position and those in the Nora 92 League would not want him to receive any punishment from the SCB/BSPL for staging Nora 92 League racing.
An additional downside to the decision is that not running Nora 92 League meetings will affect Mark’s 2023 bottom line, when in reality there are many tracks staging Nora activity across the country.
How does this affect the Nora 92 Speedway League? As mentioned above, the league will still be made up of four teams each comprising four riders with a Nora assessed combined total average of 25 points.
The league will become a four-team tournament competed over four rounds, two at Sittingbourne (Iwade) and two on the Isle of Wight with an additional Nora League Riders Championship held over two rounds, one at each track.
Here are the proposed fixtures:
Sittingbourne (Iwade), May 21, N92; June 4, N92; August 20, N92L Riders Championship.
Isle of Wight, June 29, N92; August 17, N92; September 7, N92L ,Riders Championship.
In the light of recent developments, the 2023 fixture list previously issued by the ‘Wightlink’ Warriors Shale Track Racing Club is currently being revised and will be re-issued.
Rebranding
In a later development on Friday, the Nora League issued a statement saying: “We are delighted to announce that the Nora 92 Speedway League will be rebranded to the Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League.
“It’s a move that we hope will encourage new faces on to the terraces with a fresh view of racing, as well as plenty of new riders into the pits – especially those who wish to be part of our type of motorcycle racing.
“Welcome to the Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League!”.
Wightlink Warriors co-owner Barry Bishop said,
“The last few days have been frenetic and frustrating. As part of the Nora group, we continue to exchange views and seek to operate in a collaborative way that will benefit spectators, riders and sponsors alike.
“Whilst we had hoped to be able to issue our revised Warrior 2023 fixture list today, this has had to be deferred in the light of ongoing discussions about the direction of the league.
“However I can assure our fans, sponsors and riders that we will be delivering a full programme starting on June 22 and I am really pleased to reveal that a sidecar meeting (both 500cc and 1000cc) is planned for Saturday, June 24. The full fixture list will be published just as soon as it is possible to do so.”
Revised fixtures
And on Saturday, April 15, following the news that the Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League will now be run as a 4 Team Tournament, the Wightlink Warriors have modified their fixture list to ensure the very best of entertainment and competition including four full team meetings with trophies on the line as we continue the drive to bring back clubs on track. The calendar will now grow by at least one date to accommodate a Sidecar Extravaganza on Saturday, June 24.
The updated fixtures list now reads:
Thursday, June 22, Wightlink Warriors v Rye House Rockets (Leg 1); Wizards v Crayford.
Saturday, June 24, 500cc and 1,000cc Sidecar Extravaganza.
Thursday, June 29, Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League – Warriors v Cradley v Sittingbourne v Plymouth.
Flat Track Racing
Thursday, July 6, Wightlink Warriors v Cradley (1st Leg Vince Mapley Memorial Trophy); Wizards v Weymouth.
Thursday, July 13, Nora Island Master’s Open Championship.
Tuesday, July 18, Nora Best Pairs; Nora British Women’s Championship (1st Round).
Thursday, July 20, Nora British Final; Nora British Women’s Championship (2nd Round plus Final).
Thursday, July 27, US Handicap Night; Nora British Upright Qualification Round.
Thursday, August 3, Wightlink Warriors v Rye House Rockets (Leg 2); Nora British JAP Final.
Thursday, August 10, Nora British Upright Final; Wizards v TBC.
Thursday, August 17, Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League – Warriors v Cradley v Sittingbourne v Plymouth (for The Michael Richardson Trophy).
Tuesday, August 22, Nora British GT 140 Championship; Wizards v Carmarthen.
Thursday, August 31, Wightlink Warriors v Cradley (2nd Leg Vince Mapley Memorial Trophy).
Thursday, September 7, Nora League Riders Championship; Development Riders Championship.
Subject to rider availability, most meetings will open with demonstration races to encourage the development of riders in the Youth and ‘Up-and-Coming’ categories.
As previously mentioned, two legs of the Nora 92 No Brakes Racing League will take place at Sittingbourne (Iwade) with the Warriors in action there on May 21 and June 4.
Round 1 of the Nora League Riders Championship will also take place at Sittingbourne on August 20.
