The drama came in Heat Six when the Curtis Sport Brummies’ reserve clouted the back straight fence at high speed.

Somehow, the Brit stayed on his machine and rode the remainder of the race out, despite mimicking a bucking bronco for the rest of the opening lap.

Barker did manage to complete one further race later on, which saw him hold off former Birmingham man Justin Sedgmen for third, but after feeling plenty of discomfort later on, Barker then had to have his appendix removed.

Appearing on the Ben Barker Racing Facebook page, a statement said: “Ben is facing a spell off the bike having undergone emergency surgery to remove his appendix.

“He was in some severe discomfort, he pushed through to complete the meeting but knew something wasn’t right.

“He would call 111 once he returned home and was told to go straight to A&E, which he did, and was informed he would need to have his appendix removed.

“He had successful surgery this (Friday) afternoon and is now in recovery.

“He will now be off the bike for a while whilst he recovers and in typical Ben fashion is determined to do everything he can to be back fighting fit ASAP.”

Birmingham are working hard to find a replacement for their trip to Belle Vue on Monday (July 7, 7.30pm).

Words and Image by Birmingham Speedway

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The ex Great Britain international was a big hit with the Perry Barr faithful between 2011 and 2014 and has been a popular visitor in seasons since.

And now he’ll don the famous yellow and red once more after agreeing a deal until the end of the season.

It’s his first top-flight team spot since appearing for Ipswich two years ago and he’ll come into the team at reserve, despite being named as Michael Jepsen Jensen’s replacement following the expiry of his covering facility, in a move which will also see skipper Tobiasz Musielak reclaim the No.1 racejacket.

Curtis Sport Brummies CEO Nigel Tolley said: “I already know some people’s reaction will be ‘how is Ben Barker a replacement for MJJ?’, but those people have to be realistic and remind themselves of a few things.

“The reality is that there are a lack of riders available, particularly of MJJ’s quality.

“So we studied our options and Ben is actually someone who opted to put his name in the frame in the build-up to this season.

“You know you’re going to get maximum effort from Ben, you know he’ll fight for every point and he likes to put on a show and ruffle some feathers.

“Hopefully he can come in and be a strong reserve for us and now we’ve got a 1-7 again, hopefully the team can settle down and battle their way to some more wins on track.”

Barker will make his debut in Thursday’s (June 26, 7.30pm) trip to Oxford in a key battle at the foot of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership standings.

The Brummies are then back at Perry Barr next Monday (June 30, 7.30pm) when King’s Lynn are the visitors.

Words and Images by Birmingham Speedway

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Edwards was collected and brought down by Grand Prix star Jan Kvech in his first outing at King’s Lynn on Monday.

Paramedics immediately had concerns regarding the 22-year-old’s shoulder – and early checks suggest a fractured left scapula (shoulder blade).

Curtis Sport Brummies team manager Chris Adams said: “You’ve got to feel for Jason because he’s a good kid and he’s really started to get going over the last few weeks.

“He’s been working so hard to bring more points for the team and we saw just how useful he can be at home to Belle Vue when he scored eight paid twelve.

“Jason’s got another appointment at the fracture clinic coming up and we’ll know a bit more then, but he’s not going to be ready for a while that’s for sure.

“The Rising Star list has got some good, young names on it, but Sam Hagon was the one that stood out and sprung to mind instantly.

“He’s been a Birmingham rider before which is a plus, albeit at Championship level, but for me more importantly he’s been a Rising Star in the Premiership.

“He’s got that experience under his belt already and having been let go by Leicester earlier in the year, I’m sure he’ll want to try and grab this opportunity with both hands.

“We’ll continue to assess the situation with Jason on a week-by-week basis and take it from there, but in the short-term we’ve got Sam in our newly declared line-up and we look forward to welcoming him into the team.”

Hagon will make his first appearance when Birmingham host Sheffield at Perry Barr on Monday (June 16, 7.30pm).

Words and Images by Birmingham Speedway

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The Dane, who had brief spells with Somerset and Ipswich in 2018, joins Tobiasz Musielak, Matej Zagar, Keynan Rew and Jason Edwards as confirmed starters.

The 26-year-old comes highly recommended and Brummies’ Director of Speedway Laurence Rogers, who made initial contact, also feels Jeppesen is now a much-improved all-round rider.

Rogers said: “I had a message from Tom P Madsen who rode for me at King’s Lynn and Mildenhall and he is a good friend.

“He is now a team manager in Denmark and was recommending Jonas as a rider who wanted to come to England and one who has shown good form in several leagues outscoring several top riders.

“I also contacted Erik Gundersen for his thoughts and he said he was a good lad who he knew well and it was great that he wanted to come over.

“After looking at Jonas’ stats in 2024, we started discussions and it didn’t take long to agree a contract – he is really looking forward to being at Birmingham in 2025.”

A reminder that Season Tickets are now on sale. They can be purchased online via birmingham-speedway.com/admission or alternatively, supporters can purchase from the Speedway Office in the Perry Barr pits each Sunday throughout December and January between 10am and 2pm.

Words and Images by Birmingham Speedway

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The arrival of the Aussie is a massive coup for the Brummies after he opted to leave Ipswich ahead of the 2025 ROWE Motor Oil Premiership campaign.

Rew made his debut in British Speedway two years ago and helped the Witches reach the Grand Final at the end of that term.

He returned to the Suffolk side this year and held the proud feat at the end of the season for the most improved average in the league.

With Tobiasz Musielak, Matej Zagar and Jason Edwards already named by the Brummies, CEO Nigel Tolley feels their latest signing is yet another statement of intent.

“To be able to lure someone away from a club like Ipswich says a lot about our objectives for 2025 and where we want to be ourselves as a club,” Tolley said.

“Keynan is one of the most highly rated riders out of those in their early-twenties and anyone who has seen him race for Ipswich over the last couple of years will know exactly why.

“His first season was, unsurprisingly, a big learning curve over here for him, but you saw all of that learning put into practice throughout 2024 with the Witches where he was absolutely excellent.

“We found that out a couple of times, especially when he scored 13+2 against us at Perry Barr in the Knockout Cup!

“He has developed and improved so much in his first two years and we have high hopes that that trajectory will continue with the Brummies in 2025.”

A reminder that Season Tickets are now on sale. They can be purchased online via birmingham-speedway.com/admission or alternatively, supporters can purchase from the Speedway Office in the Perry Barr pits each Sunday throughout December and January between 10am and 2pm.

Words by Birmingham Speedway – Feature Image by Mark Lee-Sing

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The 18-times Slovenian Champion is heading back to British Speedway, having last appeared for Belle Vue as part of their 2022 title winning team.

Zagar becomes the Brummies’ third signing alongside Tobiasz Musielak and Jason Edwards.

And CEO Nigel Tolley feels the 41-year-old still has plenty to offer.

“One thing that nobody can argue with is that Matej is an enormously talented speedway rider,” he said.

“He was a Grand Prix regular for over a decade in total and he won his national championships for 18 successive years – that takes some doing no matter who you are or who you are up against.

“When he last raced here a couple of years ago, he was very, very impressive around Belle Vue and he’s looking forward to tackling the away tracks in this league again.

“I’ve looked back at his previous scores around Birmingham the last time the club was in the top division and some of them are very eye-catching.

“I think Matej’s experience in the sport could count for a lot for this year’s team and hopefully, he and Tobi will form a solid spearhead.”

Words and feature image by Birmingham Speedway

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The 31-year-old is a proven performer in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership having been a two-time league winner with Swindon as well as being a part of Sheffield’s squad during the regular fixtures of their 2023 title winning campaign.

He also had a brief spell with King’s Lynn earlier this year and Brummies CEO Nigel Tolley feels it’s a coup to bring the pacey Pole to Perry Barr.

“I think this is an outstanding signing for Birmingham Speedway and I really cannot wait to see him race in our colours,” Tolley said.

“Whenever I’ve seen him in the past, he’s fully committed, he’s very entertaining to watch and he’s also a very determined individual who always strives for more no matter how good his night is going.

“Things may not have worked out for him at King’s Lynn but just look at his improvement and his record prior to that.

“He got better and better during his time at Swindon and then the same thing happened when he went to Sheffield.

“He moved Jack Holder out of their No.1 spot for a time and I don’t think there’s a rider in this league he hasn’t got the better off.

“When we brought Freddie (Lindgren) in part way through last season, we saw the difference a genuine No.1 can make.

“We again thank Freddie for the impact he made at Birmingham, but with him not being involved in British Speedway in 2025, from the Brummies’ perspective, we feel we’ve found a more than adequate replacement who will fully compliment the other exciting riders we’ve got lined up and we really do feel will Tobi will become a big hit with supporters.”

Musielak joins Rising Star Jason Edwards as the two riders announced so far with team building ongoing behind the scenes.

Words and Image by Birmingham Brummies

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The British young gun held the team together in a difficult Premiership campaign for the club, which saw them rooted to the bottom of the table and ending with the wooden spoon.  With a Green sheet average of sub 7 points, Brennan will surely be in demand by Premiership clubs, with the rider having the potential to put more than a point on his average.

The full statement from Tom from his social media is below:

“🅱️👋🏼 Goodbye Brummies…
As 2024 draws to a close, I’d just like to take the time to thank everybody a part of Official Birmingham Speedway for this season. It has been no secret that things behind close doors at the club were difficult and the results didn’t really go our way, however my time at the track and as a team was enjoyable regardless. I’d like to thank Nigel, Laurence, Chris, Sam and everyone behind the scenes for their support as well as the fans who took me in too. I wish the club all the luck in 2025 and hope to see many familiar faces when I return during the year.”

Feature Image courtesy of Tom Brennan Racing

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1993 World Champion Ermolenko spent just one season at the helm of the Perry Barr outfit and Brummies’ CEO Nigel Tolley has thanked the American for his efforts.

“Sam came on board when we moved into the Premiership last winter and his experience within the sport was a main reason for that,” Tolley said.

“Results didn’t go to plan for the majority of the season but Sam did his best as team manager.

“He’s got some other ventures going on away from speedway at the moment that are going to require more of his time next year so after a few conversations, we’ve mutually agreed that he will step down from his position with immediate effect, however he will remain in the background in a consultancy role.

“Chris spent the 2024 season working alongside Sam as his assistant and he fitted into the club very well.

“He’s someone who’s been involved with speedway for a long, long time with his dad’s (Peter Adams) managerial roles over the years and we feel he’s a ready made replacement to step up as our new team manager.”

Meanwhile, Chris Adams himself is relishing taking over the Brummies and hopes to bring more fortune the club’s way.

“It’s in my nature to be doing this,” Adams said.

“I’ve been in and around speedway all my life in one way or another.

“I’ve travelled up and down the country going to meeting after meeting with my dad and I’ve naturally picked things up from him.

“From the team side of things, it’s important to remember that every single rider has their own individuality; they all react in different ways and they all respond differently.

“It’s about taking each rider’s attributes and bringing them all together to try and deliver what the club wants.

“I want to try and deliver an environment where everyone gets on, where everyone is pulling in the same direction and where everyone helps one another because as we’ve seen before, when that’s not the case, that’s when things get messy.

“I don’t think much will be different really apart from it will be just me making the decisions.

“If I think we should use a reserve here, if I think we should bring in another rider there, I can just do it now, I don’t need to have a discussion about it with anybody first.

“Hopefully it will be a much stronger team than was out on track last year, that’s the plan anyway, but we just need to wait for things to fall into place before we can say too much more on that front.”

Words and Images by Birmingham Speedway

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The 22-year-old joins the Brummies as the club’s new Rising Star with Leon Flint heading in the opposite direction to Sheffield.

CEO Nigel Tolley feels it is a positive move for the club and says he has been impressed by Edwards’ development in recent seasons.

“First of all, we’d like to thank Leon for his efforts back in Brummies’ colours,” Tolley said.

“2024 was an up and down year for Leon with a number of both highs and lows but we mutually agreed that he would not be retained and kept by Birmingham next year.

“As soon as we saw Jason’s name confirmed on the Rising Star list, we knew who we wanted and we think he’ll be a great fit for the Brummies.

“I really like the way he rides the Perry Barr track and he demonstrated that on his visit with Sheffield in July when he scored 7+2.

“Despite riding the season at No.6, he impressed me whenever I saw him race for them, he’s been coming on nicely year-on-year and I think he’ll blossom even more as Birmingham’s Rising Star.

“On top of that, Jason will be great to have as part of the team; he’s a really friendly lad, he’s always got a smile on his face and the Brummies’ supporters will take him to their hearts.”

With all seven of the top-flight teams naming their Rising Star, team building will now continue behind the scenes ahead of next month’s AGM.

Words and Feature Image by Birmingham Brummies

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