New owners finalising Ipswich Witches rider line-up

Ipswich Witches are close to finalising their rider line-up even though the identity of the club's new owners has still to be confirmed.

Promoter Chris Louis put the club up for sale in November a month after they won the British title for the first time in 27 years by beating Leicester Lions.

In a statement, he said the takeover had been delayed because they were waiting for their Foxhall Stadium lease to be renewed, which it now has been.

"This means that the sale of the club can now be completed and this is expected to happen over the next couple of weeks," Louis said.

"However, the team behind the takeover have been working non-stop to ensure that the Witches will be ready to race in early April.

"They are nearing completion of the 2026 team and have five confirmed team members."

This year's team will not include Emil Sayfutdinov or former world champion Jason Doyle, who said in December he will not race in Britain this year.

At present only five teams, including Ipswich, are confirmed for 2026 but Premiership chief executive Phil Morris said recently they were "optimistic" a sixth club would be added before the start of the season.

"I can't say too much more about the potential sixth team at the moment as there are matters to be finalised there but everyone is keen to see them join us," he told the British Speedway website, external.

"Should there be six teams, they will do two home and away each for the league, and the KO Cup will run with two groups of three teams, with the group winners meeting in the final."