Auty & Ayres just miss out on British Final semis

JOSH AUTY and Danny Ayres just missed out on the semi-final at the British Final at Belle Vue, Manchester last night.

The meeting was won by Redcar’s Charles Wright. The Stockport star stunned the National Speedway Stadium by outgunning former winners Danny King, Craig Cook and Chris Harris in the final. Wright had looked extremely quick all night and had only one blip when he was adjudged the quilty party when Paul Starke crashed heavily in Heat 13.

An elated Wright said afterwards: “I felt quick all night and I knew if I could get to the dirt first in the final that I’d be away. That’s how it turned out.”

Sheffield No.1 King looked the favourite to take the title after topping the score charts in the qualifying heats with 14 points. But it was Wright who roared from gate four in the final to deny King, Craig Cook and Chris Harris.

King said: “It all came down to one race and I couldn’t quite make it my own.”

Meanwhile, Auty – who came into the line-up on the day of the meeting, after the withdrawal of the injured Robert Lambert, finished on seven points, just a point shy of qualifying for the semi-finals. He won a thrilling duel with Ayres in Heat 16, passing his fellow Scorpion on the final lap.

Ayres produced a spectacular ride around the outside in Heat 19, only to be denied the race victory when he almost came a cropper on the final bend, which allowed Chris Harris to sneak past. Had Ayres held onto the lead in Heats 16 and 19, he too could have made the semi-finals.

A third Scorpion, Simon Lambert, was out of luck and finished on one point.

QUALIFYING SCORERS: Danny King 14, Craig Cook 12, Chris Harris 11, Charles Wright 11, Steve Worrall 11, Lewis Kerr 8, Rory Schlein 8, Richard Lawson 7, Josh Auty 7, Scott Nicholls 6, Edward Kennett 6, Danny Ayres 6, Paul Starke 6, Dan Bewley 3, Kyle Newman 3, Simon Lambert 1, Kyle Bickley (res) 0, Leon Flint (res) 0.
SEMI-FINAL: Wright, Harris, Worrall, Kerr.
GRAND FINAL: Wright, King, Cook, Harris.

PHOTO: The top three from last night (pic by Ian Charles).