Ryan Douglas wins Josh Auty testimonial
SCUNTHORPE No 1 Ryan Douglas got his season off to a flying start with victory in the season-opening Josh Auty Testimonial, sponsored by Attis Insurance and Hirst Electrical, at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday (Saturday).
A healthy crowd were in attendance to pay tribute to Josh Auty, “Mr Scunthorpe”, who rode for Scunthorpe Scorpions in 12 seasons, won three league titles with the club and is the club’s all-time top scorer. He will ride for Birmingham Brummies in 2022.
Douglas finished third to Danny King and Charles Wright in a tough Heat 3, but those were the only points he dropped all night.
He finished the qualifiers on 13 points, the same as King, and both won their semi-finals. In the final, Douglas trapped, while King won an opening lap battle with Tero Aarnio for second place. King was never far from Douglas, but the Australian held firm and took the chequered flag.
The meeting featured some fine racing, with maybe the pick of the bunch being a pulsating Heat 12, where King came through the field and eventually took the victory over overhauling Jake Allen.
Appropriately, Auty won Heat 1 of his own meeting, as he blew off the cobwebs, having been involved in very few meetings over the last two years.
It was also an encouraging day for Scunthorpe supporters, as they saw all six of the 2022 Scorpions impress at any point or another. Skipper Simon Lambert started slowly with one point from his opening three rides, but then rode a very clever line to inflict the first defeat of the day on King in Heat 15.
Overall, the fans were treated to some fine action, while 29 races – including six British Youth races – were all completed in just under two-and-a-half hours.
After the meeting, a happy and relieved Auty said: “I feel I’ve delivered a good event and I hope everyone has gone home really happy. A big thank you to Rob (Godfrey, Scunthorpe promoter) for allowing me to hold the meeting at Scunthorpe. Also thank you to all the sponsors of the event and all the fans who paid to watch – I hope they went home buzzing, because it was a good meeting.
“The riders were superb. None of them let me down and they gave everything out on track, there was no holding back, and they produced some phenomenal racing.
“A big thank you to my family and my missus, Sarah Hoof, who was the Clerk Of The Course today. Last but certainly not least, thank you to the supporters of Scunthorpe Speedway for everything they’ve done for me over the years.”
Meeting winner Ryan Douglas said: “I’m really happy to start the season like that. I came here a few times here last season, and it was similar – I’d drop points in my first ride and then win every race after that.
“I felt I had both the speed and confidence to win races, which is always good around your home track. I’m also pleased Josh’s testimonial ran smoothly and it was a good meeting for the fans to watch.
“I did a few meetings in Australia, also doing a bit of motocross, while I’ve also spent a few days over in Poland putting in some practice. I feel this can be my best season yet, but I need to keep a level head and do well every week.
“I think today showed that all the Scunthorpe team ride well around here. I can’t see many teams troubling us around here. We just need to put together some performances on the road and we can be a play-off team and see where we go from there.”
QUALIFYING SCORES: Ryan Douglas 13, Danny King 13, Chris Harris 11, Charles Wright 10, Tero Aarnio 9, Jake Allen 8, Richard Lawson 8, Ulrich Ostergaard 8, Connor Mountain 8, Zaine Kennedy 8, Simon Lambert 7, Josh Auty 7, Jordan Palin 5, James Shanes 3, James Wright 2, Paul Starke 0, Harry McGurk (reserve) 0.
Semi 1: Douglas, Wright, Lawson, Allen.
Semi 2: King, Aarnio, Harris, Ostergaard.
FINAL: Douglas, King, Aarnio, Wright.
REPORT by Rob Peasley.
PHOTO by Ian Rispin.
