Scorpions off to winning start

SCORPIONS OFF TO A WINNING START
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 50 REDCAR BEARS 40 (BSN Series – Northern)

ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions commenced their season with a 50-40 victory over highly fancied Redcar Bears at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday (Good Friday).

Scorpions took the lead after skipper Simon Lambert came through to join No 1 Ryan Douglas for a 5-1 in Heat 1, and the home had built up a 35-25 lead by the time of a brief interval after Heat 10.

Some of the racing was out of the top drawer, since as in Heat 6 when Douglas and Danny King changed the lead multiple times, before Lambert caught up and also passed King, only for the Bear to snatch second place with a blast around the outside on the run-in to the chequered flag.

King took a tactical substitute ride in Heat 11, but was thwarted by Michael Palm Toft, while Redcar took a 5-1 from Heat 12 to reduce the deficit to six points.

Douglas made it four wins out of four in Heat 13, while Palm Toft grabbed third from King with a fine pass on the last couple of bends, as the score-line moved to 43-35.

Jake Allen and guest Ty Proctor secured victory for Scorpions with a 5-1 in Heat 14. An eventful Heat 15 saw Allen out front for most of the race, Redcar skipper Charles Wright win a battle with Douglas and then take over the lead, and Allen suffer an engine failure on the final lap.

Heat-leaders Douglas (14), Allen (10+1) and Palm Toft (9) were all in fine fettle, with the rest of Scorpions also giving good back-up, while Wright scored 14 for Redcar.

Team manager Dave Peet said: “We put in an excellent team performance, with everyone playing their part.

“I was really impressed, because some of our lads hadn’t had a competitive skid this year, whereas Redcar had already had two home meetings.

“We could have ended up with even more points, but a 10-point lead is a good lead, and we usually go well around Redcar. We have every chance of an aggregate bonus point when we go there on April 28, because those could prove to be important in the BSN Series.

“I feel that we’re ready to take on anybody this season.”

SCUNTHORPE 50: Ryan Douglas 14, Jake Allen 10+1, Michael Palm Toft 9, Simon Lambert 5+1, Ty Proctor 5+1, Connor Mountain 5, Joe Thompson 2+1.
REDCAR 40: Charles Wright 14, Jason Edwards 8+1, Justin Sedgmen 8, Danny King 7+1, Danyon Hume 2+1, Connor Bailey 1, Nathan Stoneman 0.

* ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are next in action when they host Oxford Cheetahs at the Eddie Wright Raceway in the first league meeting in the Cab Direct Championship next Friday (April 14, 7.30pm).

Report: Rob Peasley
PHOTO BY IAN RISPIN