Scorpions impress away from home

BIRMINGHAM BRUMMIES 41 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 49 (BSN Series – Northern)

ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions continued their impressive start to the season with a fine 49-41 away victory at Birmingham last night (Wednesday), which extends their lead at the top of their BSN Series group.

In the northern group, Scorpions have beaten Redcar (50-40) at home and now also won away at Birmingham. A victory over Birmingham at the Eddie Wright Raceway this Friday (April 21, 7.30pm), plus at least the aggregate bonus point at Redcar next Friday (April 28) would book Scorpions’ place in the final as group winners.

At Birmingham, Scorpions took a 5-1 from Joe Thompson and guest Jason Edwards in Heat 2 and then held a lead or two to six points for most of the evening, before completing victory with a trio of 4-2s with heat-leaders Ryan Douglas, Jake Allen and Michael Palm Toft each winning one of the concluding three races.

Both Douglas and Palm Toft lowered the colours of Brummies’ No 1 Nick Morris in the closing stages, while every regular Scorpion scored at least five points. Scunthorpe not only provided nine heat winners, but also finished last on just five occasions in 15 races.

Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “It was a solid team performance all the way down – everyone did their job from the heat leaders to the reserves. When the team scores like that from top to bottom, we will win.

“The track was nice and smooth, although there was a big advantage in being off two and four, because gate three was pretty awful.

“We’re now in control in our BSN group and we know what we need to do to win the group. Our next objective is to complete the double over Birmingham by beating them at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday.

“Over the last few years, I’ve felt we’ve been depending on someone doing us a favour. This season, I want us to be in control of our destiny.

“There’s no doubt that we’ve started the season very well and I hope we’ve set the tone for the whole season and that we’ve demonstrated the 2023 Attis Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions are a force to be reckoned with.”

BIRMINGHAM 41: Nick Morris 12+1, Paco Castagna 10, Justin Sedgmen 7, James Pearson 6, Alfie Bowtell 4, Stefan Nielsen 1+1, Ty Proctor 1.
SCUNTHORPE 49: Ryan Douglas 12, Michael Palm Toft 11, Jake Allen 8, Connor Mountain 5+1, Joe Thompson 5+1, Simon Lambert 5, Jason Edwards 3+1.

* ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are next in action when they host Birmingham Brummies in the return fixture in the BSN Series (Northern) at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday (April 21, 7.30pm). Accompanied children aged 16 and under will be admitted free all season to speedway meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

REPORT by Rob Peasley
PHOTO BY IAN RISPIN