LUKE HARRISON AGAIN IN TOP FORM BUT SCORPIONS LOSE

LUKE HARRISON AGAIN IN TOP FORM, BUT SCORPIONS SUFFER HEAVY HOME DEFEAT

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 37 POOLE PIRATES 53 (BSN Series Final, first leg)

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions face a herculean task to win the BSN Series, after losing their home leg of the final to powerhouse Poole Pirates by 37-53 at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday (Sunday).

Scorpions are seeking to win silverware against Pirates for the second successive season. But whereas last season, they took a 47-43 lead down to Wimborne Road in Dorset in the Knockout Cup final, yesterday’s encounter was a different story, as Scorpions simply could not match the strength of Poole’s top four riders.

For Pirates, Zach Cook scored a 15-point full maximum, and Richard Lawson collected a paid maximum. Tom Brennan only dropped a point to Connor Mountain in Heat 6, while Pirates’ guest Charles Wright was only beaten by Jake Allen in Heat 3.

Scunthorpe were planning to use rider replacement for injured No 1 Michael Palm Toft. But with Kyle Howarth’s partner heavily pregnant and a possibility that he may need to miss the meeting for the birth of his child (which would have been with the blessing of the Scunthorpe management), Oxford’s Ashton Boughen was booked as a guest to ensure a full complement of Scorpions. Boughen put in plenty of effort but failed to score.

The star for Scorpions was again 17-year-old local rider Luke Harrison, who scored 12 points from six rides and was close to defeating Brennan in Heat 13 and Lawson in Heat 15.

Scorpions outscored Pirates by 16 (paid 19) to 3 (paid 4) at reserve, just illustrating how much stronger Pirates were in the one-to-five berths.

There was some top racing on display, such as in Heat 8. Sam Hagon and Vinnie Foord led for Pirates, and Mountain engaged in a battle with Foord for second place. But it was all change on the final two bends of the third lap, as Harrison also moved around Foord, and Mountain pushed inside Hagon with Harrison also moving through. Within half a lap, Harrison had moved last to first, while Hagon moved in the opposite direction, as a 5-1 to Pirates changed to a 5-1 to Scorpions in little more than a blink of the eye.

Harrison was also involved in a 5-1 with Nathan Ablitt in Heat 2, but Mountain’s success over Brennan in Heat 6 was Scorpions’ only other heat winner, as Pirates provided 12 of the 15 heat winners.

Scorpions briefly led 7-5 after Heat 2, while it was level at 12-12 after four races. Poole then pulled eight points ahead, before the 5-1 to Scorpions in Heat 8 cut the visitors’ lead to four points. But Pirates then pulled away in the latter stages and it will take a minor miracle for Scorpions to reverse the situation in the second leg at Poole on Wednesday (October 2).

It was the concluding home meeting of the season for Scorpions and all the riders said their goodbyes in the clubhouse after the meeting, with various presentations to the riders by team manager David Howe. Scunthorpe skipper Simon Lambert presented Jack Franklin with a special memento, after serving 10 years as the club’s mascot. Luke Harrison – in his first full season of racing in the Cab Direct Championship – was named as rider of the year by both the management and also by his fellow riders.

After his 12-point haul against Pirates, Harrison said: “I don’t think my season could have ended any better. The last three home meetings have felt like a big step up.

“In the first of those against Oxford, my score didn’t reflect the meeting I had, because I had a couple of close races with Scott Nicholls. And since then, I’ve scored well against both Edinburgh [paid 13] and Poole [12] and picked up my two best-ever scores at Championship level. I’m fully of confidence and there’s no better way I could have ended my season with Scunthorpe.

“I’ve not trying to take much notice of the reputation of the riders when I’ve gone out in Heat 13 or 15. I try to treat them as just another helmet colour. I’ve been having flat-out races against the likes of Scott Nicholls, Josh Pickering, Richard Lawson and Tom Brennan – all top riders in this league. After the race with Tom, even though he got the better of me, he came up afterwards and congratulated me and said I put in a really good ride.

“Scunthorpe is my local track. I’ve known Rob and Gail (Godfrey, promoters) all my life and I also know Shane and Mandy (Houghton, team sponsors Ellie Rose Travel) well, so I felt comfortable coming into this team. I got to know my team-mates better throughout the season so that they’re now my friends as well. That really helped, because as the season went on, it felt like you were going to have a laugh with your mates while being able to ride a bike at the same time.

“It’s nice that the management and riders have appreciated how I’m come on during the season and selected me as their Rider Of the Year. I want to make further progress in the Championship next season, while I hope I’ve put myself in the shop window for the Premiership. I want to take the confidence from this season into next year.

“I’ve been coming to Scunthorpe Speedway since before I could walk. I know quite a few of the fans personally and to now have their support, I couldn’t appreciate it more. I’ve also have great backing from my sponsors to get me where I am, and thanks to everyone involved.”

SCUNTHORPE 37: Luke Harrison 12, Connor Mountain 8+1, Jake Allen 6, Nathan Ablitt 4+3, Kyle Howarth 4+1, Simon Lambert 3+2, Ashton Boughen 0.

POOLE 53: Zach Cook 15, Richard Lawson 14+1, Tom Brennan 10+1, Charles Wright 8+2, Sam Hagon 3+1, Tobias Thomsen 2+1, Vinnie Foord 1.