FIRST MAXIMUM FOR LUKE HARRISON

FIRST MAXIMUM FOR LUKE HARRISON, AS SCORPIONS SMASH COMETS INTO ANOTHER GALAXY

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 61 WORKINGTON COMETS 29 (BSN Series – Northern Group)

BOTH teenager Luke Harrison and No 1 Steve Worrall both collected paid maximums, as Ellie Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions put in an excellent all-around team performance to defeat the Workington Comets by 61-29 in their concluding BSN Series fixture last night (Friday).

The victory – allied with the aggregate bonus point – takes Scorpions into second place in the Northern Group of the BSN Series. Scunthorpe could still finish top of their group, but Redcar only need 31 points from a visit to Workington this afternoon (Saturday) to stay in pole position and, realistically, they won’t fail to score that amount of points at the Northside Arena.

Scorpions were chasing their own target last night – a 70-20 victory that would see them better Poole as the best runners-up in the three groups of the BSN Series and secure a semi-final spot.

While that may sound outlandish, Scorpions had only dropped three points after the first six races and led 27-9. But with both Tate Zischke – who raced from third to first in Heat 7 despite losing the lead earlier in the race after lifting – and Antti Vuolas proving competitive for Comets, Scorpions were always going to fall slightly short of such a large target.

The 11+1 paid maximum for 17-year-old Harrison was his first at Cab Direct Championship level and totally deserved. Both he and Worrall swept to the front of the opening lap of Heat 1 with the minimum of fuss and Harrison soon despatched Vuolas in Heat 6 to join Worrall for another 5-1.

Local lad Harrison then won Heat 8 in the fastest time of the night, breaking the 58-second barrier. Fraser Bowes was the early leader of Heat 10, but both Harrison and Worrall swept by on the opening lap, and the pair then combined to shut off the fast-finishing Zischke, as Harrison completed his paid maximum.

Luke Harrison said: “I’m quite surprised that I scored a paid maximum this early in the season, but I felt it was destined to come as early as Heat 1.

“I felt really comfortable and I was making decent starts. It’s been a tough season until now, because I’ve been struggling to make my machinery work at the starts. Tonight, it worked perfectly and I made a decent start in every race and I can’t ask for any more.

“There were tougher races and I had to make a couple of passes but I’d put myself in the right position and what matters is where I finished at the end of the race.

“It is much tougher riding at No 2. At reserve, you also have Heat 2 and then there’s another reserve in most of your races. But I’ve shown tonight that doesn’t really matter when I’m riding well – I’ve hit some good form tonight and I want to continue.

“Steve’s one of the top riders in this league – he’s proven that over the years. To be out there with him and feeling on the pace with him so that we can team-ride, that’s all good.

“I’m riding in the National League and that’s helped me, but none of the rest of the team are doubling up. We’ve been against other riders who have been riding two or three times a week and it’s taken us a while to get going. But now we’ve got a few meetings under our belt and we’re bonding as a team and showing what we can do.

“If we ride like we did tonight for the rest of the season, who knows what can happen, because we’re good enough to beat anybody.”

Troy Batchelor was awful at No 1 for Workington – probably the worst-ever leading visitor to the Eddie Wright Raceway. The former Grand Prix rider looked completely disinterested, did not finish any of his four outings and even blocked team-mate Vuolas while pulling out of Heat 13. His lack of effort was an insult to travelling Workington fans who made over a three-hour journey to back their team.

SCUNTHORPE 61: Luke Harrison 11+1, Jake Allen 10+3, Steve Worrall 10+2, Connor Mountain 8+1, Zaine Kennedy 8+1, Declan Kennedy 7+1, Simon Lambert 7.

WORKINGTON 29: Antti Vuolas 9, Tate Zischke 7, Jacob Hook 4+1, Jye Etheridge 4, Fraser Bowes 4, Vinnie Foord 1+1, Troy Batchelor 0.

* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions commence their Cab Direct Championship league campaign at champions Poole next Wednesday (May 14), before they host Glasgow Tigers at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday (May 16) at 7.30pm.

PHOTOS by Ian Rispin