Scorpions beat the Diamonds… and the weather!

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 50 NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 40 (PREMIER LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP, first round, first leg)

THE Scunthorpe track staff at the Eddie Wright Raceway did a brilliant job to allow yesterday’s (Bank Holiday Monday) Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions vs Newcastle Diamonds Knockout Cup clash to go ahead, and the Scorpions responded by taking a 50-40 victory to leave themselves with a good chance of progress in the competition.

A heavy rain shower leading up to the advertised start-time of 3pm left the continuation of the meeting in severe doubt. But as the rain cleared, the Scunthorpe track staff led by track curator Graham Trollope and promoter Rob Godfrey sprang into action and recovered the situation.

The meeting took place in a slightly unusual order, with the 150cc class of the British Youth Championship commencing at just gone 4pm, to help dry the track out. This was followed by the main meeting, which started at approximately 5pm, with the 500cc youth class then concluding proceedings.

A total of 37 races took place overall with very few fallers – a testament to the work of the track staff. It should be pointed out that the Eddie Wright Raceway also staged an amateur meeting of around 110 races on Saturday afternoon!

At one point, the advantage of the Scorpions stood at 18 points, before two late 5-1s for Newcastle reduced Scunthorpe’s aggregate lead. The two sides meet at Brough Park on June 5 in the second leg, with the victors on aggregate facing Sheffield in the second round.

Scunthorpe’s strength was their all-around scoring, with just three last places in 15 races.

There was some thrilling action on display. No more so than in Heat 11, when Scunthorpe’s Australian star Ryan Douglas went off in pursuit of brilliant English teenager Robert Lambert, the Diamonds’ No 1. Flyin’ Ryan lived up to his name, with an outside swoop coming off the final bend, to charge around Lambert and snatch the race win and bring the house down.

Every Scorpion was paid for at least six points, with Douglas and fellow Australian Alex Davies finishing as top scorers on ten points apiece.

Scorpions’ young No 7 Josh Bailey had another good meeting, winning Heat 2 and scoring paid seven, defeating at least one opponent in each race, including the experienced Matej Kus in Heat 12.

Bailey said: “It was another good meeting for me, so I’m pleased.

“David Howe (Scunthorpe coach) and myself worked on my clutches and my set-up prior to the meeting.

“He advises me what he would do, and from that I get a set-up that I know I’m happy with and one that he’s happy with as well.

“David’s help is already paying off – there’s no doubt about that. In particular, his advice has helped me get out of the start, and that makes a real difference, because I’ve got enough speed in my bikes and I feel that, if I gate, then I can mix it with anyone. When I’m not gating and giving one or two bike lengths to the other riders at the first turn, that’s when it becomes hard work.

“I feel the whole team is gelling together nicely – I think we’re getting used to how each other rides. I think everyone had a good day. If all seven riders are scoring points, then you win matches, and that’s what happened in this match.

“I love it at Scunthorpe. The track is fantastic and the team spirit is good. I’m having a good time. The Premier League is a tough league, I don’t think I realised how tough it was until I started riding in it, but I’m happy with how it’s going so far.”

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 50
1. Josh Auty 3 2* 2 0 (7+1)
2. Carl Wilkinson 1 3 3 1* (8+1)
3. Alex Davies 2 2 3 3 0 (10)
4. Zdenek Holub 1* 1* 1 1* (4+3)
5. Ryan Douglas 2 3 3 1 1 (10)
6. Ashley Morris 2* 0 1 2 (5+1)
7. Josh Bailey 3 1* 1 1 (6+1)

NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 40
1. Robert Lambert 2 3 2 3 2* (12+1)
2. Victor Palovaara 0 0 2 0 (2)
3. Matej Kus 0 1* 3 0 (4+1)
4. Ludvig Lindgren 3 2 R 3 (8)
5. Steve Worrall 3 FX 2 2* 3 (10+1)
6. Lewis Rose 1 1 MX 2 0 (4)
7. Danny Phillips 0 0 0 0 (0)

1: Auty, Lambert, Wilkinson, Palovaara, 58.93 (4-2) (4-2).
2: Bailey, Morris, Rose, Phillips, 60.44 (5-1) (9-3).
3: Lindgren, Davies, Holub, Kus, 59.44 (3-3) (12-6).
4: Worrall, Douglas, Bailey, Phillips, 59.0 (3-3) (15-9).
5: Lambert, Davies, Holub, Palovaara, 58.19 (3-3) (18-12).
6: (Re-run) Wilkinson, Auty, Rose, Worrall (fell, excluded), 58.98 (5-1) (23-13).
7: Douglas, Lindgren, Kus, Morris, 58.98 (3-3( (26-16).
8: Wilkinson, Palovaara, Bailey, Phillips, 59.75 (4-2) (30-18).
9: Davies, Worrall, Holub, Phillips, Rose (excluded, two minutes), 59.81 (4-2) (34-20).
10: (Re-run) Kus, Auty, Wilkinson, Lindgren (ret), 59.74 (3-3) (37-23).
11: Douglas, Lambert, Morris, Palovaara, 60.07 (4-2) (41-25).
12: Davies, Rose, Bailey, Kus, 60.69 (4-2) (45-27).
13: Lambert, Worrall, Douglas, Auty, 58.00 (1-5) (46-32).
14: Lindgren, Morris, Holub, Rose, 60.43 (3-3) (49-35).
15: Worrall, Lambert, Douglas, Davies, 59.18 (1-5) (50-40).

* Tom Brennan (500cc) and Nathan Ablitt (150cc) were the class winners in Round Two of the British Youth Championship.

* The draw for the British Semi-Final at the Eddie Wright Raceway is due to be announced today (Tuesday). The meeting, the biggest at the track in five years, takes place a week on Friday (May 13).