MPT: Shining light

A SHINING light for the 2016 Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions has been the form of Michael Palm Toft on his return to the club where he started his British career.

The Danish flyer started the season at Peterborough, but found himself as one of two riders released to make way for British World Cup star Craig Cook.

But he was snapped up immediately by Scorpions, who were in need of strengthening after a heavy defeat at Glasgow.

It’s paid off for both parties, and MPT has scored double figures in each of his last seven appearances for the Scorpions.

During a month at reserve (July) he helped inspire Scorpions to a home victory over high-flying Glasgow, as well as scoring a very welcome 15 paid 16 on his return to Peterborough, as Scorpions took a terrific 46-44 away victory.

Palm Toft says: “I was sure my problems earlier in the season when I was riding for Peterborough were my bikes, and that once I got those sorted out, I would score better again. And my recent form has proved that – it wasn’t me, it was the bikes.

“Obviously going down to reserve for a month did help my confidence and that’s part of it too.

“It’s now about keeping that momentum going, so I which I was so pleased to get double figures in the home meeting against Somerset, after moving back up into the main body of the team. I was really happy with that.”

Scorpions are much more competitive than earlier in the season, but have seen victory slip though their fingers in successive home defeats to Edinburgh (44-45) and Somerset (43-47), although the quality of the racing has been superb, even by the Eddie Wright Raceway’s high standards.

MPT adds: “I’m not really sure what happened in the match against Somerset. It just slipped away at the end.

“It was a shame, because there seemed to be some really good racing out there. If we could have held on and beat Somerset, even by a point or two, it would have been the perfect meeting for the Scunthorpe fans.

“We ran Somerset close. Arguably, that’s not good enough on your home track, but then again Somerset are such a good team. Even when they go behind, they seem to be able to pull it back.”

Michael is clearly on something of a roll. Success breeds success, and a result of his form for Scorpions has been a number of guest bookings.

“The guest bookings have really been helping”, he says “because the more time you spend on the bike, the more it keeps you race fit. Scunthorpe had a break in fixtures, but I didn’t, thanks to the guest bookings.

“The last couple of guest bookings I had in the Elite League I felt that I was struggling a bit, because I wasn’t really able to get of the gate that well. But a day before our Somerset meeting, I worked out what it was, and swapped things over and it worked.

“I’m enjoying riding for Scunthorpe. I’m quite often stronger in the away meetings. But I feel I’m really starting to find the right set-ups at Scunthorpe, which will keep me going during the whole meeting. I really liked the track for our home meeting against Somerset.

“The new guy at Scunthorpe (Fritz Wallner) seems very good. He’s just got to get fully dialled into the track, and once that happens, I think we’ll be very difficult to beat around our home track.”

* HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions travel to league leaders Somerset tonight (Tuesday, 7.30pm).