Scorpions smash Diamonds with opening salvo

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 54 NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 38 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions scored a fine 54-38 Premier League victory over high-flying Newcastle Diamonds at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Bank Holiday Monday).

Third-placed Newcastle entered the meeting on the back of six successive PL victories, but Scorpions hit the ground running, with an opening salvo of three 5-1s and a 4-2 in the first four races to open up a 19-5 lead.

Diamonds never recovered from that start, as Scorpions kept the lead at 12 points or more for the rest of the afternoon.

By the end of Heat 9, Scorpions were 36-18 ahead, and all three league points were in the bag after Lewis Kerr defeated Diamonds’ tactical ride Matej Kus in Heat 12.

Ryan Douglas top scored for Scorpions with 12 points, with his only dropped points coming when a broken chain saw the Australian stranded on the start-line in Heat 11. Douglas swept to victory in both Heats 13 & 15, after fantastic rides from the back.

Kerr dropped only one point on his way to 11 points. He took part in the original staging of Heat 15, but after an opening bend incident with Ludvig Lindgren, he took a bit of a knock to his wrist and was replaced by Fritz Wallner in the re-run. Kerr will be fine.

Scorpions were solid, and a further four riders – Michael Palm Toft, Carl Wilkinson, Josh Auty and Wallner – were also paid for eight points or more. Wallner, who seems to gain more and more speed as races progress, was involved in some fine action.

National League Birmingham’s Jack Smith proved a good guest for Josh Bailey, who sadly it has now been confirmed will miss the rest of the season with his collarbone injury.

Smith joined Carl Wilkinson for a 5-1 in Heat 2, and finished with a highly creditable paid 4 score.

Scunthorpe top scorer Ryan Douglas said: “We’re now really competitive at home. It’s made a difference since Fritz (Wallner) came in; having an extra rider in the top five rather than rider replacement definitely helps.

“My rear chain snapped at the tapes (in Heat 11), but otherwise I had an awesome meeting.

“I’m starting to feel confident and I’m riding the dirt again. At the start of the year, I was a bit tentative (after missing most of 2015 through injury) and I wasn’t really relaxing on the bike, but I’m now feeling like my old self again and feeling comfortable doing it.

“My mechanic Reece is really good with set-ups, as the meeting progresses and the track changes, and that leaves me with the job to go out there and ride it fast! I found some good lines out there, coming in wide and cutting back, and also riding the dirt line. Even when I was behind, I had the speed to get through to the front.

“I feel like we can continue winning at home, and there’s a good chance of us taking something from a couple of our away meetings as well.”

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 54
1. Josh Auty 2* 2 1* 1 (6+2)
2. Michael Palm Toft 3 1* 3 2 (9+1)
3. Lewis Kerr 3 2 3 3 FN (11)
4. Fritz Wallner 2* 0 2*2 R (6+2)
5. Ryan Douglas 3 3 R 3 3 (12)
6. Carl Wilkinson 3 1 2 1* (7+1)
7. Jack Smith (Guest) 2* 1 0 0 (3+1)

NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 38
1. Ricky Wells (Guest) 1 3 3 2 2 (11)
2. Victor Palovaara R 1 1* 1 (3+1)
3. Matej Kus 0 0 3 4# (7)
4. Ludvig Lindgren 1 2 0 3 1* (7+1)
5. Josh Bates (Guest) 2 0 1 0 (3)
6. Arthur Sissis (Guest) 1 3 2 1* 0 (7+1)
7. Danny Phillips 0 0 0 (0)

# = tactical ride

1: Palm Toft, Auty, Wells, Palovaara (ret), 57.5 (5-1) (5-1).
2: Wilkinson, Smith, Sissis(15m penalty for cutting across centre green), Phillips, 56.38 (5-1) (10-2).
3: Kerr, Wallner, Lindgren, Kus, 57.07 (5-1) (15-3).
4: Douglas, Bates, Smith, Phillips, 57.75 (4-2) (19-5).
5: Wells, Kerr, Palovaara, Wallner, 57.93 (2-4) (21-9).
6: Sissis, Auty, Palm Toft, Bates, 58.37 (3-3) (24-12).
7: Douglas, Lindgren, Wilkinson, Kus, 57.75 (4-2) (28-14).
8: Palm Toft, Sissis, Palovaara, Smith, 58.19 (3-3) (31-17).
9: Kerr, Wallner, Bates, Phillips, 57.44 (5-1) (36-18).
10: Kus, Palm Toft, Auty, Lindgren, 57.87 (3-3) (39-21).
11: Wells, Wilkinson, Palovaara, Douglas (ret), 58.56 (2-4) (41-25).
12: Kerr, KUS (TR), Sissis, Smith, 58.52 (3-5) (44-30).
13: Douglas, Wells, Auty, Bates, 58.50 (4-2) (48-32).
14: Lindgren, Wallner, Wilkinson, Sissis, 58.69 (3-3) (51-35).
15: (Re-run) Douglas, Wells, Lindgren, Wallner (ret), Kerr (fell, unable to contest re-run), 59.50 (3-3) (54-38).

* In the following Midland Development League Riders’ Championship, Mildenhall’s Taylor Hampshire triumphed, after holding off Belle Vue’s George Rothery in an absorbing final. Henry Atkins was third and Andy Mellish fourth.

PHOTO: Flyin’ Ryan Douglas leads Heat 4, ahead of Josh Bates and Jack Smith.