Scorpions almost salvage a point at Redcar
REDCAR BEARS 51 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 42 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)
A LATE SURGE almost gained the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions a SGB Championship point in their 42-51 defeat at Redcar Bears yesterday (Thursday).
Scorpions fell sixteen points behind after a disastrous mid-meeting spell in which they conceded a hat-trick of 5-1s between Heats 7 and 9.
Team manager Dave Peet played a patient waiting game with the tactical ride, and it paid dividends when Lewis Kerr and Tero Aarnio scored a 7-2 from Heat 12.
A great second bend surge saw Michael Palm Toft win Heat 13, while Josh Auty finished a lively third, as Scorpions closed further in. Aarnio then won a shared Heat 14, although crucially Ryan Douglas was pegged to the back by Danny Ayres.
Palm Toft and Kerr, the best two Scorpions on display, gave it their all in Heat 15, but were unable to overhaul race-leader Charles Wright, while Redcar No 1 Jason Garrity fell after an eventful race.
The meeting contained some good racing, but was blighted by a number of unsatisfactory starts.
Auty can feel unfortunate to be picked out and given a 15-metre penalty for a second offence – a perceived jump start in Heat 9, which saw him lead into the first turn. Auty had already received a joint warning with Garrity in Heat 6, even though the Redcar rider had appeared to have been the one who moved first.
Speaking post-match, top-scorer Lewis Kerr said: “I’m really happy with my performance in this meeting. The last time I rode at Redcar it was a totally different story for me (no points from three rides) – it was last year, just before I changed over my bikes.
“Tonight, I made some good gates and had some good speed.
“The team is never that far off. When we all fire together, we’ll be a force to reckon with. But not everyone is firing at the same time, so it’s difficult, but we’re getting there.
“I’m really happy with how my season is now going. I’ve got some consistency going. Even when I have a bad meeting, I’m still scoring seven or eight points.”
Team manager Dave Peet said: “We had a really bad spell in the middle of the meeting, but the gate positions then changed in our favour, and we started to make headway. But, unfortunately, we’d just let it get away too much in the first two-thirds of the meeting.
“Lewis Kerr and Michael Palm Toft both rode well. I think Michael was maybe the fastest rider out there, but he wasn’t trapping and he had to work hard, because around there, they don’t give you an inch of room.
“Their reserves rode very well and were the difference. Ellis Perks has already been flying around Redcar, and they brought in Danny Ayres, who had a great first meeting for them.
“Tero Aarnio was thereabouts for the whole meeting. He really got it going in Heat 14 and won that and there’s more to come from Tero.”
REDCAR BEARS 51
1. Jason Garrity 3 R 2 3 2 F (10)
2. Fernando Garcia 0 3 2* 0 (5+1)
3. Charles Wright FX 3 3 3 0 3 (12)
4. Jonas B Andersen 1 1 2* 2 (6+1)
5. Ben Barker R/R
6. Danny Ayres 3 1 2* 1 1* (8+2)
7. Ellis Perks 2* 3 3 2 0 (10+1)
8. Ryan Burton DNR
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 42
1. Michael Palm Toft 2 2 2 3 2 (11)
2. Carl Wilkinson 1* 0 1 (2+1)
3. Lewis Kerr 3 1 3 6# 1* (14+1)
4. Ryan Douglas 2* 0 1 0 (3+1)
5. Josh Auty 2 1* 1 1 (5+1)
6. Tero Aarnio 1 2 F 0 1 3 (7)
7. Josh Bailey 0 0 0 (0)
# = tactical ride
1: Garrity, Palm Toft, Wilkinson, Garcia, 54.1 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Ayres, Perks, Aarnio, Bailey, 55.0 (5-1) (8-4)
3: (Re-run) Kerr, Douglas, Andersen, Wright (fell, excluded), 54.4 (1-5) (9-9).
4: Perks, Auty, Ayres, Bailey, 54.3 (4-2) (13-11).
5: (Re-run) Wright, Palm Toft, Andersen, Wilkinson, 56.0 (4-2) (17-13).
6: (Re-run) Garcia, Aarnio, Auty, Garrity (ret), 54.8 (3-3) (20-16).
7: Wright, Ayres, Kerr, Douglas, 54.4 (5-1) (25-17).
8: Perks, Garcia, Wilkinson, Bailey, 54.9 (5-1) (30-18).
9: (Re-run) Wright, Andersen, Auty (penalised 15m for second tapes offence), Aarnio (fell), 55.2 (5-1) (35-19).
10: Kerr, Garrity, Douglas, Garcia, 55.2 (2-4) (37-23).
11: Garrity, Palm Toft, Ayres, Aarnio, 55.0 (4-2) (41-25).
12: KERR (TR), Perks, Aarnio, Wright, 55.4 (2-7) (43-32).
13: Palm Toft, Garrity, Auty, Perks, 54.6 (2-4) (45-36).
14: Aarnio, Andersen, Ayres, Douglas, 55.9 (3-3) (48-39).
15: Wright, Palm Toft, Kerr, Garrity (fell), 55.0 (3-3) (51-42).
* HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are in action twice over the Bank Holiday. The travel to Newcastle on Sunday, and then entertain the Diamonds at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm), in a double-header also containing the 500cc and 250cc classes of the British Youth Championship.
