Scorpions defeat rivals in another last heat decider
HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions held their eighth home league meeting of the season at the Eddie Wright Raceway today and it was the fifth where the result was decided in the last race. Only one of the first four, a 47-43 victory against Glasgow, had gone in their favour but that imbalance was redressed a little when Lewis Kerr and Josh Auty raced away to a 5-1 to send the Scorpions fans wild after defeating their arch local rivals, the Sheffield Tigers 49-41.
There had never been more than two points between the two sides prior to heat 11 but Josh Auty, and Tero Aarnio extended that to four with a 4-2 before Lewis Kerr and Aarnio split the Sheffield pair in heat 12. It looked ominous in heat 13 when the Tigers top pairing of Josh Grajczonek and Kyle Howarth raced away but the Scorpions pair went either side of Grajczonek on lap 2 only for Auty’s bike to stop on lap 3 and baulk his team-mate at the same time. It meant a 3-3 turned into a 5-1 for Sheffield and the meeting was all tied up at 39-39.
With the Scorpions having lost three home meetings 44-46 it would have been understandable if there had been some nervousness in the camp but Tero Aarnio held off a very determined challenge from Sheffield’s Josh Bates in heat 14 to follow Ryan Douglas home for a 5-1 before the heroics of Kerr and Auty sealed victory.
After the meeting a delighted club promoter Rob Godfrey commented “I’m just relieved. We haven’t beaten a poor side today. We’ve gone and beaten a good side who do very well here. Our riders rode really well today, they rode like they were in a world championship. Hopefully, we can get on a roll now and with Stefan Nielsen due back, things are looking much rosier for us”
The Scorpions are next in action at Sheffield on Thursday night before visiting Peterborough on Friday for the first leg of their Knockout Cup tie. There is no home meeting next Sunday so the next time they are at the Eddie Wright Raceway is on Sunday 25th June when the Berwick Bandits visit (5.30pm start).
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 49
1. Michael Palm Toft R 2 3 1 (6)
2. Carl Wilkinson 2 1* 3 0 (6+1)
3. Lewis Kerr 3 1 3 2 3 (12)
4. Ryan Douglas 1 3 1 3 (8)
5. Josh Auty 2 1 3 R 2* (8+1)
6. Tero Aarnio 3 0 1 1 1* 2* (8+2)
7. David Wallinger (Guest) 1 F (1)
SHEFFIELD TIGERS 41
1. Josh Grajczonek 3 2 2 2* 1 (10+1)
2. Todd Kurtz 1 0 2 0 (3)
3. Lasse Bjerre 0 3 2 3 (8)
4. Josh Bates 2 2* 1* 1 (6+2)
5. Kyle Howarth 3 3 2 3 0 (11)
6. Robert Branford 2 FX 0 0 0 (2)
7. Layne Cupitt (Guest) R 1 0 (1)
1: Grajczonek, Wilkinson, Kurtz, Palm Toft (ret), 57.25 (2-4) (2-4).
2: Aarnio, Branford, Wallinger (fell, remounted), Cupitt (ret), 59.06 (4-2) (6-6).
3: Kerr, Bates, Douglas, Bjerre, 57.00 (4-2) (10-8).
4: Howarth, Auty, Cupitt, Wallinger (fell), 57.25 (2-4) (12-12).
5: Douglas, Grajczonek, Kerr, Kurtz, 57.02 (4-2) (16-14).
6: (Re-run) Howarth, Palm Toft, Wilkinson, Branford (fell, excluded), 57.3 (3-3) (19-17).
7: Bjerre, Bates, Auty, Aarnio, 57.75 (1-5) (20-22).
8: (Re-run) Wilkinson, Kurtz, Aarnio, Branford, 58.00 (4-2) (24-24).
9: Kerr, Howarth, Douglas, Cupitt, 56.93 (4-2) (28-26).
10: Palm Toft, Bjerre, Bates, Wilkinson, 57.94 (3-3) (31-29).
11: Auty, Grajczonek, Aarnio, Kurtz, 58.13 (4-2) (35-31).
12: Bjerre, Kurtz, Aarnio, Branford, 58.36 (3-3) (38-34).
13: Howarth, Grajczonek, Palm Toft, Auty (ret), 58.15 (1-5) (39-39).
14: Douglas, Aarnio, Bates, Branford, 58.68 (5-1) (44-40).
15: (Re-run) Kerr, Auty, Grajczonek, Howarth, 58.59 (5-1) (49-41).
PHOTO: Josh Auty cuts back under Kyle Howarth in Heat 15.
