A tale of two halves at the Eddie Wright Raceway

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 43 NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 46 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 61 WORKINGTON COMETS 30 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions produced two very different performances in the double-header at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Bank Holiday Monday) – smashing Workington Comets by 61-30 after earlier succumbing to a 43-46 defeat to Newcastle Diamonds.

The Newcastle match swayed one way and then the other. Scorpions suffered a double exclusion in Heat 7 after firstly Josh Auty fell and then, in the re-run, Tero Aarnio also came down. Diamonds took a 5-0 and moved into a 24-17 lead.

But Scorpions took successive 5-1s in Heat 8 (from guest David Howe and Josh Bailey) and Heat 9 (Lewis Kerr and Ryan Douglas) to swing the score to 27-26 in their favour.

Scorpions had extended their lead to 37-34, but then conceded a 1-5 in a key Heat 13. Newcastle took a one-point lead into Heat 15, where Diamonds’ No 1 Robert Lambert completed a paid maximum by passing Douglas to win the race, as Diamonds clinched the meeting with a 4-2.

With Lambert, Ludvig Lindgren and guest Aaron Summers all in fine form, Diamonds took 10 heat wins to Scorpions’ total of 5. Douglas top-scored for Scorpions with 11+1.

Stand-in start marshal Derek Holt was injured during a bizarre incident in Heat 6, when he was collected by Michael Palm Toft, as a filled-in MPT accidentally came off the track. Derek is a bit battered and bruised, but otherwise seems to be OK.

The second match against Workington was a completely different kettle of fish, as Scorpions blasted into the lead from the off and never looked back, eventually hitting the 60-point barrier for the first time this season, after some scintillating racing. The rider in red won the first nine races – a stark contrast to the first meeting.

Kerr took a 12-point maximum from four rides, and he was joined in double-figures by Palm Toft (12+1) and Auty (11+1). But it was a solid all-around performance by Scorpions with every rider scoring at least paid six.

Scorpions’ guest David Howe did a solid job across the two meetings with returns of 7 and 7+2.

But most encouraging of all were the two performances from Josh Bailey (pictured). He scored 6+1 and 5+1 and scored in each of his eight rides, defeating at least one opponent in every race.

Scorpions’ promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Our riders seemed dialled in for the second meeting and came alive in that one. There was such a complete turn-around in form between the two meetings – Aaron Summers was beating our riders in the first meeting, but couldn’t touch them in the second one.

“It was difficult preparing a track, with a temperature of 25 degrees and a wind blowing. I thought we got it spot on, because we needed it to have enough moisture to get through the two meetings. But our riders were happier after some of the shale was removed.

“Our performance across these two meetings showed that our current riders do prefer it when the track is a little slicker.

“We did throw away some points against Newcastle and that cost us – in particular, the 5-0 proved to be expensive. It was frustrating not to come out with a double win, but well done to the Diamonds on a deserved victory.

“But I think it’s also important to look at the positives. Against Workington, we were streets ahead and put in our best all-around team performance of the season – congratulations to Lewis Kerr on his maximum. Meanwhile, young Josh Bailey looked the part in both meetings.

“It was a great afternoon of speedway. Of the 30 heats of racing, I’d say 20 of them were good races. We’ve now learnt that we can have the track a bit slicker and that we can still have great racing, and furthermore our riders will ride it better when it’s like that.”

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 43
1. Michael Palm Toft 2 FX 1* 1 (4+1)
2. David Howe (Guest) 0 2 3 2 (7)
3. Lewis Kerr 0 1* 3 3 0 (7+1)
4. Ryan Douglas 3 2 2* 2 2 (11+1)
5. Josh Auty 1* FX 1* 0 (2+2)
6. Tero Aarnio 3 FX 2 1* (6+1)
7. Josh Bailey 1 2 2* 1 (6+1)

NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 46
1. Robert Lambert 3 3 3 2* 3 (14+1) PAID MAXIMUM
2. Ashley Morris 1 0 0 0 (1)
3. Kevin Doolan (Guest) 1* 2* 0 2 (5+2)
4. Ludvig Lindgren 2 3 3 3 1 (12)
5. Aaron Summers (Guest) 3 3 1 3 (10)
6. Ben Hopwood R 1 0 (1)
7. Alfie Bowtell 2 0 1 0 0 (3)

1: Lambert, Palm Toft, Morris, Howe, 57.44 (2-4) (2-4).
2: Aarnio, Bowtell, Bailey, Hopwood (ret), 58.06 (4-2) (6-6).
3: Douglas, Lindgren, Doolan, Kerr, 58.57 (3-3) (9-9).
4: Summers, Bailey, Auty, Bowtell, 59.37 (3-3) (12-12).
5: Lambert, Douglas, Kerr, Morris, 57.37 (3-3) (15-15).
6: Summers, Howe, Bowtell, Palm Toft (excluded, cause of stoppage), awarded – no time (2-4) (17-19).
7: (Re-run) Lindgren, Doolan, Aarnio (fell, excluded), Auty (fell, excluded), awarded – no time (0-5) (17-24).
8: Howe, Bailey, Bowtell, Morris, 58.75 (5-1) (22-25).
9: Kerr, Douglas, Summers, Hopwood, 59.06 (5-1) (27-26).
10: Lindgren, Howe, Palm Toft, Doolan (fell, remounted), 57.37 (3-3) (30-29).
11: Lambert, Aarnio, Auty, Morris, 57.75 (3-3) (33-32).
12: Kerr, Doolan, Bailey, Bowtell, 58.47 (4-2) (37-34).
13: Summers, Lambert, Palm Toft, Auty, 58.31 (1-5) (38-39).
14: Lindgren, Douglas, Auty, Bowtell, 57.37 (3-3) (41-42).
15: Lambert, Douglas, Lindgren, Kerr, 58.06 (2-4) (43-46).

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 61
1. Michael Palm Toft 3 3 2 1* 3 (12+1)
2. David Howe (Guest) 1 2* 3 1* (7+2)
3. Lewis Kerr 3 3 3 3 (12) FULL MAXIMUM
4. Ryan Douglas 1 0 2* 3 (6+1)
5. Josh Auty 3 3 2* 2 1 (11+1)
6. Tero Aarnio 3 0 3 2* (8+1)
7. Josh Bailey 2* 1 1 1 (5+1)

WORKINGTON COMETS 30
1. Aaron Summers (Guest) 0 2*# 1 0 (3+1)
2. Mason Campton 2 2 2 0 (6)
3. Ty Proctor 2 1* 3 2 0 (8+1)
4. Matt Williamson 0 2 0 1 (3)
5. Thomas Jorgensen 2 FX 1 3 2 (8)
6. James Sarjeant 1 0 0 0 0 (1)
7. Tom Woolley (Guest) R R 1 (1)

# = tactical ride

1: Palm Toft, Campton, Howe, Summers, 59.57 (4-2) (4-2).
2: Aarnio, Bailey, Sarjeant, Woolley (ret), 60.75 (5-1) (9-3).
3: Kerr, Proctor, Douglas, Williamson, 58.82 (4-2) (13-5).
4: Auty, Jorgensen, Bailey, Woolley (ret), 58.93 (4-2) (17-7).
5: Kerr, Campton, SUMMERS (TR), Douglas, 57.94 (3-4) (20-11).
6: (Re-run) Palm Toft, Howe, Woolley, Jorgensen (fell, excluded), 59.00 (5-1) (25-12).
7: Auty, Williamson, Proctor, Aarnio, 59.06 (3-3) (28-15).
8: Howe, Campton, Bailey, Sarjeant, 62.07 (4-2) (32-17).
9: Kerr, Douglas, Jorgensen, Sarjeant, 58.75 (5-1) (37-18).
10: Proctor, Palm Toft, Howe, Williamson, 59.38 (3-3) (40-21).
11: Aarnio, Auty, Summers, Campton, 59.88 (5-1) (45-22).
12: Kerr, Proctor, Bailey, Woolley, 58.69 (4-2) (49-24).
13: Jorgensen, Auty, Palm Toft, Summers, 59.62 (3-3) (52-27).
14: Douglas, Aarnio, Williamson, Woolley, 59.44 (5-1) (57-28).
15: Palm Toft, Jorgensen, Auty, Proctor, 59.56 (4-2) (61-30).

* SCORPIONS’ annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund raised £825.39. Thank you to everyone who contributed.