Monday 5 May 2008

Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Monday, 5 May
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Since it was Bank Holiday Monday there was a full programme of four Premier League matches raced today. At Rye House the Rockets faced Workington while at Scunthorpe the Scorpions took on Somerset. The third match was at Reading where the Racers raced against the Isle of Wight. Finally in the evening at Newcastle the Diamonds had Glasgow as their visitors.



Premier League: Rye House 52, Workington 40


Rye House had Luke Bowen back in the side but used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Tommy Allen. They nominated Lee Strudwick as their number 8. Workington were at full strength.

On a very dry and dusty track, Rye House were indebted to a paid 19 point return from their super-reserve Robert Mear in winning this match by 12 points. Workington lost the services of Daniel Nermark after he had hurt his thumb in a heavy fall in heat 13 which earned him an exclusion but double figures from their other two heat leaders helped produce a total not often achieved by visitors to Hoddesdon.

The Comets opened with a 1-5 just as Rye House had done at Workington! Daniel Nermark was joined up front by Barry Burchatt when he passed Luke Bowen at the end of the first lap with Chris Neath trailing at the back. Robert Mear started his seven ride stint by winning the reserves race from Joe Haines but John Branney passed Daniel Halsey on the last lap to share the points. Kauko Nieminen won heat 3 from the gate beating Tai Woffinden and Stefan Ekberg in the process so another shared heat ensued. The Rockets levelled the scores in heat 4. Stefan Ekberg won the race but the action was behind him where Robert Mear passed John Branney and Carl Stonehewer on the second lap for a 5-1 which took the score to 12-12.

Another 5-1 in heat 5 put the Rockets four points up. Tai Woffinden was the race winner but, as in the previous heat, the action was behind him as Robert Mear fought off the challenge of Daniel Nermark before passing Barry Burchatt on the last bend. The Comets squared the match with a 1-5 in heat 6 although they were obliged to Chris Neath who suffered an engine failure while leading on the last lap allowing Carl Stonehewer and Joe Haines to record the maximum heat win. Kauko Nieminen won again in heat 7 for a shared heat but the Rockets regained the lead with a 4-2 in heat 8. Barry Burchatt fell after Robert Mear had dived hard underneath him on his way to the race win while Joe Haines took second after passing Luke Bowen. The score now stood at 25-23.

Tai Woffinden and Robert Mear gated to beat Carl Stonehewer in heat 9 for a 5-1 which increased the Rockets’ lead to six points then it went to ten with a 4-2 in heat 10 when Chris Neath ended Kauko Nieminen’s winning run with Luke Bowen in third. Heat 11 produced a bad crash when Daniel Nermark ran into Daniel Halsey causing both riders to end up in the fence. Nermark was excluded from the rerun in which Stefan Ekberg and Halsey, who won a great battle for second place with Barry Burchatt, scored a 5-1 taking the Rockets’ lead to 12 points. Kauko Nieminen took a TR in heat 12 but after leading from the tapes he was passed by Tai Woffinden in fine style. Robert Mear finished third so the race points were shared 4-4 taking the score to 43-41.

With Daniel Nermark withdrawing from the meeting with an injured thumb, Workington’s chances of recovering had gone and Stefan Ekberg took full advantage of the situation by passing Carl Stonehewer to win heat 13. Chris Neath’s third place gave the home side a 4-2 and 14 point lead. Robert Mear won heat 14 to keep it that way but Workington finished with a 2-4 when Carl Stonehewer successfully held off Tai Woffinden with Nieminen third.

Scorers: For Rye House – Robert Mear 16+3 (7), Tai Woffinden 13 (5), Stefan Ekberg 12+1 (6), Chris Neath 4 (4), Luke Bowen 4 (4), Daniel Halsey 3+2 (4).

For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 13 (5) (with 4 point TR), Carl Stonehewer 10 (5), Joe Haines 8+1 (6), Barry Burchatt 4+1 (4), Daniel Nermark 3 (3), John Branney 2+2 (4), Charles Wright 0 (3).



Premier League: Scunthorpe 51, Somerset 39


Both sides were at full strength.

After their hammering at Somerset on Friday night the Scorpions were intent on revenge in this return fixture. There were only two points between the sides after heat 11 but Somerset faded over the last four heats conceding two 5-1s and a 4-2 to lose by 12 points.

Andrew Moore passed Jordan Frampton and Jason Doyle to win the opening race for a 3-3 but it was the Rebels who took the lead in heat 2 when Brent Werner beat Byron Bekker with Simon walker winning a fine battle behind them for third place. The 2-4 put the Rebels two points in front. Emil Kramer was well on his way to winning heat 3 when he suffered an engine failure on the last bend and was passed by Benji Compton and Matthias Kroger with Magnus Karlsson stuck at the back. The result was a shared heat but Scunthorpe went in front with a 5-1 in heat 4 after Richard Hall and Viktor Bergstrom both passed Brent Werner at the end of the opening lap. This took the score to 13-11.

Benji Compton fell on the last bend while Jason Doyle won heat 5 from Magnus Karlsson. With Jordan Frampton third the Rebels levelled the score with the 2-4. It was then announced that Benji Compton had hurt his shoulder and had withdrawn from the rest of the meeting. Simon Walker was the winner of heat 6 after rounding Andrew Moore on the first bend then keeping him behind him for the win. Carl Wilkinson took third for a shared heat but in heat 7 the Rebels went two in front with a 2-4 after a great scrap between Emil Kramer and Richard Hall. Kramer won the race by a whisker and Matthias Kroger took third after Byron Bekker had retired from the race. The Scorpions retook the lead in heat 8 as they replied with a 5-1 after Jordan Frampton had fallen and been excluded. Viktor Bergstrom and Carl Wilkinson headed home Brent Werner in the rerun taking the score to 25-23.

Magnus Karlsson won heat 9 from Walker and Werner after Viktor Bergstrom retired from the race when lying second. The 3-3 maintained the status quo and there was no change after another 3-3 in heat 10 won by Emil Kramer for the Rebels. Heat 11 made it a hat trick of 3-3s when Richard Hall beat Doyle and Frampton but Scunthorpe made a decisive strike in heat 12 with a 5-1 from Viktor Bergstrom and Magnus Karlsson with a fine piece of team riding to keep Emil Kramer at bay. The score was now 39-33.

Richard Hall passed Jason Doyle in heat 13 while Andrew Moore’s third place ahead of Stephan Katt gave the Scorpions a 4-2 which put them eight points in front. This allowed Emil Kramer to take a Tactical Substitute Ride from 15 metres back. Brent Werner did his bit for the Rebels by winning the race but Bergstrom and Bekker kept Kramer pegged at the back so the Rebels only managed a 3-3 from the race. A last heat 5-1 from Hall and Karlsson stretched the winning margin to 12 points, the biggest gap between the sides all match.

Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Richard Hall 14 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 10+1 (6), Magnus Karlsson 9+2 (5), Andrew Moore 8 (4), Carl Wilkinson 4+3 (4), Byron Bekker 3+1 (4), Benji Compton 3 (2).

For Somerset – Jason Doyle 10 (5), Brent Werner 9+1 (5), Emil Kramer 8+1 (6), Simon Walker 6 (4), Jordan Frampton 3+2 (4), Matthias Kroger 3 (3), Stephan Katt 0 (3).



Premier League: Reading 46, Isle of Wight 44


Reading had Nicki Glanz at number 7 deputising for the injured Danny Warwick. The Isle of Wight were at full strength.

What a match and what a struggle for the Racers who had to produce a last heat 5-1 to win the match. The only time there were more than two points between the sides was when the Islanders took a 1-5 in heat 13 to lead by four points. It just wasn’t quite enough though as the home side squeezed home in a nail biting finish.

Krzysztof Stojanowski won the opening race from a hard challenging Mark Lemon for a shared race but it was the Islanders who took the lead after taking a 2-4 from the reserves race. This proved unfortunate for Jaimie Smith who fell and was excluded from the rerun. He was withdrawn from the meeting suffering from concussion. In the rerun the visitors were in a 1-5 position until James Holder fell and remounted . Andrew Bargh nearly joined him on the deck but his wobble allowed Nicki Glanz to take a substantial lead only for Bargh to recover, reel him in and pass him again. The Racers equalised again in heat 3 won by Ulrich Ostergaard who passed Glen Phillips before going on to win. Tomas Suchanek’s third place provided a 4-2 but the home side found themselves two down again after losing a 2-4 in heat 4. Jason Bunyan won the race while James Holder passed Nicki Glanz for third. The score was now 11-13.

Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 5 for a shared race then the Racers drew level again with a 4-2 in heat 6 when Mark Lemon won from Andrew Bargh after Jason Bunyan had been excluded. Back came the Isle of Wight with another 2-4 in heat 7 to regain their two point lead. Glen Phillips was the race winner while Paul Fry’s outside line attack was too much for Madsen. Heat 8, won by Chris Mills from Holder and Gathercole, was shared so the score now stood at 23-25.

The Racers got back on level terms again in heat 9 as Ulrich Ostergaard continued his winning run by beating Jason Bunyan. Tomas Suchanek passed Andrew Bargh so the Racers scored a 4-2. The home side then went in front with another 4-2 in heat 10 with Mark Lemon winning from Glen Phillips and Chris Mills taking third from Paul Fry. Their two point lead was wiped out in heat 11 when the visitors scored a 1-5. Tom P Madsen made the gate but stuck to the inside leaving the Islanders lots of space to pass him on the outside which Gathercole and Stojanowski did regaining their two point lead yet again. The Racers squared the match again with a 4-2 in heat 12 as Ostergaard completed his four ride maximum by beating Glen Phillips. Nicki Glanz contributed the third place point from Andrew Bargh so the 4-2 took the score to 36-36.

Things looked ominous for the home side when Krzysztof Stojanowski and Jason Bunyan gated in heat 13 to lead Mark Lemon home for a 1-5 which put the Islanders four points ahead but Reading hit back in a crucial heat 14. Nicki Glanz was the unlikely winner of the race by beating Paul Fry while Tomas Suchanek chipped in with third place for a 4-2 which cut the gap to two points setting up a last heat decider. Ulrich Ostergaard won the race but the excitement was behind him where there was a lot of passing and repassing. Eventually Lemon got the better of Stojanowski as Bunyan suffered an engine failure which got the Racers across the line with a 5-1 and two point win.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 15 (5) (full maximum), Mark Lemon 10+1 (5), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 6 (4), Nicki Glanz 6 (7), Tomas Suchanek 3 (4), Jaimie Smith 0 (1).

For the Isle of Wight – Krzysztof Stojanowski 10+2 (5), Glenn Phillips 9 (4), Jason Bunyan 7+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 6+1 (4), Andrew Bargh 5 (4), James Holder 4 (4), Paul Fry 3 (4).



Premier League: Newcastle 53, Glasgow 42


Newcastle were without Ben Powell and had Aaron Summers (Edinburgh) as a guest at number 5 in his place. They were still missing George Stancl so used Rider Replacement at number 2. Glasgow were without Shane Parker so had James Grieves as a guest at number 1. They were also without Mitchell Davey and had Gary Beaton at number 7 in his place.

Glasgow, still looking for their first Premier League point, were looking for a result to put yesterday’s home defeat by the Diamonds out of their minds. Newcastle by contrast had an opportunity to take a great stride up the Premier League table with back-to-back wins against the Tigers.

The opening race was rerun after Jason King had fallen and been excluded. Josef Franc won it for a shared race. Then Sean Stoddart won the reserves race but Ross Brady and Gary Beaton shared the points behind him. Newcastle hit the front with a 5-1 in heat 3. Christian Henry and Jason King led from the tapes and there then followed a titanic battle between King and James Grieves for second place which King held on to win. Glasgow got two points back in heat 4 when Ross Brady and Robert Ksiezak made fast starts, Sean Stoddart soon passed Ksiezak and took up the challenge to pass Brady as Aaron Summers challenged Ksiezak for third. Both Glasgow riders held on for a 2-4 taking the score to 13-11.


In heat 5 Trent Leverington made the gate and won despite a late challenge from Christian Henry. Jason King took third place so the race was shared. Newcastle opened a six point lead in heat 5. Josef Franc won from the gate while Robert Ksiezak settled into second place. However Sean Stoddart was having none of it and after a number of challenges on Ksiezak finally got past to join his partner for a 5-1. Heat 7 was called back after James Grieves had jumped the start then there was a delay while a tapes malfunction was sorted. In the restart James Grieves and Josh Grajczonek made the start but Grajczonek was passed by Jaimie Robertson on the outside then by Aaron Summers on the inside so the race was shared. More problems with the tapes preceded heat 8. Before the race was run Sean Stoddart had machine problems and went back to the pits to re-emerge on Jaimie Robertson’s bike. This one certainly performed well! Josef Franc made the gate from Ross Brady with Lee Dicken in third but Stoddart reeled in and passed Dicken then caught and passed Brady before Brady fell and retired from the race. This resulted in a 5-1 to the Diamonds and the score went to 29-19.

Heat 9 was another 5-1 for the home side. Christian Henry made the start with Robert Ksiezak in second but Jason King wound it up round the outside to pass Ksiezak for second and joined Henry up front. Glasgow now trailed by 14 points but did not give James Grieves the anticipated TR in heat 10. Grieves led from the start but was soon passed by Josef Franc. Behind this pair Josh Grajczonek fell causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. Grieves gated again in the rerun and pulled away to win the race for a shared heat. Trent Leverington took a TR in heat 11 as Sean Stoddart replaced Jaimie Robertson and Ross Brady replaced Lee Dicken. The two Tigers made the gate and went on to score the big 1-8 from Sean Stoddart who almost got up to pass Brady on the line as Brady slowed to let Leverington through. The Diamonds’ lead was now cut to seven points and the Tigers looked for further success with James Grieves out in heat 12. They didn’t get it. Ross Brady again made a flying start from the gate with James Grieves in second. Christian Henry fought his way past Grieves into second then passed Brady as did Grieves who then challenged Henry all the way to the line without success. The race resulted in a 3-3 and the score went to 41-34. It was then announced that Josh Grajczonek had broken his wrist in his fall in heat 10 as Glasgow’s awful season went from bad to worse.

Heat 13 resulted in a 4-2 for Newcastle. Josef Franc won the race while Ksiezak and Leverington filled the minor places. Sean Stoddart, replacing Aaron Summers, passed Leverington then the Glasgow man retired from the race. Newcastle stretched their lead to nine points. This gave the Tigers the chance to give James Grieves a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing Josh Grajczonek. However Ross Brady broke the tapes leaving Glasgow with the option of replacing him with Gary Beaton or having both Glasgow riders start from 15 metres back! They decided to replace Brady with Beaton. James King took the lead from the start while James Grieves started the chase on Stoddart from his handicap. He caught and passed Stoddart and, although Stoddart repassed him briefly, Grieves was not to be denied as he got past Stoddart again for second place which resulted in a 4-4. Heat 15 needed three attempts to get started after James Grieves jumped the gate twice. He was thrown out of the race for delaying the start so Glasgow had to go with Trent Leverington on his own. Josef Franc was soon into the lead in the last race but was challenged hard by Trent Leverington. Christian Henry came from the back to pass both Leverington and Franc to win the race but Leverington passed Franc for second place and a 4-2 which gave the Diamonds a 4-2 heat advantage and eleven point victory.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 15 (6), Christian Henry 14 (5), Sean Stoddart 12+2 (7), Jason King 8+3 (5), Jaimie Robertson 3+1 (4), Aaron Summers 1+1 (3).

For Glasgow – Trent Leverington 13 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 13 (6) (with 4 point TS), Ross Brady 8+2 (5), Robert Ksiezak 5 (4), Lee Dicken 2+1 (3), Gary Beaton 1 (4), Josh Grajczonek 0 (3).

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