Post by Pieman on Jan 3, 2005 19:04:41 GMT
NEWPORT NEW YEAR CLASSIC, SUNDAY 2ND JANUARY
Chris Harris 3 3 2 3 1 =12 1st in final
Niels-Kristian Iversen 2 3 0 3 3 =11 2nd in final
Stuart Robson 2 3 2 1 2 =10 3rd in final
David Howe 3 R 1 3 3 =10 4th in final
Mads Korneliussen 2 2 3 2 0 =9
Brent Werner 0 1 3 3 1 =8
Michael Coles 3 2 1 0 2 =8
Neil Collins 1 1 2 2 1 =7
Karl Mason 2 0 1 2 0 =5
Robbie Kessler 1 2 1 0 0 =4
Josh Larsen 0 3 fx =3
Jamie Westacott (res) 1 2 =3
Kristian Lund 0* R 0 0 1 =1
*tapes offence, handicapped 15 yards.
Newport’s annual out-of-season meeting drew a huge crowd to South Wales for the first British meeting of 2005 on a cold but mercifully dry day. A big group of Wolves fans turned out in support of David Howe, but after bad luck with mechanical problems in the heats, he was only one missed gate away from his second New Year Classic title.
The only change to the line-up saw reserve Karl Mason step up to replace Chris Neath, who was struck down by food poisoning.
Heat 1 (re-run): Harris, Iversen, Mason, Lund (15 yards), 61.20.
Lund began a meeting of bad luck by charging the tapes at the first attempt, the Dane being handicapped 15 yards for the rerun. This saw Bomber lead from the start, despite Puk closing in around the last lap.
Heat 2: Howe, Korneliussen, Kessler, Werner, 62.28.
Korneliussen gated but David quickly took over for a clear win, with Werner trying the inside line on Kessler throughout but looking underpowered at the back.
Heat 3: Coles, Robson, Collins, Larsen, 62.50.
Coles all the way despite pressure from Robbo, with Larsen looking out of sorts at the back.
Heat 4: Harris, Kessler, Collins, Howe (ret), 62.00.
Kessler gated but David ducked through on the back straight, with Bomber taking second at the end of the lap. David’s bike then came to a stop on the final lap, thanks to a loose chain, handing Bomber the win.
Heat 5: Larsen, Korneliussen, Werner, Mason, 62.05.
Larsen looked a different rider to his first race, leading all the way.
Heat 6: Robson, Coles, Kessler, Lund (ret), 63.19.
Lund led away from Robson, with all four close together until Lund’s engine blew spectacularly. Robson gratefully took the win.
Heat 7: Iversen, Harris, Howe (ef, pushed home), Larsen (f.exc), 62.97.
Iversen led from the start, with Harris taking two laps to pass the slow-starting David for third. David quickly retook third only for his bike to throw its chain once again going into lap four. As he came to a halt Larsen picked up drive and looped on the last turn in a nasty looking fall, ending his meeting thanks to machine damage although Josh was OK. David took some time to notice this, but eventually pushed round for a vital point.
Heat 8: Korneliussen, Collins, Mason, Lund, 62.66.
Korneliussen went side by side with Collins before pulling slightly clear, while Lund’s second bike proved less than effective.
Heat 9: Werner, Robson, Coles, Iversen, 61.97.
Werner rounded Robbo on turn two for the lead and the win, while Puk surprised some by failing to score.
Heat 10: Werner, Collins, Westacott, Lund, 62.53.
From the gate.
Heat 11: Howe, Mason, Robson, Kessler, 61.81.
David recovered from his earlier troubles to lead all the way, but Mason was the star turn, holding off Elite League regular Robbo all the way.
Heat 12: Harris, Korneliussen, Werner, Coles, 62.32.
Werner made the start but Bomber swept around him to lead. Korneliussen then went around Coles and Werner in one for second, with Bomber holding on despite lifting on the last turn.
Heat 13: Iversen, Westacott, Collins, Kessler, 63.66.
Iversen led all the way, with Collins taking Kessler for third at the end of lap one, but neither could close on the impressive Westacott.
Heat 14: Howe, Coles, Lund, Mason, 60.97.
David held off Coles all the way, while a mistake by Mason on lap two gave Lund his only point.
Heat 15: Iversen, Robson, Harris, Korneliussen, 61.80.
Robbo went around Bomber for second on turn two, but there was no catching the impressive Puk.
Final: Harris, Iversen, Robson, Howe, 62.97.
The riders chose their gates prior to the final, with Bomber choosing the outside, Puk taking the inside, David surprising some by opting for gate three, and Robbo being left with gate two. Could David take the title for the second time? Sadly it was not to be as he made a poor gate, allowing Bomber to power away to retain the New Year Classic. David chased Robbo hard, but had to be content with fourth.
Five Star Ratings:
Weather: ***** Could not have been better for mid-winter.
Track conditions: **** A little too dusty in places – even watering was needed halfway through!
Attendance: ***** A giant hornet of a crowd!
Entertainment value: **** One or two races were a little processional, but it was good to see some first class speedway again.
Man of the Meeting: No-one stood out in this meeting, so I’ll award this to Under-15 rider Josh Auty, for his superb riding in the demonstration races.
Referee (Mick Posselwhite): ***** No decisions to make.
Rider ratings:
Chris Harris: **** Looked fast and consistent all day.
Karl Mason: **** Matched far more experienced names.
Stuart Robson: *** Some of his points were a little fortunate.
Josh Larsen: *** Fourth, win, then crash – an up and down meeting.
David Howe: **** Let down by his bikes and some poor gating.
Mads Korneliussen: **** Showed good pace.
Brent Werner: *** A typical middle-order performance from the American.
Robbie Kessler: *** Looked a little below par.
Neil Collins: *** Another consistent performer.
Michael Coles: **** Tried hard throughout the heats.
Kristian Lund: ** Luck deserted him all day.
Jamie Westacott: **** Looked very quick against higher-level opposition.
The only disappointment of this meeting was the end of it, as fans realised that it would be ten long weeks before they would see any more speedway action (although there’s always Telford). The next action for the Wolves will be at Monmore on March 21st – we hope to see you there.
Proud to be a Wolf
Pieman.
Chris Harris 3 3 2 3 1 =12 1st in final
Niels-Kristian Iversen 2 3 0 3 3 =11 2nd in final
Stuart Robson 2 3 2 1 2 =10 3rd in final
David Howe 3 R 1 3 3 =10 4th in final
Mads Korneliussen 2 2 3 2 0 =9
Brent Werner 0 1 3 3 1 =8
Michael Coles 3 2 1 0 2 =8
Neil Collins 1 1 2 2 1 =7
Karl Mason 2 0 1 2 0 =5
Robbie Kessler 1 2 1 0 0 =4
Josh Larsen 0 3 fx =3
Jamie Westacott (res) 1 2 =3
Kristian Lund 0* R 0 0 1 =1
*tapes offence, handicapped 15 yards.
Newport’s annual out-of-season meeting drew a huge crowd to South Wales for the first British meeting of 2005 on a cold but mercifully dry day. A big group of Wolves fans turned out in support of David Howe, but after bad luck with mechanical problems in the heats, he was only one missed gate away from his second New Year Classic title.
The only change to the line-up saw reserve Karl Mason step up to replace Chris Neath, who was struck down by food poisoning.
Heat 1 (re-run): Harris, Iversen, Mason, Lund (15 yards), 61.20.
Lund began a meeting of bad luck by charging the tapes at the first attempt, the Dane being handicapped 15 yards for the rerun. This saw Bomber lead from the start, despite Puk closing in around the last lap.
Heat 2: Howe, Korneliussen, Kessler, Werner, 62.28.
Korneliussen gated but David quickly took over for a clear win, with Werner trying the inside line on Kessler throughout but looking underpowered at the back.
Heat 3: Coles, Robson, Collins, Larsen, 62.50.
Coles all the way despite pressure from Robbo, with Larsen looking out of sorts at the back.
Heat 4: Harris, Kessler, Collins, Howe (ret), 62.00.
Kessler gated but David ducked through on the back straight, with Bomber taking second at the end of the lap. David’s bike then came to a stop on the final lap, thanks to a loose chain, handing Bomber the win.
Heat 5: Larsen, Korneliussen, Werner, Mason, 62.05.
Larsen looked a different rider to his first race, leading all the way.
Heat 6: Robson, Coles, Kessler, Lund (ret), 63.19.
Lund led away from Robson, with all four close together until Lund’s engine blew spectacularly. Robson gratefully took the win.
Heat 7: Iversen, Harris, Howe (ef, pushed home), Larsen (f.exc), 62.97.
Iversen led from the start, with Harris taking two laps to pass the slow-starting David for third. David quickly retook third only for his bike to throw its chain once again going into lap four. As he came to a halt Larsen picked up drive and looped on the last turn in a nasty looking fall, ending his meeting thanks to machine damage although Josh was OK. David took some time to notice this, but eventually pushed round for a vital point.
Heat 8: Korneliussen, Collins, Mason, Lund, 62.66.
Korneliussen went side by side with Collins before pulling slightly clear, while Lund’s second bike proved less than effective.
Heat 9: Werner, Robson, Coles, Iversen, 61.97.
Werner rounded Robbo on turn two for the lead and the win, while Puk surprised some by failing to score.
Heat 10: Werner, Collins, Westacott, Lund, 62.53.
From the gate.
Heat 11: Howe, Mason, Robson, Kessler, 61.81.
David recovered from his earlier troubles to lead all the way, but Mason was the star turn, holding off Elite League regular Robbo all the way.
Heat 12: Harris, Korneliussen, Werner, Coles, 62.32.
Werner made the start but Bomber swept around him to lead. Korneliussen then went around Coles and Werner in one for second, with Bomber holding on despite lifting on the last turn.
Heat 13: Iversen, Westacott, Collins, Kessler, 63.66.
Iversen led all the way, with Collins taking Kessler for third at the end of lap one, but neither could close on the impressive Westacott.
Heat 14: Howe, Coles, Lund, Mason, 60.97.
David held off Coles all the way, while a mistake by Mason on lap two gave Lund his only point.
Heat 15: Iversen, Robson, Harris, Korneliussen, 61.80.
Robbo went around Bomber for second on turn two, but there was no catching the impressive Puk.
Final: Harris, Iversen, Robson, Howe, 62.97.
The riders chose their gates prior to the final, with Bomber choosing the outside, Puk taking the inside, David surprising some by opting for gate three, and Robbo being left with gate two. Could David take the title for the second time? Sadly it was not to be as he made a poor gate, allowing Bomber to power away to retain the New Year Classic. David chased Robbo hard, but had to be content with fourth.
Five Star Ratings:
Weather: ***** Could not have been better for mid-winter.
Track conditions: **** A little too dusty in places – even watering was needed halfway through!
Attendance: ***** A giant hornet of a crowd!
Entertainment value: **** One or two races were a little processional, but it was good to see some first class speedway again.
Man of the Meeting: No-one stood out in this meeting, so I’ll award this to Under-15 rider Josh Auty, for his superb riding in the demonstration races.
Referee (Mick Posselwhite): ***** No decisions to make.
Rider ratings:
Chris Harris: **** Looked fast and consistent all day.
Karl Mason: **** Matched far more experienced names.
Stuart Robson: *** Some of his points were a little fortunate.
Josh Larsen: *** Fourth, win, then crash – an up and down meeting.
David Howe: **** Let down by his bikes and some poor gating.
Mads Korneliussen: **** Showed good pace.
Brent Werner: *** A typical middle-order performance from the American.
Robbie Kessler: *** Looked a little below par.
Neil Collins: *** Another consistent performer.
Michael Coles: **** Tried hard throughout the heats.
Kristian Lund: ** Luck deserted him all day.
Jamie Westacott: **** Looked very quick against higher-level opposition.
The only disappointment of this meeting was the end of it, as fans realised that it would be ten long weeks before they would see any more speedway action (although there’s always Telford). The next action for the Wolves will be at Monmore on March 21st – we hope to see you there.
Proud to be a Wolf
Pieman.
