Post by lupus on Apr 14, 2005 19:26:42 GMT
Arena Essex Hammers 52
Wolverhampton Wolves 41
Elite League 13th April 2005
Arena Essex Hammers
Gary Havelock 3 2 1 1 2* 9 + 1
Roman Povazhny 0 1* 3 0 4 + 1
Leigh Lanham 0 3 1* 2 6 + 1
Josh Larsen 2 1 2 1* 6 + 1
Tony Rickardsson 2* 3 3 3 3 14 + 1
Paul Hurry 3 1 1 2 7
Piotr Swist 1 3 1 1* 6 + 1
Wolverhampton Wolves
Mikael Max 1* 2 2 2 7 + 1
Ronnie Correy 2 R 0 0 2
Freddie Lindgren 1 2 2* 3 1 9 + 1
Steve Johnston 3 0 3 3 R 9
David Howe 1 3 6^ 0 10
Magnus Karlsson 2 0 2 0 0 4
Krzysztof Pecyna 0 0 0 0
Despite the dire weather reports during the day, it was a dry but COLD night at Purfleet. The track, ironically, seemed very dry (probably due to the threat of rain) which made the good races fairly rare. Arena won the toss and took 1 and 3.
Heat 1 - Gary Havelock ; Ronnie Correy ; Mikael Max ; Roman Povazhny ; (3-3)(3-3)
Mikael headed back to the pits for last minute adjustments under the two minutes. Havelock gated, Mike tried the outside line but it was no good. Roman appeared to be in front of the Wolves guys going into the first bend but Ronnie and Mike soon got past. Mike and Ronnie rode round together behind Havvy with Roman tailed off at the back.
Heat 2 - Paul Hurry ; Magnus Karlsson ; Piotr Swist ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (4-2)(7-5)
Magnus gated on Hurry (poor start from Krzysztof) but Hurry found some grip round the outside to pass Magnus on the 3rd bend of the first lap. Magnus chased after him but it was no good. Interestingly they played ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ after Hurry won the race…but obviously I can’t possibly comment!
Heat 3 - Steve Johnston ; Josh Larsen ; Freddie Lindgren ; Leigh Lanham ; (2-4)(9-9)
Very close race throughout. Johno gated but appeared to go very wide on the first bend but kept it wound on and stayed in front. Excellent ride from Johno. Freddie stayed very close to Larsen throughout the race but couldn’t find a way past.
Heat 4 - Piotr Swist ; Tony Rickardsson ; David Howe ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (5-1)(14-10)
Krzysztof appeared to make the gate but both Wolves riders got taken out wide on the first bend. Rickardsson did and excellent bit of team riding to keep David out. David all over them for 4 laps but they were side by side throughout so no chance of getting past.
Heat 5 - Leigh Lanham ; Mikael Max ; Josh Larsen ; Ronnie Correy(R) ; (4-2)(18-12)
Cracking gate from Ronnie – with Lanham and Larsen behind. Mike passed Larsen on the 3rd bend of the first lap. Ronnie’s bike died on the home straight at the end of the first lap whilst easily in front. Mike made no impression on Lanham.
Heat 6 - David Howe ; Gary Havelock ; Roman Povazhny ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-3)(21-15)
Fantastic gate from David and he pulled away from Havvy easily. Magnus all over Roman for all four laps but couldn’t find a way past on a track that had become very dry by this point.
Heat 7 - Tony Rickardsson ; Freddie Lindgren ; Paul Hurry ; Steve Johnston ; (4-2)(25-17)
Easy win for TRick from the gate. Great battle behind him. Hurry riding right round the outside but Freddie managed to hold him off. Johno tried everything to get past but Hurry stuck to the outside and Johno couldn’t find enough drive to get under him. A good race.
Heat 8 - Roman Povazhny ; Magnus Karlsson ; Piotr Swist ; Ronnie Correy ; (4-2)(29-19)
Ronnie out on Mike’s bike (Ronnie only had one available tonight after problems on Monday – and he’d wrecked it in heat 5). Magnus in instead of Krzysztof. Ronnie missed the gate by a mile and went round the first bend looking at the bike in confusion! Magnus leading Roman down the back straight but Roman found the outside line on the 3rd/4th band to get passed him. Ronnie right off the pace for the first two laps then right on Swist’s tail for the next two!
Heat 9 - David Howe (Tactical Ride) ; Josh Larsen ; Leigh Lanham ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-6)(32-25)
Another cracking gate from David. Magnus slotted into 3rd place after the 2nd bend. Held Lanham off for two laps then went too wide on 3rd bend and Lanham held the line to get past. Great ride from David for the 6 pointer!
Heat 10 - Steve Johnston ; Freddie Lindgren ; Gary Havelock ; Roman Povazhny ; (1-5)(33-30)
Superb race from the Wolves. Johno and Havvy gated together but Johno went really wide on the first bend taking Havvy with him (and Roman), Freddie dived up the inside to get past both AE riders. Havvy tried to come past on the bend but Johno held him out letting Freddie pull clear. Havvy tried to come back but the Wolves guys team rode for the rest of the race. Superb ride from both but special mention for Johnno!
Heat 11 - Tony Rickardsson ; Mikael Max ; Paul Hurry ; Ronnie Correy ; (4-2)(37-32)
Ronnie out on David’s bike (see heat 8!). AE riders gated but Mike got round Hurry on the 2nd bend. Ronnie in 3rd until the 3rd bend when he cocked up the bend and Hurry got past.
Heat 12 - Freddie Lindgren ; Leigh Lanham ; Piotr Swist ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-3)(40-35)
Freddie from the gate. Magnus got a big shove from Swist on the first bend casuing him to straighten up but, as he didn’t go down, the ref let the race continue! Should have called it back IMHO!
Heat 13 - Tony Rickardsson ; Mikael Max ; Gary Havelock ; David Howe ; (4-2)(44-37)
First running David made an absolute flyer but it was called back for unsatisfactory start! Hard to tell whether this was fair from our vantage point on the back straight. Needless to say he made a stinker in the re-run (poor David). Race finished as it started – Mike following TRick’s line all the way round with no chance of catching him. Havvy taking the inside but could make no impression on Mike.
Heat 14 - Steve Johnston ; Paul Hurry ; Josh Larsen ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (3-3)(47-40)
Best race of the night! Johno and Hurry together from the gate. Krzysztof tried to go round the outside but it was no good. Johno led for first lap. Hurry came under hm very hard on the 1st/2nd bend of the 2nd lap. Neck and neck down the back straight and when Hurry went wide on bend 3/4 Johno cut up the inside going down the home straight and going into the 1st/2nd bend of lap 3 he ‘returned the favour’ and took Hurry very wide!!! Brilliant race – only spoiled when Hurry appeared to refuse to shake hands after the race. If you can’t take it don’t dish it out Mr Hurry!
Heat 15 - Tony Rickardsson ; Gary Havelock ; Freddie Lindgren ; Steve Johnston(R) ; (5-1)(52-41)
Arena won the toss and took the inside gates. Johno off gate four seemd to go straight on the first bend with mechanical problems. Freddie chased after Havvy (TRick out in the distance!) but Havvy was holding the inside and Freddie couldn’t find enough drive to get round the outside.
Five Star ratings:
Weather; *** Despite the forecast it was a dry night but VERY cold on the back straight.
Track Conditions *** Track staff worked hard on it but, due to the weather forecast being wrong, it was dry with very little drive available.
Attendance **** Seemed pretty good to me but I haven’t been to Arena for years, so I haven’t got anything to judge it against!
Entertainment *** One or two cracking races but far too much ‘from the gate’ stuff to be a really good meeting.
Referee – Jim Lawrence *** Had very little to do but let the race go in Heat 12 when Magnus was badly impeded by Swist.
Man of the match – Three contenders for this tonight, although – looking at Ronnie’s first two rides (before the e/f) - he could well have been a contender on his own machinery! Honorable mentions for David – for his great rides in heat 6 and especailly the tactical ride in heat 9 – and Freddie who looked the part in all his rides – especailly his battle with Hurry in heat 7 and the 5-1 with Johno in heat 10. But the rider of the night for me was STEVE JOHNSTON! Now, bearing in mind that I was one of the most vociferous objectors to his signing, I can honestly say this meeting went a long way to convince me I was wrong! He showed determination, aggression (especailly in the ride against Paul Hurry) and real team spirit. Good on ya mate! (said in my best Aussie accent!)
Rider Ratings
Mikael Max** Can be forgiven for losing to TRick but should have beaten Havvy and Lanham!
Ronnie Correy*** VERY unlucky! Looked really good in his first couple of rides but then out of touch on borrowed bikes.
Freddie Lindgen**** Would have been rider of the night on most occasions for this performance but Johno’s ride in heat 14 just tipped the scales in his favour.
Steve Johnston**** Really good night for Johno – well deserved the Rider of the Night award.
David Howe*** Had a really good couple of races and was unlucky in heat 13 – getting called back seemd to unnerve him for the rerun.
Magnus Karlsson** Not one of Magnus’ better nights but their reserves were very strong. Unlucky in heat 12
Krysztof Pecyna* Sadly looked well out of touch. Made a couple of his trademark starts but couldn’t cope with the tight turns.
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Report generated at www.speedwayplus.co.uk
* = Bonus Point
^ = Tactical Ride - Double Points from the tapes
! = Tactical Substitute - Double Points from 15 Metres
Wolverhampton Wolves 41
Elite League 13th April 2005
Arena Essex Hammers
Gary Havelock 3 2 1 1 2* 9 + 1
Roman Povazhny 0 1* 3 0 4 + 1
Leigh Lanham 0 3 1* 2 6 + 1
Josh Larsen 2 1 2 1* 6 + 1
Tony Rickardsson 2* 3 3 3 3 14 + 1
Paul Hurry 3 1 1 2 7
Piotr Swist 1 3 1 1* 6 + 1
Wolverhampton Wolves
Mikael Max 1* 2 2 2 7 + 1
Ronnie Correy 2 R 0 0 2
Freddie Lindgren 1 2 2* 3 1 9 + 1
Steve Johnston 3 0 3 3 R 9
David Howe 1 3 6^ 0 10
Magnus Karlsson 2 0 2 0 0 4
Krzysztof Pecyna 0 0 0 0
Despite the dire weather reports during the day, it was a dry but COLD night at Purfleet. The track, ironically, seemed very dry (probably due to the threat of rain) which made the good races fairly rare. Arena won the toss and took 1 and 3.
Heat 1 - Gary Havelock ; Ronnie Correy ; Mikael Max ; Roman Povazhny ; (3-3)(3-3)
Mikael headed back to the pits for last minute adjustments under the two minutes. Havelock gated, Mike tried the outside line but it was no good. Roman appeared to be in front of the Wolves guys going into the first bend but Ronnie and Mike soon got past. Mike and Ronnie rode round together behind Havvy with Roman tailed off at the back.
Heat 2 - Paul Hurry ; Magnus Karlsson ; Piotr Swist ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (4-2)(7-5)
Magnus gated on Hurry (poor start from Krzysztof) but Hurry found some grip round the outside to pass Magnus on the 3rd bend of the first lap. Magnus chased after him but it was no good. Interestingly they played ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ after Hurry won the race…but obviously I can’t possibly comment!
Heat 3 - Steve Johnston ; Josh Larsen ; Freddie Lindgren ; Leigh Lanham ; (2-4)(9-9)
Very close race throughout. Johno gated but appeared to go very wide on the first bend but kept it wound on and stayed in front. Excellent ride from Johno. Freddie stayed very close to Larsen throughout the race but couldn’t find a way past.
Heat 4 - Piotr Swist ; Tony Rickardsson ; David Howe ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (5-1)(14-10)
Krzysztof appeared to make the gate but both Wolves riders got taken out wide on the first bend. Rickardsson did and excellent bit of team riding to keep David out. David all over them for 4 laps but they were side by side throughout so no chance of getting past.
Heat 5 - Leigh Lanham ; Mikael Max ; Josh Larsen ; Ronnie Correy(R) ; (4-2)(18-12)
Cracking gate from Ronnie – with Lanham and Larsen behind. Mike passed Larsen on the 3rd bend of the first lap. Ronnie’s bike died on the home straight at the end of the first lap whilst easily in front. Mike made no impression on Lanham.
Heat 6 - David Howe ; Gary Havelock ; Roman Povazhny ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-3)(21-15)
Fantastic gate from David and he pulled away from Havvy easily. Magnus all over Roman for all four laps but couldn’t find a way past on a track that had become very dry by this point.
Heat 7 - Tony Rickardsson ; Freddie Lindgren ; Paul Hurry ; Steve Johnston ; (4-2)(25-17)
Easy win for TRick from the gate. Great battle behind him. Hurry riding right round the outside but Freddie managed to hold him off. Johno tried everything to get past but Hurry stuck to the outside and Johno couldn’t find enough drive to get under him. A good race.
Heat 8 - Roman Povazhny ; Magnus Karlsson ; Piotr Swist ; Ronnie Correy ; (4-2)(29-19)
Ronnie out on Mike’s bike (Ronnie only had one available tonight after problems on Monday – and he’d wrecked it in heat 5). Magnus in instead of Krzysztof. Ronnie missed the gate by a mile and went round the first bend looking at the bike in confusion! Magnus leading Roman down the back straight but Roman found the outside line on the 3rd/4th band to get passed him. Ronnie right off the pace for the first two laps then right on Swist’s tail for the next two!
Heat 9 - David Howe (Tactical Ride) ; Josh Larsen ; Leigh Lanham ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-6)(32-25)
Another cracking gate from David. Magnus slotted into 3rd place after the 2nd bend. Held Lanham off for two laps then went too wide on 3rd bend and Lanham held the line to get past. Great ride from David for the 6 pointer!
Heat 10 - Steve Johnston ; Freddie Lindgren ; Gary Havelock ; Roman Povazhny ; (1-5)(33-30)
Superb race from the Wolves. Johno and Havvy gated together but Johno went really wide on the first bend taking Havvy with him (and Roman), Freddie dived up the inside to get past both AE riders. Havvy tried to come past on the bend but Johno held him out letting Freddie pull clear. Havvy tried to come back but the Wolves guys team rode for the rest of the race. Superb ride from both but special mention for Johnno!
Heat 11 - Tony Rickardsson ; Mikael Max ; Paul Hurry ; Ronnie Correy ; (4-2)(37-32)
Ronnie out on David’s bike (see heat 8!). AE riders gated but Mike got round Hurry on the 2nd bend. Ronnie in 3rd until the 3rd bend when he cocked up the bend and Hurry got past.
Heat 12 - Freddie Lindgren ; Leigh Lanham ; Piotr Swist ; Magnus Karlsson ; (3-3)(40-35)
Freddie from the gate. Magnus got a big shove from Swist on the first bend casuing him to straighten up but, as he didn’t go down, the ref let the race continue! Should have called it back IMHO!
Heat 13 - Tony Rickardsson ; Mikael Max ; Gary Havelock ; David Howe ; (4-2)(44-37)
First running David made an absolute flyer but it was called back for unsatisfactory start! Hard to tell whether this was fair from our vantage point on the back straight. Needless to say he made a stinker in the re-run (poor David). Race finished as it started – Mike following TRick’s line all the way round with no chance of catching him. Havvy taking the inside but could make no impression on Mike.
Heat 14 - Steve Johnston ; Paul Hurry ; Josh Larsen ; Krzysztof Pecyna ; (3-3)(47-40)
Best race of the night! Johno and Hurry together from the gate. Krzysztof tried to go round the outside but it was no good. Johno led for first lap. Hurry came under hm very hard on the 1st/2nd bend of the 2nd lap. Neck and neck down the back straight and when Hurry went wide on bend 3/4 Johno cut up the inside going down the home straight and going into the 1st/2nd bend of lap 3 he ‘returned the favour’ and took Hurry very wide!!! Brilliant race – only spoiled when Hurry appeared to refuse to shake hands after the race. If you can’t take it don’t dish it out Mr Hurry!
Heat 15 - Tony Rickardsson ; Gary Havelock ; Freddie Lindgren ; Steve Johnston(R) ; (5-1)(52-41)
Arena won the toss and took the inside gates. Johno off gate four seemd to go straight on the first bend with mechanical problems. Freddie chased after Havvy (TRick out in the distance!) but Havvy was holding the inside and Freddie couldn’t find enough drive to get round the outside.
Five Star ratings:
Weather; *** Despite the forecast it was a dry night but VERY cold on the back straight.
Track Conditions *** Track staff worked hard on it but, due to the weather forecast being wrong, it was dry with very little drive available.
Attendance **** Seemed pretty good to me but I haven’t been to Arena for years, so I haven’t got anything to judge it against!
Entertainment *** One or two cracking races but far too much ‘from the gate’ stuff to be a really good meeting.
Referee – Jim Lawrence *** Had very little to do but let the race go in Heat 12 when Magnus was badly impeded by Swist.
Man of the match – Three contenders for this tonight, although – looking at Ronnie’s first two rides (before the e/f) - he could well have been a contender on his own machinery! Honorable mentions for David – for his great rides in heat 6 and especailly the tactical ride in heat 9 – and Freddie who looked the part in all his rides – especailly his battle with Hurry in heat 7 and the 5-1 with Johno in heat 10. But the rider of the night for me was STEVE JOHNSTON! Now, bearing in mind that I was one of the most vociferous objectors to his signing, I can honestly say this meeting went a long way to convince me I was wrong! He showed determination, aggression (especailly in the ride against Paul Hurry) and real team spirit. Good on ya mate! (said in my best Aussie accent!)
Rider Ratings
Mikael Max** Can be forgiven for losing to TRick but should have beaten Havvy and Lanham!
Ronnie Correy*** VERY unlucky! Looked really good in his first couple of rides but then out of touch on borrowed bikes.
Freddie Lindgen**** Would have been rider of the night on most occasions for this performance but Johno’s ride in heat 14 just tipped the scales in his favour.
Steve Johnston**** Really good night for Johno – well deserved the Rider of the Night award.
David Howe*** Had a really good couple of races and was unlucky in heat 13 – getting called back seemd to unnerve him for the rerun.
Magnus Karlsson** Not one of Magnus’ better nights but their reserves were very strong. Unlucky in heat 12
Krysztof Pecyna* Sadly looked well out of touch. Made a couple of his trademark starts but couldn’t cope with the tight turns.
------------------------------------------------
Report generated at www.speedwayplus.co.uk
* = Bonus Point
^ = Tactical Ride - Double Points from the tapes
! = Tactical Substitute - Double Points from 15 Metres
;D
?? We are just a bunch of faceless cowards!!!!