Post by Lawt on Jun 30, 2005 20:21:06 GMT
Arena Essex 36… Wolves 60… Elite League B… 29th June 2005
Aggregate score: Wolves 123 – 67 Arena Essex
Arena Essex 36
1.Gary Havelock 1 0 0 0 = 1
2.Sergei Darkin 0 6^ 3 1 0 = 10
3.Paul Hurry 0 F/Ex E 2 = 2
4.Leigh Lanham 1 1 2 1 = 5
5.Mark Loram 2 6^ 3 3 3 = 17
6.Ray Morton 1 0 0 0 = 1
7.Roman Povazhny F/0 F 0 0 = 0
Wolves 60
1.Mikael Max 3 3 2 2 = 10
2.Ronnie Correy 2* 2* 1* 1* = 6+4
3.Adam Skornicki 3 2 3 3 1* = 12+1
4.Steve Johnston 2* 1* 2* 2* = 7+4
5.Freddie Lindgren 1 2 3 1* 2 = 9+1
6.Magnus Karlsson 3 1* 1 1 = 6+1
7.Krzysztof Pecyna 2* 3 2 3 = 10+1
I felt that we could shade a draw or even a narrow win before the meeting and went on record as saying this on the Forum but never did I expect the Wolves team to unleash the full might of its potential and to rack up such a convincing away win. I am sure the aggregate scoreline (123-67!!) must break some records for Wolves and perhaps in the EL but it is league points we need at the moment and the three gained from last night were very welcome. At the time of writing Wolves are in third place in the league but have a match or two in hand over some challengers. Nevertheless we are in a stronger position and seem to be riding with increased confidence and zest.
Arena Essex won the toss and chose to start the meeting with gates 1 & 3.
Heat1. Mikael, Ronnie, Havelock, Darkin. 1-5
Mikael clamped Havelock down on to the line and Ronnie rode round the outside to join him in the lead. Mikael team rode with the rocket and Havelock nearly fell as he chased.
Heat2. Magnus, Krzys, Morton, Povazhny(F/Rem). 1-5/2-10
Krzys moved towards the tapes and then turned his front wheel to one side to avoid touching them. We expected it to be stopped but it’s allowed to go with Krzys missing the gate and Magnus making an excellent ‘Pecyna style’ start. Krzys easily passed Morton then Povazhny straightened in the second bend and fell but remounted to finish last.
Heat3. Adam, Johnno, Lanham, Hurry. 1-5 / 3-15
Adams jetted away from the tapes with Johnno missing the gate - however the Arena pair messed up the third bend and Johnno slipped through with a very tight inside line and loads of power. At this point the whole stadium was in stunned silence and the band of Wolves fans were pinching each other. Somebody suggested it could be a group trance after eating some bad bread!!
Heat4. Krzys, Loram, Freddie, Povazhny(F). 2-4 / 5-19
A normal, blisteringly quick gate from Krzys off gate 2 left Loram trailing and Freddie then harried him for three laps keeping his attention off the very quick Krzys up ahead. Freddie then locked up and settled for third. Povazhny fell on the third lap whilst last.
Heat5. Mikael, Ronnie, Lanham, Hurry(F/X). 1-5/ 6-24
In the first running Mikael gated and Ronnie came through as Hurry clouted the fence on the first corner but got up and rejoined. The ref decided to put the red lights on despite all four riders being under power! In the restart the Wolves pair gated and rode to yet another maximum.
Heat6. Darkin (T/R), Freddie, Magnus, Havelock. 6-3 / 12-27
Darkin was introduced as a tactical ride and won the race with Freddie pushing him hard all the way but unfortunately only trying the inside line. Magnus kept Havelock at the back.
Heat7. Loram (T/R), Adam, Johnno, Morton. 6-3/ 18-30
Now it was Loram’s turn for a tactical ride which he won from the tapes although there was a sharp intake of breath when he went very wide on the last bend of the race. A very spread out race with little action. So two tactical rides out of the way and we were still 12 points ahead!!
Heat8. Darkin, Krzys, Ronnie, Povazhny. 3-3 / 21-33
Krzys made a decent start and gently shoved Darkin who rather more forcefully shoved Povazhny who fell. All four were called for the restart. Darkin won with ease but Krzys passed Povazhny exiting the second bend of lap 1 and then Ronnie did a similar move as in bend four.
(Somebody suggested that Paul Hurry could take a tactical substitute ride in this heat from 15m back and see if he could double it – to 30m back!!)
Heat9. Freddie, Lanham, Magnus, Hurry (E/F). 2-4 / 23-37
Freddie made a great start and led from start to finish although needed a little more speed as Lanham (!) kept him honest throughout the race. Magnus was last until Hurry had an engine failure on the third lap.
Heat10. Adam, Johnno, Darkin, Havelock. 1-5/ 24-42
This is the sort of race that I love to watch. Darkin gated but Adam lined him up superbly to go round him and Havelock - meanwhile Johnno, who the missed the gate completely again (!) cut inside both Arena boys on the fourth bend and blew them away! Another MAX!!
Heat11. Loram, Mikael, Ronnie, Morton. 3-3 / 27-45
Loram gated and rode off into the sunset. Mikael challenged for a couple of laps and then he and the Rocket settled for a share of the points. At this point we had won the meeting and were aiming for the 60 point line and also trying to avoid last places (maybe!).
Heat12. Adam, Hurry, Magnus, Povazhny. 2-4 / 29-49
This was another great heat to watch. Magnus made another blistering start meanwhile Adam was blasting round the outside of all three of them to emerge on the back straight in the lead. Hurry seemed to be generating huge speed and had a cracking battle with Magnus who he passed on the third lap and then he nearly caught Adam. Povazhny who we thought had pulled out came in miles behind.
Heat13. Loram, Mikael, Freddie, Havelock. 3-3 / 32-52
Loram had got his eye in by now and had got over being beaten by our Krzys, and so was able to pass Mikael who had led for three quarters of a lap. Freddie had an early battle with Havelock but easily dealt with him on the first two bends.
Heat14. Krzys, Johnno, Lanham, Morton. 1-5 / 33-57
Morton gated but Krzys rode an utterly superb line from gate 4 to go from last to first around the outside line on the first two bends. Johnno slipped through into second place and it was another brilliant Wolves 5-1.
Heat15. Loram, Freddie, Adam, Darkin. 3-3 / 36-60
Wolves won the toss and chose the outside gates. Loram won easily again. Adam put a good move on Darkin to pass him at the end of the first lap and ensure that we did not have a last place on the scoresheet. Loram rode round the stock car track after the race and applauded the Wolves fans on the back straight – what a nice gesture!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening with some excellent racing despite the one-sided score and the Arena fans were fairly philosophical and pleasant about the result. Every member of the Wolves team should be proud of what they contributed and by heck they looked it as they came round on the truck for the victory parade after the meeting. I hope this result will lead to increased confidence at away tracks and further wins as the play-off place race heats up. The journey home went very quickly and was spent with a permanent smile on my face as I thoroughly enjoyed relaying the match details by phone to several folks.
Is it down to earth with a bump next Wednesday at Poole or can we carry the momentum on and do some damage there as we make up for our recent mediocre results in the land of the Pirates? Let’s sharpen the cutlasses and show them a Wolves performance like the one we saw last night.
Five Star ratings:
Weather; **** Despite the rain on the M25 it was dry and warm in Purfleet.
Track Conditions; **** Very good – allowed for plenty of passing (but mainly by Wolves riders!).
Attendance; ** Reasonable. About the same as last time, although the programme notes state that attendances are dropping, and hammerings like this one will surely not help.
Entertainment; **** The track allowed riders to pass and to use the dirt on the outside line. The last time we came it was slick so this is an improvement.
Referee; – Tony Steele *** Had a good meeting except for stopping heat 5 unnecessarily IMO.
Man of the Match; – How do I select one from a team that has ridden so well from heatleaders to reserves? It could have been Krzys for being the only Wolf to beat Loram. It could have been Magnus for once again securing us a maximum in heat 2 with a lightning start. Ronnie and Johnno were certainly contenders both astonishingly having four bonus points and showing some great riding skills. Mikael only dropped a couple of points and is worthy of consideration for the award and Freddie recovered from a slow start and dug in well to once again reach double figures from the difficult number five team position.
But my choice is Krzysztof Pecyna for the incredible way he adapted his riding style from the big Polish tracks he is used to riding, to this tiny little circuit and mastered it so well. Krzysztof would have had a maximum if heat 8 had not been stopped because he was leading at the time of the stoppage.
Rider Ratings
Mikael Max**** Dropped a star for not beating Loram but otherwise excellent. Great to see him team ride outside Ronnie.
Ronnie Correy**** Got the results that we were sure he would have done last time if his machinery had lasted the pace. The right track for his style.
Freddie Lindgren*** At the start of the season he would have got 4 stars but my expectations have risen along with his performances. Looks like he’s sorted the heat 15 jinx as well.
Steve Johnston**** Very good, solid riding with flashes of brilliance on a track he seems to like a lot.
Adam Skornicki**** Great value all night – only lost to Loram.
Magnus Karlsson*** Produced some very quick gates and has now made heat 2 a ‘no-go’ zone for opponents.
Krzysztof Pecyna***** He’s gone from zero at Arena in April to HERO in June! A very worthy winner of the Man of the Match award for a super ‘five-star’ meeting. Thanks Krzysztof.
See you at the Green.
Lawt
Oh so ‘Proud to be a Wolf’
Aggregate score: Wolves 123 – 67 Arena Essex
Arena Essex 36
1.Gary Havelock 1 0 0 0 = 1
2.Sergei Darkin 0 6^ 3 1 0 = 10
3.Paul Hurry 0 F/Ex E 2 = 2
4.Leigh Lanham 1 1 2 1 = 5
5.Mark Loram 2 6^ 3 3 3 = 17
6.Ray Morton 1 0 0 0 = 1
7.Roman Povazhny F/0 F 0 0 = 0
Wolves 60
1.Mikael Max 3 3 2 2 = 10
2.Ronnie Correy 2* 2* 1* 1* = 6+4
3.Adam Skornicki 3 2 3 3 1* = 12+1
4.Steve Johnston 2* 1* 2* 2* = 7+4
5.Freddie Lindgren 1 2 3 1* 2 = 9+1
6.Magnus Karlsson 3 1* 1 1 = 6+1
7.Krzysztof Pecyna 2* 3 2 3 = 10+1
I felt that we could shade a draw or even a narrow win before the meeting and went on record as saying this on the Forum but never did I expect the Wolves team to unleash the full might of its potential and to rack up such a convincing away win. I am sure the aggregate scoreline (123-67!!) must break some records for Wolves and perhaps in the EL but it is league points we need at the moment and the three gained from last night were very welcome. At the time of writing Wolves are in third place in the league but have a match or two in hand over some challengers. Nevertheless we are in a stronger position and seem to be riding with increased confidence and zest.
Arena Essex won the toss and chose to start the meeting with gates 1 & 3.
Heat1. Mikael, Ronnie, Havelock, Darkin. 1-5
Mikael clamped Havelock down on to the line and Ronnie rode round the outside to join him in the lead. Mikael team rode with the rocket and Havelock nearly fell as he chased.
Heat2. Magnus, Krzys, Morton, Povazhny(F/Rem). 1-5/2-10
Krzys moved towards the tapes and then turned his front wheel to one side to avoid touching them. We expected it to be stopped but it’s allowed to go with Krzys missing the gate and Magnus making an excellent ‘Pecyna style’ start. Krzys easily passed Morton then Povazhny straightened in the second bend and fell but remounted to finish last.
Heat3. Adam, Johnno, Lanham, Hurry. 1-5 / 3-15
Adams jetted away from the tapes with Johnno missing the gate - however the Arena pair messed up the third bend and Johnno slipped through with a very tight inside line and loads of power. At this point the whole stadium was in stunned silence and the band of Wolves fans were pinching each other. Somebody suggested it could be a group trance after eating some bad bread!!
Heat4. Krzys, Loram, Freddie, Povazhny(F). 2-4 / 5-19
A normal, blisteringly quick gate from Krzys off gate 2 left Loram trailing and Freddie then harried him for three laps keeping his attention off the very quick Krzys up ahead. Freddie then locked up and settled for third. Povazhny fell on the third lap whilst last.
Heat5. Mikael, Ronnie, Lanham, Hurry(F/X). 1-5/ 6-24
In the first running Mikael gated and Ronnie came through as Hurry clouted the fence on the first corner but got up and rejoined. The ref decided to put the red lights on despite all four riders being under power! In the restart the Wolves pair gated and rode to yet another maximum.
Heat6. Darkin (T/R), Freddie, Magnus, Havelock. 6-3 / 12-27
Darkin was introduced as a tactical ride and won the race with Freddie pushing him hard all the way but unfortunately only trying the inside line. Magnus kept Havelock at the back.
Heat7. Loram (T/R), Adam, Johnno, Morton. 6-3/ 18-30
Now it was Loram’s turn for a tactical ride which he won from the tapes although there was a sharp intake of breath when he went very wide on the last bend of the race. A very spread out race with little action. So two tactical rides out of the way and we were still 12 points ahead!!
Heat8. Darkin, Krzys, Ronnie, Povazhny. 3-3 / 21-33
Krzys made a decent start and gently shoved Darkin who rather more forcefully shoved Povazhny who fell. All four were called for the restart. Darkin won with ease but Krzys passed Povazhny exiting the second bend of lap 1 and then Ronnie did a similar move as in bend four.
(Somebody suggested that Paul Hurry could take a tactical substitute ride in this heat from 15m back and see if he could double it – to 30m back!!)
Heat9. Freddie, Lanham, Magnus, Hurry (E/F). 2-4 / 23-37
Freddie made a great start and led from start to finish although needed a little more speed as Lanham (!) kept him honest throughout the race. Magnus was last until Hurry had an engine failure on the third lap.
Heat10. Adam, Johnno, Darkin, Havelock. 1-5/ 24-42
This is the sort of race that I love to watch. Darkin gated but Adam lined him up superbly to go round him and Havelock - meanwhile Johnno, who the missed the gate completely again (!) cut inside both Arena boys on the fourth bend and blew them away! Another MAX!!
Heat11. Loram, Mikael, Ronnie, Morton. 3-3 / 27-45
Loram gated and rode off into the sunset. Mikael challenged for a couple of laps and then he and the Rocket settled for a share of the points. At this point we had won the meeting and were aiming for the 60 point line and also trying to avoid last places (maybe!).
Heat12. Adam, Hurry, Magnus, Povazhny. 2-4 / 29-49
This was another great heat to watch. Magnus made another blistering start meanwhile Adam was blasting round the outside of all three of them to emerge on the back straight in the lead. Hurry seemed to be generating huge speed and had a cracking battle with Magnus who he passed on the third lap and then he nearly caught Adam. Povazhny who we thought had pulled out came in miles behind.
Heat13. Loram, Mikael, Freddie, Havelock. 3-3 / 32-52
Loram had got his eye in by now and had got over being beaten by our Krzys, and so was able to pass Mikael who had led for three quarters of a lap. Freddie had an early battle with Havelock but easily dealt with him on the first two bends.
Heat14. Krzys, Johnno, Lanham, Morton. 1-5 / 33-57
Morton gated but Krzys rode an utterly superb line from gate 4 to go from last to first around the outside line on the first two bends. Johnno slipped through into second place and it was another brilliant Wolves 5-1.
Heat15. Loram, Freddie, Adam, Darkin. 3-3 / 36-60
Wolves won the toss and chose the outside gates. Loram won easily again. Adam put a good move on Darkin to pass him at the end of the first lap and ensure that we did not have a last place on the scoresheet. Loram rode round the stock car track after the race and applauded the Wolves fans on the back straight – what a nice gesture!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening with some excellent racing despite the one-sided score and the Arena fans were fairly philosophical and pleasant about the result. Every member of the Wolves team should be proud of what they contributed and by heck they looked it as they came round on the truck for the victory parade after the meeting. I hope this result will lead to increased confidence at away tracks and further wins as the play-off place race heats up. The journey home went very quickly and was spent with a permanent smile on my face as I thoroughly enjoyed relaying the match details by phone to several folks.
Is it down to earth with a bump next Wednesday at Poole or can we carry the momentum on and do some damage there as we make up for our recent mediocre results in the land of the Pirates? Let’s sharpen the cutlasses and show them a Wolves performance like the one we saw last night.
Five Star ratings:
Weather; **** Despite the rain on the M25 it was dry and warm in Purfleet.
Track Conditions; **** Very good – allowed for plenty of passing (but mainly by Wolves riders!).
Attendance; ** Reasonable. About the same as last time, although the programme notes state that attendances are dropping, and hammerings like this one will surely not help.
Entertainment; **** The track allowed riders to pass and to use the dirt on the outside line. The last time we came it was slick so this is an improvement.
Referee; – Tony Steele *** Had a good meeting except for stopping heat 5 unnecessarily IMO.
Man of the Match; – How do I select one from a team that has ridden so well from heatleaders to reserves? It could have been Krzys for being the only Wolf to beat Loram. It could have been Magnus for once again securing us a maximum in heat 2 with a lightning start. Ronnie and Johnno were certainly contenders both astonishingly having four bonus points and showing some great riding skills. Mikael only dropped a couple of points and is worthy of consideration for the award and Freddie recovered from a slow start and dug in well to once again reach double figures from the difficult number five team position.
But my choice is Krzysztof Pecyna for the incredible way he adapted his riding style from the big Polish tracks he is used to riding, to this tiny little circuit and mastered it so well. Krzysztof would have had a maximum if heat 8 had not been stopped because he was leading at the time of the stoppage.
Rider Ratings
Mikael Max**** Dropped a star for not beating Loram but otherwise excellent. Great to see him team ride outside Ronnie.
Ronnie Correy**** Got the results that we were sure he would have done last time if his machinery had lasted the pace. The right track for his style.
Freddie Lindgren*** At the start of the season he would have got 4 stars but my expectations have risen along with his performances. Looks like he’s sorted the heat 15 jinx as well.
Steve Johnston**** Very good, solid riding with flashes of brilliance on a track he seems to like a lot.
Adam Skornicki**** Great value all night – only lost to Loram.
Magnus Karlsson*** Produced some very quick gates and has now made heat 2 a ‘no-go’ zone for opponents.
Krzysztof Pecyna***** He’s gone from zero at Arena in April to HERO in June! A very worthy winner of the Man of the Match award for a super ‘five-star’ meeting. Thanks Krzysztof.
See you at the Green.
Lawt
Oh so ‘Proud to be a Wolf’
?? We are just a bunch of faceless cowards!!!!
