Post by Pieman on Oct 5, 2006 17:19:05 GMT
BRITISH UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP, MONDAY 2ND OCTOBER
Lewis Bridger 3 3 3 3 3 =15
Tai Woffinden 3 3 2 3 3 =14
Ben Barker 3 2 2 2 3 =12 (3rd after run-off)
Jack Hargreaves 2 3 3 2 2 =12
Daniel Betson 3 2 1 2 3 =11
Lee Smart 2 3 3 1 1 =10
Jamie Westacott 1 2 2 0 2 =7
Harland Cook 0 0 3 3 0 =6
Ben Taylor 2 0 2 1 1 =6
Robert Mear X 1 1 1 2 =5
Simon Lambert 2 1 1 1 - =5
Billy Legg 0 1 X 2 1 =4
Jack Roberts (res) - - 3 0 1 =4
Shane Waldron 1 F 0 0 2 =3
Joe Haines 1 2 F 0 0 =3
Sam Martin 1 0 1 T 0 =2
Ben Hopwood 0 1 0 X - =1
Kyle Hughes (res) - - - - T =0
The third running of the British Under-18 Championship at Monmore saw perhaps a predictable result, with Elite League star Lewis Bridger romping to the title with a maximum, although he had his fair share of luck along the way. As expected the meeting produced its fair share of falls and hair-raising action, and this combined with substandard refereeing meant that the meeting took over two and a half hours to complete.
There was plenty of impressive young speedway talent on show with some, most notably Scunthorpe’s Tai Woffinden, displaying racing of the highest standards and proving that there is still a big future for British speedway.
There were some late changes to the line-up, with the injured Josh Auty – who had been among the hot favourites for the title – replaced by Rob Mear, while Simon Lambert replaced Richie Dennis.
Heat 1 (rerun): Betson, Lambert, Waldron, Mear (f.exc), 59.36.
Betson has been in rated form around his home track of Rye House this season, and it was no surprise to see him speed off into the lead. Meanwhile his Raiders team mate Mear perhaps should be rechristened Spear, as he showed no intention of lifting off as they entered turn three and was unable to turn, shooting straight on into the air fence – had the fence not been present he may well have ended up in the East Park! He was unhurt although excluded, and the rerun saw Betson lead Lambert all the way, with Waldron further behind.
Heat 2: Barker, Smart, Martin, Cook, 59.20.
Pint-sized Somerset star Barker led all the way from fellow ex-Oxford Conference League man Smart, while Cook held third until his bike slowed, allowing yet another former Oxford man, Martin, into third.
Heat 3: Woffinden, Taylor, Haines, Hopwood, 59.12.
To my knowledge, Tai Woffinden had never even seen Monmore Green before this meeting, but he rode as if he had been a Wolves rider for years in this one on his way to a consummate victory. Hopwood challenged Redcar asset Haines early on, but went out wide where the grip had not yet shifted to and fell away.
Heat 4 (rerun): Bridger, Hargreaves, Westacott, Legg, 59.69.
Bridger’s first ride, and his first slice of luck. At the first turn he appeared to forget to turn left, and barged Legg into the air fence. “Shades of Pedersen” was some fans’ view, but rather strangely referee Christina Turnbull allowed all four back in the rerun. This time Hargreaves gated with Bridger briefly relegated to third behind Westacott, but the Eastbourne young gun was soon around the outside of the Plymouth Devil and into second, carving across the front of him as he tried to retaliate, before sweeping past local lad Hargreaves at the start of the final lap.
Heat 5: Woffinden, Betson, Legg, Cook, 59.23.
Woffinden produced a fine cutback on turn two – the kind of move the Karlsson brothers have pulled off so impressively in the past – to take Betson for the lead, and he went on for another win. Is there no end to this guy’s talent? Meantime the rather wild Legg rounded Cook on lap two for third, the Rye House man clearly still not happy with his machinery set-up.
Heat 6: Bridger, Barker, Lambert, Taylor, 59.08.
Bridger gated but Barker tried the outside line out of turn two, only to pick up some horrendous lift and only just stay on his machine. With his challenge blunted, irdger was clear for another win.
Heat 7: Smart, Westacott, Hopwood, Waldron (fell), 61.93.
A slightly bizarre heat saw Waldron gate with Smart at the back, rounding Hopwood on the first lap. These two then made contact on turn four and Waldron spun off, parting company with his machine in matador fashion! Hopwood and Smart were slowed up as they avoided the gyrating rider and machine allowing Westacott to lead, but Smart, displaying an unusual leg-trailing style, rounded him on the last lap for an unlikely win. Waldron looked to be in a bit of discomfort but was able to walk back to the pits.
Heat 8: Hargreaves, Haines, Mear, Martin, 60.44.
Hargreaves showed his knowledge of Monmore to lead Haines all the way, with Mear battling past Martin at the back.
Heat 9: Hargreaves, Barker, Betson, Hopwood (f.rem), 60.11.
Two wins on the trot for Hargreaves, although he was made to work harder in this one. Betson was briefly level with him but lost out to Barker, who closed Hargeaves down on the last lap and just failed to take the win following a last bend attack. Hopwood’s poor night continued as he fell on lap three.
Heat 10: Cook, Westacott, Lambert, Haines (f.rem), 62.04.
As the track slickened it suited Cook’s set-up better and was probably more akin to the type of track surface he is used to at Hoddesdon, and this allowed him to lead all the way here. Haines and Westacott had a good battle for second, with the Plymouth man trying a wide line off the last turn prompting Haines to give it a burst of throttle on the exit, but he looped and fell heavily - fortunately he was quickly on his feet.
Heat 11: Bridger, Woffinden, Martin, Waldron, 58.63.
The race that would ultimately decide the championship saw Woffinden gate and enter the first turn level with Bridger, the latter pulling clear on the outside. Waldron clipped the fence exiting turn four but stayed on his machine, while Woffinden’s very wide line failed to work and he could not make up ground on Bridger.
Heat 12 (rerun): Smart, Taylor, Mear, Legg (f.exc), 60.29.
Smart and Mear were side by side for almost the whole of the first lap, with Smart coming out ahead. Further back on turn four Legg and Taylor tangled and came down with Legg appearing injured. Incredibly the red lights did not come on (perhaps the referee was too busy watching the battle for the lead?) and as the riders thundered towards the stricken Legg the green start lights flashed on instead! Legg, although injured, was left to frantically drag himself onto the centre green just as the red lights finally appeared, alleviating what could have been a disastrous incident caused by surely one of the most diabolical refereeing mishaps ever seen at Monmore. Legg was excluded but was fortunately able to continue in the meeting, while the rerun saw Smart clear off at the front using the grip on the outside well. A good battle behind saw Taylor steal second from Mear on the last lap, and just hold on in a very close finish.
Heat 13: Bridger, Betson, Smart, Haines, 60.02.
Once again Bridger missed the start, and was third exiting the first turn. Betson led until turn four when Bridger took Smart wide, and at the same instant Betson almost appeared to leave a gap on his inside and Bridger accepted the invitation, moving from third to first in one turn.
Heat 14 (rerun): Roberts, Legg, Lambert, Hopwood (f.exc), Martin (exc, tapes), 62.46.
Martin began an eventful heat by ploughing through the tapes, which he then dragged back to the pits still trapped in his bike! Buxton young gun Jack Roberts replaced him, and led off as Hopwood rounded Lambert for second followed by Legg. These two battled until the last lap when they collided and piled heavily into the turn two fence, with Hopwood excluded and looking in pain from an ankle injury. Ben refused a ride in the ambulance but his meeting was over, and the rerun (strangely the race was not awarded) saw Roberts take the lead from Lambert and go on to win, with Lambert struggling and slipping back behind Legg, whose wayward style saw him almost fall on the last turn.
Heat 15: Cook, Hargreaves, Taylor, Waldron, 61.43.
Hargreaves gated but Cook had clearly got his set-up right by now as he went around Him for the win.
Heat 16: Woffinden, Barker, Mear, Westacott, 61.44.
Yet another win for Woffinden, but this heat saw his first slip of the night as his machine reared alarmingly exiting turn four on lap three, and he was lucky to stay on, let alone keep his lead.
Heat 17: Betson, Westacott, Taylor, Martin, 61.86.
Westacott rounded Betson for the lead on lap one, with Taylor then also joining the fray. A three-abreast moment on lap two saw Betson emerge in front, and he went on for a good win.
Heat 18 (rerun): Woffinden, Hargreaves, Smart, Roberts, Hughes (exc, tapes), 59.69.
Lambert pulled out of his last ride and it was later learned that he had been carrying an injury throughout the meeting, so Hughes replaced him but promptly hit the tapes! Roberts came out to replace his fellow reserve, but it was Hargreaves who made the start only for Woffinden to emerge from turn one in front again. Smart’s unusual style again worked well, taking him past Roberts on the outside for third at the end of lap one.
Heat 19: Barker, Waldron, Legg (fell, pushed home), Haines (ret), 60.94.
Barker went outside Legg to lead, the Newport man then almost losing at once again on turn four allowing Waldron into second. Haines pulled off early on, while Legg fell on the last turn and pushed his bike over the line for a point. Barker’s win set him up for a run-off for third place with Hargreaves.
Heat 20: Bridger, Mear, Roberts, Cook, 58.43.
Bridger had to win to take the title outright and avoid a run-off with Woffinden for the title (none of this “finals” nonsense here!). He did just that in emphatic style, blasting away from the gate to win in the fastest time of the night. Mear impressed by going outside Cook and Roberts – in for the injured Hopwood – on turn two, with Cook the slowing with bike problems.
Heat 21 (run-off for third): Barker, Hargreaves, 59.08.
After two and a half hours, the last race of the night was a straightforward affair, with Barker flying from the gate and using the outside line to pull away.
Ratings:
Weather: Dry but very autumnal (i.e. cold!)
Track: Started off OK, but the inside line went slick at half distance, and all the drive shifted to the outside.
Attendance: Could have been better – the admission prices may have been a factor, but these riders deserve support as they are the future of British speedway.
Entertainment value: A drawn-out affair, but one with some good racing and plenty of falls.
Referee (Christina Turnbull): Very poor performance – re-ran one heat when it could easily have been awarded, not excluding Bridger for knocking Legg off at the start of heat three, and surely not stopping a race when a rider is lying hurt on the track is inexcusable.
Man of the Meeting: It has to go to Tai Woffinden who was by far the most consistently fast rider on show.
Rider ratings:
Lewis Bridger: 9 A little lucky on the night, especially the heat 4 decision.
Tai Woffinden: 9 “Sign him up!” was the general consensus on the night!
Ben Barker: 7 Good gating from the former Oxford starlet.
Jack Hargreaves: 7 His Monmore experience helped him greatly.
Daniel Betson: 7 Showed a lot of promise.
Lee Smart: 6 Leg-trailers are not often seen at Monmore nowadays!
Jamie Westacott: 6 His form seems to have stagnated this season.
Harland Cook: 6 Struggled to get used to the track, but OK when he did.
Ben Taylor: 5 Some expected better from the Buxton young gun.
Robert Mear: 6 Reasonable once he learned the track.
Simon Lambert: 4 Handicapped by injury.
Billy Legg: 5 Very wild riding all night, and several falls – at least he entertained!
Jack Roberts: 6 Would have done well given more chances.
Shane Waldron: 3 Did not convert his Monmore second half experience well.
Joe Haines: 3 Much-hyped rider failed to live up to expectations.
Sam Martin: 4 A poor all-round performance.
Ben Hopwood: 3 Struggled all night, and ended it in the fence.
Kyle Hughes: N/A Impossible to judge from the six or so inches travelled in his one appearance!
An entertaining, if controversial, meeting, with plenty of thrills and spills and some good chances for the youngsters of UK speedway to show off their ability. With just the Midland Trophy and Olympique to go at Monmore this year, it promises to be an entertaining climax to the 2006 season.
Once a Wolf, always a Wolf
Dave Goddard a.k.a. Pieman.
Lewis Bridger 3 3 3 3 3 =15
Tai Woffinden 3 3 2 3 3 =14
Ben Barker 3 2 2 2 3 =12 (3rd after run-off)
Jack Hargreaves 2 3 3 2 2 =12
Daniel Betson 3 2 1 2 3 =11
Lee Smart 2 3 3 1 1 =10
Jamie Westacott 1 2 2 0 2 =7
Harland Cook 0 0 3 3 0 =6
Ben Taylor 2 0 2 1 1 =6
Robert Mear X 1 1 1 2 =5
Simon Lambert 2 1 1 1 - =5
Billy Legg 0 1 X 2 1 =4
Jack Roberts (res) - - 3 0 1 =4
Shane Waldron 1 F 0 0 2 =3
Joe Haines 1 2 F 0 0 =3
Sam Martin 1 0 1 T 0 =2
Ben Hopwood 0 1 0 X - =1
Kyle Hughes (res) - - - - T =0
The third running of the British Under-18 Championship at Monmore saw perhaps a predictable result, with Elite League star Lewis Bridger romping to the title with a maximum, although he had his fair share of luck along the way. As expected the meeting produced its fair share of falls and hair-raising action, and this combined with substandard refereeing meant that the meeting took over two and a half hours to complete.
There was plenty of impressive young speedway talent on show with some, most notably Scunthorpe’s Tai Woffinden, displaying racing of the highest standards and proving that there is still a big future for British speedway.
There were some late changes to the line-up, with the injured Josh Auty – who had been among the hot favourites for the title – replaced by Rob Mear, while Simon Lambert replaced Richie Dennis.
Heat 1 (rerun): Betson, Lambert, Waldron, Mear (f.exc), 59.36.
Betson has been in rated form around his home track of Rye House this season, and it was no surprise to see him speed off into the lead. Meanwhile his Raiders team mate Mear perhaps should be rechristened Spear, as he showed no intention of lifting off as they entered turn three and was unable to turn, shooting straight on into the air fence – had the fence not been present he may well have ended up in the East Park! He was unhurt although excluded, and the rerun saw Betson lead Lambert all the way, with Waldron further behind.
Heat 2: Barker, Smart, Martin, Cook, 59.20.
Pint-sized Somerset star Barker led all the way from fellow ex-Oxford Conference League man Smart, while Cook held third until his bike slowed, allowing yet another former Oxford man, Martin, into third.
Heat 3: Woffinden, Taylor, Haines, Hopwood, 59.12.
To my knowledge, Tai Woffinden had never even seen Monmore Green before this meeting, but he rode as if he had been a Wolves rider for years in this one on his way to a consummate victory. Hopwood challenged Redcar asset Haines early on, but went out wide where the grip had not yet shifted to and fell away.
Heat 4 (rerun): Bridger, Hargreaves, Westacott, Legg, 59.69.
Bridger’s first ride, and his first slice of luck. At the first turn he appeared to forget to turn left, and barged Legg into the air fence. “Shades of Pedersen” was some fans’ view, but rather strangely referee Christina Turnbull allowed all four back in the rerun. This time Hargreaves gated with Bridger briefly relegated to third behind Westacott, but the Eastbourne young gun was soon around the outside of the Plymouth Devil and into second, carving across the front of him as he tried to retaliate, before sweeping past local lad Hargreaves at the start of the final lap.
Heat 5: Woffinden, Betson, Legg, Cook, 59.23.
Woffinden produced a fine cutback on turn two – the kind of move the Karlsson brothers have pulled off so impressively in the past – to take Betson for the lead, and he went on for another win. Is there no end to this guy’s talent? Meantime the rather wild Legg rounded Cook on lap two for third, the Rye House man clearly still not happy with his machinery set-up.
Heat 6: Bridger, Barker, Lambert, Taylor, 59.08.
Bridger gated but Barker tried the outside line out of turn two, only to pick up some horrendous lift and only just stay on his machine. With his challenge blunted, irdger was clear for another win.
Heat 7: Smart, Westacott, Hopwood, Waldron (fell), 61.93.
A slightly bizarre heat saw Waldron gate with Smart at the back, rounding Hopwood on the first lap. These two then made contact on turn four and Waldron spun off, parting company with his machine in matador fashion! Hopwood and Smart were slowed up as they avoided the gyrating rider and machine allowing Westacott to lead, but Smart, displaying an unusual leg-trailing style, rounded him on the last lap for an unlikely win. Waldron looked to be in a bit of discomfort but was able to walk back to the pits.
Heat 8: Hargreaves, Haines, Mear, Martin, 60.44.
Hargreaves showed his knowledge of Monmore to lead Haines all the way, with Mear battling past Martin at the back.
Heat 9: Hargreaves, Barker, Betson, Hopwood (f.rem), 60.11.
Two wins on the trot for Hargreaves, although he was made to work harder in this one. Betson was briefly level with him but lost out to Barker, who closed Hargeaves down on the last lap and just failed to take the win following a last bend attack. Hopwood’s poor night continued as he fell on lap three.
Heat 10: Cook, Westacott, Lambert, Haines (f.rem), 62.04.
As the track slickened it suited Cook’s set-up better and was probably more akin to the type of track surface he is used to at Hoddesdon, and this allowed him to lead all the way here. Haines and Westacott had a good battle for second, with the Plymouth man trying a wide line off the last turn prompting Haines to give it a burst of throttle on the exit, but he looped and fell heavily - fortunately he was quickly on his feet.
Heat 11: Bridger, Woffinden, Martin, Waldron, 58.63.
The race that would ultimately decide the championship saw Woffinden gate and enter the first turn level with Bridger, the latter pulling clear on the outside. Waldron clipped the fence exiting turn four but stayed on his machine, while Woffinden’s very wide line failed to work and he could not make up ground on Bridger.
Heat 12 (rerun): Smart, Taylor, Mear, Legg (f.exc), 60.29.
Smart and Mear were side by side for almost the whole of the first lap, with Smart coming out ahead. Further back on turn four Legg and Taylor tangled and came down with Legg appearing injured. Incredibly the red lights did not come on (perhaps the referee was too busy watching the battle for the lead?) and as the riders thundered towards the stricken Legg the green start lights flashed on instead! Legg, although injured, was left to frantically drag himself onto the centre green just as the red lights finally appeared, alleviating what could have been a disastrous incident caused by surely one of the most diabolical refereeing mishaps ever seen at Monmore. Legg was excluded but was fortunately able to continue in the meeting, while the rerun saw Smart clear off at the front using the grip on the outside well. A good battle behind saw Taylor steal second from Mear on the last lap, and just hold on in a very close finish.
Heat 13: Bridger, Betson, Smart, Haines, 60.02.
Once again Bridger missed the start, and was third exiting the first turn. Betson led until turn four when Bridger took Smart wide, and at the same instant Betson almost appeared to leave a gap on his inside and Bridger accepted the invitation, moving from third to first in one turn.
Heat 14 (rerun): Roberts, Legg, Lambert, Hopwood (f.exc), Martin (exc, tapes), 62.46.
Martin began an eventful heat by ploughing through the tapes, which he then dragged back to the pits still trapped in his bike! Buxton young gun Jack Roberts replaced him, and led off as Hopwood rounded Lambert for second followed by Legg. These two battled until the last lap when they collided and piled heavily into the turn two fence, with Hopwood excluded and looking in pain from an ankle injury. Ben refused a ride in the ambulance but his meeting was over, and the rerun (strangely the race was not awarded) saw Roberts take the lead from Lambert and go on to win, with Lambert struggling and slipping back behind Legg, whose wayward style saw him almost fall on the last turn.
Heat 15: Cook, Hargreaves, Taylor, Waldron, 61.43.
Hargreaves gated but Cook had clearly got his set-up right by now as he went around Him for the win.
Heat 16: Woffinden, Barker, Mear, Westacott, 61.44.
Yet another win for Woffinden, but this heat saw his first slip of the night as his machine reared alarmingly exiting turn four on lap three, and he was lucky to stay on, let alone keep his lead.
Heat 17: Betson, Westacott, Taylor, Martin, 61.86.
Westacott rounded Betson for the lead on lap one, with Taylor then also joining the fray. A three-abreast moment on lap two saw Betson emerge in front, and he went on for a good win.
Heat 18 (rerun): Woffinden, Hargreaves, Smart, Roberts, Hughes (exc, tapes), 59.69.
Lambert pulled out of his last ride and it was later learned that he had been carrying an injury throughout the meeting, so Hughes replaced him but promptly hit the tapes! Roberts came out to replace his fellow reserve, but it was Hargreaves who made the start only for Woffinden to emerge from turn one in front again. Smart’s unusual style again worked well, taking him past Roberts on the outside for third at the end of lap one.
Heat 19: Barker, Waldron, Legg (fell, pushed home), Haines (ret), 60.94.
Barker went outside Legg to lead, the Newport man then almost losing at once again on turn four allowing Waldron into second. Haines pulled off early on, while Legg fell on the last turn and pushed his bike over the line for a point. Barker’s win set him up for a run-off for third place with Hargreaves.
Heat 20: Bridger, Mear, Roberts, Cook, 58.43.
Bridger had to win to take the title outright and avoid a run-off with Woffinden for the title (none of this “finals” nonsense here!). He did just that in emphatic style, blasting away from the gate to win in the fastest time of the night. Mear impressed by going outside Cook and Roberts – in for the injured Hopwood – on turn two, with Cook the slowing with bike problems.
Heat 21 (run-off for third): Barker, Hargreaves, 59.08.
After two and a half hours, the last race of the night was a straightforward affair, with Barker flying from the gate and using the outside line to pull away.
Ratings:
Weather: Dry but very autumnal (i.e. cold!)
Track: Started off OK, but the inside line went slick at half distance, and all the drive shifted to the outside.
Attendance: Could have been better – the admission prices may have been a factor, but these riders deserve support as they are the future of British speedway.
Entertainment value: A drawn-out affair, but one with some good racing and plenty of falls.
Referee (Christina Turnbull): Very poor performance – re-ran one heat when it could easily have been awarded, not excluding Bridger for knocking Legg off at the start of heat three, and surely not stopping a race when a rider is lying hurt on the track is inexcusable.
Man of the Meeting: It has to go to Tai Woffinden who was by far the most consistently fast rider on show.
Rider ratings:
Lewis Bridger: 9 A little lucky on the night, especially the heat 4 decision.
Tai Woffinden: 9 “Sign him up!” was the general consensus on the night!
Ben Barker: 7 Good gating from the former Oxford starlet.
Jack Hargreaves: 7 His Monmore experience helped him greatly.
Daniel Betson: 7 Showed a lot of promise.
Lee Smart: 6 Leg-trailers are not often seen at Monmore nowadays!
Jamie Westacott: 6 His form seems to have stagnated this season.
Harland Cook: 6 Struggled to get used to the track, but OK when he did.
Ben Taylor: 5 Some expected better from the Buxton young gun.
Robert Mear: 6 Reasonable once he learned the track.
Simon Lambert: 4 Handicapped by injury.
Billy Legg: 5 Very wild riding all night, and several falls – at least he entertained!
Jack Roberts: 6 Would have done well given more chances.
Shane Waldron: 3 Did not convert his Monmore second half experience well.
Joe Haines: 3 Much-hyped rider failed to live up to expectations.
Sam Martin: 4 A poor all-round performance.
Ben Hopwood: 3 Struggled all night, and ended it in the fence.
Kyle Hughes: N/A Impossible to judge from the six or so inches travelled in his one appearance!
An entertaining, if controversial, meeting, with plenty of thrills and spills and some good chances for the youngsters of UK speedway to show off their ability. With just the Midland Trophy and Olympique to go at Monmore this year, it promises to be an entertaining climax to the 2006 season.
Once a Wolf, always a Wolf
Dave Goddard a.k.a. Pieman.
