Workington Comets produced a superb performance to win their first match of the season at Redcar Bears last night.
A 46-44 victory at the Eco Arena in their first BSN Series match only told half the story as the Comets snatched the win with a 5-1 in the last heat – the first time they had been ahead.
Indeed early on it was looking like a potential disaster for after only four heats the Comets were 12 points adrift.
But from that point the Comets gradually worked their way back into the meeting and in the following 11 heats the Bears never gained another race advantage.
Heat one could not have started any worse for the visitors. Captain Craig Cook was excluded for touching the tapes and in the re-run Tate Zischke was very much in contention when he had a chain malfunction and ended in the fence.
Fortunately there was no lasting damage to the young Australian and the tapes exclusion did not affect Cook for the rest of the meeting,.
The Workington skipper led from the front with 13 points and a bonus, well supported by both Troy Batchelor (10 and a bonus) and Claus Vissing (10).
Zischke had a win and two thirds to follow that opening crash while fellow newcomer Antti Vuolas rode better than his four points (a win and a third) would indicate.
Down at reserve Celina Liebmann did well, picking-up second in her first outing and then after an engine failure battled hard for a point.
Unfortunately she was out of time in her fourth ride and had to go off 15 metres. She almost snatched third after a great effort but her ride ended painfully when she collided with the back of Connor Bailey’s bike as he slowed past the finish.
The German was down on the track for a few minutes and when helped to her feet limped painfully off the track.
Bailey had finished second in that race behind Vuolas in what was a series of shared heats which kept Workington just two behind going into the 15th – a last heat decider.
James Wright, the ex-Comet and Danny King, went in against Cook and Batchelor. When they had contested heat 13 Cook had beaten Wright with King holding off Batchelor for a 3-3.
This time the Comets pair both made a good start and Wright, going wide after the second turn collided with the fence. He was excluded which left King to take on the Workington pair in the re-run.
A King win would edge the meeting for the Bears; if he split the Comets a super heat decider would be needed and if he couldn’t get past either of them it would be a Workington win.
Cook and Batchelor both made great starts and went on to hold off the experienced Bears rider for a 5-1 which won the match – a meeting that had included some thrilling and entertaining racing.
Redcar Bears 44
Danny King 8 + 2; Jason Edwards 7 + 2; Connor Bailey 8; Jonas Knudsen 4 + 1; Charles Wright 10; Jake Mulford 5 + 2; Ben Trigger 2.
Workington Comets 46
Craig Cook 13+ 1; Tate Zischke 5 + 1; Antti Vuolas 4; Claus Vissing 10; Troy Batchelor 10 + 1; Sam McGurk 1; Celina Liebmann 3.
