Workington Comets’ poor performance at Poole in mid-week was consigned to the bin after a 61-29 victory over Edinburgh at Northside yesterday.
It was exactly the score they had been overwhelmed by the Pirates and was their biggest score since returning to the Championship.
On a day of top performances none did better than young Australian Tate Zischke who raced to a five-ride 15 point maximum, his first in British Speedway.
Judging by the way he blew away the opposition it won’t be his last as he gave a faultless display of gating and raw power.
A weakened Edinburgh side, without number one Josh Pickering, injured the night before and still missing Norwegian Lasse Fredrikson through illness, were just swept away.
They only won three races – two of them by Paco Castagna – and had one heat advantage and it was damage limitation from a long way out.
If Zischke claimed the headlines there was also a minor starring role for Celina Liebmann who won her second race in British speedway, much to the delight of the Northside faithful.
Heat one had started with Zischke laying down a template for the meeting with a tape to flag victory and although Justin Sedgmen pushed Craig Cook throughout he could not prevent the first 5-1 of the meeting.
Then step forward Celina for the reserves race. The German gated from gate one with Sam McGurk and the two Edinburgh riders all close going into turn three on the opening lap.
Unfortunately for the Monarchs, Connor Coles clipped team-mate Max James and brought him down so the race was stopped with Coles excluded.
In the rerun Liebmann gated again and led throughout with McGurk chasing James but unable to get past. It was her second win as a Comet, being successful in heat 12 against Scunthorpe on April 28.
Edinburgh’s first win of the meeting came in heat three – a tape to flag win for Kai Thomson with Antti Vuolas pressing him in the early stages.
Troy Batchelor went hard under Sedgmen at the start of the second lap to take the lead in the next and in heat five Vuolas and Claus Vissing led all the way for a 5-1.
Heat six was a sensational tape to flag ride by Zischke in the fastest time of the afternoon, with his skipper Cook following him home.
Heat seven produced a thrilling race between Paco Castagna and Batchelor. Castagna led early on but Batchelor went under him at the end of lap three before the Edinburgh rider went back under the Australian coming out of turn two.
But Batchelor was back under his opponent coming off the last turn to snatch the win by half a wheel.
Zischke led all the way in the next but McGurk had a great battle with James for the four laps and eventually made second place stick for a Comets 5-1.
Vuolas battled with Sedgmen for the opening two laps of heat nine before finally seeing of his challenge while heat ten was another tape to flag win for Zischke.
Batchelor suffered his only defeat of the afternoon in heat eleven despite pushing Castagna for the entire four laps but just couldn’t pass him. It was Edinburgh’s only heat advantage of the meeting as Sam Hagon beat Liebmann for third.
Vuolas and Batchelor won the next two heats before Castagna led all the way in a points-shared penultimate hear as James retired when last at end of lap two.
In heat 15 Zischke led all the way to complete his maximum although he was pushed by Castagna in the early stages after which Cook tried to reel in and pass the Monarch and they had a great battle for the last three laps.
Castagna just held on to second place to ruin Cook’s paid maximum hopes.
Workington Comets 61
Craig Cook 9 + 4; Tate Zischke 15; Antti Vuolas 11; Claus Vissing 6 + 2; Troy Batchelor 11; Celina Liebmann 5 + 1; Sam McGurk 4 + 1.
Edinburgh Monarchs 29
Josh Pickering (rider replacement); Sam Hagon 2; Kye Thomson 4 + 1; Paco Castagna 11; Justin Sedgman 9; Max James 3; Connor Coles 0
You can hear what team manager James Denham thought below:
