Rising Finnish star Antti Vuolas did Workington Comets proud by reaching the final of the Riders Championship at Redcar.
Vuolas, who was the Comets only representative in the end after Craig Cook (injury) and Troy Batchelor (illness) pulled out of the event, finished last in the final so misserd out on a podium finish.
But it was still a great effort by the young Finn in his first season of British speedway and underlined the Comets’ promotion’s call to bring him over was a sound one.
Yet the afternoon had started badly for Vuolas as he finished last in heat four and when he was right out again in the next race he managed third.
But it was an upward curve after that – as has frequently been the case across the season – it was an upward curve as he bagged a second and two heat wins for a satisfactory nine points.
The satisfying victory was the last when he beat defending champion Charles Wright and ex-Grand Prix rider Chris Harris.
Wright was looking to be the first rider to win the title two years in a row since Comets legens Carl Stonehewer achieved the feat in 2001 but he had a disappointing meeting. That second to Vuolas was just about as good as it got for the Redcar number one as he finished with just five points.
Vuolas, with his nine points, went into the last chance qualifier and did really well, charging past Drew Kemp and Danny King to take second place behind Josh Pickering.
The first two went into the Grand Final against the two top scorers in the meeting – Poole team-mates Richard Lawson (13) and Ben Cook (11) but in the final the Pirates couldn’t match the power of Edinburgh’s Pickeriong who completed a fine season by taking the individual honours.
Vuolas did finish back in fourth but it was still an achievement in reaching the final after his first season of racing in the country.
Scorers were:
Richard Lawson (Poole) 13; Michael Palm Toft (Scunthorpe) 0; Chris Harris (Glasgow) 8; Jason Edwards (Redcar) 8; Ashton Boughen (Oxford) 6; Charles Wright (Redcar) 5; Tom Brennan (Poole) 7; Danny King (Redcar) 10; Leon Flint (Glasgow) 4; Josh Pickering (Edinburgh) 11; Drew Kemp (Berwick) 8; Dan Thompson (Plymouth) 6; Antti Vuolas (Workington) 9; Sam Masters (Oxford) 9; Simon Lambert (Scunthorpe) 3; Ben Cook (Poole) 11.
Reserves: Freddy Hodder 1; Danny Phillips 1.
Last Chance Qualifier: 1. Pickering, 2. Vuolas, 3. Kemp, 4. King.
Grand Final: 1. Pickering, 2. Cook, 3. Lawson, 4. Vuolas.
