Workington Comets produced a superb performance at Scunthorpe last night to push their claims for progress in the BSN Series competition.
Taking an eight-point lead to the Eddie Wright Raceway for the second leg they didn’t just hang onto their lead they stretched it with a fine 47-43 win.
Now Scunthorpe are hard to beat around their own track so this will rank as one of the side’s best away performances since they returned to the Championship three years ago.
The Comets supplied 11 heat winners and enjoyed six heat advantages with another five races in which the points were shared.
Considering they went into the meeting with just four of their own team, using guests and rider replacement to complete the line-up, it was a phenomenal effort.
Jonas Jeppeson has quickly shown his value to the side with the new number one spear-heading the victory surge with 13 points – even after starting the night with a last place in the opening heat.
Also collecting 13 from the same accumulation of points – four wins, a third and a last – was Tate Zischke who has started to produce the performance he looked capable of in his first season before injury struck.
Skipper Troy Batchelor weighed in with a double figure haul of ten and two bonus while new reserve Max Perry settled-in promisingly with four and a bonus.
There was also a special word of appreciation for guest Jake Mulford who won heat one, didn’t score in three races, but also took heat eight in what was a 5-1 alongside Perry.
The Scorpions only led briefly 8-4 after a 5-1 in the reserves race and once they had got back on terms the Comets were never headed, as they finished comfortable aggregate winners 96-84.
The group will be settled at Northside tonight when the Comets bid to claw back six points from their first leg defeat at Redcar with the meeting getting underway at 6pm.
Scunthorpe Scorpions 43 (84)
1. Josh Pickering – 2, 3, 2′, 3, 2, 2 = 14+1
2. Nathan Ablitt – 1′, 1, 1, 2′ = 5+2
3. Luke Harrison – 1, 2, 3, 2, 0 = 8
4. Connor Mountain – 0, 1′, 1′ = 2+2
5. Michael Palm Toft – 2, 1, 2, 1′ = 6+1
6. Simon Lambert – 3, 0, 1′, 2 = 6+1
7. Ryan Ingram – 2′, 0, 0, 0 = 2+1
Workington Comets 47 (96)
1. Jonas Jeppesen – 0, 3, 1, 3, 3, 3 = 13
2. Jake Mulford (G) – 3, 0, 3, 0, 0 = 6
3. Troy Batchelor – 2′, 2, 2′, 1, 3 = 10+2
4. Tate Zischke – 3, 3, 3, 0, 3, 1 = 13
5. Craig Cook R/R – (TZ – 3, TB – 2, JJ – 1, JM – 0 = 6)
6. Sam Hagon (G) – 1, 0, 0 = 1
7. Max Perry – 0, 1, 2′, 1, 0 = 4+1
