Bears battle to see off Monarchs!
REDCAR picked up their second Cab Direct Championship win of the season with a 50-40 win over a resilient Edinburgh Monarchs at the ECCO Arena.
The Bears strength in depth helped secure the win with Charles Wright hitting 13 whilst Paco Castagna scored paid 11 for the visitors. Redcar’s reserves proved the difference with Ace Pijper (8) and Jody Scott (5+2), outscoring the Edinburgh reserves by nine points.
The “Agilia” Bears began with Wright overhauling Victor Palovaara on the opening lap for the win, but with Jake Mulford at the back, Redcar could not gain a heat advantage in the opening race.
Heat two saw the red-hot Redcar reserves produce a superb maximum 5-1 as Pijper made it six wins from his last six races with a clever pass on the opening bends for the win, and with Scott joining Pijper at the front, the hosts had an 8-4 advantage on Teesside.
The Bears made it three heat winners on the spin as the in-form Danny King took the win, but with Tate Zischke being passed by Castagna, Redcar could not extend their early lead.
However, heat four saw Redcar extend their lead as Erik Riss took a customary tapes to flag win, and with Pijper 3rd, the Bears had a commanding advantage after four heats at the ECCO Arena.
Redcar produced their 2nd maximum heat advantage of the night as King won well, and with Zischke holding off both Monarchs for 2nd, the large Bears crowd had another heat advantage to cheer, as well as a healthy 10 point advantage.
Nevertheless, the Monarchs were never going to back down and they secured their first heat advantage in heat six. Their new signing and ex-Bear Michael Palm-Toft used his knowledge of the ECCO Arena circuit to hold off a hard charging Wright on the run to the line for the win, and with Jonatan Grahn in 3rd, Edinburgh reduced the arrears to eight points.
Castagna took his opening win of the match with a blistering pass on Riss on the opening lap, but with Scott and Riss team riding to keep Sedgmen at the rear, the Monarchs remained eight behind.
Pijper continued his resurgence with a heat eight success in a shared race, and Palm-Toft made it eight points from nine with a classy heat nine win, but with Grahn struggling at the rear, the Bears were still in command.
Heat 10 saw a classic encounter as Castagna looked to have scouted Wright’s every move, until the skipper produced a superb inside pass on the run to the line for the win, but with Pijper 4th, it was four shared heats on the spin on Teesside.
However, the impasse was shattered by the Monarchs in heat 11 as Kye Thomsen and Victor Palovaara took a 5-1 over Riss and Scott to bring Edinburgh within striking distance of the Bears at 35-31.
Heat 12 was a vital one, and after a tapes issue in the original staging, Zischke took a priceless win, and with Pijper capping his fine evening off with a 3rd place ahead of Grahn, Redcar extended their lead to six points with three heats remaining.
After Palovaara took an impressive heat 13 win in a shared encounter, Redcar secured the spoils with the 8th shared heat of the match as Castagna won, but with Loftus 4th, the hosts had picked up another home win.
Heat 15 saw Redcar add the exclamation mark to another solid showing as Wright and King out-trapped Castagna and Palovaara to add the glos, (which will be important for next week’s bonus point) on another home win.
Redcar = 50
1. Charles Wright = 13
2. Jake Mulford = 0
3. Tate Zischke (G) = 6+2
4. Danny King = 12+1
5. Erik Riss = 6+2
6. Jody Scott = 5+2
7. Ace Pijper = 8
Edinburgh = 40
1. Victor Palovaara = 7+1
2. Kye Thomson = 6+2
3. Justin Sedgmen = 5+1
4. Paco Castagna = 10+1
5. Michael Palm Toft = 8
6. Jonatan Grahn = 4
7. Jordy Loftus = 0