Brilliant Bears punish Comets!
REDCAR made it seven wins on the spin with a convincing 53-37 win over Workington. The “Agilia” Bears punished the Comets for a slow start which ended their slim play-off hopes.
Remarkably, no rider scored double figures with only Workington’s Tate Zischke hitting paid double figures with 9+2. Redcar produced a superb team display with the lowest scorer, (Ace Pijper) hitting 6+1 with guest Jake Allen top scoring with 9.
Workington started proceedings with a heat winner as Fraser Bowes impressively held off Charles Wright for the win, but with Troy Batchelor unable to make an impression on Jake Mulford, the opening spoils were shared at the ECCO Arena.
After Vinnie Foord hit the deck on the opening bends of heat two, the Bears struck a 4-2 heat advantage as the Bears Sam Hagon, won impressively from the gate, and with Pijper keeping Foord at the back, Redcar had the lead in search of their 11th home win in 2025.
Allen opened his account with a tapes to flag heat win, and with Jason Edwards 3rd, Redcar had a four point advantage on Teesside. The Bears hit their first maximum in heat four as Pijper took a comfortable win, and with Danny King holding off early pressure from Antti Vuolas, the hosts had a sizeable eight point lead in the early stages.
After a shared heat five won by Edwards, the Bears hit their second maximum as Mulford brilliantly passed Vuolas on bend four of lap one to lead, and with Wright passing the Finn entering lap four, Redcar had full control in their final Cab Direct Championship league match.
The rampant Bears hammered home their advantage with another 5-1 as King took his first chequered flag of the match, and with Hagon again impressing onlookers with a paid win, the Comets were in big trouble.
If the Comets were in big trouble after seven heats, they were in disarray after heat eight as Mulford won comfortably, and with Pijper making a breathtaking double inside pass on both Comets at the end of lap one for the paid win, Redcar had a 34-14 lead.
Heat nine saw Allen register his second win, and with Edwards 3rd, Redcar struck their 7th heat advantage in only the 9th race of the evening. Workington finally hit back with their first heat advantage in heat 10 as Jye Etheridge and Tate Zischke team rode brilliantly to hold off Wright to reduce the deficit to 18 points at the ECCO Arena.
However, Redcar resumed their dominance with a heat 11 4-2 as King continued his impressive form to win, and with Hagon 3rd despite pressuring Batchelor in the early stages, Redcar’s lead was a substantial one.
Heat 12 saw Workington show some fight as Jacob Hook won, and with Vuolas holding off Edwards, the visiting Comets fans had something to cheer.
After Wright won a shared heat 13, Redcar surpassed the 50 mark as Allen capped off a successful guest booking with a win, and with Hagon 3rd, Redcar had a 51-33 lead on home shale.
The final race of the evening saw Zischke win ahead of Edwards, and with Hook beating Mulford for 3rd, Workington took their 3rd heat advantage to end on a high.
Redcar Bears = 53 (104)
1. Charles Wright = 8+1
2. Jake Mulford = 7+1
3. Jason Edwards = 8
4. Jake Allen (G) = 9
5. Danny King = 8+1
6. Sam Hagon (G) = 7+1
7. Ace Pijper = 6+1
Workington Comets = 37 (76)
1. Troy Batchelor = 6
2. Fraser Bowes = 4+1
3. Tate Zischke = 9+2
4. Jye Etheridge = 4
5. Antti Vuolas = 5+1
6. Jacob Hook = 8
7. Vinnie Foord = 1