Brilliant Bears beat Poole!

REDCAR maintained their 100% home record with a pulsating 46-44 win over Poole at the ECCO Arena. Redcar’s Charles Wright struck paid 13 for the hosts with Ace Pijper hitting a vital paid 10. Poole captain Zach Cook top scored with paid 13 for the reigning Cab Direct Championship winners who took the aggregate bonus point by a 10 point margin (85-95). 

The Bears began with a 4-2 heat advantage as Wright surged past Tobias Thomsen on the 4th bend of the opening lap for the win, and with Redcar guest Jacob Hook 3rd ahead of Richard Lawson, Redcar started positively on Teesside. 

However, the visitors immediately levelled proceedings with a 4-2 of their own as Paul Starke won, and with Will Cairns passing Pijper in the early stages, Poole had their first heat advantage of the evening. 

The table topping Pirates then struck their first 5-1 as Lewi Kerr and Zach Cook left Antti Vuolas and Jason Edwards standing at the start to send the visitors ahead on their travels. Nevertheless, Redcar registered their opening maximum of the match as Danny King won comfortably, and with Pijper picking the right line and holding off Lawson for 2nd, the Bears were back level. 

Heat five saw a superb race as Thomsen led from the tapes, with Edwards and Lawson having an intense battle for 2nd with both riders looking likely to pass the Poole number two. However, Edwards passed Thomsen, leaving Lawson in his wake to win, but with Vuolas 4th, the scores remained level. 

The sixth heat of an entertaining evening’s racing saw Wright use the inside line to pass Kerr on lap three, but with Hook suffering a puncture whilst 4th, the deadlock could not be broken at the ECCO Arena. 

Heat seven saw the 3rd shared heat of the match as King won, but with Jody Scott 4th, Redcar remained level with Poole. Heat eight saw Pijper take a superb tapes to flag win, but with Hook 4th and Redcar running their 6th last place of the meeting, the hosts had to settle for a level meeting. 

After a pair of shared races won by Cook and Wright respectively, Poole regained the lead in heat 11 as Lawson (on his 2nd bike) won, but with King just about holding off Thomsen, the Pirates had to settle with a 4-2. 

Heat 12 saw high drama as Edwards pushed Kerr wide on the opening bends to win, but with Kerr having mechanical problems on lap four, Pijper happily profited to take 2nd and send Redcar into a two point lead of their own. 

The 13th heat of a Cab Direct Championship thriller saw Lawson win, but with rider replacement Thomsen 4th, Poole were running out of heats in their battle for the two league points. 

The penultimate race saw Vuolas come to the party for Redcar with the Finn having a terrific battle with Cook which the Bears guest duly won, and with Pijper capping off a superb evening with a vital 3rd place ahead of Cairns, Redcar were on the verge of victory. 

Heat 15 saw Lawson win despite huge pressure from Wright, but with Cook unable to reel in the British number two, Redcar secured the spoils to add two points to their Cab Direct Championship tally. 

Redcar Bears = 46 (85)

1. Charles Wright = 12+1

2. Jacob Hook (G) = 1

3. Jason Edwards = 7+1

4. Antti Vuolas (G) = 6

5. Danny King = 10

6. Jody Scott = 2

7. Ace Pijper = 8+2

Poole Pirates = 44 (95)

1. Richard Lawson = 11+1

2. Tobias Thomsen = 7

3. Lewi Kerr = 7+2

4. Zach Cook = 12+1

5. Anders Rowe R/R

6. Paul Starke = 5+1

7. Will Cairns = 2+1