Brilliant Bears dismantle Bandits!
REDCAR put themselves in a brilliant position for BSN Series Final qualification with their best performance of the 2026 campaign. The “Agilia” Bears racked up a remarkable 12 heat advantages to record a 58-31 success over the Berwick Bandits.
Nicolai Klindt struck 14 for the Bears, with Jason Edwards (who was on a paid maximum until heat 15) hitting 12+1. Berwick number one Peter Klidemand top scored for the MAXiCab KO Cup Finalists with 10, but the Dane was one of only three race winners for the beaten Bandits.
Redcar team manager Gavin Parr was elated with the result but the boss indicated the job is not done. Parr said, “ It was a great performance and the lads put in a brilliant shift. They really showed what they can do but it is only half time in the tie, and Berwick are very strong at home.”
Berwick opened proceedings with a 4-2 heat advantage as Jye Etheridge won, and with Kildemand 3rd, Berwick had a lead. However, this was as good as it got for the visiting Berwick fans as the capitulation began in the reserves race. Ace Pijper marked his return to the reserve berth with a win, and with the stylish Jody Scott in 2nd, the Bears had a two point lead of their own.
Heat 3 saw drama from the start as ex-Bear Jordan Jenkins failed to get off the start line, leaving Victor Palovaara as the lone Bandit in heat 3. Edwards led the race, with Jake Mulford battling with Palovaara for the paid win, but Mulford’s bike gave up the ghost, leaving the two remaining riders to battle it out, with Edwards securing a relatively comfortable win to extend Redcar’s advantage to 3 points.
The first block of heats ended with Redcar’s second 5-1, but not after drama in the first running of the race. The original staging saw two races in one as Nick Morris led from Jake Allen whilst Berwick’s returning reserve Reid Battye initially led Scott for 3rd. However, Battye fell, and with the Australian unable to clear the track as Allen passed Morris the race was stopped and a re-run ordered.
The re-run saw Allen win, and with Scott 2nd ahead of Nick Morris, the Bears fans had hopes of a big first leg lead.
Heat 5 saw Edwards continue his unbeaten start with a win as he held off the hard charging Kildemand (who passed Mulford on lap 2), but with the Redcar man holding onto 3rd, the Bears had a remarkable 9 point advantage after 5 heats at the ECCO Arena.
Heat 6 saw Klindt take the chequered flag with relative ease, and with Simon Lambert 3rd, Redcar struck their 5th heat advantage with only six heats gone. More of the same followed in heat 7 as Pijper won, and with Allen 2nd, Bandits boss Stewart Dickson could not believe what he was watching.
More success for the hosts arrived in heat 8 as Scott won, and with Lambert passing Battye for 3rd, Redcar were putting the first leg beyond any doubt as they raced into a 32-15 lead. Dickson had more headaches before heat 9 as Morris suffered mechanical problems at the tapes before the race began, with the referee excluding the Australian from the tapes, with Dickson sending his heat leader off 15m.
Heat 9 saw another Bears maximum as Mulford won, and with Edwards passing Jack Smith for 2nd, the home support were in dreamland. Heat 10 saw Klindt win with ease, but with Jenkins passing Scott for 2nd, the Bandit limited the damage to a Bears 4-2.
Berwick finally secured their 2nd heat advantage in heat 11 as Kildemand took a much needed heat win for his side, and with Etheridge 3rd, the visiting support had something to cheer. Another heat advantage followed in heat 12 as Palovaara won, and with Smith 3rd, Berwick reduced the arrears to 19 points.
However, it was only a brief respite for the visitors as Klindt took his 3rd heat win in heat 13, and with Allen 3rd, Redcar’s 21 point advantage was restored. The penultimate race saw more positives for the Bears as Edwards continued his return to form with a win, and with Pijper 2nd, the hosts were having it all their own way.
Heat 15 saw Klindt take his 5th success of the night, but with Kildemand battling past Edwards, the Redcar number four was denied a paid maximum. Despite not securing a maximum 5-1, the Bears rounded off their best night of the season with their 12th heat advantage to secure a memorable win in their quest to retain their BSN Series crown.
Redcar Bears = 58
- Nicolai Klindt = 14
- Simon Lambert = 2
- Jake Mulford = 4
- Jason Edwards = 12+1
- Jake Allen = 8+1
- Ace Pijper = 8+1
- Jody Scott = 10+2
Berwick Bandits = 31
- Peter Kildemand = 10
- Jye Etheridge = 6
- Victor Palovaara = 6
- Jordan Jenkins = 3
- Nick Morris = 3
- Jack Smith = 2
- Reid Battye = 1