REDCAR returned to winning ways after a stunning speedway meeting as they overcame a spirited Workington side 46-44 at the ECCO Arena.
The highlight of the meeting came from the returning Bears legend Charles Wright in heat 13 who produced two stunning passes to win the race and send the home crowd into raptures. Teenage sensation Jody Scott top scored for the “Agilia” Bears with 15 whilst Drew Kemp led the Comets charge with an impressive 15+1.
Bears boss Gavin Parr admits consistency is an issue after an ECCO Arena classic. Parr said, “ I always thought Workington would give us a tough battle and so it proved. Things are a bit of a rollercoaster for us at the moment as most of the riders are searching for more consistency but we will keep working hard and try to come up with the answers.”
Wright’s return to the sport looked like it had got off to the worst possible start in heat one as he went through the tapes, but due to a tapes malfunction, all four riders were invited back for the re-run.
The re-run saw Wright pass Niklas Holm Jakobsen (who had replaced Vinnie Foord due to machinery issues) on bend two for the lead, and with Lambert ending lap one by going underneath Jakobsen, it looked set to be the dream start for Redcar until the Dane clipped Lambert’s back wheel and both men took a nasty tumble.
After a delay for medical attention to both, Jakobsen was excluded and withdrawn with a suspected wrist injury with Lambert and his machine battered and bruised. The 3rd staging saw Lambert excluded as his bike was not ready after the collision and Scott replaced the Bears number two.
The final staging of the race saw Wright gate, but with Jonas Jeppesen all over the skippers back wheel, heat one was far from done. Jeppesen looked to have passed Wright entering the final lap, but Wright blocked his run. However, Jeppesen dived inside Wright on bend three, only for the British number 2 to produce a mesmerising cutback to win, and with Scott 3rd, Redcar eventually began with a heat advantage.
The reserves race saw Ace Pijper lead from the gate, but the Bears starlet made a mess of bend three of the opening lap, allowing the lone Comet Max Perry through for the win in a shared heat on Teesside.
Kemp started his evening in scintillating style as he comfortably won heat three, and with Tate Zischke 2nd, the visitors hit the front. However, Redcar returned the favour in heat four as Scott rode a superb outside line to pass Perry, and with the Comets reserve focused on his compatriot, Allen stormed up the inside on the line to take 2nd and give Redcar a two point lead.
After Jeppesen passed Mulford to secure his first chequered flag of the night in a shared heat five, Wright made it two from two in heat six, and with Lambert battling past Perry on the last bend, the Bears had snuck into a 20-16 lead.
However, the Comets engine room pairing hit back again, this time in heat seven as Kemp won convincingly, and with Zischke passing Allen, the six man Comets were back level.
Scott continued his superb 2026 with a comfortable heat eight win, and with Lambert passing both Comets, Redcar’s four point lead was re-established. However, this was the end of the road for Lambert as the effects of his heat one crash saw him withdraw from the meeting.
After Batchelor won a shared heat nine, Kemp lowered Wright’s colours for the first time as he won heat 10, but with Zischke 4th, Redcar remained ahead.
Heat 11 saw the impressive Jeppesen win after an exciting tussle with Allen, but with Foord’s nightmare evening ending with another retirement, the gap remained at four points.
Heat 12 saw Scott gate and win convincingly , and with Jake Mulford riding an incredibly intelligent outside line to take the paid win, Kemp’s colours were lowered and Redcar had a 40-32 lead, much to the delight of the Bears fans.
After the interval, the aforementioned heat 13 saw Wright remind everyone why he is the King.
Batchelor and Jeppesen led convincingly from the gate and looked set to hit back with a maximum. However, Wright built up his speed and passed Jeppesen entering lap three. As the skipper kept plugging away on the outside, Batchelor turned his head to look for Wright on the inside entering lap four, but Wright flew around the outside and took the lead on the backstraight and secured the win with everyone inside the stadium struggling to believe what they had just seen.
With Wright’s win ensuring a shared race, Workington team manager Barry Collins used his tactical substitute in heat 14. The decision worked perfectly as Zischke won, and with tactical substitute Kemp 2nd, we had the sixth last heat decider of the season on home shale.
Heat 15 saw Kemp and Jeppesen gate, but Wright and Mulford both dived up the inside of the Dane entering lap two. However, Jeppesen made short work of Mulford but was some way behind Wright. However, every Redcar fan held their breath as Wright lifted violently on lap three but somehow regained control and then settled for second to secure a 46-44 home win.
Redcar Bears = 46
- Charles Wright = 12+1
- Simon Lambert = 3+1 Withdrawn
- Jake Mulford = 5+2
- Jason Edwards = 4+1
- Jake Allen = 5+1
- Ace Pijper = 2+2
- Jody Scott = 15
Workington Comets = 44
- Jonas Jeppesen = 10+1
- Vinnie Foord = 1
- Drew Kemp = 15+1
- Tate Zischke = 7+2
- Troy Batchelor = 7
- Niklas Holm Jakobsen = 0 WITHDRAWN
- Max Perry = 4