Category: Bears News

Redcar produced a virtuoso team display to defeat the Workington Comets 51-38 in the Cab Direct KO Cup at the ECCO Arena. Despite the 13 point margin, the fans were treated to close and exciting racing throughout. However, it was not all good news as Redcar lost Danny King to a hand injury in heat 1 with Gavin Parr forced to run injury rider replacement for the entirety of the meeting. Charles Wright top scored for Redcar with 16 with Connor Bailey (13) and Jake Mulford (8+1) also impressing whilst Troy Batchelor hit 12 for the Comets.

The first lap of heat 1 saw disaster strike for the Bears with the aforementioned King crashing out whilst battling Tate Zischke for the lead, with the Aussie then falling on the start finish line. Unusually, the referee excluded both riders from the re-run which left a match race between Jonas Knudsen and Craig Cook. The match race saw Cook take the win despite educated Knudsen pressure which gave the Comets a 3-2 lead at the ECCO Arena.

Heat 2 saw the impressive Mulford take a comfortable win, and with Ben Trigger holding Sam McGurk at the back, Redcar had a 1 point lead in the early stages. After a shared heat 3 won impressively by Connor Bailey, the Bears began to build on their lead with a heat four 4-2 as Wright won convincingly whilst Trigger this time got the better of Celina Liebmann for 3rd to send Redcar into a 13-10 lead on Teesside.

After Craig Cook gated to win a shared heat five with relative ease, Redcar hit a superb 5-1 in the next race as Wright once again won with relative ease whilst Jonas Knudsen rode beyond his years to just hold off Troy Batchelor for 2nd. The overworked Wright was out again in heat 7, and again he took a superb win, and with Mulford holding 3rd ahead of Antti Vuolas, the lead stretched to 9 with the Bears supporters sensing the side’s first win of the season.

Heat 8 saw more changes, this time on the Comets side as Tate Zischke withdrew from the meeting with a back complaint and was replaced by Antti Vuolas in heat 8. The Finn reversed his heat 7 result with a heat 8 win despite Knudsen’s best efforts, but with Liebmann at the back, the Comets could not eat into Redcar’s lead.

Despite early pressure from Bailey, Batchelor took a shared heat 9 win but heat advantages were a rarity for the Comets, ensuring Redcar’s double digit lead remained intact. However, heat advantages were not a problem for the Bears as heat 10 brought their 5th heat advantage as the former Comet, Connor Bailey just held off a hard charging Vissing (who passed Knudsen earlier in the race) on the line for the win, and with Knudsen in 3rd, the Bears lead was extended to 11 points on Teesside.

The 11th race of a superb evening’s entertainment saw one of the races of the season so far as Wright and Cook gated but Mulford, remarkably shot through the middle on bend 2 to sit in 2nd, much to the joy of the home support. Mulford remained in 2nd until Cook passed the Redcar reserve on bend 3 of the penultimate lap but Mulford rode like a man possessed to repass Cook entering the final lap to take the paid win, with the Redcar support going wild in support of the Redcar number 6.

Heat 12 saw the in-form Bailey win again, and with Sam McGurk coming in too hot to bend 3 of the opening lap and falling, Ben Trigger took an unopposed 3rd place to extend Redcar’s advantage to an astonishing 17 points.

Heat 13 saw a classic as Batchelor and Wright went handlebar to handlebar in a thrilling race. Batchelor led from the gate until Wright momentarily took the lead heading into lap 2, only for the Australian to retake the lead entering the backstraight. The Workington man’s lead looked like it was to turn into a win entering the final bends until Wright shot up the inside heading to the line with most onlookers believing the skipper took the win but the referee gave Batchelor the nod, and with Cook in 3rd, the Comets reduced the arrears slightly to 46-31.

With the supporters heart rates returning to some level of normality, the Comets Claus Vissing took his first win of the night after a series of second places, but with Mulford and Edwards packing the minor placings, the visitors remained 15 down on Teesside. The final race of a pulsating evening saw yet another superb battle between Batchelor and Wright with both swapping positions throughout the race but Batchelor once again pipped Wright on the run to the line, and with Vissing 3rd ahead of Bailey, the Comets reduced the gap to 13 ahead of the 2nd leg next Saturday in Cumbria.

Bears boss Gavin Parr was overjoyed with his side’s resolve and performance after a testing start to the season, “ After losing Danny (King) early on we battled really well and took a really important win. Jake (Mulford) was superb with the extra time on the bike with the Middlesbrough Tigers helping him and Connor (Bailey) was also fantastic.”

Redcar Bears = 51

1. Danny King = 0 Withdrawn
2. Jonas Knudsen = 7+1
3. Connor Bailey = 13
4. Jason Edwards = 3+3
5. Charles Wright = 16
6. Jake Mulford = 8+1
7. Ben Trigger = 4+1

Workington Comets = 38

1. Craig Cook = 8
2. Tate Zischke = 0 Withdrawn
3. Antti Vuolas = 7
4. Claus Vissing = 9+1
5. Troy Batchelor = 12
6. Sam McGurk = 0
7. Celina Liebmann = 2

Sheffield Cubs defeated the Middlesbrough “Heat Floors” Tigers in a nip and tuck battle in the Steel City. Despite defeat, the Tigers were more than a match for their opponents and led for long periods of the contest. Jack Smith top scored with 14 for the hosts whilst Ben Trigger hit a confidence boosting 11 for Middlesbrough.

The meeting began in fortunate fashion for the Tigers as Sheffield looked set for a 5-1 until Sheldon Davies suffered a puncture which allowed Jake Mulford and Ben Rathbone through to claim a share of the spoils.

After a shared heat 2 won impressively by the Tigers debutant Kai Ward, Middlesbrough struck the first blow with a big 5-1 but not before some drama in the first staging! With the Tigers on a 5-1, Mickie Simpson picked up major drive and crashed, but thankfully, Simpson walked away unscathed. The re-run saw Jamie Halder and Danny Phillips pick up an impressive 5-1 over Luke Harrison, much to the delight of the Tigers management.

A second shared heat of the meeting followed in heat 4 as Ace Pijper took his first WSRA National Development League home win of the season, but with both Tigers, (Ben Trigger and Kai Ward) packing the minor placings, the Cubs could not gain an advantage. The Tigers stretched their advantage to six points as Mulford took his first win of the night, and with Rathbone in 3rd, the Tigers had relative comfort at 12-18.

After a shared heat won by the impressive Jack Smith, the hosts closed the gap with a 4-2 advantage as Ace Pijper took the chequered flag, and with Kean Dicken in 3rd, the Tigers lead was cut to 4. The hosts then drew level with a big 5-1 in heat 8 as Sheldon Davies opened his account for the evening whilst Stene Pijper passed Ben Rathbone for an important home heat advantage.

After Middlesbrough and Redcar’s Ben Trigger took a tapes to flag heat 9 win in a shared race, the Cubs took the lead for the first time as Smith passed Halder for the win, and with Davies in 3rd ahead of Tigers skipper Danny Phillips, the Steel City side held the impetus on home shale.

After Ace Pijper edged Jake Mulford in a shared heat 11, Danny Phillips took his first chequered flag as the Tigers skipper won heat 12, but with Will Hocaniuk at the back, the Tigers still trailed with 3 heats to go. Heat 13 saw Trigger and Mulford succumb to Jack Smith and Ace Pijper which secured the match for the hosts as they extended their lead to 42-36 at Owlerton Stadium.

After the mightily impressive Halder held off Harrison for a heat 14 win in a shared race, Ben Trigger lowered Jack Smith’s colours by winning heat 15, but with the hosts packing the minor placings, they secured a hard fought 48-42 win and the WSRA National Development League points.

Sheffield Cubs = 48

1. Jack Smith = 14
2. Sheldon Davies = 4
3. Mickie Simpson = 4+2
4. Luke Harrison = 5
5. Ace Pijper = 12+2
6. Kean Dicken = 3+2
7. Stene Pijper = 6+1

Middlesbrough = 42

1. Jake Mulford = 7
2. Ben Rathbone = 4+2
3. Danny Phillips = 5+1
4. Jamie Halder = 10
5. Ben Trigger = 11
6. William Hocaniuk = 1+1
7. Kai Ward = 4+1

Redcar co-promoter, Jamie Swales believes tonight’s WSRA National League clash against the Sheffield Cubs will be a close one, with tapes up at 7:30 Owlerton Stadium as the Middlesbrough Tigers go in search of their first win of the season after falling short at Leicester, despite encouraging performances throughout the side.

Swales, who orchestrated the return of the Tigers to league racing, believes his side have every chance in the Steel City, “ I think it’s two evenly matched sides and I don’t believe the Sheffield side have had a practise around Owlerton so that should help us. Also, we have had 1 match as a team together on Sunday which should also help us tonight.”

Despite defeat against Leicester, Swales declared that there were ‘loads’ of positives from the meeting, “ One of the things we wanted when bringing the Tigers back was to get more bike time for our riders who are also racing for the Bears. Jake (Mulford) looked like a different rider on Sunday, he had so much confidence and then Ben (Trigger) came to the party in heat 15 by beating Joe Thompson.”

Kai Ward makes his debut for the Tigers and Swales is keen to see what the British youngster can bring to the side, “ Kai has had a little bit of WSRA National League experience so that will help him. Kai is very keen and he is booked in to race at our amateur meeting on Saturday.”

The exuberant co-promoter is also excited about the development of Will Hocaniuk after the youngster’s first ever competitive meeting at Leicester, “ Will had a couple of slide-offs but he got up and finished races, he picked up some points and come the end of the season he will have learnt a lot.”

The Cubs bring in Jack Smith at number 1 as an injury replacement for Scunthorpe’s Nathan Ablitt whilst much is expected of Ace Pijper who makes his debut for the combined Sheffield and Scunthorpe side. Pijper is joined by his younger brother Stene whilst Luke Harrison lines up against a side from Redcar for the 3rd time this season! Additionally, Simon Lambert is the side’s team manager with the Scunthorpe man looking to pass on his years of experience to his charges. 

Sheffield Cubs

1. Jack Smith 8.73
2. Sheldon Davies 3.00
3. Mickie Simpson 4.23
4. Luke Harrison 6.86
5. Ace Pijper 5.81
6. Kean Dicken 3.00
7. Stene Pijper 3.00

™: Simon Lambert

Middlesbrough “Heat Floors” Tigers

1 Jake Mulford 8.21

2 Ben Rathbone 4.07

3 Danny Phillips 6.91 (C)

4 Jamie Halder 4.58

5 Ben Trigger 6.34

6 William Hocaniuk 3.00

7 Kai Ward 3.00

™: Stuart Swales

Redcar star Jason Edwards has insisted that confidence is building in the Bears camp, despite the side’s slow start to the season as the “Agilia” Bears host Workington in the Cab Direct KO Cup tomorrow night with tapes up at 7:30 at the ECCO Arena.

Edwards, who has had a sterling start to the season is confident things will turn around soon for the Bears, “ We’ve had quite a few meetings on the bounce and although it sounds silly, we are gaining more and more confidence. Tomorrow night is the KO Cup and it’s time to pull our fingers out and start performing.”

The ‘Billericay Blaster’ has also stressed the importance of the cup fixture, in light of Redcar’s recent run, “ We need to get some race winners, ensure we don’t have any last places and that will make sure we win the meeting.”

Despite the side’s slow start to the season, Edwards highlighted that despite the results, the Bears are not far from hitting form, “ Jamie (Swales) was saying last week, we aren’t doing too badly and at home, we have been in the lead for 27/30 heats so we just need to sharpen things up at the business end of the meeting and that will stand us in good stead.”

Edwards is also keen to see how Bears reserve Jake Mulford performs, after having more bike time recently with meetings for the Middlesbrough Tigers, “ I know Jake thinks he has been struggling but he sometimes overthinks things but with him now having some meetings in the WSRA National League, he can use that to help him in Redcar meetings.”

The British youngster believes his time at Redcar is standing him in good stead, “ I’m absolutely loving riding at the moment. From racing at Redcar, I believe that I have improved my gating. Also, when Roy (Clarke) announces your name, you can hear the fans on the terraces, that doesn’t happen at a lot of clubs and it does make a difference. Also, I must say, I absolutely love riding for Redcar!”

Redcar welcome back Charles Wright into the side after his spill at home to Scunthorpe last week whilst Danny King has also recovered after his horror crash at Workington on Saturday. The visitors, Workington are riding a crest of a wave after recent results with Craig Cook currently on a 7 race unbeaten run whilst their Finn, Antti Vuolas has caught many eyes with his spectacular performances in the early stages of the season.

Any fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed by our streaming partners, Tapes Up Productions @ www.redcar-speedway.tv

Redcar “Agilia” Bears
1. Danny King 8.41
2. Jason Edwards 4.55
3. Connor Bailey 5.23
4. Jonas Knudsen 5.39
5. Charles Wright (C) 7.80
6. Jake Mulford 3.06
7. Ben Trigger 2.08

TM: Gavin Parr

Workington Comets
1 . Craig Cook (C)  8.52
2. Tate Zischke  5.00
3. Antti Vuolas  5.00
4. Claus Vissing  6.24
5. Troy Batchelor  7.16
6. Sam McGurk  2.00
7. Celina Liebmann  4.00

TM : James Denham

The Middlesbrough ‘Heat Floors’ Tigers were defeated 55-35 by a strong Leicester Lion Cubs on the side’s WSRA National League debut. Joe Thompson top scored for the Cubs with 12 whilst Jake Mulford hit an impressive 13 for the Tigers. Middlesbrough acquitted themselves well on a track with a strong home advantage and the promotion will be pleased with several of the side’s performances.

The Tigers took the first chequered flag of the meeting as Jake Mulford started his Tigers career in faultless fashion with a heat win, but with Ben Rathbone at the back, no heat advantage was forthcoming for the visitors.

Heat 2 saw the Tigers guest, Jamie Etherington excluded after falling, with the re-run won by Leicester reserve Sonny Springer. However, Tigers reserve Will Hocaniuk did take the notable scalp of Luke Crang to ensure the hosts did not record a maximum heat advantage. Heat 3 saw another 4-2 for the hosts. Jamie Halder gated for the Tigers until Arran Butcher passed the Tigers number 4 for the win, and with Danny Phillips at the back, the Lion Cubs recorded their second heat advantage of the afternoon.

Trigger took his maiden win in Middlesbrough colours with an impressive heat 4 win in a shared race whilst the ever improving Jake Mulford took his tally to 6 points from 2 outings with a tapes to flag success in another shared race.

Heat 6 saw Trigger take the lead over the Cubs skipper Joe Thompson and Vinnie Foord but with Hocaniuk falling in the early stages, there was a re-run in Leicestershire. The re-run was a different story however as Thompson and Foord edged out Trigger in the early stages to record the hosts first maximum heat advantage.

Heat 7 was an eventful encounter with movement at the tapes from Phillips causing the first stoppage whilst the all action Phillips and Max James hit the deck on the first bend on take two to force a third restaging! However, it was not 3rd time lucky as Phillips was deemed to be moving at the start meaning the Tigers skipper would go off 15m in the 4th attempt at running heat 7! The 4th and final staging saw the fast starting Halder gate but the Tigers youngster was passed by both Crang and James to give Leicester clear breathing space for the first time.

Heat 8 saw the Lion Cubs extend their lead to 16 with a 5-1 as Springer yet again won and with Foord in second, the hosts had a firm grip on proceedings. After a pair of shared heats won by Thompson and Mulford respectively, more drama ensued in an eventful heat 12. The first staging saw Phillips tangle with Springer with the Lions reserve excluded from the re-run. Phillips then missed the 2 minutes with the skipper again going off 15m. The final staging saw Tom Spencer take the heat win in a shared heat in Leicestershire.

The seemingly unstoppable Mulford took another superb win over Joe Thompson but the Lions struck their 4th maximum heat advantage in heat 14 courtesy of Crang and Butcher. The final race of the afternoon saw Trigger demonstrate his class with a heat 15 success but Jake Mulford could not complete a stunning maximum with the Tigers number 1 losing out to Joe Thompson for the first time.

Overall, the clash was one the Tigers riders would have learnt a lot from with attentions now turning to Thursday when the side travel to Sheffield.

Leicester Lion Cubs = 55

1. Joe Thompson = 12
2. Vinnie Foord = 4+2
3. Tom Spencer = 9
4. Arran Butcher = 7+2
5. Max James = 5+4
6. Luke Crang = 10+1
7. Sonny Springer = 8

Middlesbrough Tigers = 35

1. Jake Mulford = 13
2. Ben Rathbone = 1
3. Danny Phillips = 4
4. Jamie Halder = 5+1
5. Ben Trigger = 9
6. William Hocaniuk = 3+1
7. Jamie Etherington (G) = 0

Middlesbrough Tigers skipper, Danny Phillips has declared that he will be a proud moment as the ‘Heat Floors’ Tigers make their WSRA National League bow with a tough trip to Leicester with tapes up at 15:00 at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena.

Phillips, who rode for Berwick in 2023, has confessed how proud he is to be awarded the captaincy, “ To captain and ride for my hometown club is a real proud moment for me and overall, I think it will be a really good year.”

The 27 year old knows the Tigers will be in for a tough test against a strong Leicester side, “ Leicester always put out a strong side at this level. Also, only Ben (Trigger) and Jake (Mulford) have had matches whilst Leicester have had a couple of meetings at this level already.”

The skipper also praised the club’s heat leader trio, which looks to be a fearsome one, “ The signing of Jake gives us a really strong top 3. Jake and Ben are experienced at this level and they are both good riders. Once we get into the swing of things, I think we will be hard to beat!”

The club promotion have also brought in Will Hockaniuk with Phillips excited by the youngsters potential at this level, “ Before we signed Will I didn’t know anything about him but I’ve watched him practice a couple of times. I have given him some pointers and he listened straight away, took it on board and put it into practice on track.”

Middlesbrough have made a late swoop for Kai Ward, a former Leicester rider. However, the 20 year old is unavailable for today’s clash due to a pre-arranged commitment with the youngster set to make his debut on Thursday at Sheffield. With Ward unavailable, the Tigers bring in the exciting British youth rider Jamie Etherington as a guest.

The hosts, Leicester are led by Joe Thompson whilst the Darlington born Luke Crang is expected to be a real asset at reserve for the hosts across the campaign.

Leicester Lion Cubs
1- Joe Thompson 9.08 (C)
2- Vinnie Foord 3.81
3- Tom Spencer 5.78
4- Arran Butcher 4.69
5- Max James 5.70
6- Luke Crang 3.61
7- Sonny Springer 3.00
™: Dave Howard

Middlesbrough “Heat Floors” Tigers

1 Jake Mulford 8.21
2 Ben Rathbone 4.07
3 Danny Phillips 6.91 (C)
4 Jamie Halder 4.58
5 Ben Trigger 6.34
6 William Hocaniuk 3.00
7 Jamie Etherington 3.00 (G)
™: Stuart Swales

Workington produced a superb team performance to defeat the Redcar “Agilia” Bears 49-41 at the GT Tyres Arena. The Bears were more than a match for their hosts but lost Danny King to injury in heat 11 whilst also missing the skipper Charles Wright. Craig Cook top scored for the Comets with a faultless paid maximum (14+1) whilst Jonas Knudsen hit a fantastic paid 14 (12+2) for the Bears.

Cook began his perfect afternoon with an impressive win over Danny King who put Cook under calculated pressure but could not find a way past, but with Tate Zischke at the back, the heat was shared. The first heat advantage was struck by the Bears in heat 2 as Jake Mulford took a superb win, and with Ben Trigger holding off Celina Liebmann for 3rd, Redcar had the advantage by the seaside.

Heat 3 saw the hosts hit back with a 4-2 of their own as Antti Vuolas held off Connor Bailey for the heat win, and with Claus Vissing passing Jason Edwards for 3rd, the Comets drew level. The 4th race of an entertaining afternoon saw a great race unfold as Justin Sedgmen, the Redcar guest, found superb speed around the outside to pass Troy Batchelor on the run to the line, and with Trigger again holding off Liebmann for 3rd, the Bears once again edged in front.

The “Agilia” Bears then struck a superb 5-1 as Danny King and Jonas Knudsen left the Comets standing to hit a maximum heat advantage to send the Bears into a 6 point lead in Cumbria. However, Workington hit back with a maximum heat advantage of their own as Craig Cook took the win, and with Zischke passing both Sedgmen and Mulford, the Comets were back within 2 points of the Bears.

After a pair of shared heats in Cumbria, the hosts drew level with their second 4-2 heat advantage as the impressive Finn, Antti Vuolas defeated Sedgmen for the win, and with Vissing ahead of Mulford in 3rd, Redcar’s lead was now a distant memory with the scores level. The Comets then hit the front for the first time in the BSN Series clash with a superb 5-1 as Zischke and Cook combined to send the Comets fans wild.

Heat 11 saw a superb race with Knudsen, Batchelor and King all battling for the heat win until Sam McGurk lost control and wiped Danny King out with the race entering the final lap. The referee awarded the heat in favour of the former GP star Batchelor who was at the front at the time of the stoppage. However, the Bears promotion first concern was Danny King with the Brit looking to have avoided serious injury after clashing with both McGurk and the Workington fence.

After a shared heat 12 won by Vuolas, the Comets struck an important 4-2 in heat 13. Sedgmen initially cut back on Cook to take the lead but the skipper of the Comets rode the outside to take the win, and with Batchelor battling past a game Trigger, the Bears were 6 down in Cumbria.

Gavin Parr then brought the flying Dane, Jonas Knudsen as a tactical substitute with the decision paying huge dividends with the impressive looking number 2 taking the win, and with Edwards in 3rd, the Bears had yet another last heat decider! The final race of an exciting afternoon saw both Comets gate over Knudsen and Sedgmen to take the win, and the match with the Bears left rueing their bad luck with injuries.

Workington Comets = 49 (95)

1. Craig Cook = 14+1
2. Tate Zischke = 7+1
3. Antti Vuolas = 10
4. Claus Vissing = 4
5. Troy Batchelor = 11+1
6. Sam McGurk = 2
7. Celina Liebmann = 1+1

Redcar Bears = 41 (85)

1. Danny King = 6+1 (WITHDRAWN)
2. Jonas Knudsen = 12+2
3. Connor Bailey = 7
4. Jason Edwards = 2+1
5. Justin Sedgmen (G) = 8
6. Jake Mulford = 4+1
7. Ben Trigger = 2

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr has challenged his Redcar side to step things up as the “Agilia” Bears travel to Workington today in search of their first win of the campaign with tapes up at 3pm at the GT Tyres Arena. 

Parr, who is desperate for his side to pick up their first win said, “ Nobody is more frustrated than me at the moment, we are desperate to win meetings and I don’t think we are too far away from that happening.”

The former rider turned team manager wants his side to relax on the bike this afternoon, “ The BSN Series (for Redcar) is over so hopefully the boys can go out on the bike, relax and get the result we want.”

The Newcastle born man believes Jonas Knudsen will love the Workington circuit, “ Jonas should love the track. Workington’s track is a bit like Poland with big, open spaces so he should really go well today!”

Parr has also emphasised the importance of heat 2, “The reserves race is always an important one so if Ben (Trigger) and Jake (Mulford) can get us off to a good start that should bode well for the rest of the meeting, especially as the reserves have got to have 6 more rides between them.”

Parr also explained the guest situation, with Charles Wright missing after picking up a shoulder knock last night against Scunthorpe, “ Erik (Riss) had agreed to come in as a guest but his engine had been sent away. Erik only sent the engine away today but unbeknown to Erik, the guy had already stripped the engine and he doesn’t want to use his second engine as he doesn’t want to let Redcar down. However, we have secured the services of Justin Sedgmen to guest at number 5.”

Workington are unchanged from the reverse fixture at the ECCO Arena with the Comets looking to record their first home win of the season after they were defeated by Berwick on home shale three weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Bears bring in the aforementioned Justin Sedgmen to guest in place of Charles Wright with Danny King taking over the captaincy in Wright’s absence. 

Workington Comets

1 . Craig Cook (C)  8.52

2. Tate Zischke  5.00

3. Antti Vuolas  5.00

4. Claus Vissing  6.24

5. Troy Batchelor  7.16

6. Sam McGurk  2.00

7. Celina Liebmann  4.00

TM : James Denham

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1. Danny King © 8.41

2. Jonas Knudsen 5.39

3. Connor Bailey 5.23

4. Jason Edwards 4.55

5. Justin Sedgmen (G) 7.80

6. Jake Mulford 3.06

7. Ben Trigger 2.08

TM: Gavin Parr

Redcar fell to their second defeat of the season at home as the Scorpions took a 48-42 away success at the ECCO Arena. Jason Edwards hit a superb paid 12 for the Bears whilst Michael Palm-Toft hit a sublime paid maximum (14+1) for Scunthorpe. 

Redcar started the meeting in superb style with a 5-1 heat advantage as Danny King won comfortably whilst Jonas Knudsen held off educated pressure from Kyle Howarth. Scunthorpe struck their first heat win in heat 2 as their guest, Jack Smith took an impressive win, but with both Ben Trigger and Jake Mulford in points scoring positions, the hosts 4 point lead remained intact. 

Heat 3 saw the Scorpions hit their first heat advantage as Palm-Toft passed Edwards on the backstraight of lap 1 to take a deserved win, and with Simon Lambert in 3rd, Redcar’s lead was cut in half. Heat 4 saw the Bears gate on a 5-1, only for Ben Trigger to be passed by Jake Allen, but Allen could not catch Wright which gave the Bears a 4-2 and the relative security of a 4 point lead after 4 heats on Teesside. 

After Edwards impressively won a shared heat 5, Redcar struck another impressive 5-1 as King and Knudsen once again teamed up for a maximum heat advantage with the Dane superbly passing Allen on lap 3 for the paid win. 

However, disaster struck for the “Agilia” Bears in heat 7 as Wright attempted to pass both Scorpions on bends 3 and 4 of lap number 2 but the skipper came to grief and suffered a shoulder injury, thus ruling him out of the remainder of the meeting. In further bad news for the Bears, the Scorpions were awarded a 5-1 which brought them back within 4 of Redcar. 

Heat 8 saw Knudsen ride superbly to pass Jack Smith on lap 2 and Connor Mountain on the run to the line to take a sublime heat win, but with Ben Trigger at the back, the Bears could not extend their lead at the ECCO Arena. Nevertheless, that lead was extended in heat 9 as Connor Bailey and Jason Edwards combined for a fabulous 5-1 heat advantage to give the Bears an 8 point lead. 

The lead was immediately back to 4 points after heat 10 though as Lambert and Palm-Toft emerged from bend 2 at the front, and despite educated Jonas Knudsen pressure, the Scorpions took their chance to bring them back into the match. 

After Edwards and Bailey both took the chequered flag in shared heats, Scunthorpe hit a vital 4-2 in heat 13. With the Bears missing Wright, Kyle Howarth took the win, and with Allen holding off Knudsen for 3rd, suddenly the Scorpions were within 2. Scunthorpe then edged ahead for the first time in heat 14 as Palm-Toft continued his serene evening with a win, and with Luke Harrison finishing in a fantastic second, the visitors had the advantage heading into heat 15. 

The final race of an entertaining evening saw the Scorpions hit a 5-1 to win the match as Howarth and Palm-Toft gated to secure a big away win for Scunthorpe with the Bears still searching for their first win of the season. 

Redcar Bears = 42 

1. Danny King = 9

2. Jonas Knudsen = 8+2 

3. Connor Bailey = 6

4. Jason Edwards = 11+1 

5. Charles Wright = 3 WITHDRAWN 

6. Jake Mulford = 2+1 

7. Ben Trigger = 3 

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 48 

1. Kyle Howarth = 8+3

2. Connor Mountain = 6

3. Simon Lambert = 7+2  

4. Michael Palm Toft = 14+1

5. Jake Allen  = 5 

6. Jack Smith (G) = 4+1 

7. Luke Harrison = 4+1

Redcar boss Gavin Parr has challenged his “Agilia” Bears to repay the faith shown in them by the Bears faithful ahead of Redcar’s crucial BSN Series clash against Scunthorpe at the ECCO Arena with tapes up at 7:30 tomorrow at the ECCO Arena.

Parr, in his second year in charge of the Bears, wants his side to improve on their performance against Workington after the Bears defeat on home shale last Friday, “ Myself and the promotion have had some long and hard chats with the riders over the last week. The performance against Workington is not what we want or not what we expect of them and the riders know that. I know It’s still very early in the season and the riders are getting their set-ups sorted but the paying public do deserve more.”

Despite an early home defeat, Parr still believes the Bears can qualify from their BSN Series group, “ If we can beat Scunthorpe and Workington and overcome both aggregate deficits then we can qualify! I know it will be difficult but it all starts tomorrow night, we need a big home performance.”

Parr also believes in Redcar’s Jonas Knudsen, despite the Dane’s slow start to the season, “ Jonas knows he is far better than he has shown so far. Jonas has been struggling with his set-up at home but he felt more comfortable in his final ride last Friday so he will be starting with that set-up tomorrow night.”

The Newcastle born boss is confident his side can return to winning ways, “ If you look at last week’s match, we know it was not a good performance but if Charles was 6 inches to the left we would have won the match. We know we have riders in our side who are not firing at the moment but Friday is about winning and getting a smile back on people’s faces!”

Parr has elected to swap Jonas Knudsen and Jason Edwards in the riding order with Edwards moving to number 4 to partner Connor Bailey whilst Jonas Knudsen moves up to number 2 partner Danny King in heat 1. Charles Wright will be hoping to continue his blistering start to the season whilst Jake Mulford and Ben Trigger will be hoping to improve on their performances against Workington.

The Scorpions track a number of ex Bears including Jake Allen and Michael Palm-Toft, whilst Luke Harrison rode 16 meetings as a guest for Redcar last season. The Scorpions also track track specialist Simon Lambert who hit a sublime paid 14 against the Bears in October last season. Joining the ex Bears in the visitors line-up is Jack Smith who rode for Redcar in 2019.

Any fans who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed via our streaming partners, Tapes Up Productions @ www.redcar-speedway.tv

Redcar Agilia Bears

1- Danny King 8.41
2- Jonas Knudsen 5.39
3- Connor Bailey 5.23
4- Jason Edwards 4.55
5- Charles Wright (c) 7.80
6- Jake Mulford 3.06
7- Ben Trigger 2.08

TM – Gavin Parr

Scunthorpe Scorpions

1 Kyle Howarth 7.76
2 Connor Mountain 5.28
3 Simon Lambert 5.87 ©
4 Michael Palm Toft 7.01
5 Jake Allen 7.16
6 Jack Smith (G)
7 Luke Harrison 2.00

™ – David Howe