Category: Bears News

Tickets now on sale for the 2023 End Of Season Awards Evening at Leonardo Hotel in Middlesbrough
6pm doors open
Interviews with all the team, Buffet and Live music with Last Anthem

http://www.redcar-speedway.com/shop/

Postage available or collection from the trackshop on race night.

Glasgow edged out Redcar 39-33 at the ECCO Arena in a rain-curtailed Cab Direct Championship clash. Danny King top scored for the Bears with 10 whilst Tom Brennan hit 10+2 for the Tigers. 

Danny King opened proceedings with a heat 1 win, but with his partner, Danyon Hume unable to find a way past Chris Harris, Redcar could not start with a heat advantage. 

Heat 2 saw another Redcar heat winner in the shape of Jason Edwards but the Bears reserve was made to work hard for the win! Edwards gated but was passed by Lee Complin on lap 2 but the Redcar man is made of stern stuff and he re-passed Complin entering lap 3 for the win, but with Redcar guest Luke Killeen at the rear, the scores remained level. 

Glasgow struck the first telling blow in heat 3 with a 5-1 courtesy of Vadim Tarasenko and Tom Brennan with the Bears pairing of Connor Bailey and Erik Riss both missing the gate. 

After Glasgow’s guest, Richard Lawson won a shared heat 4, Redcar hit back with a 4-2, but that does not tell the story of an eventful heat 5! Harris gated and looked set for a comfortable win until ‘Bomber’ suffered mechanical issues and retired which looked set to hand Redcar a 5-1 until Brennan battled past Bailey to limit Redcar to a 4-2 as Riss took the chequered flag for the first time. 

A brace of shared heats won by Lawson and Cook respectively saw the Bears remain 2 behind. However, Redcar drew level as Hume impressively won heat 8 ahead of Brennan and with Edwards in 3rd, the meeting was back on an even keel. Glasgow immediately retook the lead with a 4-2 in heat 9 as Lawson made it 3 wins from 3 for the win whilst Glasgow’s guest reserve, Jack Smith rode superbly to hold off Riss to send the Tigers 2 ahead. 

After heat 10 was a shared race won by Tarasenko, the Tigers struck a telling blow in heat 11 as Harris and Brennan combined for a 5-1 despite Cook battling Brennan for 2nd which sent the Tigers into a 30-36 lead on Teesside. With the Bears 6 behind, Parr elected to use his tactical substitute in the shape of Danny King. Despite King winning impressively ahead of Tarasenko, Bailey was unable to find a way past Smith which kept Glasgow 6 ahead at the ECCO Arena. 

Heat 13 saw Redcar gate on a comfortable 5-1 until Harris fell whilst at the back. With the race set to be re-run, the heavens opened which brought a premature end to the meeting with Glasgow taking the 3 Cab Direct Championship points. 

Redcar Bears = 33 (72)

1. Danny King = 10

2. Danyon Hume = 5+2

3. Connor Bailey = 4

4. Erik Riss = 3

5. Ben Cook (G) = 6

6. Jason Edwards = 4

7. Luke Killeen (G) = 1+1

Glasgow Tigers = 39 (90)

1. Chris Harris = 4+1

2. Tom Brennan = 10+2

3. Vadim Tarasenko = 10

4. Claus Vissing R/R 

5. Richard Lawson (G) = 9

6. Lee Complin = 3+1

7. Jack Smith (G) = 3+2

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr has challenged his Redcar “Agilia” Bears to preserve the side’s undefeated league record at the ECCO Arena as the Bears host the Glasgow Tigers tomorrow with tapes up at 5pm. 

Parr is confident ahead of the final Cab Direct Championship league clash, “ We want to stay undefeated and we will be going for the win and the aggregate bonus point to remain undefeated at home.”

Ahead of the clash, Redcar have brought in Ben Cook as a guest for Charles Wright with the Redcar skipper racing in the Polish Ekstraliga for Wroclaw and Parr has explained how the move came about, “ Around 3 weeks ago, Charles signed to race for Wroclaw initially as an injury replacement. Subsequently, Charles went to practice on the Saturday with the intention of covering for Piotr Pawlicki for the Sunday and beyond but after the practise, Pawlicki declared himself fit but Charles then signed to cover in the event of another rider suffering an injury. Obviously, Tai Woffinden then crashed so Charles has been called up for Wroclaw for their play-off semi final with the Ekstraliga taking precedence.”

Parr also discussed why he plumped for Ben Cook ahead of Redcar’s final match before the play-offs, “ Despite Charles racing on a 9.33 average in 2023, his rolling average is only 8.00 so we looked at the available guests and chose Ben Cook which I’m sure people will be happy with! Ben loves the ECCO Arena and he has shown that on plenty of occasions whilst racing for Poole and he also rode really well for 3rd in the CLRC!”

Despite Redcar’s confidence flowing, Parr knows the Bears will have a challenge on their hands against Glasgow, “ With Glasgow signing Vadim Tarasenko, they are probably the strongest top 5 that have visited Redcar in 2023 but with Tarasenko not having raced here before, it may take him a couple of rides to get dialled in but make no mistake, he’s world class!”

With the play-offs fast approaching, Parr also offered an update on Redcar’s play-off path, “ By Sunday, we should hopefully know our mini group for the play-offs. After Oxford have visited Glasgow, Jamie (Swales) and the other promoters will be sitting down to map out the play-off fixtures.”

As discussed, Poole’s Ben Cook comes in to guest for Charles Wright whilst Birmingham’s Sam Hagon guests in place of the injured Jake Mulford with regular Redcar guest, Luke Harrison on National League duty with Workington. Additionally, with September’s rolling averages coming into effect, Danny King moves into the number 1 slot whilst Charles Wright moves into number 5 with King also standing in as skipper for the final home league fixture of the season.

The visitors also bring in a guest with Richard Lawson stepping in to replace Benjamin Basso who is also on Polish duty whilst the aforementioned Vadim Tarasenko makes his away debut for Glasgow. Glasgow also have an injury concern in the shape of Claus Vissing who crashed in Denmark on Wednesday, if the Dane is unavailable, rider replacement will run in his absence. 

For any supporters unable to attend the ECCO Arena, the match can be live streamed at www.redcar-speedway.tv  

Redcar “Agilia” Bears 

1. Danny King © 8.54
2. Danyon Hume 4.88
3. Connor Bailey 5.60
4. Erik Riss 7.62
5. Ben Cook (G) 8.00
6. Jason Edwards 4.75
7. Sam Hagon (G) 3.14

™: Gavin Parr

Glasgow Tigers

1. Chris Harris © 9.30
2. Tom Brennan 7.16
3. Vadim Tarasenko 5.00
4. Claus Vissing 6.24 or rider replacement
5. Richard Lawson (G) 9.10
6. Lee Complin 3.87
7. Ace Pijper 2.00

™: Cameron Brown

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears were edged out in the Grand Final of the Cab Direct Championship Pairs as Glasgow took the title. Redcar, who were the reigning champions, were only defeated by Glasgow throughout the qualifying heats but unfortunately for the Bears, Glasgow gained another heat advantage in the final with a 6-3 success to claim the title. 

Redcar started the meeting in superb style but not before some alarming drama for the Redcar skipper Charles Wright. The first staging of heat 4 saw Wright and Scunthorpe’s Simon Lambert collide with Lambert hitting the deck but all 4 riders were invited back for the re-run. The second attempt saw Wright on one wheel exiting bend 2 with the skipper losing his chain. The following seconds saw Wright fall with Ryan Douglas doing extremely well to avoid the 2019 British Champion. 

Nevertheless, Wright was invited back for the re-run after the referee spotted Wright moving on the start line and after some medical attention for the Redcar heat leader, he arrived back at the tapes for the heat 4 re-run. The final staging of heat 4 saw King make a superb gate and with Wright joining King at the front, Redcar had the perfect 7-2 start in the 4-3-2-0 pairs points format. 

Redcar’s pairing then doubled their tally to 14 points after another 7-2 heat advantage in heat 9. The Bears pairing comfortably saw off Plymouth’s Kyle Howarth in the early stages with King picking up his second win of the evening. 

Heat 14 saw the heat of the night as Glasgow gated on a 6-3 with Benjamin Basso leading and Chris Harris in 3rd. However, King was battling with Harris for 3rd whilst Wright was building up speed on Basso. Entering the final lap, both Bears were in hot pursuit of the Tigers but Harris held on to secure 3rd but Wright remarkably passed Basso on the final to secure Redcar 4 precious points. 

Redcar’s final qualification heat against Birmingham gave Redcar the opportunity to draw level with Oxford in the battle for top spot after 18 heats of qualifying. Again, the “Agilia” Bears gated and secured a relatively comfortable 7-2 heat advantage with Wright taking his 2nd win of the night. 

With qualification over, Redcar and Oxford were unable to be separated with a coin toss determining who would face the 4th placed side, Poole in the semi-final. The coin toss saw Redcar call correctly with the ECCO Arena side coming out to face the Pirates in the semi final. 

The semi final saw Richard Lawson gate but Wright soon swooped around the former Bear to take the lead whilst King was sat in 3rd. After an early battle with Ben Cook, King then powered on to pass Lawson on the final lap to earn Redcar another 7-2 and their place in the Grand Final. 

The second semi final saw Oxford’s Sam Masters win but with 2022 Bear Lewi Kerr at the rear after a stunning battle with Harris and Basso, Redcar had the task of downing Glasgow in the Grand Final. 

The Grand Final saw Basso gate with both Bears packing into the all important minor placings but entering lap 2, Harris passed King and despite the 37 year old’s best efforts, he was unable to pass ‘Bomber’ as Redcar’s reign ended with the Tigers taking the 2023 crown. 

Qualification results

Glasgow Tigers = 23

Chris Harris – 4, 3, 3, 2 = 12

Benjamin Basso – 2, 4, 2, 3 = 11

Poole Pirates= 17

Richard Lawson – R, 0, 3, 3 = 6

Ben Cook – 3, 2, 4, 2 = 11

Oxford Cheetahs = 25

Sam Masters – 4, 3, 0, 3 = 10

Lewis Kerr – 3, 4, 4, 4 = 15

Edinburgh Monarchs = 14

Luke Killeen – 0, 2, 0, 0 = 2

Josh Pickering – 2, 3, 4, 3 = 12

Birmingham Brummies = 14

Troy Batchelor – R, R, 2, 0 = 2

Justin Sedgmen – 3, 4, 3, 2 = 12

Berwick Bandits = 15

Leon Flint – 2, 2, 3, 0 = 7

Jye Etheridge – 4, 0, 2, 2 = 8

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 17

Ryan Douglas – 2, 3, 4, 4 = 13

Simon Lambert – 0, 4, 0, 0 = 4

Redcar Bears = 25

Charles Wright – 3, 3, 4, 4 = 14

Danny King – 4, 4, 0, 3 = 11

Plymouth Gladiators = 12

Kyle Howarth – 2, 2, 2, 2 = 8

Max Perry – 0, 0, 0, 4 = 4

Grand Final result: 

Grand Final: Basso, Wright, Harris, King.  (Redcar 3-6 Glasgow)

Redcar team boss, Gavin Parr is keen to retain the current feel good factor around the club after Charles Wright’s Championship League Riders Championship (CLRC) individual success as Wright and Danny King travel to Oxford to defend Redcar’s Championship Pairs title with tapes up at 7:30pm at Sandy Lane. 

Parr, who managed Charles Wright & Lewis Kerr to pairs glory in 2022, is confident of Redcar’s chances in the Cardiff curtain raiser, “ Both of the boys made the final on Sunday, they were both in the pairs final last year and they are both experienced riders so we stand a good chance.”

After Charles Wright delighted the home crowd by winning the CLRC on Sunday, Parr was happy to see another trophy being added to the Bears cabinet, “ To have both of our riders in the final and then for Charles to win the title was the icing on the cake!”

The Newcastle born boss also discussed the differences of a pairs meeting from a regular league fixture, “ If we get through into the latter stages of a meeting we try to come up with a plan to get the heat advantage which includes gate picks and where our boys ideally want to be on track which is usually near the air fence for Charles and Danny!”

Parr also paid tribute to the Bears travelling support with another large following from the ECCO Arena set to descend on Oxford ahead of a busy speedway weekend, “ Last year, the support we had was absolutely phenomenal, I think we had the second biggest support there behind the home club Oxford and to win it was absolutely amazing! When we won the title, it was fantastic to have them all around to witness it and it will be fantastic to see them all again this time around!”

Lewis Kerr will be hoping to win the title for the 2nd year on the bounce as he partners Sam Masters for the Oxford Cheetahs. Elsewhere, Glasgow bring the dangerous looking duo of Chris Harris and Benjamin Basso whilst the current league leaders, Poole will be looking to add Pairs success to their BSN Series win earlier this season with the Pirates represented by Richard Lawson and Ben Cook.

For any supporters who are unable to make the trip south, the meeting is being live streamed by BSN at watch.britishspeedway.co.uk

GLASGOW: Chris Harris & Benjamin Basso

POOLE: Richard Lawson & Ben Cook

OXFORD: Sam Masters & Lewis Kerr

EDINBURGH: Craig Cook & Josh Pickering 

BIRMINGHAM: Troy Batchelor & Justin Sedgmen 

BERWICK: Leon Flint & Jye Etheridge 

SCUNTHORPE: Ryan Douglas & Jake Allen 

REDCAR: Charles Wright & Danny King 

PLYMOUTH: Kyle Howarth & Richie Worrall

Redcar’s Charles Wright delighted the ECCO Arena crowd by winning the prestigious Championship League Riders Championship last night. Wright, who endured a tough start to the meeting, came through the last chance qualifier before winning a pulsating final. The final saw Chris Harris finish 2nd with Ben Cook 3rd whilst Redcar’s Danny King finished 4th. 

The meeting started with a win for Birmingham’s Justin Sedgmen despite educated pressure from Rory Schlein as the Birmingham skipper made an ideal start to the meeting. Lewi Kerr made an impressive start in heat 2 as the former Bears man rode intelligently to hold off Richard Lawson for the win to start his evening in perfect fashion. 

Heat 3 saw the ever improving Ben Cook take a stylish win as he pulled away from Ryan Douglas but with the Bears skipper, Wright in 3rd, Wright’s night had not started as many hoped. Heat 4 saw a super battle as King and Harris had a fierce battle for the win with King using the inside line to get the better of ‘Bomber’ to send the Redcar fans wild. 

Berwick’s Rory Schlein won heat 5 after a superb gate with Wright battling his way through the pack to beat Harris and Lawson for 2nd to give him another 2 points in his battle for the title. Richie Worrall won a superb heat 6 as he passed Ryan Douglas and Jake Allen in the early stages to give him 4 points from his opening 2 outings. 

Heat 7 saw further excitement for the ECCO Arena crowd as King comfortably took his 2nd win of the night whilst Luke Harrison got his first taste of the meeting with Craig Cook withdrawing from the meeting due to a lack of equipment. Leon Flint surprised onlookers by winning heat 8 whilst Ben Cook passed Kerr for 2nd to put the Australian in a solid position. 

Worrall and Flint then threw the bikes at each other in heat 9 with Worrall getting the win to put him into contention for honours. Heat 10 saw Ben Cook pass his Poole teammate Richard Lawson in the early stages whilst King then passed Lawson to add another vital 2 points to his tally. Kerr reignited his challenge with a heat 11 win whilst Wright made a startling inside pass on Allen to gain another 2 points in his quest for the title. 

Heat 12 saw Harris win after a superb pass on Douglas whilst Cook was looking ominous as he took another win in heat 13. Heat 14 saw Harris pick up yet another win whilst Kerr ensured he remained in the thick of the action with another 2 points. Lawson took the win in heat 15 ahead of Flint whilst heat 16 saw Wright win with King in 2nd to send the Redcar fans into raptures as both enhanced their chances of winning the title. 

Heading into the final round of heats, the standings saw Lawson needing a win to reach the last chance qualifier, Worrall needing to score to give himself a chance whilst Kerr also needed to register a score to secure his place in the last chance qualifier. In the second half of the field, Wright needed at least a 2nd to secure his spot in the last chance qualifier with Ben Cook and Chris Harris looking for a minimum 2nd place to secure themselves straight passage into the final. Finally, King needed a win to strengthen his place for a spot in the final whilst Flint needed a win to give himself a shot of a place in the last chance qualifier. 

Heat 17 saw one of the races of the night as Douglas, King and Kerr had a superb battle for the win with Douglas winning but with King in 2nd, his chances of a place in the final were hanging by a thread. Heat 18 saw Wright win to cement his place in the last chance qualifier but it was disappointment for Flint who finished last which ended his hopes of glory. 

Chris Harris won heat 19 to secure his spot in the final whilst Cook claimed 2nd to join ‘Bomber’ in the final which sent both Bears into the last chance qualifier. The final qualification race saw Lawson win to sneak into the last chance qualifier. 

The last chance qualifier saw an awful crash as Kerr, Wright and Lawson collided with Lawson hitting the deck at speed. After Lawson made his way back to the pits after some medical treatment, he took his place in the re-run to a great reception from the crowd. The re-run saw King shot from the gate to win comfortably whilst Wright rode a superb race to swoop under Kerr on bend 4 of the penultimate lap to join his teammate, King in the final. 

The final saw Wright and King collide on the opening bend with the referee, Willie Dishington inviting all 4 back for a re-run. The re-run saw an absolutely superb advertisement for speedway as Harris gated but Wright had other ideas as the Bears skipper stormed up the inside of Harris on bends 3 & 4 of the opening lap and then rode superbly to hold off the hard charging Harris plus the equally impressive Ben Cook. However, it was Wright’s night as the Bears skipper gave the home crowd a night to remember as Redcar added more silverware to their ever burgeoning trophy cabinet. 

1. Rory Schlein (Berwick) = 7

2. Justin Sedgmen (Birmingham) = 6

3. Troy Batchelor (Birmingham) = 4

4. Kye Thomson (Edinburgh) = 3

5. Richard Lawson (Poole) = 9

6. Richie Worrall (Plymouth) = 8

7. Paco Castagna (Edinburgh) = 4

8. Lewis Kerr (Oxford) = 10

9. Charles Wright (Redcar) = 14 WINNER

10. Ryan Douglas (Scunthorpe) = 9

11. Craig Cook (Edinburgh) = 0 Withdrew

12. Ben Cook (Poole) = 13 THIRD

13. Chris Harris (Glasgow) = 14 SECOND

14. Jake Allen (Scunthorpe) = 5

15. Danny King (Redcar) = 12

16. Leon Flint (Berwick) = 7

17. Luke Harrison = 0

18. Sam McGurk = 0

 Redcar co-promoter Jamie Swales has hailed Sunday’s Cab Direct Championship League Riders Championship (CLRC) meeting as the best line-up in Great Britain this season. The prestigious event is being proudly hosted by Redcar with tapes up at 5pm tomorrow at the ECCO Arena. 

Swales, who has been a co-promoter at Redcar since 2020 believes the stellar lineup is hard to beat so far in 2023, “ Obviously, the British final had Dan Bewley but below Dan I think the line-up as a whole is the best in the country this season.”

The jovial co-promoter is also confident of the chances of Charles Wright and Danny King who are representing Redcar, “ I wouldn’t go as far as saying they are favourites but it’s a wide open meeting so I don’t make anyone as a favourite. However, I’m confident they can do well and I would be disappointed if at least one of them didn’t make the final.”

King and Wright head into the meeting in good form and Swales knows they will be in the mix, “ The way they have been riding in the last few matches means there is no reason why they shouldn’t be feeling confident. Both of them are feeling very relaxed at the moment and they don’t look like they are letting the pressure get to them. Additionally, both of them should have a little home track advantage but not enough to make a huge difference.”

Swales also discussed the wide open nature of the field, “ There’s 4 former Bears in the line-up plus a number of others who you would call track specialists including Richard Lawson who got 16+1 last week. It’s going to be a tough meeting so whoever does win it will deserve it!”

Swales is also hopeful of a big turn out for the meeting with all 9 Cab Direct Championship sides represented, “ It’s the right date for the meeting with it being a Bank Holiday weekend which gives all the travelling fans the opportunity to make the journey as they won’t have to worry about work! Also, the weather looks like it’s going to behave itself so hopefully we will have a big crowd.”

The stellar line-up includes former multiple British Champions in the shape of Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls whilst Lewis Kerr will be hoping to improve on his 3rd place finish in 2022. Redcar’s Danny King has unbelievably, finished 2nd on 3 separate occasions but the Bears man will be hoping his home crowd can push him to the top of the podium. 

Other names vying for title include former two time winner Craig Cook, former Bear Richard Lawson whilst Ryan Douglas will also be a threat. Moreover, the home crowd will also be cheering on the skipper, Charles Wright who will be hoping to claim his maiden CLRC crown! Additionally, the two meeting reserves will be of interest to the fans of the Workington Comets and in one case, the Bears support with Luke Harrison and Sam McGurk being ready if they are needed to step in. 

For any supporters unable to attend the ECCO Arena, the match will be live streamed on BSN @ watch.britishspeedway.co.uk

Championship League Riders Championship

1. Rory Schlein (Berwick)
2. Justin Sedgmen (Birmingham)
3. Troy Batchelor (Birmingham)
4. Scott Nicholls (Oxford)
5. Richard Lawson (Poole)
6. Richie Worrall (Plymouth)
7. Kyle Howarth (Plymouth)
8. Lewis Kerr (Oxford)
9. Charles Wright (Redcar)
10. Ryan Douglas (Scunthorpe)
11. Craig Cook (Edinburgh)
12. Ben Cook (Poole)
13. Chris Harris (Glasgow)
14. Jake Allen (Scunthorpe)
15. Danny King (Redcar)
16. Leon Flint (Berwick)

Meeting reserves

Luke Harrison (Workington)

Sam McGurk (Workington)

Just a week to go until the biggest meeting Redcar have ever held, if you only make it to one meeting this year make sure its this one.

16 of the best riders in the league
22 Heats
1 Champion

Can our very own Danny King add this title to his impressive CV after finishing as silver medalist on three previous occasions

Admission for this event is as follows:

Adults – £22

11-16 year old – £5

Under 11s free

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears secured their spot in the play-offs with a 46-44 win over Birmingham. In an enthralling meeting with great racing, Birmingham more than played their part but the Bears got the job done! Danny King top scored with 11 for Redcar whilst Birmingham’s guest Richard Lawson (in his 5th appearance at Redcar in 2023) struck 16 for the visitors. 

Heat 1 saw Richard Lawson take the win after an early duel with the returning Redcar skipper, Charles Wright. However, Birmingham could not take a heat advantage as Lawson’s teammate, Stefan Nielsen was at the back. 

The reserves race saw Birmingham’s Sam Hagon and Paul Starke shock the ECCO Arena crowd as they struck a 5-1 despite the best efforts of Jason Edwards who initially passed Paul Starke before the ex Newcastle man re-passed Edwards to give Birmingham a 4 point lead on Teesside. However, the home contingent’s nerves were slightly eased as Connor Bailey and Erik Riss immediately hit back for a 5-1 to level proceedings at 9-9. 

Top scorer for the Bears, Danny King opened his account with a win after he picked up drive on the backstraight of lap 1 to pass both Justin Sedgmen and Paul Starke for the win, but with Luke Harrison at the back, Redcar could not hit the front. 

After a shared heat 5 won by Richard Lawson, the Brummies hit the front in heat 6. With Wright hunting down Sedgmen and Danyon Hume in 3rd entering the final stages of lap 3, we looked set for a thrilling end to the race, however, Hume fell and the referee decided on a re-run. The re-run saw Sedgmen gate again with Wright all over him but despite Wright’s best efforts, he was unable to pass Sedgmen and with Hagon in an unopposed 3rd, Birmingham once again had the lead on Teesside. 

Nevertheless, Redcar once again wasted no time in levelling matters in another superb race as King took the win after passing Troy Batchelor towards the end of lap 1 with the Australian then coming under pressure from Edwards. Nevertheless, Batchelor held on to ensure Birmingham did not fall behind. The meeting remained level after Heat 8 was shared as Starke won with Harrison picking up an important 3rd place for Redcar. 

Heat 9 saw Redcar strike a huge blow as Riss gated whilst Bailey passed Sedgmen at the end of lap 1 with Bailey then overtaking Riss who nearly came to grief but Riss held onto his machinery for 2nd to give Redcar a much needed maximum heat advantage. 

Suddenly, Bears maximum heat advantages were the order of the day as Wright and Hume flew from the tapes with Starke and Batchelor unable to land a blow which saw Redcar extend their advantage to 8 at the ECCO Arena. Heat 11 saw Redcar stretch their advantage to 10 after another great race. Lawson gated but King passed the guest number 1 on lap 2 and won despite Lawson being all over the back of him, and with Edwards in 3rd, Redcar looked set to stretch their legs. 

Nevertheless, the Brummies (led by Stewart Dickson) now have much more fighting spirit and with Lawson (as a tactical substitute) joining Batchelor in heat 12, messrs Bailey and Edwards knew they had a battle on their hands. Disappointingly for Redcar, the battle was won by Birmingham as they cut the gap to 6 to bring Birmingham back into contention. 

Heat 13 saw Lawson make it back to back wins as he used all his experience to hold off King and Wright but with Sedgmen at the back, Redcar remained in charge at 42-36. The penultimate race of the night saw Redcar secure the win after another superb race. Riss won from the gate but Edwards tried absolutely everything he knew to pass Starke for 3rd but the Birmingham reserve used his nous to keep Edwards at the back but with Riss winning the Brummies had fallen short at the ECCO Arena. 

Heat 15 saw calamity before the start as Wright had a machinery problem with the Redcar skipper being excluded from the re-run. The re-run saw Edwards replace him but the ‘Billericay Blaster’ and Connor Bailey had no answer for Sedgmen and Lawson as they secured the 5-1 to end the night on a high for the travelling Birmingham faithful. 

Redcar = 46 (92)

1. Charles Wright = 8+1

2. Danyon Hume = 5+2

3. Connor Bailey = 9+1

4. Erik Riss = 9+2

5. Danny King = 11

6. Jason Edwards = 3

7. Luke Harrison = 1+1

Birmingham = 44 (88)

1. Richard Lawson (G) = 16+1

2. Stefan Nielsen = 0

3. Troy Batchelor = 5+1

4. Alfie Bowtell = 2

5. Justin Sedgmen = 9

6. Sam Hagon = 4

7. Paul Starke = 8+3