UNCOMFORTABLE GRIND FOR ALLEN
GREAT Britain co-boss Olly Allen admitted he never felt comfortable during their FIM Speedway of Nations Final triumph on Saturday.
Belle Vue’s National Speedway Stadium hosted arguably the best Final in the history of the event, with GB having to overcome Sweden after the qualifying races in order to face Australia in the Final.
Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley then sent the Manchester crowd into jubilation by getting the better of Jack Holder and Brady Kurtz in a dramatic decider.
Allen said: “I would imagine for a spectator it was a really good meeting to watch, because it was wide open and the scores were tight throughout.
“We’ve done these meetings before and there have been meetings where you’ve felt safe, or fairly comfortable, but this wasn’t like that – we had to grind it out all the way.
“But I can’t say enough good words about the whole team. Robert and Dan were fantastic, and Tom (Brennan) was always a great support in the pits along with the rest of the staff.
“Simon (Stead) and I are really fortunate to have this job at a time period when we’ve got a really strong top end, and I love doing the job with him.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
DAN Bewley completed a perfect weekend with a triumphant homecoming to win the Ben Fund Bonanza at Workington.
Local favourite Bewley went through the card with six wins out of six on an afternoon of entertaining racing at the GT Tyres Arena, and he also scooped the track record on his first competitive appearance at the venue.
Czech star Jan Kvech, who has helped transform King’s Lynn’s fortunes in recent weeks, took second place ahead of Comets star Antti Vuolas, with former double Bonanza winner Danny King missing out in the Final.
Bewley said: “It’s been a really good day, I’ve not had many chances to race here and to do it in front of my home crowd was pretty special.
“The track here is very unique and it would be a really good home track. Everyone was asking me all day where I thought they should ride!”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
WILLIAM Cairns made a sensational debut in the WSRA National Development League to inspire Scunthorpe to an away win at Oxford.
Cairns, who has only recently turned 15 years of age, racked up an incredible 19 points from seven rides in a guest appearance at reserve for the visitors, who inflicted the Chargers’ first home defeat in nearly two years.
Oxford were badly hampered by the loss of both Jody Scott and Ashton Vale after early crashes as the Stags, who share their NDL meetings with Sheffield, raced to a 54-36 victory.
Scunthorpe co-boss Paul Tatam said: “It was a very good away win for us. Oxford were a bit unfortunate they lost a couple of riders, and it’s never easy after that.
“For us, William Cairns was just in a different class. He’s a nice kid as well – he’s very level-headed and down to earth. We’d love to keep him for the rest of the season, but we’ll see what happens there.
“All our riders put in a decent effort and had a good afternoon, and we’d won it before Heat 15, so I gave Stene (Pijper) the ride in that race alongside Will because they both deserved it.”
(FIXTURES)
MONDAY JULY 15:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich (26) v Belle Vue (58) OFF
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn (42) v Leicester (47) OFF
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham 7.30 (500cc/250cc) OFF
WEDNESDAY JULY 17:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole v Plymouth 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 18:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Leicester v Ipswich 7.30, Oxford v Belle Vue 7.30, Sheffield v King’s Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 19:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (29) v Workington (61) 7.30, Redcar (43) v Poole (47) 7.30, Glasgow (35) v Scunthorpe (55) 7.30
RON MACKAY, 74, DIES SUDDENLY