Sheffield Speedway Match Reports 2006

The track had been rebuilt following the stockcars over the bank holiday weekend and didn't lend itself to the usual lines which would normally constitute 'home track advantage'. Ben made a poor gate in heat 1 and was filled-in by the second turn. He then went far too wide nearly piling into the fence on the second lap and virtually retired after that, just trickling around more than half a lap adrift. Chris Mills (pictured left) never looked like being caught after trapping first in heat 2, but Cooperman powered past John Oliver (despite his stewed clutch) out of the second turn and followed Benji (pictured right) home to share the heat. Kevin Doolan (pictured below left) led the way home in heat 3 and Kyle might have challenged if he hadn't had to turn his fuel on after slowing on the second lap. André trapped (picture below right) ahead of Tom Topinka to win heat 4 and John Oliver left it late before swooping around Benji on the last turn for another shared heat. Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding were the first to show in heat 5 and while Emiliano paid them close attention neither he nor Kyle had any realistic chance of getting in on the action.

Normality made a brief appearance as Ricky and Ben outpaced Tom Topinka with Chris Mills falling and failing to clear the track in heat 6. André led heat 7 but the interest was watching Troy Batchelor and Cooperman scrapping for second place. Paul went under Troy on the pits turn at the end of lap 2, but Troy powered back around him on the next turn. Paul went ahead of him again out of turn 2 on the last lap and Troy never made it to the finish line (typical!). Benji led heat 8, as far as turn three before John Oliver flew into the lead, while Ben Wilson was recovering from an abysmal start to pass Trevor Harding for third place. Ben eventually stole second place from his team mate on the last bend. Tomas trapped to win heat 9 from Emiliano and Kyle with Chris Mills falling on the third turn but jumping back on to follow them around before retiring on the pits turn. Kevin Doolan trapped to win heat 10, re passing Ben Wilson after briefly surrendering the lead on the third turn. Ricky passed Troy, also on the third turn, but there was no way back for Troy.

Trevor Harding led heat 11 until André blasted around him on the third turn. Daniel Nermark also passed him on the same bend one lap later, and then Cooperman followed suit on the third lap, indeed Paul came very close to stealing second but Daniel just held him off. Heat 12 was another race delayed by the recalcitrant starting gate, but Emiliano can't hide behind that for forgetting to tun his fuel back on! As a result of this James and Troy take a gift 1-5 and the Stars are leading with three races remaining! Daniel Nermark's dirty tricks on the first bend in heat 13 fail to stop André as he picks his way through the field to join Ricky at the front to restore the Tigers lead. Kevin makes another electric start but the Tigers do enough to hold off John Oliver and share the heat. With the prospect of the Tigers tracking both of their two race winners in heat 15 there was relative confidence on the terraces, albeit tempered by memories of their defeat last week against the unfancied Rebels. Ricky is first to show and André picks off Kevin on the third turn, nearly passing Tomas in the process. It all looks sweet for the Tigers until Ricky pulls up while leading on the second bend of lap three as his bottom end goes, and André just salvages the draw by hanging on to second place with a punctured rear tyre.

The list of problems suffered by the Tigers is lengthy. Paul's clutch, Ricky's bottom end, Kyle and Emiliano both forgetting to turn their fuel on. Ben Wilson's Sheffield bike went before the off and he used his Cardiff bike (different set-up) and borrowed machines in his races, but the bottom line is that the Tigers can consider themselves lucky not to have lost. How can you possibly expect to win when you only provide six heat winners? On the flip side how can King's Lynn feel having only achieved a draw after providing nine out of fifteen heat winners! The Stars were flattered tonight by an incompetent display from the Tigers.

Ben Wilson now misses the trip to Edinburgh so he can go to the practise at Cardiff (which I thought was no longer compulsory, especially for the meeting reserve!). That might not be a bad thing considering his form at Armadale but his rides can only be taken by Kyle, Benji and Paul. It would have been good to see if he's learned anything in his meetings with Wolverhampton. Let's face it, the sooner he get's his flirtation with the 'big boys' out of the way the better.

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