Heat 01: Wright, Holder, Woffinden, Rempala Time:67.08
Heat 02: Lyons, Nermark, Topinka, Compton Time:66.52
Heat 03: Laukkanen, Rajkowski, Kerr, Kramer Time:66.93
Heat 04: Schramm, Franc, Complin, Leverington Time:68.15
Heat 05: Topinka, Rajkowski, Rempala, Leverington Time:67.21
Heat 06: Lyons, Laukkanen, Woffinden, Schramm Time:66.86
Heat 07: Holder, Nermark, Franc, Kerr Time:66.96
Heat 08: (Rerun) Wright, Complin, Kramer, Compton Time:67.71
Heat 09: (Rerun) Rempala, Lyons, Complin Ex, Kerr Ex Time: 68.65
Heat 10: Woffinden, Topinka, Franc, Kramer Time:67.43
Heat 11: Holder, Schramm, Compton, Rajkowski Time:68.05
Heat 12: Nermark, Wright, Leverington, Laukkanen ef Time:67.99
Heat 13: Nermark, Rempala, Schramm, Kramer Time:66.92
Heat 14: Kerr, Compton, Woffinden, Leverington Time:68.65
Heat 15: Topinka, Laukkanen, Holder, Complin Time:67.80
Heat 16: Wright, Lyons, Franc, Rajkowski Time:67.95
Heat 17: (Rerun) Rempala, Franc, Compton, Laukkanen Ex Time:68.83
Heat 18: Nermark, Complin, Woffinden, Rajkowski Time:67.08
Heat 19: Lyons, Holder, Kramer, Leverington Time:67.83
Heat 20: Wright, Kerr, Topinka, Schramm Time:68.24
Semi Final
Heat 21:Nermark, Rempala, Topinka, Holder Time:66.52
Final
Heat 21: Wright, Lyons, Rempala, Nermark Time:66.27 |
Workington's James Wright took victory in the Premier League Riders' Championship on a chilly night at the Abbey Stadium.
The young British prospect dropped just a solitary point in the five qualifying heats and maintained his composure in a hard fought final to claim the coveted title. In front of a healthy crowd, the stars of the sport's second tier provided the fans with bundles of entertainment and plenty to cheer, with a generous scattering of competitive racing. Indeed, the event saw a wonderful blend of youth and experience come together, as some of the Premier Leagues more established campaigners battled with a notable selection of exciting potential.
Wright's victory capped a productive year for the youngster, who has enjoyed a steady campaign with Belle Vue in the Elite league, a fantastic season with Workington and some success on the international stage. The British rider, whose Abbey Stadium performances haven't in the past been spectacular, is a product of British speedway's Conference League system after beginning his career with the Buxton Hitmen.
Wright sent out a clear signal of intent from the outset by conjuring a wonderful start and cleverly repelling the challenge of the hard-charging Chris Holder in heat one. Wright once again impressed in his second outing, with an intelligently executed cut-back pass of Stoke's Lee Complin on lap two of heat eight.
His third race saw him collect second spot behind Daniel Nermark, before he concluded the qualifying races in style with two commanding heat wins. That assured the Stockport-based youngster of a direct route to the grand final, from which he used the favourable gate four position to propel himself in front of his three rivals.
Australian stalwart Jason Lyons also rode impressively to claim second spot on the night, the Birmingham rider was cheered on by a hefty amount of Brummies' fans, who had journeyed down from the Midlands. Lyons went about his work with plenty of speed and oodles of the characteristic track craft that has seen him enjoy an illustrious career.
Berwick's Jacek Rempala claimed the final podium position, as he successfully came through a tense semi-final heat and then engineered a spectacular route past Daniel Nermark in the final race. Nermark himself will have, perhaps, been a touch disappointed with his fourth place overall after romping to victory with such dominance in the semi final race.
Pre-meeting favourite Chris Holder started the meeting superbly, but as the Blunsdon raceway began to slicken, the Australian's challenge began to falter. Beforehand though, the highly rated youngster had provided the crowd with much to cheer, as he went about his work with flair, tenacity and plenty of bravery.
More excitement was provided by Lee Complin, whose resurgent 2007 season continues to impress and, whilst the British rider never seriously challenged for top spot, he showcased a wonderful affiliation with the Abbey Stadium's wider racing lines.
As the fireworks lit up the night sky, Wright celebrated wildly along with the Workington fans, who had made the sizeable journey to Wiltshire. It was a night which, for sure, proved that British speedway's league structure is beginning to reap rewards. |
