Stefan
Steals the Show
Posted 05/09/05
On the whole it was a decent all round performance
from the Tigers but Stefan Ekberg undoubtedly stole the show recording
his first ever UK maximum as Glasgow beat Stoke 53-40 to claim only
their second bonus point of the season.
On a hot sunny afternoon, the dust problem seemed
to have been solved from the supporters point of view but the riders
were far from happy with the track which was very greasy on top and
this was perhaps responsible for less passing than normal.
Stoke started well with an opening heat advantage.
Mogridge rode a hard but fair opening two bends, Stancl lost control
a little coming out of the second bend and clipped the kick board
causing his chain to come off. Leverington challenged in the early
stages but was unable to pass the Potter. James Cockle won heat 2
from the gate by a country mile, and whilst the Stoke pairing gated
in front in heat 3, Ekberg was past them coming out of the second
bend and was quickly well ahead.
Both Shane and James gated well in heat 4, James
riding well under pressure from Harrison for most of the race. It
culminated in a race for the line between the two with the referee
giving the nod to Harrison on the line although most disagreed with
the decision. James was unable to stop in time after crossing the
line and ended up in the fence on the first bend but was able to get
up and walk away.
The next two heats were won from the gate, firstly
Stefan again by a considerable distance becoming the first rider to
beat Mogridge at Ashfield this season, then Harrison comfortably winning
heat 6.
Kessler gated well in heat 7 but Shane Parker swept
round the outside of him on the final bend of the first lap as if
he wasn't there and went on to win the race by a considerable margin.
All the action in heat 8 was on the opening lap.
Meldrum gated but an excellent first bend by Cockle saw him get the
better of him coming out of the second bend. Trent followed riding
hard under him on the third bend to claim second, Meldrum pulling
off just after Trent passed, and the resultant 5-1 saw the Tigers
open up a 6 point lead.
The first running of heat 9 saw Stefan Ekberg ride
a superb opening two bends to come out in front with Harrison left
in third place. The Aussie gave his all to try and make up ground
and this was to be his downfall as he lost control coming out of the
second bend on lap two, clipped the fence throwing him across the
track entangled in his bike. It was an horrific looking crash and
everyone was relieved when Harrison was able to walk back to the pits.
Special mention should also be given to Claus for managing to avoid
him as he catapulted back across the track. With Harrison excluded
and then withdrawn from the meeting, Stefan and Claus were able to
record a relatively easy 5-1 over lone Potter Barrie Evans.
Ten points down, Stoke brought Kessler out as a TR
in heat 10 and he won from the gate, helped a little by the Glasgow
pairing getting in each others road as they tried to challenge. However
the advantage to this was that Stoke could not use Mogridge as a TR
as they surely would have given the opportunity in heat 11, a heat
won from the gate by Shane.
Claus Kristensen seemed to block his partner on the
opening bends of heat 12 causing James Cockle to have to shut off
but Claus went on to win the heat with James claiming third. Another
from the gate win followed in heat 13 with the Glasgow top pairing
easily getting a 5-1 from Mogridge and Stoddart.
The start of heat 14 was delayed as Stoke tried to
bring Evans in as a TR despite it not being a programmed ride for
him. The rules explained, he went in yellow rather than off 15m, thus
ensuring a Glasgow win with not enough points left up for grabs to
allow Stoke to pull level. The fast gating Kessler took the lead but
Stefan executed a well timed drive under him on the first bend of
lap 2 to claim the lead, once again going on to win by a considerable
distance.
It was no surprise that Glasgow went with Ekberg,
who had looked unbeatable all day, in heat 15 but surprisingly his
partner was James Cockle. Kessler and Clews came out for the Potters,
Kessler once again outgating the rest of the field but pursued all
the way by Ekberg. A good block by Kessler at the end of the second
lap saw Stefan have to shut off slightly and it looked as if the German
would at last get the better of the Swede. Probably everyone in the
stadium bar Stefan thought that as they came into the final bend but
Stefan powered round the outside and went full throttle for the line
beating Kessler by half a wheel for a well deserved 15 point maximum
and ensuring a comfortable Glasgow victory by 53-40.
Robbie Kessler was the thorn in the Tigers side today,
Alan Mogridge being a little subdued but only just back from injury.
Overall the racing was not of the usual standard
with very few passes the entire meeting, the track probably causing
the riders more problems than at first seemed evident. However the
majority of the passes made were made by Stefan Ekberg who was on
fire all afternoon and was undoubtedly the rider of the meeting.
Shane quietly recorded his 4 ride maximum, Trent
rode with his usual determination as did James Cockle. Adam is going
through the dip in form that James went through a few weeks back.
George Stancl was not in the best of form today and looks a little
jaded. Claus is still an enigma, looking to be struggling then pulling
of a win to give his score respectability.
There can be no doubt however that head and shoulders
above everybody else today Stefan was the rider of the meeting and
thoroughly deserved his first UK maximum.
The scorecard and heat details can be found here.
Tiger Performance Points:
| George Stancl |
** |
jaded |
| Trent Leverington |
*** |
worked hard |
| Claus Kristensen |
** |
still struggling to find consistency |
| Stefan Ekberg |
***** |
superb - would get 6 if it were possible! |
| Shane Parker |
**** |
second fiddle to Stefan today but still very effective |
| Adam Roynon |
* |
definitely low in confidence |
| James Cockle |
**** |
worked very hard and rode well |
