Second Away Win for Tigers
(Posted 15/04/07)

The meeting didn't really get going until the latter stages but on a heavy track that was a gaters paradise the Tigers team held together and pulled of an impressive last gasp win against the odds.

Half way through the night I thought it was going to be the easiest report ever written on a speedway meeting consisting of just three words - from the gate.

George Stancl's excellent form continued, he was first out of the traps in a well spread out opening heat with Lee Smethills unfortunately well off the pace at the back. David and Lee D recorded an easy 5-1 from the gate in heat 2, no doubt made easier by Benji Compton touching the tapes and being off 15m.

Rempala was first from the gate in heat 3 although Robert Ksiezak challenged him briefly in the opening stages. It was obvious Robert was not happy on the Shielfield track though and as he fell off the pace Shane Parker slotted in behind him to team ride him round to the finish and hold off Michael Coles at the back.

Burza won the shared heat 4 from the gate whilst George Stancl's winning margin - again from the gate - in heat 5 was so comfortable he was looking round and if he was watching the racing!

Makovsky and Bergstrom flew from the gate to get a 5-1 for the home side in heat 6 with Burza winning heat 7 after a tough opening bend with Shane Parker. At the back there was a little action in this heat with Compton challenging Ksiezak but Robert merely held the line to claim third spot.

At last in heat 8 we were treated to a pass courtesy of in form Tigers reserve David McAllan. Lee Smethills had hit the front out of the gate but unfortunately David missed the gate completely. However he wound it on up the backstraight and passed round the outside of John Branney on the third bend of the opening lap and pressed Bergstrom for second for the rest of the race but to no avail.

Heat 9 was shared from the gate with Berwick getting a heat advantage in heat 10 after Bergstrom passed Robert Ksiezak at the end of the opening lap

Another two from the gate shared heats followed before Berwick inflicted a 5-1 on Stancl and Leverington in heat 13. Stancl unfortunately missed the gate but was lying second on the opening bend. Trent picked up drive coming out of bend two which propelled him through into second but accidentally baulked his team mate in the process, sending George to the back. Berwick's Makovsky then rounded Leverington at the end of the first lap and it was heat over.

Glasgow seemed to miss an opportunity in heat 14, many expecting to see Lee Dicken replace the struggling Robert Ksiezak but it didn't happen. Berwick's pairing outgated their Glasgow counterparts but David McAllan went wide going into bend two, and made a superb drive round the outside of both Berwick riders into the lead.

With Tigers still two points down and up against the so far unbeaten Burza and fast gating Makovsky, it looked as if the meeting might be beyond reach. However with the odds stacked against them, George and Shane had the Tigers fans jumping up and down on the terraces as they came out of the second bend ahead and went on to win the heat - and the meeting - in some style. The George and Shane show is most definitely back!

Lets face it, as a meeting this was awful. On the whole it was a major yawnfest due to the track. However for Tigers fans the signs are still good. David McAllan's early season form continues and his heat 14 pass was superb. In a meeting that provided a handful of passes all night, David made two of them. Both Lee's also made important contributions and although Shane still hasn't reached his form of last season he is stepping up to the mark when it matters - like team riding in heat3 and a superb heat 15. George looks so confident on his bike and rightly so. You could clearly hear him joining the fans cheering every time he took a victory lap. Trent and Robert struggled a little but stuck with it and their points were important.

Again Tigers pulled together as a team and the team spirit was showing again on the victory parade.

It was perhaps a poor meeting but for the traveling fans the ending most certainly made up for it!