Tigers Start Well at Armadale
(Posted 24/03/07)

The season got underway in front of a large crowd at Armadale but the meeting was called to a halt early after a nasty looking crash involving Robert Ksiezak and Matthew Wethers.

Thankfully the injuries sustained by both riders do not appear to have been as bad as first feared and naturally we wish both Robert and Matthew a speedy recovery.

Onto the meeting itself, and right from the start George Stancl gave notice that he is going to be very much a force to be reckoned with this season with an electric gate and going on to win comfortably. Partner Lee Smethills slotted in behind him coming out of bend two but early hopes of a Tigers 5-1 were thwarted when Lee suffered a puncture coming into the fourth bend on the opening lap.

It did not take referee Jim McGregor long to live up to his controversial reputation when the first running of heat 2 saw Derek Sneddon clip David McAllan's front wheel in a classic example of first bend bunching. the referee astoundingly saw different however and the race was re-run with just three riders. Sneddon won the re-run but was pushed all the way by a quick looking Lee Dicken.

Leverington took full advantage of a poor gate by Monarchs Lawson in heat 3 to claim the win although he had to work hard to hold him off in the latter stages of what was a good battle.

McAllan was again controversially excluded, this time for not being ready to race in heat 4 and was replaced by Lee Dicken. Partner Ksiezak won the heat from the gate and although Dicken made an excellent inside pass of Wethers in the opening lap, Wethers returned the favour a couple of bends later. Stancl suffered what was to be his only defeat of the night in heat 5 when he missed the gate and Glasgow were to suffer another cruel mechanical blow in heat 6 which resulted in the home team getting a fortunate 5-1. Dicken had gated last but swooped superbly round the outside of all three other riders into the lead coming out of bend 2. Correy managed to come through the inside of Dicken on the second bend a lap later but with Lee still pressing and holding off Henrik Moller in third, his bike packed up on the final lap to gift the Monarchs the points.

A poor start by Parker in heat 7 was enough to give Wethers the victory in heat 7 although Parker pressed all the way with heat 8 being more or less from the gate after a hard opening bend which saw McAllan get the better of Sneddon for second.

More controversy was to come in heat 9 which came to tapes four times. Tessari jumped the start initially and it was rightly called back. The second running saw Ksiezak this time excluded for what would normally have been called back as first bend bunching and Lee Dicken was left to face the Monarchs pairing on his own in the third running. He once more thrilled the Tigers fans with an inside cut into first place coming out of the second bend but whilst under pressure from Lawson he seemed to catch a rut coming into the third bend and came down with Lawson unable to avoid him. Lee was eventually able to walk back to the pits supported by one of his team mates and the Monarchs pairing came out on their own to record the 5-0.

Parker won heat 10 from the gate before an astute, and many felt ambitious, decision by team manager Stewart Dickson to bring Shane in as a TS in heat 11. the fans were to be treated with some excellent riding with Stancl making the gate and riding a superb race, pressed all the way by Wethers. Parker showed his class by having the patience to wait for the opening, passing inside Sneddon on the second lap and chasing down Wethers making the all important pass on him on the final bends. Stancl slowed down as much as he could and in a close to call decision the referee decreed it was not quite enough to allow his partner into first place before crossing the finishing line but both managed to hold off the close attentions of Wethers.

Tigers then reduced the gap to only one point when Shane came out for his third heat in a row and in a good race with the faster gating Will Lawson managed to hit the front on the backstraight of the second lap and hold onto it despite Lawson trying everything he could.

Then came heat 13 and the accident that was to see both Robert Ksiezak and Matthew Wethers head to hospital. Stancl and Ksiezak gated and were sitting on a 5-1 when at the end of the first lap on what had been a problematical entrance to the fourth bend Ksiezak seemed to hit a rut and came down heavily. Unfortunately Wethers was in full flight behind him and had no chance to react. His bike seemed to hit Robert who lay motionless on the track with Wethers catapulted over his handlebars. Both riders received lengthy treatment on track and the meeting was abandoned. Thankfully both seem to have got off lighter than was originally feared but it was a terrible end to what had been an entertaining meeting.

From a Glasgow point of view the main positives would have to be the form of George Stancl and Lee Dicken. Trent Leverington also impressed and although Shane took a while to get going it was vintage Shane in his last three rides. Not the best of nights for Lee Smethills and things seemed to conspire against any chance David had of making his mark.

With only one point in it, a Tigers side who actually were worth far more points than the tally suggests must feel reasonably confident that they can secure the aggregate win on Sunday although sadly it looks as if it will almost certainly be without Robert.