Redcar Bears v Edinburgh Monarchs

A good close battle between the Scotwaste Monarchs and the Bears was brought to a disappointing end when the rain came and wouldn?t go away following heat 9.

At that point Redcar were leading 28-26 but the end result could have gone either way, and there had been plenty of talking points.

There was a remarkable start. Gary Havelock returned to the pits with very little of the 2-minute time allowance left, and he was ruled out just as he turned back towards the track. So our excellent opening pair faced up to the two Bears? reserves (Giffard already in as rider replacement) ? and they lost a 5-1!

An unexpectedly smooth and quick ride by the home pair (Bugeja looking much improved) kept them in front even though Ryan Fisher almost levelled with Bugeja several times. The track was already looking too dry for much passing and the inside line was the place to be.

In answer to this, we had five of the next six heat winners as we set about overcoming that bad start. Aaron Summers smoothly won heat 2, but Andrew Tully discovered what Fisher already knew, that there was precious little grip for passing.

It was typical slick-track racing with everyone going virtually the same speed and all the times exactly the same (everything between 56.1 and 56.7).

However that didn?t mean there was no interest in the racing. Heat 3 was a good one with Grieves leading all the way under strong pressure from Jonasson who was really looking the part. Some way back, William Lawson held off Auty for third.

We did see a good pass in heat 4 and it was the amazing Wethers, chasing all the way on the Bears? impressive new Aussie Ty Proctor and pulling off an excellent last lap pass. He did it on the outside but kept in close to his opponent and didn?t drift up the turns.

Aaron picked up another good point and we were now two down.

Ryan displayed his first bend skill to cut under James Grieves off the second bend and go ahead in heat 5 ? only for the heat to be stopped as Grieves had got a flier.

Once again Ryan did the job round the first corner, this time on the outside, going ahead perfectly into the third corner and cutting in to the line.

Grieves gave fierce chase in a good heat and was just short at the line. Derek hadn?t joined the party yet and was well back behind Auty.

Heat 6 was dramatic. Wethers led from the tapes, Havelock looked like catching him as the came over the line to start lap two ? but he misjudged it and thumped into the back of our rider. This appeared to dislodge Havelock?s chain, and also his brain as he gesticulated to the referee and dismounted, leaving his bike on the track.

Wethers and Tully now led but had to move wide on the first bend of lap two to miss the Havelock machine. The race had to be stopped, and the new rule (riders must have completed two laps before a heat can be awarded) prevented the race being awarded, even though it was an obvious candidate to be so under a fairer ruling.

Needless to say Bugeja led the rerun but Matthew again pulled off a good outside pass, so we levelled up with a 4-2.

Will there be repercussions for Havelock over his actions? Well there should be.

Now we saw Thomas Jonasson turning in another great ride, blasting past Proctor down the back straight and turning in a fast and stylish win. Very encouraging.

Proctor won heat 8 but Aaron and Derek managed to keep Giffard at the back.

Heat 9 was a good three-way battle with Tully between Grieves and Auty, and all three positions in doubt up to the final yard. This time Matthew got stuck at the rear and couldn?t progress.

Immediately after that heat the heavy rain came on. It eased off eventually, the riders waited to see if things would improve and Glyn Taylor went out to try to rip up the track. It didn?t work and we all went home.

Redcar Bears v Edinburgh Monarchs

Monarchs begin their Premier League adventure with a trip to the South Tees Motor Park where they face the Redcar Bears.

It?s certainly been an impressive start to the season for the men from Armadale, with qualification for the Premier Trophy semi finals all but assured. However, Thursday sees the first of numerous tests against the other sides who will be aiming for a top four place and perhaps a shot at promotion to the Elite League.

There?s no reason why Monarchs won?t enter this fixture with high levels of optimism. However, while a win would be nice (all hail 3 points!), it definitely won?t be easy. The Bears are nothing if not formidable round their home circuit, although they?ve suffered from a lack of meetings recently due to the ?wonderful? British weather.

Despite their relative inactivity, it?s fair to say the Bears haven?t had the best of luck so far. Already, James Grieves has been laid low with illness but, while the Scotsman will take his place in this fixture, American Chris Kerr hasn?t been so fortunate. A broken leg means a layoff of around 2 to 3 months. The rider replacement facility will operate in his absence, with all bar Grieves and number 1 Gary Havelock eligible for an extra outing.

Havelock, of course, is an evergreen character who just seems to go on and on. Regularly in double figures, he shows no signs of slowing down in his older years and anyone who lowers his colours should feel rightly proud.

One of the major success stories of the 2007 season for the Bears was the form of talented teenager Joshua Auty. Auty has been around the speedway scene since his nappy days and took to the Premier League as if he?d been there all his life. However, he hasn?t had the best of starts to 2008 and will be keen to return to the type of form which has seen him mentioned as a possible future British World Champion. Meanwhile, the remaining top 5 member, Tyron Proctor, has been a bit of a sensation thus far. Let?s hope he has a puncture or two on Thursday!

At the tail end, Daniel Giffard did a decent job when guesting for us in the Scottish Cup last year and the bespectacled chap is always a major weapon in the reserve berth, especially at home. Sadly, the same cannot be said for his partner, Arlo Bugeja, who has struggled somewhat in this country to date.

For the Monarchs, Thomas H Jonasson?s back injury has healed sufficiently to allow him to make his debut at what will probably be the smallest track he?s ever ridden. It will be interesting to see how the young Swede adapts. Meanwhile, Ryan Fisher should be far more suited to the Cleveland Polo Mint, given the fact he has ridden on similar circuits back home in the USA. The scoring of these two will go a long way to deciding the final result in this one.

Of the rest, both Matthew Wethers and William Lawson have enjoyed big returns on previous visits while Derek Sneddon is in the form of his life and Andrew Tully is always a handy asset at reserve and is more than capable of scoring against any opponent.

Tully?s partner at the bottom end, Aaron Summers, is another who will be making his STMP debut. However, it?ll be the first appearance of many for the young Aussie who recently signed for the Redcar Cubs in the Conference League. Indeed, his first fixture will be on Saturday night, so good luck to him for that.

As always, may the best team win...

Line-ups:

Bears: Gary Havelock, rider replacement for Chris Kerr, James Grieves, Joshua Auty, Tyron Proctor, Arlo Bugeja, Daniel Giffard.

Monarchs: Ryan Fisher, Derek Sneddon, Thomas H Jonasson, William Lawson, Matthew Wethers, Andrew Tully, Aaron Summers.