Redcar take the spoils

Redcar came out on top at Armadale tonight after a tight contest, with the teams level at 42-42 going in to the final race. The visiting duo of Charles Wright (paid maximum) and Danny King took a 5-1 in the decider.

Disappointed team manager Alex Harkess said "We started so well with that very good first race but we just haven't been good enough. Our starting was so poor though obviously the Redcar heat leaders are very strong. I felt slightly surprised that we did get back into it but in the end, we came up short."

That opening race was the best heat of the night, as guest Justin Sedgmen swept ahead and Lasse Fredriksen got involved in a great battle with Lewis Kerr and Danyon Hume. Fredriksen lost second place to Hume at one point and might also have been passed by Kerr, but he battled back and regained the paid win.

The reserves' heat was shared but the Monarchs came unstuck in heat 3, and it is the middle pairing which is below par just now with neither Kye Thomson nor Paco Castagna finding the form they are capable of. The Italian especially started with two very poor races.

The 1-5 loss to Bailey and Wright (who cleverly cut under Thomson on lap two) levelled things up and it stayed tight for the rest of the night.

Craig Cook was very competitive with the visiting top men and headed King in heat 4, but thereafter the pattern became victory for the white helmet (6 in a row from heat 5 to heat 10) and most of the minor placings to the red and blue helmets.

Heat 8 is often a chance and Lasse Fredriksen was having a good night, but Danyon Hume took that win with Jason Edwards ahead of Jacob Hook after an excellent duel. That put us 2 down.

So the next home race winner after Cook in heat 4 was – Cook in heat 11, and then Cook in heat 13.

We were four down at heat 13, and as we have seen often in the past, Paco Castagna then suddenly found his form to take a win, backed very well by Kyle Bickley who was under pressure for four laps but took a paid win. Suddenly we were level!

Craig Cook was close to making it off gate four but was pipped to the turn by paid maximum man Wright, with King also there on the inside. Cook was with them all the way but had to settle for the point, and the Bears deservedly took the spoils.