Plymouth Gladiators
Nico Covatti 11 (4)
Edinburgh Monarchs
Josh Pickering 14 (6)
Championship
54
34
Tuesday 2nd July 2024
The Coliseum
Plymouth Gladiators
Team Manager: John Campbell
54
1. Nico Covatti 3 2 3 3 11 0
2. Alfie Bowtell R 0 3 2* 5 1
3. Dan Thompson 1* 2 3 3 2 11 1
4. Kyle Newman 2 1* 2* 2* 7 3
5. Ben Barker 3 1 1* 1 0 6 1
6. Joe Thompson 3 0 2 3 8 0
7. Jacob Hook 2* 1 2* 1 6 2
Edinburgh Monarchs
Team Manager: Garry May
34
1. Josh Pickering 2 3 1 3 2 3 14 0
2. Kye Thomson R 0 F 0 0 0
3. Lasse Fredriksen 3 2* 1 2 1 9 1
4. Paco Castagna 0 3 0 1 4 0
5. Justin Sedgmen 2 3 0 0 5 0
6. Max James FD 1 1 0 2 0
7. Connor Coles R 0 0 0 0
Heat 1
Time: 53.42
1. Nico Covatti  
3
2. Alfie Bowtell  
R
1. Josh Pickering  
2
2. Kye Thomson  
R
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
3
Away
2
2
Heat 2
 
6. Joe Thompson  
3
7. Jacob Hook  
2
6. Max James  
FD
7. Connor Coles  
R
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
8
Away
0
2
Heat 3
Time: 53.53
3. Dan Thompson  
1
4. Kyle Newman  
2
3. Lasse Fredriksen  
3
4. Paco Castagna  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
11
Away
3
5
Heat 4
Time: 53.79
5. Ben Barker  
3
7. Jacob Hook  
1
5. Justin Sedgmen  
2
7. Connor Coles  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
15
Away
2
7
Hook goes around Coles on 2nd lap for 4-2
Heat 5
Time: 52.30
3. Dan Thompson  
2
4. Kyle Newman  
1
1. Josh Pickering  
3
2. Kye Thomson  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
18
Away
3
10
Tremendous burst around outside for Josh to take lead. NEW TRACK RECORD. Kye and Kyle both warned for moving at start
Heat 6
Time: 53.86
1. Nico Covatti  
2
2. Alfie Bowtell  
0
5. Justin Sedgmen  
3
6. Max James  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
2
20
Away
4
14
Justin gates and go, tremendous first lap from Max to pass Bowtell and then make it stick under pressure
Heat 7
Time: 53.72
5. Ben Barker  
1
6. Joe Thompson  
0
3. Lasse Fredriksen  
2
4. Paco Castagna  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
21
Away
5
19
Green light gate and go
Heat 8
Time: 54.27
2. Alfie Bowtell  
3
7. Jacob Hook  
2
2. Kye Thomson  
F
7. Connor Coles  
6. Max James
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
26
Away
1
20
Hook down on 1st bend as 3 into 1 doesn't go. Restart all 4 riders. Another messy start Max down on 2nd bend. Restart all 4 again. Bowtell and kye locked together for a lap, Kye just can't make it and spins of bend 1 lap 2
Heat 9
Time: 53.32
3. Dan Thompson  
3
4. Kyle Newman  
2
5. Justin Sedgmen  
0
6. Max James  T/S
1. Josh Pickering
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
31
Away
1
21
Gladiators gate with josh at the back. Both Monarchs all over Kyle for 4 laps but cannot get past
Heat 10
Time: 53.62
1. Nico Covatti  
3
2. Alfie Bowtell  
2
3. Lasse Fredriksen  
1
4. Paco Castagna  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
36
Away
1
22
From the gate, Monarchs left standing again for 3 x 5-1s back to back for home team
Heat 11
Time: 53.39
5. Ben Barker  
1
6. Joe Thompson  
2
1. Josh Pickering  
3
2. Kye Thomson  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
39
Away
3
25
Unsatisfactory start all 4 restart, was a messy start but Gladiators were away again. 2nd attempt, Josh jumps and gets a warning all 4 restart Monarchs poor out gate again this time josh geta around Barker on second lap and sensationally passes Thompson on 4th bendof 4th lap
Heat 12
Time: 53.32
3. Dan Thompson  
3
7. Jacob Hook  
1
3. Lasse Fredriksen  
2
6. Max James  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
43
Away
2
27
Lasse battles into 2nd. But Monarchs still not making the gate
Heat 13
Time: 54.23
1. Nico Covatti  
3
5. Ben Barker  
1
1. Josh Pickering  
2
5. Justin Sedgmen  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
47
Away
2
29
Barker battled passed Sedgy for 3rd, Josh trying hard but couldn't make a mark on Covatti
Heat 14
Time: 54.31
4. Kyle Newman  
2
6. Joe Thompson  
3
4. Paco Castagna  
1
7. Connor Coles  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
52
Away
1
30
Paco made a decent gate but lifted badly and that was that
Heat 15
Time: 53.50
3. Dan Thompson  
2
5. Ben Barker  
0
1. Josh Pickering  
3
3. Lasse Fredriksen  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
2
54
Away
4
34
All 4 riders restart, warning for Barker for a flyer. Attempt 2 warning for Lasse all 4 restart. Josh magic again using every inch of the track to pass Thompson with a tremendous pass on inside of 1st and 2nd bend of last lap. Great move from Lasse to get 3rd

The Stellar Monarchs simply were not good enough overall on an attritional night at Plymouth that had a bit of everything the majority of it negative.

A final score of 54-34 only tells half the story as a 2hr 40 minute meeting saw stoppages and re-runs galore.

Add to this woeful track preparation that saw lengthy track work throughout starting as early as after heat two plus an electrical failure that meant the majority of the meeting was run under green light starts and it would be easy to use these as excuses.

However that would be unfair to the hosts who dealt with the challenges better and too kind to the Monarchs who simply did not perform as expected as team boss John Campbell explained, 'I came here believing we had a very good chance of the win and the bonus point and to be so heavily beaten simply isn't good enough.

'Ok, the track at the start of the meeting is unsettling, the lack of starting gates is unsettling but we actually started ok then the way we were brushed aside was embarrassing.

'Without Josh and just behind him Lasse it would have been even more embarrassing.

'It is difficult and you don't want to criticise tracks as a bad night can happen to anyone and same with the starting gates that can happen anywhere although I'm led to believe it happens here more than most but we can't control any of that, what we can control is our own performance and that's what needs looked at.'

Weirdly, although not shown on the scorecard the Monarchs actually started brightly enough only for misfortune to hit, Kye Thomson leading heat one before grinding to a halt.

Then Max James getting caught out by the conditions and coming down while leading heat two.

Lengthy track work would follow this then coupled with a further delay as gremlins hit the starting gates prior to best six.

This meant green light starts and the Monarchs looked to have adapted best as Justin Sedgmen and James took a 4-2 in heat six before Lasse Fredriksen and Paco Castagna took a heat seven maximum at this stage the Monarchs were only two down.

This is where the wheels would come off though as the next theee races saw a trio of home maximum advantages that meant it was all but game over.

As always Josh Pickering never knows this though and his last to first blast in heat 11was a rare highlight both for the Monarchs and racing wise for any neutrals watching on the British Speedway Network.

Another trio of heat advantages would follow for the home men as they consistently found themselves in front into the first corner.

Heat 15 was another Pickering classic as he stalked and passed Dan Thompson through the dust clouds but this was nothing but a consolation for the Monarchs who must now literally and figuratively dust themselves down and go again at Poole on Wednesday night.

Plymouth Gladiators 54 : Covatti 11, Bowtell 5+1, D Thompson 11+1, Newman 7+3, Barker 6+1, J Thompson 8, Hook 6+2

Stellar Monarchs 34 : Pickering 14, Thomson 0, Fredriksen 9+1, Castagna 4, Sedgmen 5, James 2, Coles 0

The Stellar Monarchs face the longest trip in British speedway on Tuesday as they head to Plymouth to take on the Gladiators with work to do.

It was the one big blip on the Monarchs season so far back in May when the Gladiators came away from Armadale victorious and it means that if any points are to be gained then a big result is needed.

The Monarchs will head south with some confidence after a hard-fought bonus point gained at Scunthorpe on Friday and line-up with their usual 1-7.

In fact it is a rare occasion where as it stands both teams line-up as programmed with Nico Covatti making his return after a 28 day ban for riding abroad while missing UK matches, albeit no one can really hold to much against the Italian giving the severity of injuries suffered in Argentina not long before the UK season started.

Beyond Covatti the man most are talking in the Plymouth camp is Dan Thompson, Thompson enjoying his best season in the sport so far and recently announced in the Team GB squad for the SON 2 later this month.

Ben Barker is another who on his day is absolutely unbeatable around the Coliseum so their will be exciting battles abound as the Monarchs top end all look to continue their excellent recent form.

Tapes up is at 7pm with the match available to watch on the British Speedway Network.

Plymouth Gladiators – Nico Covatti, Alfie Bowtell, Dan Thompson, Kyle Newman, Ben Barker, Joe Thompson, Jacob Hook

Stellar Monarchs – Josh Pickering, Kye Thomson, Lasse Fredriksen, Paco Castagna, Justin Sedgmen, Max James, Connor Coles