Good fightback after a slow start

The Stellar Monarchs lost 40-50 at Redcar tonight, and didn't provide any of the first five race winners. At that stage they were ten points down. Thereafter though they came right back into the match with heat winners in heats 6, 7 and 9 followed by a heat 11 5-1 which must have had the home side rattled.

Team manager John Campbell said "The ten-point defeat doesn't reflect how we came back into the match, to the extent that the tac sub plan in heat 12 was blown apart! At the outset I couldn't see how we were going to beat any of their top guys, but then we got going it actually didn't prove so difficult to beat them. Passing was exceptionally difficult.

"There was evidence from the whole team that if they can make starts they will win, but we just didn't make enough starts."

Given the strength of Redcar's top three it was not a bad tally for the Monarchs to win 6 of the 10 heats after that slow opening. Paco Castagna took two wins with some remarkable drive out of the turns, and recent signing Michael Palm Toft was probably the visitors' best gater as he had his best outing so far.

Paco might have had another in heat 10 but a last bend mistake let in Charles Wright. The opening pair had a victory each and Kye Thomson repeated his performance from Oxford of scoring in every race, finishing with that heat 11 win.

While Redcar always get decent performances from their heat leaders, they were indebted to their young reserves Jody Scott and Ace Pijper who hit a paid 15 total between them.

There was a curious incident in heat 12 when to Monarchs' frustration they seemed to make the start only to realise the red lights were on. It seemed these were actually put on accidentally before the tapes rose, and so there was no option but to stop the heat.

So Monarchs need to win by more than 10 next Friday in their next match when Redcar visit Armadale, if they are to take all the points on offer. Tough against a team who have won on their previous two visitors, but nobody will be regarding that as impossible.

Roadtrip Continues At Redcar

A busy week on the road for the Stellar Monarchs continues on Friday night as they make the trip to Redcar looking to build momentum after a fantastic win at Oxford on Wednesday night.

That victory was the outcome of solid scoring throughout with five of the Monarchs recording at least one win or paid win and more of the same will be required against a fancied home side who are looking to move themselves up the table this being only their second home league meeting and third league meeting overall.

The Bears strength is undoubtedly at the top end with a heat leader trio the envy of most in the division, the fact that two of the three home heat-leaders Charles Wright and Erik Riss have been Grand Prix wildcards this season showing this punch and that's not to take away from the third Danny King who is of course a former British Champ.

There is one absence in the home ranks with former Monarch Jason Edwards missing out Workington man Tate Zischke steps in to guest.

Intrigue will come at reserve also where Jody Scott has made a roaring start to his Bears career defeating Sam Masters in the match clinching heat 14 in the Bears last home fixture.

Ace Pijper is the other reserve and while it has perhaps not been the start to the season the youngster was looking for a very impressive 15 point maximum for the Middlesbrough Tigers albeit in defeat to the Monarchs Academy last week shows what he is capable off round his home shale.

For the Monarchs it is more of the same required as they line-up with an identical 1-7 that took the spoils at Oxford.

Victor Palovaara is now at at number one having taken to this position like a duck to water with two heat wins in his 11 point haul on Wednesday.

Kye Thomson was a match winner with his pass in heat 15 and while he will be looking to make life easier from the start Kye's upturn in form has mirrored that of the Monarchs in recent weeks.

Elsewhere, Michael Palm Toft is racing himself back to full sharpness and as a former Bear of three years there should be nothing to surprise our new Dane in this one.

Jonathan Grahn was another who acquitted himself excellently in his first meeting at Oxford also with a brace of heat wins and if he can nullify the home pairing this will go a long way to success.

The mix of experience and youth in the Monarchs ranks is never more stark than when comparing middle order pairing Paco Castagna and Justin Sedgmen with new Aussie recruit Jordy Loftus but Loftus does have the comfort of having taken to the Redcar shale already with a fantastic 10+3 haul in his National League debut.

So, an intriguing looking fixture lies ahead with both sides looking to keep their strong form up, tapes up is at 7.30pm with the match live streamed at https://www.redcar-speedway.tv/