Edinburgh Monarchs v Stoke Potters

REPORT Friday 11th September 2009, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs might have felt tiredness and machine problems were starting to creep in, but Stoke were not a strong enough team to give them any serious problems.

The track for the second match of the night was good enough to allow William Lawson to record 55.2 in the opening heat.

As in the first match, Monarchs started off with two 5-1s. Jason Bunyan fell in heat 1, and Jesper Kristiansen came down in heat 2.

That all changed in heat 3 though as William Lawson stopped while leading, gifting a race win to Lee Complin and a heat advantage to his team.

Robert Ksiezak briefly challenged in heat 3 before dropping back and then falling, confirming that his recent form is pretty poor. Kristiansen did manage to take a second place though.

Bunyan split the Monarchs? pair in heat 5, taking second from Wethers, but there was no problem for Fisher and Lawson romping home in heat 6 against the weak Potters? pair.

Lee Complin took the first TR in heat 7 and seemed well on the way to a win after passing Rajkowski. However he stopped and that ended any faint hopes Potters may have had. Aaron Summers spluttered away from the gate but took the gift point.

Heat 8 was pretty farcical as Madsen lost control on the first corner, causing Bekker to lay his bike down. The South African could hardly believe it as the race carried on without stoppage, Lawson winning easily.

Monarchs took what was their eleventh 5-1 of the evening in heat 9 through Wethers and Rajkowski after Kristiansen had hit the fence hard, but the unbeaten run of Ryan Fisher ended in heat 10. He was on a 5-1 with Lawson when Complin hit the fence and caused a stoppage, then seemed to forget to turn his fuel on in the rerun, only taking a single point.

Summers again could not get away from the start in heat 11 and it seemed a bit odd that he didn?t try a practice start. This left Rajkowski on his own against Bunyan (on a TR) and Madsen. Madsen sensed he had a chance of passing Rajkowski, but in trying to do so he badly blocked his partner.

Madsen did come through to win on the last bend but Bunyan was only third. Better tactics here could have brought the Potters an 8-1.

Bekker made a rare start in heat 12 and as ever Matthew Wethers was happy to settle in for a team riding 5-1. That ensured all three points for Monarchs and to celebrate they took another 5-1 from heat 13, in which Ksiezak showed slightly better form.

Summers? bike gave up the ghost again in heat 14 but Wethers won, and to complete a points romp for Monarchs, Fisher won heat 15 from Complin who rode well in this one.

HERMISTON MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Michal Rajkowski.

Full Result Details