Mighty Max the Master

REPORT Saturday 7th July 2018, 1:09am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It was an important meeting for Max Ruml at Armadale tonight, as he needed to prove against some useful Championship-level opposition that he is settling in and making progress in the UK. He managed it in style with a convincing and deserved victory in the Caledonian Riders' Championship.

The American said afterwards "Coming into this meeting I hadn't been scoring big points at Armadale. I made some good times and good starts, gained come confidence and I feel it will do a lot for me in the weeks to come.

"I don't know what went on behind me in the final, I was busy looking forward! It will be one to remember, my first Trophy in Great Britain."

Tom Bacon may have started the meeting best, Coty Garcia may have gated best (until the Final), and Nathan Greaves may have pulled off the best pass (on Jordan Stewart in the last qualifying heat) but in the end Max Ruml was the main man. After a third place in a tough opening race who dominated his three remaining qualifiers followed by the semi-final and final.

He didn't just win these last five heats, he absolutely owned them and there was never any doubt about the outcome of any of his heats.

Coty Garcia was the top qualifying scorer on 11, with Ruml and Tom Bacon scoring 10. Garcia and Jordan Stewart went through from the first semi-final, in which Bacon was eliminated, and from the second it was Ruml and Nathan Greaves who went through.

It hadn't been a great night early on for Greaves who is a Wolverhampton regular – he had an unlucky fall in heat 6 thanks to a mechanical defect after going inside Garcia. However he bounced back with a last gasp win in heat 12 and a second place in the final. Jordan Stewart was third with Coty Garcia fourth, missing the gate for the first time.

Amongst the Scots, Ryan MacDonald won his first ride which was enough to win him the pair of Scott Goggles donated by Bert Harkins. That prize might have gone to William Lawson had he not lifted and fallen in his first heat. By heat 10 William had remembered enough about riding Armadale to pass Ellis Perks impressively. Each of the younger Scots looked like they had made progress since the previous event.

It was a pleasant evening in the sunshine, and the racing was interesting if not brilliant. The riders certainly gave their all and early crashes by William Lawson and Jacob Bukhave didn't slow things down too much – the meeting was well under two hours which is the norm at Armadale.

It might have been a "Caledonian" event, but the happiest man was definitely American.

Final Result: Ruml, Greaves, Stewart, Garcia.