Premier League
Reading Speedway: Racers win in Brum.
By Admin
Jul 17, 2008, 20:24

Racers' first-ever trip to Perry Barr Stadium was a resounding success, as a solid team performance brought the side their second away victory of the league campaign.

There were points right down the line, with skipper Mark Lemon leading the way on 10+1. Tom P. Madsen enjoyed a fine evening to notch 9 points, while guest ‘Pepe' Franc (in for the unlucky Ulrich Ostergaard) tallied 8+1 and played a full part in an excellent team spirit that ran throughout the side.

In fact, the completed score-chart in descending order remarkably read 10+1, 9, 8+1, 7, 6, 5 and 4+1, emphasizing just what a superb performance it was.

Madsen streaked clear to win the opener and, for much of the way, it looked as if ‘Lemo' would follow him home for a 5-1. However, the Aussie ran out of fuel, allowing Kyle Legault and Jack Hargreaves to split the points.

James Birkinshaw went through the tapes in the first running of heat two, leaving Jamie Smith and Nicki Glanz to take the initiative in the re-start. Smith went on to win the race, while Birkinshaw recovered from his 15-metre handicap to pass Glanz for second place on lap three. Still, the 4-2 gave Reading an early lead, at 7-5.

Franc then zipped from the gate, before completing four wheel-perfect laps to defeat home linchpin Jason Lyons in a shared heat three.

A re-run heat four saw the Brummies move into the ascendancy through maximum points from Craig Watson and Birkinshaw ahead of Chris Mills.

Parity was restored in heat five, as Reading claimed a 4-2 through Lemon and Madsen. This, after Lyons had bravely squeezed outside the Dane on the first bend of lap three.

Mills made up for conceding a 5-1 in his first outing by winning heat six but, with Hargreaves and Legault splitting the points, the sides remained dead-locked at 18-18.

Birmingham again moved ahead in heat seven through a 4-2, with Watson collecting his second successive victory ahead of Franc, whilst Jack Roberts filled the vital third spot.

Heat eight was re-run after an alarming home straight crash for Birkinshaw, with Madsen and Glanz subsequently collecting a 5-0 following Hargreaves' lost chain. That again put the Racers in front, at 25-22.

The Brummies came back with a 4-2 in heat nine, as Lyons took the win. Behind, Mills won a great scrap with Smart for second place, the result leaving just a single point between the sides.

Reading extended their slender lead to 5 points in heat ten after a switch of set-ups resulted in a flying win for the previously point-less Tomas Suchanek ahead of his partner and fellow countryman, Franc.

Watson continued on his merry way with a third straight win in heat eleven, while Madsen and Lemon comfortably shared the spoils in the minor scoring positions.

Lyons came from behind to pass Smith and win heat twelve, after Franc was baulked on the first corner. Meanwhile, Roberts took advantage of the situation to grab the odd-point.

The sharp-end of the meeting began with a re-started heat thirteen that saw Lemon post his second victory of the evening from Legault, with Mills crucially holding third place before Watson pulled up with a bike problem.

Going into the penultimate race holding a 5-point lead, Reading made sure of the win when Suchanek sped to the flag from Smart, with Glanz holding third place throughout after Birkinshaw had lost a chain on the first corner.

Lemon completed the match in fine style courtesy of his third race victory, with Lyons finishing second after swooping around Franc on the fourth bend of the opening lap.

So ended an entertaining night of speedway in Birmingham, with the action enjoyed by a fair number of travelling Racers' supporters.

BIRMINGHAM
Kyle Legault 2 1* 1 2 0 - - 6 (1)
Jack Hargreaves 1* 2 R 0 - - - 3 (1)
Jason Lyons (C) 2 2 3 3 2 - - 12
Lee Smart 1* 0 1 2 - - - 4 (1)
Craig Watson 3 3 3 R - - - 9
Jack Roberts 0 1 0 1 - - - 2
James Birkinshaw 2 2* X 0 - - - 4 (1)

READING
Mark Lemon (C) R 3 1* 3 3 - - 10 (1)
Tom P. Madsen 3 1 3 2 - - - 9
Josef Franc 3 2 2* 0 1 - - 8 (1)
Tomas Suchanek 0 0 3 3 - - - 6
Chris Mills 1 3 2 1 - - - 7
Jamie Smith 3 0 0 2 - - - 5
Nicki Glanz 1 0 2* 1 - - - 4 (1)