FAIRHURSTMAKESHISMARKASSHOOTOUTSERIESHEATSUP

Lee Fairhurst leapt up the National Points Shootout rankings after romping away with the Belle Vue meeting final on Sunday night.

Having chased home Frankie Wainman Jr to finish second in his opening heat, Fairhurst was then forced to race most of the second heat without power steering to finish sixth.

In a race against time to compete for the final after unravelling and remounting the power steering belt, Fairhurst was lying in third place when the race had to be restarted at the halfway point.

The Turn 1 fence had to be repaired after heat one winner John Dowson had planted Joe Booth into Ben Riley, who went sideways into the fence and snapped a fence post.

At this stage it was Jack France who led from world champion Nigel Green, Fairhurst and Shootout points leader Stuart Smith Jr. Two laps after the restart Fairhurst made his move and shoved Green on to France – who both tangled out of contention – to take the lead.

“I got a good start,” said Fairhurst. “I just dinked Nigel into Jack and went up the inside them. I was half expecting Stuart [Smith Jr] to be breathing down my neck, but when I looked in my mirrors there was no-one there. He must have had some sort of problem, so that was a bonus.”

From that point on Fairhurst stretched his lead and took the flag for his second Belle Vue final victory of the season. Mat Newson finished second ahead of Paul Hines. Smith Jr limped home a lap down in 10th place with a broken halfshaft.

France made amends to take a flag-to-flag victory in the Grand National, winning from Green and Craig Finnikin.

Fairhurst now lies in second place in the Shootout after five rounds, 47 points behind leader Smith Jr, in the race for the silver roof that concludes at Belle Vue on November 12.

Series leader Smith Jr’s main rival Frankie Wainman Jr had a night to forget, only scoring 14 points after an evening beset with mechanical issues after his opening heat victory.