Bears’ mauling is anything but Parr for course
REDCAR manager Gavin Parr is giving serious consideration to hiring the Scunthorpe track for a day’s practice after the Agilia Bears’ roller-coaster early summer continued with a comprehensive 55-35 defeat at the Lincolnshire venue.
The Teessiders, fresh from their own home and away destruction of highly-rated Glasgow in the Knockout Cup quarter finals, were rocked back on to their heels as they supplied just five of the 15 race winners at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
Three Scorpions – top of the averages Ryan Douglas, former Redcar favourite Michael Palm Toft and skipper Simon Lambert – were all unbeaten by a Redcar rider in what turned out to be a trouble-free romp for the hosts.
Danny King and Danyon Hume claimed a heat five 5-1 for the visitors to close the deficit to 16-14, but after that is was largely one-way traffic, leaving Parr to assess the night’s action.
He said: “I don’t think co-promoters Jamie Swales and Jade Mudgway or myself came away as devastated as we might have been had it been anywhere else.
“Scunthorpe is unique. When people like Danny King, who have ridden for more than 20 years and won a British title, come off the track and say things like ‘I don’t know what to do, I just can’t seem to make the bike go forward,’ then you know this track causes problems.
“Charles Wright got 14 there last time and thought he’d mastered it, then goes back this time and never looks like winning a race!”
Few visiting sides win at the Eddie Wright Raceway as Scunny have lost just twice in 20 home league matches this decade without featuring near the top of the table.
So many people showed no surprise when their promoter Rob Godfrey was strongly behind returning the aggregate bonus point – for the team with the best combined home and away score – to the sport’s rule book.
Parr continued: “If I’d come away from any other venue and had what looks like a hammering on paper, I’d maybe worry.
“Until we go back there we probably won’t race again on anything like that track – and we are probably going to have to go back to contest one leg of the Knockout Cup semifinal there.”
“So I’m really considering hiring the track, inviting all our side down there and spending all day trying to find something which works.”
In-form winter signing Connor Bailey was again the Bears’ top rider, taking the chequered flag twice and top scoring with 10+1.
He managed a further doublefigure score at National Development League Workington the following afternoon, despite a late fall, from which he emerged unhurt.
Parr said: “Connor has never looked back since starting to ride at Workington.
“Confidence in speedway is half the battle and to get used to being in front and winning races has done wonders for his.”
Meanwhile Erik Riss, who has not ridden for two months due to a mystery illness, practised extensively at Redcar’s Ecco Arema yesterday and the club are awaiting the outcome.
Parr went on: “We are not putting Erik under any pressure at all as he might come off the track feeling fine and tomorrow find his brain has had a reaction – vibration on a speedway bike with little or no suspension is massive.”