BEES: CHEETAHS:
G.Hancock 2'2 3 2'3 12(2) P.Hurry 1 1'2 0 4(1)
St.Robson Rider Replacement A.Rossiter Rider Replacement
B.Andersen 0 3 3 3 9 C.Boyce 2 3 2 1'0 1' 9(2)
A.Jonsson 3 0 3 1 3 10 S.Johnston 1'1 1'1'1' 5(4)
B.Hamill 3 2 3 3 0 11 T.Wiltshire 0 3 2 2 1 8
Sc.Robson 0 0 0 0 0 L.Hare F 1 0 1
S.Tacey 3 2 2'1'0 1 0 9(2) J.Staechmann 3 1 2 2 0 2 2 12
EXIDE BEES GAVE THEMSELVES a great chance of Cup progression with a great five-man show ensuring that a good lead is taken to Cowley on Friday. The fact that Coventry were using rider replacement for Stuart Robson put a lot of pressure on the rest of the team to perform, and they would surely have settled for a 12-point margin at the start of the evening, even though in the end it could have been more.
Racing was fast, furious and competitive, with definitely some of the best action of the season. It was certainly different to the nightmare of Oxford's last visit, and given that the Cheetahs had picked up two wins and a draw on their last three visits to Brandon, there was definitely a score to settle. Bees' heat-leaders were in dominant form, and backed up by Andreas Jonsson and Shaun Tacey, they never looked in danger of being caught on the night.
Bees boss Colin Pratt elected to use Shaun Tacey in Heat 1, and the move certainly paid off as he flew from the start to join Greg Hancock at the front, with a sluggish Paul Hurry left trailing and Lawrence Hare, maximum man back in March, falling at the back. However, Cheetahs looked like hitting straight back in Heat 2 when Hare this time made a good start to hit the front with Staechmann. Tacey, also taking two rides consecutively, tried the outside for the whole race, and finally swept round Hare on the last bend to take an important second place.
Heat 3 produced good action as well with Jonsson using the outside to good effect to get past Craig Boyce. Meanwhile, Brian Andersen was going backwards and having lost third place to Steve Johnston he almost spun completely on the pits bend trying to get back through. It was another disappointing opening ride for the Coventry captain, but happily he made a tremendous recovery later on. Heat 4, meanwhile, produced the rare sight of Hamill and Tacey team-riding, but they did it very well and managed to see off the efforts of Wiltshire, who eventually dropped to the back with a last lap effort.
Quite why Colin Meredith didn't then use up one of his rider replacement rides with a tactical substitute is something of a mystery, but instead Staechmann was nominated and it looked good for an instant as the high-scoring reserve made the gate. Andersen, however, produced a masterly switch coming out of turn 2 and shot up the inside. Jonsson had been squeezed out at the start, and he trailed in last having got the line to get inside Hurry, but he lifted at the vital moment just as he was going through and dropped back again.
Heat 6 featured a desperately tight finish after Hancock had chased Wiltshire for the whole race and burst round the outside on the last bend. He definitely had the momentum coming off the corner, but it was very close to call and a dead head wouldn't have been a surprise. Wiltshire got the verdict, though, which meant a 3-3 as Tacey beat Hare comfortably on this occasion.
There was a frantic three-way battle at the front of Heat 7 as Boyce took Hamill wide at the start, with the American doing everything to get round the outside for the first couple of laps. In doing that, though, he was leaving room for Johnston on the inside, and on more than one occasion the Oxford man almost squeezed by, only for Hamill to come back round the outside. That 4-2 narrowed the gap to 4 points, and for a moment it looked like Oxford could come back all-square in a thrilling Heat 8 as Staechmann and Johnston got out ahead of Jonsson and Tacey. But Jonsson rode an absolutely extraordinary race, first flying round the outside of Johnston on the pits bend on lap 2, and then switching to the inside to get underneath Staechmann coming off turn four. He then tore away from his rivals to clock comfortably the fastest time of the night, again underlining what talent he has, and what speed he has in his bikes.
He was out again in Heat 9, and again made a poor start although he got the better of Staechmann on the first bend. Andersen was at the front having come right round the outside at the start to get past Wiltshire, and Jonsson then gave the Oxford man a very hard time, and was unlucky that he was already committed to the outside on the last lap when Wiltshire made a slight mistake that resulted in him drifting wider. Even so, Bees were now six points clear.
The shock at the start of Heat 10, as Boyce led from Hancock, was that Scott Robson made a decent gate to head Johnston. Hancock chased after Boyce and roared round the outside at the start of lap 3 to take the lead, but Robson really looked like holding onto third place until he seemed to almost stop in mid-track at the start of the last lap, giving Johnston the chance to come through on the inside.
Cheetahs brought Boyce back out for Heat 11 as a tactical substitute, but Hamill just had the speed from the start to pull away for an unchallenged win, Scott Robson tumbling on the first bend in his last ride of the night. With the gap still at six, Wiltshire was the next in line for an extra ride, but it was a disappointment for Oxford as his partnership with Boyce resulted in a 2-4. Andersen reeled off his third straight win and although Tacey couldn't hold onto the second place he had at the start as Wiltshire made his way forcefully through on the inside on the back straight, it was still a good result for Bees that Tacey beat Boyce for third place.
Heat 13 was sensational. Hurry and Wiltshire gated, but Coventry's Amercians went either side of Hurry on the first bend and then gave furious chase to Wiltshire. It was generally Hamill leading the fight, but Hancock was always in attendance. Both Bees were covering every inch of track to try to get through, and Wiltshire was having an almost impossible job to keep everything covered as he was being attacked from all angles. Going into the last lap, Hamill, having gone very wide on the previous bend, suddenly saw a chance and dived through on the inside to take the lead. In doing that, however, he overslid very slightly and Wiltshire cut back on the inside. They raced down the back straight absolutely together, and Hamill then brilliantly closed Wiltshire down on the last bend. Wiltshire drifted slightly and as Hamill pulled clear to win, Hancock surged through on the inside, moved Wiltshire over and completed the pass. It really was breathtaking stuff, and the H&H partnership were rightly given a standing ovation at the end of it.
Bees were now 12 points clear, and that was as good as it got, although at times two 5-1s were on the cards in the last couple of races. Jonsson made his first good gate of the night to win Heat 14 from the start, but Tacey, who held second place for a time, dropped to the back behind Staechmann and Johnston after lifting on the back straight. Maybe another seven-ride night was taking its toll on man and machine, but even so he turned in another more than useful performance, and Bees had no other option than to use him as much as possible.
Hopes were high for another 5-1 in Heat 15, especially when a furious Meredith discovered he couldn't use Wiltshire in the race because Johnston's four bonus points made him third top scorer behind Boyce and Staechmann! It was the latter two who came out for the race, therefore, and from the start it looked good for Coventry. But Hamill seemed to lose a little speed up the back straight for the first time, and Staechmann who'd come alongside him, shoved him wide which allowed plenty of space for Boyce to take third place. Hamill chased back but never managed to get through, and with the Bees fans frustrated that a 5-1 had turned into a 3-3, they suddenly realised that it could very easily become a 1-5 as Hancock's bike began to make some alarming noises as they went into lap five! Staechmann closed right up as Hancock continued to splutter his way around, but he just managed to nurse his bike home for the win.
All five Bees scorers deserve great credit for a highly-committed display, and the twelve-point margin really should be enough, especially as they will be able to use tactical substitutes if they go six down on the night at Oxford. But it's a very big week on the horizon, with two important Craven Shield matches as well, and a win at Hull would set things up very nicely for the Oxford match and then a big test against in-form Poole. At least the 1999 campaign, which was notable only for its lack of interest in the early weeks, has really come alive - and that is credit to the management for making the required changes.