BEES: WITCHES:
G.Hancock 3 2 3 2'3 13(1) C.Louis 1 0 1 1 1 4
C.Gjedde Rider Replacement B.Woodifield 0 2 1 0 3
S.Robson X 1 2 3 6 T.Svab 1'0 E 2 3(1)
A.Jonsson 2'3 3 0 2'1 11(2) B.Howe 2 1 0 3
S.Nicholls 0 2'3 3 8(1) T.Gollob 3 3 3 2 0 2 13
S.Tacey 3 3 E 1 2'3 12(1) J.Bunyan 1 0 1 2
R.Madsen 2'1 1'2 0 6(2) C.Watson 0 2'3 1'0 6(2)
HEAT DETAILS:
Ht 1:Hancock, Jonsson, Louis, Woodifield, 64.4 5-1 5-1
Ht 2:Tacey, Madsen, Bunyan, Watson, 65.2 5-1 10-2
Ht 3:Jonsson, Howe, Svab, Robson(f,exc), 63.3 3-3 13-5
Ht 4:Gollob, Watson, Madsen, Nicholls, 63.4 1-5 14-10
Ht 5:Jonsson, Woodifield, Robson, Louis, 62.8 4-2 18-12
Ht 6:Gollob, Hancock, Madsen, Bunyan, 63.6 3-3 21-15
Ht 7:Tacey, Nicholls, Howe, Svab, 63.7 5-1 26-16
Ht 8:Watson, Madsen, Woodifield, Tacey(ef), 63.5 2-4 28-20
Ht 9:Gollob, Robson, Louis, Jonsson, 63.2 2-4 30-24
Ht10:Hancock, Gollob, Tacey, Svab(ef), 62.8 4-2 34-26
Ht11:Nicholls, Tacey, Louis, Woodifield, 62.9 5-1 39-27
Ht12:Robson, Svab, Watson, Madsen, 63.3 3-3 42-30
Ht13:Nicholls, Hancock, Louis, Gollob, 62.9 5-1 47-31
Ht14:Tacey, Jonsson, Bunyan, Howe, 63.5 5-1 52-32
Ht15:Hancock, Gollob, Jonsson, Watson, 93.8 4-2 56-34
REAL SPEEDWAY RETURNED TO Coventry for the first time this season as Bees tore into the Ipswich team bearing the name of 1998 Treble-winnes, but whose 1999 version rode very little like them. That they had to radically change their team was, of course, the fault of the short-sighted, unsuccessful promoters who also cost Coventry the services of Billy Hamill - and those promoters should be ashamed of themselves when they compare the crowd figures for the Bees-Witches matches last season with those for this fixture. But, having said all that, there was no doubt which team was more up for it on the night, and no team can afford two heat-leaders, including the No.1, scoring just seven poins between them.
Bees were without Charlie Gjedde, who finished second in the Danish Under-21 Final, and captain Brian Andersen, who was replaced by former Witch Scott Nicholls. Right from the start, though, it was clear that Bees were very motivated, and Greg Hancock produced some masterly team-riding in Heat 1 as he held Chris Louis up on the inside to allow Andreas Jonsson to sweep round the outside for a match-opening 5-1. Heat 2 was also a good one for Bees, with Shaun Tacey gating well to secure his first race win of the season, and Rene Madsen again demonstrating his track craft to keep a faster Jason Bunyan behind him, making the score 10-2.
Heat 3 saw a very peculiar refereeing decision as the four riders reached the first bend at the same time. Something had to give, and it was Stuart Robson who was forced off, only to be excluded! Jonsson stormed away with the re-run, leaving Ben Howe and Toni Svab trailing. But Witches got back into the meeting with a 5-1 in Heat 4 as Nicholls and Madsen got in each others way, allowing Tomasz Gollob and guest Craig Watson to build a decent lead and half the deficit.
Heat 5 produced the best action of the season so far. Jonsson was well clear of it, winning by a considerable distance, but a frantic squabble ensued for the remaining places. Initially it was Woodifield leading Robson, but the Bees man lost his place to Louis as he was stuck behind the Australian. He battled back, however, and rode an excellent last bend to deservedly pass the British Champion on the line, to the delight of the fans.
Hancock was forced very wide by Gollob at the start of Heat 6, and was then clattered into by an out-of-control Bunyan exiting the second bend. Both riders went into the fence, happily without injury - and the referee showed a complete lack of consistency by ruling all four riders back for the re-run. The second start saw almost a repeat performance, with Hancock taken wide, and that briefly allowed Bunyan into second place. Hancock reclaimed the position at the end of lap 1, and Madsen chased hard and eventually forced his way into third place. Witches must have been a little disappointed at the loss of a promising situation there, but things got even worse for them in Heat 7 when Svab and Howe were taken apart easily by Tacey and Nicholls for a 5-1 that saw Bees march into a 10-point lead.
When your luck is out, nothing seems to go your way, and as the lively Watson easily took Heat 8, second-placed Tacey spluttered to a halt on lap 3. Woodifield, who had been challenging closely, was unintentionally impeded as Tacey drifted wide, and that allowed Madsen through for a fortunate second place, meaning that the race stayed as an Ipswich 4-2! This was a scoreline they repeated in Heat 9, but they must have hoped for more as they paired Louis and Gollob against Robson and Jonsson. But Louis was forced wide on the first bend, and although Gollob raced away to win, Louis only picked up a point thanks to a strange error by Jonsson, who went to the outside at the start of lap 3, and left a perfect gap for Louis to power into.
Heat 10 saw the second clash of Hancock and Gollob, and it was the Bees man who came out on top in a committed first corner, squeezing around the outside to win. Ipswich's plan to use Gollob in place of Howe backfired, though, as any challenge that Svab could have presented to Tacey ended in a retirement. That made it 34-26 at the interval.
Louis was again in trouble in Heat 11, this time losing out on the first bend to Nicholls, and the gap created allowed Tacey through for a 5-1 that essentially clinched the match. Robson shot out of the gate in Heat 12 to beat Svab and Watson, and there was then a very popular Heat 13, with Nicholls making a fantastic start and Hancock joining him up front as Louis and Gollob made a complete mess of the first bend.
There was more good action in Heat 14 as Jonsson made a dreadful start and gave the other riders a huge head-start. Tacey pulled clear to cap his best performance of the season with another win, and Jonsson bravely went round Ben Howe on the second lap. He then chased Bunyan, and found the drive coming out of the last bend to come through on the inside, stealing the place on the line.
Once again, the 6-lap finale produced little drama as Hancock saw off a brief challenge from Gollob over the first couple of laps, and Jonsson quickly saw off the attentions of Watson. By this stage, Bees had already clinched a surprising bonus point, and it was perhaps a sign of the type of night Ipswich had endured that they were forced to pair a Premier League guest (reserve) in the last heat with Gollob.
So, a good evening to be a Coventry fan, with the best performances of the season from Hancock, Jonsson and Tacey, and solid contributions from Robson and Madsen. Nicholls, after a dodgy start, proved to be a more than adequate guest, and that made it the perfect team performance. Ipswich won't be at all pleased with their display, and after two home defeats as well, John Louis may be forced into changes to make them more competitive in time for the Elite League campaign.