Hammers silence Lions roar

The Vortex Lakeside Hammers began their 2015 Elite League campaign this evening with a comprehensive 59-31 victory over the Leicester Lions. A dominant display saw Danish Star Mikkel Bech score a paid maximum, Edward Kennett and Hammers captain Andreas Jonsson both deliver 11 points and fellow Swede Kim Nilsson score 10.

The opening heat saw two races in one, with Hammers number 2 Kim Nilsson holding off recent Elite League Riders champion Jason Doyle, whilst Hammers skipper Andreas Jonsson passed the Lions guest Ben Barker on lap 3.

After an initial false start, the first fast track reserves heat saw a share of the points with the visitors Josh Auty winning comfortably, followed by Ashley Birks on his Hammers league debut, and Adam Ellis picking up a point in third.  Former Hammer Grzegorz Walasek gated in the third, before being passed by Richard Lawson on the exit of the second bend, and then by team mate Mikkel Bech as they entered the third bend, to see the Hammers record their first 5-1 of the evening.

Simon Lambert made a storming gate in the following race, before Edward Kennett passed the Lions reserve at the end of lap 2 followed by Birks on lap 3, to record another maximum heat advantage. The Lions deployed their tactical ride in the following heat to try and stem the tide, with Ben Barker donning the Black and White helmet. The Berwick rider was deemed to be rolling at the start and in the resulting re-run missed the gate allowing Nilsson and Ellis to both steam into the distance, and enable the Hammers to add further pressure.

The domination continued in the following race, which was again re-run after Pedersen slid into the airfence on the first bend. In the re-start, Kennett and Bech team rode superbly to keep the charging Doyle at bay.

A first heat win back in Hammers colours for Jonsson, followed home by Lawson in the 7th, saw the Hammers open up a 22 point margin, with little obvious signs of a way back into the meeting for the Lions.

Kennett scorched to another heat victory in the following race, with Auty and Birks racing close for second place, before the Hammers reserve lost his speed allowing Barker to pass for a shared heat.  Nilsson emulated Kennett in the 9th, with Adam Ellis showing composure to pass Lambert at the end of the second lap.

Bech delivered a stunning first and second bend in the 10th to cut back under Doyle and take the chequred flag, for a shared heat. Pedersen finally got in on the act in the next race taking victory over the charging Jonsson.  Auty again took victory in the second reserves race, seeing off the challenge of Birks and Ellis, before Jonsson showed style of old with a blast around the outside in heat 13 to take his second victory of the evening.

Bech and Kennett rounded off with a further maximum advantage in the penultimate heat with a tapes to flag win over the Polish pairing of Wozniak and Walasek. Doyle hit the deck on the first bend of the nominated race, before picking himself up and catching the fast gating Jonsson to claim his first race chequered flag of the night, but it was too little, too late, such was the early meeting dominance from The Hammers.

Scores

Lakeside Hammers = 59

1. Andreas Jonsson – 1, 3, 2, 3, 2 = 11
2. Kim Nilsson – 3, 3, 3, 1* = 10+1
3. Mikkel Bech – 2*, 2*, 3, 3 = 10+2 PAID MAXIMUM
4. Edward Kennett – 3, 3, 3, 2*, 0 = 11+1
5. Richard Lawson – 3, 2*, 0, 1 = 6+1
6. Adam Ellis – 1*, 2*, 1, 1* = 5+3
7. Ashley Birks – 2, 2*, 0, 2 = 6+1

Leicester Lions = 31

1. Jason Doyle – 2, 1, 2, 2, 3 = 10
2. Ben Barker (G) – 0, 0^, 1*, 1*, 1 = 3+2
3. Grzegorz Walasek – 1, R, 0, 0 = 1
4. Szymon Wozniak – 0, 1, 2, 1 = 4
5. Bjarne Pedersen – 0, 0, 3, 0 = 3
6. Josh Auty – 3, 1, 2, 3 = 9
7. Simon Lambert – 0, 1, 0, 0 = 1

Heat Results

Lakeside win the toss and defer, Leicester choose gates 2&4 in Heat 1

Heat 01: Nilsson, Doyle, Jonsson, Barker 4-2; 4-2; 59.4
Heat 02: Auty, Birks, Ellis, Lambert 3-3; 7-5 60.1
Heat 03: Lawson, Bech, Walasek, Pedersen 5-1; 12-6 60.7
Heat 04: Kennett, Birks, Lambert, Wozniak 5-1; 17-7 61.3
Heat 05: Nilsson, Ellis, Auty, BARKER 5-1; 22-8 59.4
Heat 06: Kennett, Bech, Doyle, Pedersen 5-1; 27-9 59.8
Heat 07: Jonsson, Lawson, Wozniak, Walasek (R) 5-1; 32-10 60.0
Heat 08: Kennett, Auty, Barker, Birks 3-3; 35-13 60.1
Heat 09: Nilsson, Wozniak, Ellis, Lambert 4-2; 39-15 60.5
Heat 10: Bech, Doyle, Barker, Lawson 3-3; 42-18 60.1
Heat 11: Pedersen, Jonsson, Nilsson, Walasek 3-3; 45-21 60.3
Heat 12: Auty, Birks, Ellis, Lambert 3-3; 48-24 61.4
Heat 13: Jonsson, Doyle, Lawson, Pedersen 4-2; 52-26 59.4
Heat 14: Bech, Kennett, Wozniak, Walasek 5-1; 57-27 60.8
Heat 15: Doyle, Jonsson, Barker, Kennett 2-4; 59-31 59.7

Updates Courtesy of @lakesidelive

Image: Mikkel Bech of Lakeside Hammers – Lakeside Hammers Press & Practice Day at the Arena Essex Raceway. CREDIT: Rob Newell/TGSPHOTO