Vortex Hammers see off the Wolves

The Vortex Lakeside Hammers comfortably defeated Wolverhampton this evening, with a convincing 57-35 victory, to take all three Elite League points.

The meeting got off to the best possible start for the Hammers, with a maximum heat advantage in the first race when current World Champion Tai Woffinden was squeezed out on the first bend, allowing Hammers guest Rory Schlein to emerge clear. Despite Woffinden clearing his team mate Proctor, Hammers stand in Skipper Richard Lawson kept the Wolves star behind him to the flag.

After a restart of heat 2, Tom Perry for the visitors showed  the Hammers fast track reserves, Morley and Ellis, the way home for a shared heat, after Jacobs had overcooked it on the second bend of lap 2.  Wolves guest Danny King then got the better of Karlsson, despite the best efforts of the Hammers Number 5  for a second shared score in the following race, before Lewis Bridger and Ben Morley then teamed up for a 4-2 heat advantage, with the young Hammers reserve trading places with Proctor throughout.

Schlein and Karlsson notched up a further 4-2 in the fifth, with Karlsson again trying numerous options to get past Wells. The Wolves pairing of Woffinden and King finally secured a heat advantage for the away side in heat 6, leading from the second bend after Bridger went too wide, but Danish star Bech stalked and then passed King to reduce the away advantage to two points. After Well’s bike failed at the tapes in the following race, Adam Ellis pulled off a great ride to take both Jacobs and Perry around the third and fourth bends of lap two, to join his captain at the front.

Heat 8 saw Wolverhampton introduce King as a tactical ride, but an excellent example of team riding from Bech and Bridger, who delivered a scorching double pass around the Wolves rider on bend 3 of the first lap, saw the Hammers extend their lead further.  In the second reserves race in heat 9, Morley and Ellis outgunned their Wolverhampton counterparts taking another Hammers one two, whilst Schlein again led from tapes to flag in the following race, as Lawson tucked in behind Proctor, to leave the Hammers 20 points to the good by the interval.

With the Wolves Skipper Woffinden on the second tactical nomination in heat 11, Mikkel Bech then produced a magnificent pass in heat 11, swooping around the World Champion on the exit of the fourth bend of the first lap. As Karlsson tucked in for third, the Hammers again neutralised the tactical score.

Not to be outdone, Lawson then showed his calmness and class to stalk and then overtake both Perry and Jacobs, in for Proctor who had demolished the tapes, to secure a further maximum heat advantage with Morley.

Woffinden ended Schleins hunt for a full maximum, leading from tapes to flag in the 13th, before Lewis Bridger pulled off another determined move in the penultimate race, tracking Wells for two laps before executing an overtake on the home straight.  Woffinden gained revenge on Bech in the nominated heat 15, with stand in Skipper Lawson kept at the back by Wells, but the three league points had been comfortably taken long before.

Scores and heat results.

Lakeside Hammers = 57

1. Rory Schlein (Guest) – 3 , 3 , 3 , 2 = 11
2. Richard Lawson – 2′ , 3 , 1 , 2′ , 0 = 8+2
3. Mikkel Bech – 1′ , 2 , 3 , 3 , 2 = 11+1
4. Lewis Bridger – 3 , R , 2′ , 3 = 8+1
5. Peter Karlsson – 2 , 1 , 1 , 1′ = 5+1
6. Ben Morley – 2 , 1 , 3 , 3 = 9
7. Adam Ellis – 1′ , 2′ , 2′ , 0 = 5+3

Wolverhampton Wolves = 35

1. Tai Woffinden – 1 , 3 , 4^ , 3 , 3 = 14
2. Ty Proctor – 0 , 2 , 0 , 2 , T/(JJ – 1) = 4
3. Danny King (Guest) – 3 , 0 , 1 , 1^ , 0 = 5
4. Ricky Wells – 0 , 2 , X/(TP – 0) , 0 , 2 , 1 = 5
5. R/R for Jacob Thorssell – (RW – 0, DK – 1, TP – 2, JJ – 0 = 3)
6. Joe Jacobs – F , 1 , 1 , 1 , F , (TP – 1′) = 3
7. Tom Perry – 3 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1′ = 4+1

Heat Results

Heat 01: Schlein, Lawson, Woffinden, Proctor 5-1 Time: 59.60
Heat 02: Perry, Morley, Ellis, Jacobs – Fell 3-3 8-4 Time: 61.10
Heat 03: King, Karlsson, Bech, Wells 3-3 11-7 Time: 59.20
Heat 04: Bridger, Proctor, Morley, Perry 4-2 15-9 Time: 58.80
Heat 05: Schlein, Wells, Karlsson, King 4-2 19-11 Time: 59.00
Heat 06: Woffinden, Bech, King, Bridger – Retired 2-4 21-15 Time: 58.90
Heat 07: Lawson, Ellis, Jacobs, Perry 5-1 26-16 Time: 60.30
Heat 08: Bech, Bridger, King, Proctor 5-1 31-17 Time: 59.70
Heat 09: Morley, Ellis, Jacobs, Perry 5-1 36-18 Time: 60.10
Heat 10: Schlein, Proctor, Lawson, King 4-2 40-20 Time: 59.70
Heat 11: Bech, Woffinden – Tactical Ride, Karlsson, Wells 4-4 44-24 Time: 59.20
Heat 12: Morley, Lawson, Jacobs, Perry 5-1 49-25 Time: 60.90
Heat 13: Woffinden, Schlein, Karlsson, Jacobs – Fell 3-3 52-28 Time: 59.80
Heat 14: Bridger, Wells, Perry, Ellis 3-3 55-31 Time: 60.00
Heat 15: Woffinden, Bech, Wells, Lawson 2-4 57-35 Time: 59.60

Courtesy of @speedway updates

Image: Mikkel Bech of Lakeside Hammers – Lakeside Hammers vs Swindon Robins, Elite League Speedway at the Arena Essex Raceway  CREDIT: Rob Newell/TGSPHOTO