Speedway and Motorsport

If ever there was the proverbial ‘match of two halves’ this was it as after seven heats the Rebels had been restricted to a mere two point lead by Glasgow, only then to outscore their visitors by 18 points in the next eight heats in an awesome display that simply blew away a poor performing Tigers outfit.

Those early heats were a gaters’ paradise and Glasgow proved to be the masters in this department, consistently beating the home riders into the first bend.

On a drying track, Somerset struggled to make much impression on the Tigers heat leaders, the exception being the mercurial Zetterstrom, who, despite badly missing the gate in the opening ride, still battled through from third to record the fastest time at the Oak Tree Arena this season since Leigh Adams set the new track record back in March.

The turning point in the match came in heat eight, which on the performances over the earlier heats looked like, on paper at least, could provide the visitors with a heat advantage.

Obviously no one told the Somerset pairing of Katt and Warwick who simply flew out of the gate to record a maximum heat win, and from thereon in the home side never looked back.

Shane Parker apart, the Tigers had no answer to this power house display by the Rebels.

Ksiezak and Leverington did start brightly enough, but they faded as the meeting unfolded leaving Parker as the only visiting rider to take any sort of fight to the Rebels.

Though even the Tigers skipper had to give second best to Emil Kramer in heat 12 when on a tactical ride, the drawn heat virtually sealing the match for the Rebels.

The Rebels were not finished, however, and in their quest to take as big a lead as possible back to Ashfield for the return fixture, banged in maximum heat wins in the next two heats, making it five it total in the match.

Glasgow’s only consolation being that Parker made an electric start in the final heat to inflict only the second home defeat of the season on Magnus Zetterstrom, but by then it was far too little, far too late, as the home riders made it a bumper pay day, each of them recording at least a paid win, whereas Glasgow carried far too many passengers in their side to give Parker the support he needed.