Lakeside Hammers
Elite League Speedway: Lakeside Hammers 56 King’s Lynn Stars 36
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers kick-off their start to the new Elite League season with three home points, after a 56-36 victory over the King’s Lynn Stars at Arena Essex.
Lakeside dominated the early heats which played the part in securing the Hammers victory with three 5-1 maximums in the first third of the meeting.
Neils Kristian Iversen won the opening race of the afternoon, as he proved to be Lakesides headache with Andreas Jonsson in hot pursuit to be beaten by half a wheel’s length at the finish to split the heat 3-3.
The opening reserve race needed a rerun, as Carl Wilkinson collided with Lewis Kerr which swept out Rob Mear as a result. Mear then put the throttle down and took the rerun with Kerr in support to take Lakesides’ first maximum of the season.
The hosts made it back-to-back 5-1’s, as Kim Nilsson got his first race victory with Lewis Bridger holding on for second on his Elite League return – to take an early 13-5 lead.
Richard Lawson grabbed his first win, as he got to the first bend in front and capitalised but Kerr struggled as he slipped out of the points as Mads Korneliussen took second and Lewis Rose third.
The Hammers then got back to the race maximums in heat five, for their third of the night as Piotr Swiderski sped to victory and Mear snatched second on the final bend off Kai Huckenbeck.
King’s Lynn then played their tactical ride, with Iversen in the chequered helmet. Bridger was unfortunately excluded for stopping the race after his fall, so Lawson stepped up for damage limitation as Iversen took his second victory of the day and Lawson secured second – for a 2-7 heat with the score at 23-16.
Lakeside won the next two heats courtesy of Nilsson and Lawson but split both races to maintain their seven-point advantage.
The home side then opened up their lead once again, as Swiderski got his second race victory and Mear once again put up a fight to take third for a 4-2 lead.
Nilsson got his hat-trick of wins in heat 10, as the Hammers finally found a route past Iversen and Bridger aided in third to open up a 11-point lead at 37-26.
Heat 11 was full of drama, as Rory Schlein was excluded for stopping the race. On the rerun Robert Lambert looked to have clipped Swiderski, as the race was stopped again but all three rider’s returned.
On the third attempt, the race was stopped again as Lambert was then disqualified for causing the race to stop as Swiderski fell again. The Hammers then battled it out between themselves for a 5-0, as Jonsson won with Swiderski settling for second and opened up a 16-point advantage with the scores at 42-26.
The next three heats were split 3-3, as Mear rode a superb race to take his afternoon double. Iversen grabbed his hat-trick of victories in race 13 and Korneliussen took heat 14.
The Hammers finished in fine style for their fourth and final maximum of a glorious afternoon at Arena Essex, as Lawson took victory and Nilsson second – to complete the 56-36 overall win.
Lakeside now take the dash to Norfolk for the second leg of the Good Friday double to face King’s Lynn at the Adrian Flux Arena, in search of some vital away points.
Follow this link for interview with Kelvin Tatum:
AJ takes Spring Trophy
Jonsson remained unbeaten throughout the night with five race victories from five including the final and was the standout rider of the night.
In the winner takes all grand finale it featured four of this year’s Lakeside riders for the upcoming season, as Richard Lawson finished second and Kim Nilsson in third.
Former Hammers Stuart Robson, Ben Morley and Leigh Lanham returned as guests for the meeting to face the spritely Lakeside team ahead of their bank holiday opener.
Grand finalist Piotr Swiderski kicked proceedings off with victory in heat one. Lawson took heat two from the first bend, despite constant pressure from his teammate Edward Kennett who settled for second.
AJ stamped his authority on the evening with his opening win, after he overtook Nilsson on the third bend of the first lap.
Lawson got his second victory of the night, after gating in front and held off the threat of returning Hammer Lewis Bridger.
Nilsson won heat five and AJ got his second victory of the night at the second attempt after his unsatisfactory start in heat six, ahead of Swiderski in second.
At the halfway stage occupying the top four spots were, AJ and Lawson joint on six points with Swiderski and Nilsson on five points.
Robson got his first race win of the night in heat seven, ahead of Morley and Lanham.
AJ then made it a hat-trick of wins in heat eight the hard way, as D Jonsson lead until the fourth bend on lap two when AJ swept round the outside to take the victory.
Kennett then pressed to his first victory of the night with his offensive style, as Nilsson came second and Swiderski third.
AJ won heat ten for his fourth race win from four, which secured his place in the winner takes all final and set the fastest time of the evening in 58.9 seconds.
Bridger took heat 11 to give him a chance to get in the grand finale finishing on seven points, after Kennett fell on lap two.
In the final heat, Lawson gated first and won which put him into the final. Nilsson came second which also put him through and Swiderski finished third.
AJ topped the heat scoring with 12 points, Lawson came second with 10 points, Nilsson in third with 9 points and Swiderski and Bridger on 7 points each.
Swiderski sneaked into the final on head-to-head, as he beat Bridger in the opening heat to put him into the final alongside AJ, Lawson and Nilsson.
In the grand finale, Lawson gated first and lead for the first three laps with AJ in hot pursuit. Lawson then lost control on the third bend on lap three and AJ’s outside manoeuvre replicated from heat eight worked again to take the victory and the 2016 Spring Trophy.
The Hammers are now raring to go, as the season starts with an away trip to the Kings Lyn Stars on Thursday 24th March before the Good Friday reverse fixture at the Raceway at 1pm.
Speedway to Stay at Arena Essex
Mitchell Young reports on the latest exciting developments with the Lakeside Hammers
Lakeside Vortex Hammers’ co-promoter Jon Cook has announced that the team will compete in the 2016 Elite League season.
After fears that the Hammers would not be able to race next year, it looks like speedway will be staying in the area for at least another season.
Joint promoters Cook and Stuart Douglas said at a fans forum that they have been in ongoing talks with the landlords at Arena Essex over recent weeks and will continue discussions.
Cook also announced to delighted Hammers supporters that number-one rider and fans favourite Andreas ‘AJ’ Jonsson has agreed to return to the Arena next season, despite other offers from Elite League clubs.
Cook said about the club’s number-one rider “he is a dream to work with as you know exactly where he is and when he’s riding”.
Turmoil
The news comes after a period of turmoil and uncertainty for the team and their stay at Arena Essex.
Cook admitted that he was distracted last season with other interests and took his eye off the racing on the track, describing last season as “frankly rubbish”.
The Lakeside promoter admitted the mood inside the dressing room last season was not right: “There was something wrong about the atmosphere this year and often completely wrong”.
Cook said he wants to improve that team spirit and passion for next season.
Back in September, Lakeside were hit by the news that, after finishing bottom of the Elite League table, the air-fence surrounding the track was condemned following a safety inspection.
The cost to improve the fence was said to be in the region of £20,000 but after help from volunteers last Tuesday, the projected figure has now been reduced by half.
Mystery riders
Meanwhile, reserve rider Adam Ellis will be going out on loan for next season. Cook said this was by ‘mutual agreement’ and Ellis would be going to a track ‘more suited to his development at this point’.
Cook hinted that an as yet unknown rider duo could be on their way to Lakeside for the upcoming season: “We are in negotiations with a pair and if they do come I think they would complement AJ well”.
The opening meeting for the Lakeside Hammers next March will mark the 10th anniversary of promoter’s Cook and Douglas’ partnership.
The press and practice day for the Lakeside Hammers will likely be in the middle of that month.
Speedway Elite League: Lakeside Vortex Hammers 51 Belle Vue Aces 42
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers claimed another three home points after a 51-42 win, for their fourth straight home victory against Belle Vue Aces at Arena Essex.
Top scorer of the night was Belle Vues’ Matej Zagar with 19+1 with the Hammers top rider captain Andreas Jonsson with 13.
Mikkel Bech was away on international duty ahead of the World U21’s Series as Lakeside drafted in a fans favourite former Hammer captain Davey Watt.
Number two rider Kim Nilsson remains out injured as former Hammer Piotr Swiderski stepped in. Ashley Birks is out injured for remainder of the season as Ben Morely comes in as the reserve guest.
Zagar set his stool out in heat one, gating first and claiming the victory despite Jonsson coming from the back to finish second to level the heat.
Heat two was a second split heat with another victory for Belle Vue through Steve Worrell but Adam Ellis and Morely stopped ‘The Aces’ gaining an advantage.
The visitors’ stunned Lakeside with an early maximum as Zagar again was electric out the gates and Scott Nicholls supported to take an early 11-7 lead.
‘The Hammers’ responded instantly with a reverse maximum as Ellis made a great start and was aided by Richard Lawson, to level up the meeting.
The home side got a slender lead as Swiderski made the bend in front and held off guest Kevin Doolan, as Morely took third.
‘The Aces’ claimed a second maximum as Zagar made his hat-trick of victories and a superb pass by Nicholls in between both Hammers on lap 2 took second, to regain the overall lead at 19-17.
Lakeside responded again as Jonsson and Watt got the home sides’ second maximum to regain the lead.
‘The Hammers’ extended their lead to six points after back to back maximums as Lawson won heat eight and Ellis took second.
Heat nine was eventful as after the third restart Belle Vue guest Grzegorz Zengota was excluded after falling on the first bend. Swiderski won his second race on the re-start as Ellis supported for their third maximum.
Zagar took the tactical ride and won despite Watt’s efforts to shorten the 10 point gap to only five – as the scores stood 34-29.
Jonsson secured the race victory after he took the lead during lap two and Swiderski chipped in with a point in third, to maintain their lead.
The second reserve race was importantly split as Ellis put in a great ride despite pressure from Worrall who settled for second.
Jonsson sped to his third victory and finally got the better of Zagar as he went wide around everyone to lead and hold off Nicholls in second.
‘The Hammers’ secured victory in race 14 with a brilliant ride from Edward Kennett who struggled throughout the evening and was backed-up by Lawson for a fourth maximum.
In the nominated heat Zagar ended a very successful night with another victory as Jonsson settled for second and claim a 51-42 victory.
Heat Results
Heat 01: Zagar, Jonsson, Swiderski, Doolan. 3-3 3-3 58.2
Heat 02: Worrall, Ellis, Morley, Hughes. 3-3 6-6 60.1
Heat 03: Zagar, Nicholls, Watt, Kennett 1-5 7-11 58.2
Heat 04: Ellis, Lawson, Zengota, Hughes. 5-1 12-12 59.7
Heat 05: Swiderski, Doolan, Morley, Worrall fell 4-2 16-14 59.3
Heat 06: Zagar, Nicholls, Lawson, Kennett. 1-5 17-19 58.9
Heat 07: Jonsson, Watt, Zengota, Worrall. 5-1 22-20 59.0
Heat 08: Re-run Lawson, Ellis, Doolan, Hughes. 5-1 27-21 60.3
Heat 09: Re-runx3 Swiderski, Ellis, Worrall 5-1 32-22 60.6
Heat 10: ZAGAR, Watt, Doolan, Kennett. 2-7 34-29 59.7
Heat 11: Jonsson, Nicholls, Swiderski, Zengota. 4-2 38-31 59.7
Heat 12: Ellis, Worrall, Hughes, Morley. 3-3 41-34 60.4
Heat 13: Jonsson, Nicholls, Zagar, Watt. 3-3 44-37 59.2
Heat 14: Kennett, Lawson, Doolan, Zengota. 5-1 49-38 60.3
Heat 15: Zagar, Jonsson, Nicholls, Lawson. 2-4 51-42 59.6
Speedway Elite League: Lakeside Vortex Hammers 42 Coventry Bees 47
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers suffer a second straight defeat after a hard fought meeting as they lost 42-47 against The Coventry Bees at Arena Essex.
‘The Hammers’ had once again gave away a four point lead with two races remaining, failing to hold on after two reverse maximums to the league leaders as they took three away points back to the midlands.
Lakeside still had riders out injured, as Wolves number one rider Fredrik Lindgren guested in place of Andreas Jonsson – Marc Owen made his first hammers debut in for Steve Boxall.
The home side had a dream start with a 5-1 maximum as Kim Nilsson sped to victory and supported by guest Lindgren.
Coventry found their feet in the reserve race as Jason Garrity won with Adam Ellis in second. Daryl Ritchings tool third to take a 4-2 reverse.
Edward Kennett burst out the blocks in heat three to victory with the quickest time of the night. Mikkel Bech looked to have secured third but overcooked the last bend to allow Joonas Kylmakorpi through, for a split heat.
Last season’s Hammer regular Daniel King had a superb heat four win, as he passed both Richard Lawson and Adam Ellis on lap one at the third bend but ‘The Hammers’ held an even heat.
Nilsson grabbed his second race victory as Stuart Robson followed closely behind for ‘The Bees’ for a third split heat, as Lakeside held a slender lead 16-14.
Lawson won heat six after gating first, Lakeside were on for a maximum but on lap two Hans Anderson took advantage of an opportunity to pass Bech off lap three bend four, to settle for a 4-2 and extend their lead to four points.
Coventry reversed the previous race as King claimed his second victory after a great battle with Kennett, as Kylmakorpi grabbed third.
Heat eight was a second race win for Lawson as both sides split the race, with the scores at 25-23.
The visitors’ were level after the next heat as Garrity got his double race victory with King in third to take a 4-2 heat win.
Kennett had a gutsy ride in heat 10 as he came from third after the first bend to overtake Robson and then Anderson on lap 3 to snatch a split heat.
‘The Hammers’ replicated the first heat with a second maximum through Nilsson’s victory followed by Lindgren in second, to open up a four point lead at 38-34.
The second reserve race was tense, as Garrity won his second race of the night. Adam Ellis came second and Owen claimed a crucial point in third to maintain their four point lead.
Kennett made it a hat-trick of wins in heat 13 but Chris Harris and Andersen kept out Lindgren for a seventh split heat.
Bech was excluded in race 14 for crashing and in the re-run Lawson gated first and lead for two laps until his engine blew, which gave Coventry a 5-0 heat and one point advantage into the final race.
In the final nominated heat Kennett burst to the first bend but was edged out just by King. The Coventry pairing of Harris and King held off ‘The Hammers’ to take three away points and maintain top spot.
Heat Results
Heat 01: Nilsson, Lindgren, Robson, Andersen 58.7 – 5-1
Heat 02: Garrity, Ellis, Ritchings, Owen 58.9 – 2-4; 7-5
Heat 03: Kennett, Kylmakorpi, Harris, Bech 58.5 – 3-3; 10-8
Heat 04: King, Lawson, Ellis, Ritchings 59.3 – 3-3; 13-11
Heat 05: Nilsson, Robson, Garrity, Ellis 58.8 – 3-3; 16-14
Heat 06: Lawson, Harris, Bech, Andersen 59.0 – 4-2; 20-16
Heat 07: King, Kennett, Kylmakorpi, Lindgren 59.1 – 2-4; 22-20
Heat 08: Lawson, Robson, Garrity, Owen 59.3 – 3-3; 25-23
Heat 09: Garrity, Nilsson, King, Ellis 59.2 – 2-4; 27-27
Heat 10: Kennett, Andersen, Robson, Bech 58.9 – 3-3; 30-30
Heat 11: Nilsson, Lindgren, Kylmakorpi, Harris 59.1 – 5-1; 35-31
Heat 12: Garrity, Ellis, Owen, Ritchings (R) 59.9 – 3-3; 38-34
Heat 13: Kennett, Harris, Andersen, Lindgren 58.6 – 3-3; 41-37
Heat 14: King, Kylmakporpi, Lawson (R), Bech (FX) 60.8 – 0-5; 41-42
Heat 15: King, Harris, Lindgren, Kennett 59.1 – 1-5; 42-47
Speedway Elite League: Lakeside Vortex Hammers 44 Wolverhampton Wolves 46
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers fell to their first home defeat of the season as Wolverhampton Wolves take home three away points, after a late surge to take a 46-44 victory.
Wolves have now picked up six points from ‘The Hammers’ in five days with their earlier home victory on Monday.
Lakeside were not at full strength as captain Andreas Jonsson (Injured), Richard Lawson (Riding for Glasgow) and Steve Boxall (Injured) were unavailable.
The three guests were Jason Doyle in for Jonsson, adopted hammer Rory Schlein stepped in for Lawson and reserve rider James Wright slotted in for Boxall.
The first heat needed a re-run and Ricky Wells was excluded for causing the original stoppage as Lindgren won followed by the two hammers Kim Nilsson and Doyle to split heat one.
Wolves took an early maximum in heat two as Lewis Blackbird gated first and won and Josh Bates made it past Adam Ellis on lap two, to take an early 8-4 lead.
‘The Hammers’ bounced straight back with a 5-1 reverse as guest Schlein sped to victory followed up by Danish star Mikkel Bech.
The visitors’ sneaked back in front as former hammer Peter Karlsson showed his track experience with victory, despite pressure from Edward Kennett as Blackbird took third for a 4-2 to lead 13-11.
The home side split race five as Nilsson won, in heat six ‘The Hammers’ turned up the heat as Kennett burst out the gate and was supported by Bech for a second race maximum to lead 19-17.
Lakeside claimed back to back maximums through the guesting Aussie duo as Doyle won and Schlein fended off Karlsson, to extend their lead to six points.
Kennett claimed his second race victory in heat eight after passing both Blackbird and Wells on bend three of lap one but Wright could not support him to split the heat.
Karlsson got his double victory in heat 10 and brought Wolves back into contention to within four points after a 4-2 heat win, with the scores at 29-25.
Lindgren got his second heat victory but ‘The Hammers’ split the race with Schlein and Bech in second and third to maintain their lead.
In heat 11 replacement Blackbird collided with teammate Tobias Musielak and was excluded from the re-run. Lakeside took their fourth maximum as Nilsson took his second race victory from good teamwork with Doyle, to open up an eight point lead at 37-29.
Wolves pulled back two point in the next race as Blackbird won, Wright snatched an important second as Ellis fell.
Heat 13 was split as Schlein gated first and sped to victory but Doyle could not find a way round Lindgren and Blackbird.
The away side hit Lakeside with a surprising maximum to pull themselves right back into the meeting as Karlsson made it a hat-trick of race victories followed by Musielak, as just two points separate the sides at 43-41.
In the final heat, Wolves did not settle for an away point as Karlsson showed his class to take his fourth race win of the night, followed by Lindgren to snatch a late victory and stun ‘The Hammers’.
Speedway Elite League: The Lakeside Vortex Hammers 51 King’s Lynn Stars 39
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers claimed all three home points as they avenged The King’s Lynn Stars 51-39 after a great team performance on Good Friday at Arena Essex.
Richard Lawson was the star performer of the meeting with a paid maximum and three victories over GP star Neils Kristian Iversen.
King’s Lynn started where they left off on Tuesday night, in heat one Iversen passed Kim Nilsson on lap two to victory and take an immediate 4-2 lead.
‘The Hammers’ responded with the first maximum in the reserve race as Lakeside asset Adam Ellis lead from the first bend and was supported by guest Steve Boxall, to lead 7-5.
Richard Lawson won heat three, backed up by Mikkel Bech in third to open up a four point lead.
Lakeside continued their third consecutive race win as Edward Kennett won. ‘The Hammers’ were on for a 5-1 until Boxall overcooked it on lap 3 and span out of control, to settle for a split heat.
Nilsson redeemed himself from heat one to take the victory as he held off young starlet Robert Lambert and Lewis Kerr in heat five, to lead 17-13.
In heat six, Iversen stopped the rot to grab his second race win but was only enough to split the race as Kennett and Bech followed.
‘The Hammers’ opened up an eight point advantage with a superb maximum in heat seven. Lakeside’s number one Andreas Jonsson led from the front but Lawson had to hold off the in-form Rory Schlein on the back straight to the line.
Heat eight was shortly stopped as Kennett swept out Lambert but Kennett brushed himself off and won the re-run for his second race win out of three, for another split heat.
Heat’s 9, 10, 11 and 12 were all split with Lakeside taking all four victories, Nilsson took his second race victory in heat 9. Lawson claimed his second out of three- in heat 10, followed by Jonsson in heat 11 to maintain the eight point lead 34-36.
In heat 12 guesting Boxall grabbed an important victory as he lead for the majority of the race until Kerr overtook him entering lap four but Boxall dug deep and passed him on the next bend, to keep the advantage.
‘The Hammers’ extended their lead further with a 4-2 race win as Lawson grabbed his third victory supported by Jonsson in third, to lead 44-34.
King’s Lynn pegged Lakeside back in heat 14 as Schlein lead from the first bend and was backed up by reserve replacement for Nicklas Porsing, Kevin Doolan in third.
In the nominated heat, ‘The Hammers’ already secured the three home points but wanted to deny ‘The Stars’ of a point in the final heat. The Lakeside duo replicated heat seven as Lawson won followed by Jonsson to take a third maximum to finish in style.
Heat 01: Iversen, Nilsson, Lambert, Jonsson 2-4 (2-4) 60.0
Heat 02: Ellis, Boxall, Kerr, Morris 5-1 (7-5) 61.1
Heat 03: Lawson, Schlein, Bech, Bjerre 4-2 (11-7) 60.1
Heat 04: Kennett, Doolan, Morris, Boxall (R) 3-3 (14-10) 61.0
Heat 05: Nilsson, Lambert, Kerr, Ellis (R) 3-3 (17-13) 59.5
Heat 06: Iversen, Kennett, Bech, Bjerre 3-3 (20-16) 59.4
Heat 07: Jonsson, Lawson, Schlein, Doolan 5-1 (25-17) 59.9
Heat 08: Kennett, Kerr, Lambert, Boxall 3-3 (28-20) 60.5
Heat 09: Nilsson, Doolan, Kerr, Ellis 3-3 (31-23) 59.3
Heat 10: Lawson, Iversen, Lambert, Bech 3-3 (34-26) 59.2
Heat 11: Jonsson, Bjerre, Schlein, Nilsson 3-3 (37-29) 60.2
Heat 12: Boxall, Kerr, Morris, Ellis (R) 3-3 (40-32) 60.1
Heat 13: Lawson, Iversen, Jonsson, Bjerre 4-2 (44-34) 59.3
Heat 14: Schlein, Kennett, Doolan, Bech (R) 2-4 (46-38) 59.4
Heat 15: Lawson, Jonsson, Schlein, Iversen 5-1 (51-39) 59.7
Speedway Elite League: The Lakeside Vortex Hammers 59 Leicester Lions 31
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers sealed three home points with an emphatic 59-31 victory over Leicester Lions, in their first Elite League meeting at Arena Essex.
‘The Hammers’ reeled off five consecutive maximum heats on their stroll to victory with Mikkel Bech claiming a paid maximum.
Leicester only managed three heat wins throughout the entire meeting with two of those going to Josh Auty in both the reserve rides.
The home side kicked of the evening with a 4-2 heat victory- Kim Nilsson held off Ben Barker to win as Andreas Jonsson followed in third, after passing recent Elite League Riders Champion Jason Doyle.
Heat two was a split session, as Josh Auty lead from the first bend and despite the chase from Adam Ellis and Ashley Birks settled for second and third.
Richard Lawson and Bech reacted first out of the gate to spark spectacular riding from ’The Hammers’ as they gained the first maximum of the night.
Formal debuts for Edward Kennett and Birks did not faze them with back to back 5-1’s, Kennett and Birks overtook Ben Barker as he faded further into the race.
A third maximum was claimed by the hosts, despite Leicester’s tactical ride failing to make an impact. Nilsson gained his second victory followed by a superb ride by Ellis to take second, which opened up a commanding 22-8 lead.
Lakeside continued their spell of dominance with another 5-1 race, with Kennett’s second victory of the meeting followed by Danish star Bech.
Hammers number one Jonsson made it five maximums in a row to extend their lead to 22 points, as he was supported by Lawson in second.
Kennett shortly after had a hat-trick of race wins in heat eight but Birks pushed for second place and ended up dropping off, as ‘The Hammers’ levelled the heat.
Nilsson matched teammate Kennett with a third race victory and Ellis came from the back of the pack to snatch third, for a 4-2 heat to lead 39-15.
‘The Hammers’ eased of in heats 10, 11 and 12 splitting all three heats. Bech took heat 10- Bjarne Pedersen broke the dominance in heat 11 and Auty won the second reserve race in heat 12.
Lakeside had claimed all three points after 12 heats with the score at 48-24. Jonsson snapped up his second victory of the night in heat 13, supported by Lawson to continue the class display from the home side.
Bech sped to his second race win, as in-form Kennett settled for second- to notched up a sixth maximum to give ‘The Hammers’ a 30 point lead.
In the final heat, Jason Doyle’s fall on the first attempt of the race did not faze him as he took the re-run victory and a consolation 4-2 heat victory for Leicester, as it concluded 59-31.
Heat Results
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
The Rico Spring Classic: The Lakeside Vortex Hammers 45 Rico’s All Stars 45
Rory Schlein won the Rico Spring trophy in the penultimate heat as the evening ended in a fitting 45-45 draw to the Rico Spring Classic at the Arena.
The meeting was tight throughout with hardly anything to separate both sides with 11 of the 15 heats split 3-3.
The new Lakeside Hammer riders experimented throughout the charity event, in name of former Hammer Lee Richardson who passed away in 2012.
The opening heat was won by last year’s Hammer captain Davey Watt for the All Stars as he lead from the first bend, followed closely by Kim Nilsson and Andreas Jonsson.
Sky Sports Speedway commentator Kelvin Tatum came out of retirement- for one night only, for a great occasion to show his experience as he won the reserve race in heat two.
Richard Lawson for ‘the hammers’ took heat 3 to keep the score level at 9-9. Edward Kennett’s debut could not have gone better with a heat victory but neither side could take advantage despite Nilsson winning heat five, as the score remained level at 12-12.
‘The hammers’ broke the deadlock in heat six with newbie Kennett as he took his second race win- supported by the return of Danish star Mikkel Beck in second to take the first 5-1 of the evening, to open up a four point gap.
The split heats continued in seven and eight as Kings Lynn asset Rory Schlein won heat seven and Kennett took no time settling down in heat eight, to notch up his third race victory.
The All Stars pegged their way back in heat nine as Richie Worrall won- supported by former Lakeside Hammer Ben Morely, to take a 4-2 heat and brought the score to within two at 28-26.
Davey Watt gained his second race win but Lawson and Bech denied The All Stars further points.
The All Stars levelled up the meeting at 33-33 after heat 11, as Schlein grabbed his second race victory- Nilsson split the All Star riders in second but Scott Nicholls snapped up third for another 4-2 heat.
New hammers reserve rider Ashley Birks popped up with a victory in the reserve race but split the overall heat- Nicholls took heat 13 splitting yet another race to bring the scores to 39-39.
In heat 14 Kennett was riding well until he and Worrall collided- Worrall was disqualified but despite only Schlein racing he got his third race win and managed another split heat, to go into the nominated heat 15 42-42.
In the final heat Schlein burst out the gate and sped to victory to take the Rico Spring crown but Nicholls in second overdid the second from last bend on the final lap and swept out Lawson on the outside. Nicholls was consequently disqualified and the race was awarded with Nilsson in second and Lawson took third to end the night inseparable at 45-45.
Heat Results
Heat 01: Watt, Jonsson, Nilsson, Sedgmen 3-3 59.5
Heat 02: Re-run Tatum, Birks, Ellis, Morley 3-3 6-6 61.8
Heat 03: Re-run Lawson, Schlein, Nicholls, Bech 3-3 9-9 60.4
Heat 04: Re-run Kennett, Morley, Worrall, Birks 3-3 12-12 61.4
Heat 05: Nilsson, Tatum, Sedgmen, Ellis 3-3 15-15 60.0
Heat 06: Kennett, Bech, Watt, Nicholls 5-1 20-16 60.6
Heat 07: Schlein, Lawson, Jonsson, Worrall 3-3 23-19 59.9
Heat 08: Kennett, Sedgmen, Tatum, Birks fell 3-3 26-22 60.8
Heat 09: Worrall, Nilsson, Morley, Ellis 2-4 28-26 60.7
Heat 10: Watt, Lawson, Bech, Sedgmen 3-3 31-29 60.3
Heat 11: Schlein, Nilsson, Nicholls, Jonsson 2-4 33-33 60.4
Heat 12: Birks, Morley, Tatum, Ellis 3-3 36-36 60.2
Heat 13: Nicholls, Lawson, Jonsson, Watt ret 3-3 39-39 60.5
Heat 14: Re-run Schlein, Bech, Kennett 3-3 42-42 60.3
Heat 15: Schlein, Nilsson, Lawson, Nicholls excluded 5-1 45-45 Awarded
http://www.lakesidehammers.co/honours-even-at-remembering-rico/
Lakeside Hammers 2015 riders announced
The Lakeside Vortex Hammers have confirmed their 2015 rider line-up – including the return of two time World Cup winner Andreas Jonsson.
The Hammers’ team was completed last week as Kim Nilsson joined Jonsson, Mikkel Bech, Richard Lawson and Edward Kennett to the reserve fast track riders Adam Ellis and Ashley Birks.
Four of the seven riders have stayed with the Purfleet-based side after they finished a disappointing sixth last year in the Elite League despite being in the playoffs for the majority of the season.
Due to the reserve draft rider system both former Hammers Ellis and Ben Morely were in the same tier for the pick – forcing a hard decision.
“That was a difficult decision, but on balance we need to win on the road and that’s where Adam had the advantage. I’m sure we’ll call Ben in whenever we need a replacement at reserve,” said manager Neil Vatcher.
The second reserve rider who has joined the Essex side is young Ashley Birks, in his debut for the Hammers.
Experienced 34-year-old Swede Jonsson returned to Vatcher’s side after a previous spell from 2006 to2008 and will be hot favourite to be their number one rider.
A surprise return was Danish star Bech after he missed the second half of the season in strange circumstances but tweeted positively after signing: “I don’t think any of you expected that! I’m very pleased to sign for Lakeside Hammers again in 2015 season. #HAMMERTIME”
Next to sign just before the festive period was British duo Edward Kennett and Hammer favourite Richard Lawson.
Lakeside Hammers 2014 Rider of the Year Lawson was almost certain to return but issues with his parent club prolonged the imminent signing.
Edward Kennett, a fan of the Arena track, joined The Hammers for the first time after guesting previously numerous times; it’s evident he is a Vortex Hammer ally.
Finalising the Lakeside line-up is Kim Nilsson who had his best spell to date after he made the Swedish World Cup team and returned to ‘The Hammers’ in the second half of last season.
The Lakeside Hammers website commented on former captain Davey Watt’s contribution over the last three seasons at the club, after he chose not to re-sign and joined fellow Elite League side Poole Pirates: “The Vortex Hammers would like to thank Davey Watt for his three years of service to the club and wish him well on his return to parent club Poole.”
http://risingeast.co.uk/lakeside-hammers-2015-riders-announced/
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