Drew grabs opportunity

Drew took full advantage of his late call-up to leave his mark on the CLRC at Redcar yesterday.

He replaced Lewi Kerr in the line-up after our skipper aggravated his long-standing ankle injury guesting in the Premiership play-offs last week and produced a consistent set of rides  on an afternoon when many with second places in his opening two rides before a last and a third left among a group of riders on the cusp of making the last-chance semi-final.

Drew’s final race proved a dramatic one, Oxford’s Sam Masters shedding a primary chain coming into the fourth bend, Ashton Boughen ploughing into the fence to avoid his stricken team-mate and Jason Edwards also smartly laying down the bike to avoid serious injury.

Masters was excluded by referee Jim McGregor and with teenager Boughen unable to take his place in the rerun it was left to Drew to see off the challenge of Edwards and finish on eight points.

Masters’ subsequent withdrawal from the meeting then opened up a semi-final space with Drew getting the nod over Glasgow’s Chris Harris on countback .

With the eventual champion Josh Pickering out in front Drew was battling with Danny King for the second spot when both were passed by the afternoon’s surprise packet, Workington’s Antti Vuolas who reached the final.

Edinburgh’s Pickering won the final in dramatic style from Poole’s Richard Lawson, Vuolas and Ben Cook.

An eventful afternoon for Freddy too, our popular reserve taking his place as meeting reserve alongside Berwick asset Danny Phillips. The withdrawal of Michael Palm Toft through injury and defending champion Charles Wright’s first race tape touching meant he got three rides. No question the most dramatic of the trio – heat 14 when he hit a rut on the third bend and clattered into the home straight fence, thankfully unhurt and able to clear the track.

Pictures: Colin Poole