Comets clinch League Fours title in race-off
Last updated 18:58, Monday, 28 July 2008
Kauko Nieminen clinched the Premier League Fours title for Workington Comets at Derwent Park after a thrilling race-off against King’s Lynn Stars’ Tomas Topinka
Two years ago we had the fairytale finish when Alan Mogridge clinched the trophy for Comets by winning his very last ride in British speedway.
This time was almost as exhilarating, but even more dramatic, as Workington had to go down to the wire to win the silverware for a fourth time.
The Comets – from favourites to no-hopers in the space of 48 hours – dug deep to reach the final, had the trophy snatched from their grasp in the last heat of the event but then reclaimed the prize with that heart-pounding race-off.
Nieminen ensured the Comets would celebrate another triumph in the competition with the race-off – but in effect the home team had four genuine heroes.
None did better than young reserve Charles Wright, thrust into the limelight after Daniel Nermark’s injury at Redcar 48 hours earlier.
Ensuring he scored points in every ride was crucial to Workington’s chances after they had lost their number one, the League’s top rider in Nermark.
With the Swede ruled-out, Workington would have been in deep trouble if Carl Stonehewer, right had followed him onto the sidelines – as looked the case on Friday night after he suffered ankle injury at Edinburgh.
But with a heavily protected ankle the senior member of the Workington squad insisted on riding and his presence was vital, despite riding in discomfort throughout.
It looked ominous when he seemed to struggle after making a decent start in his first ride and finished out of the points.
But he bounced back in great style to win his second race and in the final he had a second and a third before producing a winning last ride which edged the Comets front with just two heats remaining.
Joe Haines, the fourth member of the triumphant Comets, had a mixed bag of results on the night but he started and ended with wins.
His final ride saw him get away from Stephan Katt to win impressively and keep Workington in the hunt.
But in between those victories he had three duck eggs, two of them caused by mechanical problems after he had established good positions in the race.
Workington had won their Semi final group with 14 points as they edged ahead of Somerset Rebels (13) with Sheffield Tigers (11) and Edinburgh Monarchs (10) both close behind.
Nieminen, Stonehewer and Haines each won one of their two heats and the only 100% man in the group was Jason Doyle of Somerset.
Scunthorpe Scorpions, who were only invited to take part on Thursday after Berwick’s withdrawal, were the surprise packages in the second semi-final.
There were race wins for Carl Wilkinson, Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom for the Scorpions as they ended the eight heats level with King’s Lynn Stars on 16 points apiece.
Stars’ Tomas Topinka was the only rider to win both his races while a disappointing Reading quartet were the only one of the eight participating teams not to win a race.
Scunthorpe couldn’t carry their form through to the final and virtually from the start it became a three-horse race.
At the halfway stage King’s Lynn and Somerset were locked together on 11 points with Workington close behind on nine points.
Katt was a surprise Somerset winner in heat seven with Shaun Tacey out of the points for the King’s Lynn Stars, but Stonehewer’s third place meant the Comets had slipped four behind.
Then Nieminen, Haines and Stonehewer reeled-off wins for the Comets.
With two heats left it was Workington 19, Somerset 18, King’s Lynn 14 and Scunthorpe out of it on nine.
Wright was lying out of the points in the penultimate race when Jordan Frampton suffered a puncture, so Workington had edged two points clear of the Rebels – but King’s Lynn were now the danger as Kevin Doolan raced home a clear winner. It meant that Workington skipper Nieminen needed to finish second behind Topinka in the last to win the trophy for the Comets.
But the drama went on relentlessly. The Finn suffered a mechanical problem early on and was forced out of the race.
If Doyle, who had won all his previous races, could lead them in he would clinch the silverware for the Rebels. Topinka had to win to keep the Stars in the competition – and the fourth rider Richard Hall was there to make-up the numbers – or was he?
Hall started a thrilling assault on the men ahead of him, getting past Doyle and coming within a few yards of surging past Topinka. If Hall had got there in time the race-off would have been unnecessary.
But he didn’t, Topinka had ensured a race-off and a bitterly disappointed
Doyle knew he and his team-mates would have to settle for third place on the podium. If Doyle had held-off Hall to finish second behind Topinka we would have had the prospect of a three-way race-off.
Nieminen, after his bike nightmare of heat twelve, was involved in feverish activity in the pits ahead of the race-off. Would the gremlins strike again?
Could Nieminen summon up one big effort to grab the glory for the Comets?
After what seemed an age the pair were ready to do battle. Topinka seemed to get away best but the Workington skipper shot through his favoured inside line and a strong second bend from the Finn saw him grab the lead entering the back straight – and from then on he just had to keep the bike going to earn his second major trophy of the season.
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