KING’S LYNN 50 FOXES 40
NORTHAMPTON’S opening match in British Speedway saw them go down 50-40 in an entertaining KO Cup fixture at King’s Lynn’s Adrian Flux Arena.
There were plenty of encouraging signs for the all-new Foxes, who actually won nine races compared to the home side’s six, and No.1 Jaimon Lidsey put in an outstanding performance to score 15 (paid 16) from seven rides.
In fact, five of the six Foxes riders won at least one race, and Rising Star reserve Luke Harrison shared in a 5-1 in Heat 8, although there were also some moments of inconsistency which enabled the hosts to pull clear.
The biggest strength for Lynn was the combination of Ben Cook and Chris Harris, as they collected 5-1s in each of their three races together – but the Foxes worked hard to restrict the deficit, with an aggregate point to be at stake when the sides meet again at Brafield next month.
Lidsey made a piece of history when he won the club’s first-ever race, defeating Grand Prix star Max Fricke in Heat 1, and Kye Thomson followed suit with a fine ride to take Heat 2.
Captain Nicolai Klindt also put an early win on the board in Heat 4 but the Harris/Cook pairing did the damage with maximum points in Heats 3 and 5, the latter seeing Harris charge from the back against Troy Batchelor and Lidsey.
There was a blow in Heat 6 when Paco Castagna joined Fricke for maximum points over Klindt and Harrison, but Foxes fought back strongly as Matej Zagar just held off Jan Kvech to win Heat 7 before Batchelor and Harrison carded a 5-1 in the next.
That cut the gap to six points but King’s Lynn collected 5-1s in the next two races to establish a clear advantage, although Thomson deserved more than third place in Heat 9 after a fierce battle with Harris and Cook.
Foxes trailed 37-23 with five races to go before the classy Lidsey dominated the closing stages, and his win in Heat 11 was backed up by Batchelor getting the better of Kvech for a 5-1.
Manager Chris Adams handed Lidsey a tactical substitute ride in Heat 12 – available when a team is six or more points down – but on this occasion he and Zagar were undone by Harris as Foxes had to be content with a 3-3.
And that stared a run of drawn heats right down to the finish with Lidsey riding superbly to defeat Fricke in Heat 13, and both Harris and Fricke in Heat 15, whilst Zagar picked up his second win of the night in Heat 14.
Foxes co-promoter Paul Hunsdon said: “For a brand new team and a new set-up we’re really pleased with the way it went.
“We had a good meet-up pre-match in a local establishment and the guys were starting to gel and work with each other, and I think it was a really creditable performance.
“I thought Jaimon showed every inch of his ability, it was a great performance and his ride in Heat 15 just summed it up.
“The King’s Lynn boys rode very well, but we’ll accept the ten-point deficit and I think everyone has gone home reasonably happy with their performance.
“Tonight everything became a reality as a club, and Chris (Adams) galvanised the guys with a really good team meeting beforehand. They all know they’ve got to deliver to repay the hard work that’s going in off the track, and I think we showed we’re going to be a credible force this year.”
Foxes will continue their Knockout Cup schedule when they visit group leaders Ipswich on Thursday.
KING’S LYNN 50: Chris Harris 12+2, Max Fricke 10+2, Ben Cook 9+2, Cooper Rushen 6+1, Paco Castagna 5+1, Jan Kvech 5+1, Jody Scott 3+2.
NORTHAMPTON 40: Jaimon Lidsey 15+1, Matej Zagar 8, Troy Batchelor 7+1, Nicolai Klindt 4, Kye Thomson 4, Luke Harrison 2+1, Niels-Kristian Iversen r/r.
Photo credit: IAN BURT