Stoke 54 Birmingham 41

STOKE Easy Rider Potters opened their season with a comfortable 54-41 victory over the Birmingham BRC Roofing Brummies in the first leg of the M6 Trophy at Loomer Road.

 

A large crowd saw the Potters build up a 17-7 lead after just four heats, with Potters riders winning all of the first four heats. Brummies boss Graham Drury named skipper Jason Lyons as a tactical ride in heat five and Birmingham struck back with a 5-3 heat advantage. Potters rider Jason Bunyan touched the tapes at the first time of asking and in the restart Bunyan had to go off a 15metre handicap and promptly stormed into second place after three quarters of a lap to pass both Richard Sweetman and his Potters partner Tom P Madsen before sensationally overhauling race leader Jason Lyons to  take the chequered flag for a second time, Madsen retiring from the race allowing Sweetman to take third. 

Brummies duo Robert Ksiezak and Marek Mroz reduced Stoke’s lead to just four points with a 5-1 heat advantage in heat six over Glen Phillips and Lee Complin.

 Stoke hit back immediately with  a 5-1 heat advantage of their own with Jesper Kristiansen taking victory from partner Phil Morris who kept Tomasz Piszcz at bay for the four laps.

 Phillips gained his first victory in Potters colours with Marek Mroz keeping Potter Klaus Jakobsen at bay in heat eight as Stoke restored their ten point lead. The Potters extended their lead in heat nine after Birmingham’s Robert Ksiezak fell while leading allowing Jason Bunyan to take his third race win of the night and with his partner Madsen taking third place the Potters led 34-22 after nine heats.

The Brummies nominated Piszcz as a tactical ride in heat ten and he took victory coming from behind to take home skipper Lee Complin and gain the West Midlands outfit a 6-3 heat advantage reducing the Potters lead to nine points.

In the latter heats the Easy Rider Potters piled on the pressure with Phil Morris and Lee Complin combining for a 4-2 heat win over Lyons and then Kristiansen and Bunyan gained a 5-1 advantage over Ben Hopwood after Piszcz retired in heat fourteen giving the Potters a 52-37 lead going into the final heat.

The Brummies gained a consolation heat win in heat 15 as Lyons and Piszcz combined for a 4-2 heat win over Morris and the previously unbeaten Bunyan.

 

Stoke promoter Dave Tattum said “I’m delighted with the win and it was pleasing to see all of our riders getting a race win under their belts. “We looked solid right the way throughout the team and that was a very pleasing to see and this is against a side that many pundits have tipped to be pushing for a top five place in the league by the end of the season. We’re all fully aware one result does not make a season but we’re happy with the promising start that we’ve made here tonight and we now look to build on this result.”

 

Stoke 54: Phil Morris 11+2, Jason Bunyan 11+1, Jesper Kristiansen 9+2, Klaus Jakobsen 7, Glen Phillips 6+1, Lee Complin 6, Tom P Madsen 4.

 

Birmingham 41: Jason Lyons 11, Marek Mroz 10+2, Tomasz Piszcz 10, Robert Ksiezak 4, Ludvig Lindgren 3+1, Ben Hopwood 2, Richard Sweetman 1+1.