Heathersfield Gold Helmet

Gold Helmet winner Adam McKinna, on his way to victory in heat 1

Congratulations to Adam McKinna on winning the Heathersfield Gold Helmet. A faultless run of five victories took him just out of the reach of the very impressive Richard Lawson, with a slow starting Gary Beaton eventually taking third place. Sorry theres no vid clips. I had intended to take take one of the final, only to be informed as the last heat finished that there would be no final. It's all my fault for not buying a programme really. Last of the great cheapskates I am........

A final would have been a nice way to round off the meeting, but Adam McKinna was the best rider out there yesterday. A worthy champion.

A big shout to Colin Mackie for all his hard work in putting on a decent event in the face of some pretty grim conditions and a non existant PA. Not as bad as last year, but still not ideal.

Also a big thankyou to the Ashfield track staff, who did a great job in turning what must have been a quagmire this morning, into a rideable surface.

The scorecard can be found at the Unofficial Glasgow Speedway site.

Richard Lawson gives Gary Beaton and Adam McKinna a lift round to the prize giving ceremony.

Cheers to 'mervejankefanclub' over at Easy Tiger for filling in the blanks with regards to the names of half the field yesterday.

Ewen

When The Dust Settles

A decent crowd hung back on Sunday to watch an extended 2nd half

Second half racing is a strange old beast. It was a combination of watching my first 2nd half in weeks, and a recently revived thread on the Easy,Tiger forum that got me to thinking again about this slightly forgotten element of the sport. For most people, the last heat of the main meeting is the signal to either head for the exits, or toddle off to the bar for some refreshment and discussion of the days racing with friends and aquaintances. Not many stay specifically for the 2nd half riders, reasoning that the races are little more than practice runs and of little interest. In many ways, they have a point. It's not exactly pulsating stuff, though every so often you'll see some fireworks...............

Of course, for me the joy of the 2nd half lies not in the adrenaline coursing heat generated by the main feature, but by the curiosity of watching youngsters like Dale Lamb learn the ropes, amateur riders like Jimmy Culbert and Steven Morris enjoying their track time, or Conference level riders keeping their hand in. In addition to that, you have various Tigers riders ironing out problems or testing new engines, as well as visiting youngsters and new signings showing what they're made of.

Adam McKinna at full bore

The ever improving Dale Lamb

It seems that post match racing has moved very much towards what is euphemistically called 'demonstration racing'. All fine and well, it's all good, but the whole scene is sorely lacking a competitive edge to get people to hang back and watch said junior riders racing in anger. Academy League racing was a very positive attempt to revitalise junior racing in Britain as a whole, but sadly it seems to have fallen by the wayside this year. Part of the problem lies in even getting a four man team together to travel any sort of distance. Frequently, Academy races at Ashfield were scrapped due to some English teams being unable to put together a full squad. When you consider that the circumstances of any given meeting are dictated by random elements like weather and stoppages, it's little wonder that some riders prefer not to travel long distances, only to find that they're denied even a single ride because the meeting over-runs or is abandoned. I'd love to see this format looked at again, possibly on an even more localised basis, but for now, it's back to the usual format.

Adam McKinna

Gary Beaton

From a personal point of view, the 2nd half gives me a chance to practice my photography. Generally you can focus on one rider, you aren't thinking about the score or trying not to miss too much of the racing. Some of my favourite photos are of Gary Beaton flying through the 4th bend. The shots I took at the weekend of Adam McKinna really came out well too. Adam has that really spectacular 'hanging off' style, and it makes for some stunning photos.

I'll be getting back to doing 2nd half photos again on a regular basis now, though some will conclude that it's just an elaborate attempt to avoid getting a round in...................

;D

Academy League race from last season Glasgow Giants v Northside Stars. Gary Beaton takes the chequered flag.

Glasgow Tigers v Redcar Bears Heat 8

Mitchell Davey gates, but the on form Adam McKinna goes round the outside on the 1st & 2nd bends to take the win.

Heathersfield Gold Helmet Final

Heathersfield Golden Helmet

Ok, so it wasn't quite the 'wee thriller' that the Classic was, but to be honest the endeavour and effort was all there and that's all you really ask for. The track looked to be a little tricky in places and nowhere more than the third bend which claimed a fair few riders. When everything got rolling though, it was Gary Beaton and Adam McKinna who set the pace, James McBain and John Morrison being the next best riders by a long chalk. Cal McDade had a nightmare afternoon with an exclusion and a non-start to go with his single point, though he really ought to have been higher up the table. Also a shout to Ricky-Lee Beecroft who's riding style is a joy to watch. He had some bad luck with falls and exclusions though.

The encroaching wet weather made things tough as the heats rolled on and it was eventually decided that the young 'uns on the 250cc bikes would have their fun cut short and the the semi-final would be skipped. The top four riders were so far in front of the rest, it made no real difference if they held a semi or not, the final would easily be representative of the best riders on the day. From the start, it looked to be a straight fight between Adam McKinna and Gary Beaton. Beaton had looked to be the fastest man around the track all day, but the grim conditions were something of an equaliser. McKinna got the best of the early exchanges and entered the thrid turn in the lead. James McBain looked to be making advances on Beaton as he came into the bend, but he lost his shape mid-corner and never recovered. From the video clip I took, he'd either lost a mud deflector, or more worryingly, a boot. If that was the case, how he rode for another lap I'll never know........

Beaton made his move on the first bend of the 2nd lap and from there, fended off all of McKinna's attacks until the chequered flag.

A great end to a decent season for Mr Beaton. He's had a few promising outings with the Tigers at No8, especially against Berwick (a depleted side for sure, but he was still riding against and beating more experienced opposition) and I think a decision has to be made. Does he ride at No7 next year and build his confidence, or are the promotion looking for reserves on ridiculously artificial averages in an attempt to win the league?

If his future isn't at Ashfield, it'll surely be somewhere else. I'd like to see him given a shot in his own back yard though.

Tough luck to James McBain who seemed to lose 'something' in the third bend, allowing John Morrison to pick up third. Adam McKinna, I have to say, looked a bit hairy early doors. He won his first heat, but he was certainly all over the shop in the third bend on just about every lap, though I will state that a lot of other riders had trouble there too. He rode a good final and didn't give in until the chequered flag dropped. I had hidden from the rain by the time the Final came around and I didn't have high hopes, but my heart was in my mouth for the full 68.4 seconds. Great riding all round and a level of trust and respect between competitors that is sometimes missing from some of the races you see on the senior card of a Sunday afternoon. Ok I know, different level, different pressures, but to race that hard and stay on in such 'orrible conditions takes something a wee bit special.


I'll have pictures up tomorrow. Blogger, in it's infinite F****ing wisdom has decided that I can't post any photos up tonight. There are clips of the Classic and the Heathersfield final to come too. Keep yr eyes peeled.

Until next season.............

Ewen