Kent TouchTec Kings’ Anders Rowe qualified for the GB U21 Final after finishing third in the semi at Isle of Wight Speedway on Tuesday evening (16/4).
Dropping only one point (to maximum man and meeting winner, Ryan Kinsley in his second ride) in his four qualifying races, the 16-year-old took the all-important third place in the Final (ahead of Kings’ team mate Alex Spooner).
All four Kings’ men in the meeting successfully negotiated their way into the semi-final stage. Spooner (who finished equal 7th. on five points in the qualifying heats) lined up alongside the youngest rider in the field, his new team mate at Central Park Nathan Ablitt in the first semi and fellow Kings teenager Jordan Jenkins. Jenkins had made a good comeback after two third places from his opening rides to get past eventual meeting runner-up, his namesake Jordan Palin for a second place in his third ride to get back into contention and then securing a vital race win in a rerun heat 11. Ablitt outscored Jenkins by one point to finish on eight points with one race win also – over the two Jordans, Jenkins and Palin in heat seven.
Jenkins was again slow out of the traps in the all important semi-final and in trying to get past team mate Spooner fell on the final bend of the first lap to bow out – the 18-year-old Spooner being the chief beneficiary of the semi format used in this 12-rider meeting to make the Final.
There he came fourth, with senior Speedway debutant Palin, who was the real surprise packet of the evening, splitting the undefeated Kinsley and Rowe. Those three move onto the U21 Final up in Berwick on the 27th. of this month where Anders will link up with Kent’s new number one (seeded to that stage), Drew Kemp.
The quartet move on now from one south coast venue to another on Good Friday when the TouchTec-sponsored Kings get their National Trophy campaign underway at Plymouth. Then the home season begins at Central Park on Easter Monday welcoming Belle Vue Colts in the Easter Challenge (4pm start time on 22nd).
Qualifying scores 1. NATHAN ABLITT (Kent TouchTec Kings) 1, 2, 3, 2 8 2. Luke Ruddick (Leicester Cubs) 2, 3, 2, 1 8 3. Ryan Kinsley (Scunthorpe Scorpions) 3, 3, 3, 3 12 [M] 4. Chad Wirtzfeld (Isle of Wight Warriors) X, 1, 1, 2 4 5. Ben Woodhull (Belle Vue Colts) 3, R 3 6. Jamie Bursill (Plymouth Gladiators) 2, 1, 1, 1 5 7. Connor King (Isle of Wight Warriors) FX, 0, 1, F 1 8. Joe Alcock (Stoke Pottters) F, 0, F, 0 0 9. Jordan Palin (Belle Vue Colts) 2, 3, 0, 2 7 10. ALEX SPOONER (Kent TouchTec Kings) 0, 2, 2, 1 5 11. JORDAN JENKINS (Kent TouchTec Kings) 1, 1, 2, 3 7 12. ANDERS ROWE (Kent TouchTec Kings) 3, 2, 3, 3 11 Res. James Laker (Weymouth Wildcats) 0, 0, 0 0