Just about every misfortune possible afflicted the Kent SLYDE Kings on Monday (1/6) as flaming June was ushered in on a night when “flaming ‘eck” was the very tamest language the Central Park management and fans alike would want to use to describe a miserable combination of bad luck and some hugely disappointing performances.
And yet despite that, the night was light up by two of Speedway’s most promising young stars, soon surely to shine the brightest in the sport’s firmament for Great Britain: the SLYDE Kings’ newly signed up asset James Shanes and a first-time visitor who rode superbly for the victorious Birmingham Brummies, Zach Wajtknecht.
Three times a world junior champion Wajtknecht comes from Bristol, via a Polish heritage and a career mainly forged on the Long Tracks of the Continent and was the absolute ace in the pack for the West Midlanders, taking seven rides (as the Brummies shuffled their pack by using Rider Replacement for the mysteriously missing Harvie Banks) and dropping just two points to opposition riders.
In recent weeks the awesome strength especially at home of the Central Park-based side’s top four has tended to obscure the continuing disappointment of the scoring from the no. 2, no. 6 & no. 7 team berths. Against an impressive Brummies outfit with two of that top four suffering a night to forget, that inherent weakness in the SLYDE Kings outfit was frankly exposed to full glare: with the awesome Wajtknecht scoring paid 19 (a record haul for this venue in a League match), the absolute converse of such heroics saw the trio of Jamie Couzins (having an uncomfortable first outing in the main body of the side), Danno Verge (finding little respite from his troubles in the move down to reserve) and Adam Sheppard (four times a faller) only on a single occasion beat an opposition Riders (Verge’s second place in heat two) and that alone was, of course, a decisive difference.
Five catastrophic and in some cases highly controversial 1-5 maximum reverses did the damage.
The first was in an unnaturally prolonged heat one. With the Brummies able to call upon the services of their Elite League Fast Track man Adam Ellis, it set up the potential ‘grudge’ encounter between Ellis and the home side’s captain Ben Morley. First blood went to the French-born Ellis but ‘oh! la! la!’ what happened at the end of Ellis’ four lap victory was to set the tone for an at times chaotic evening. Instead of the chequered flag being raised after for laps, the flag indicating a lap to go was brandished: a mis-count by the start-line team had clearly occurred. Morley, clear in second when he crossed what should’ve been the finishing line, wasn’t to find his bike able to make it through to the end of the superfluous fifth, grounding to a halt on the back straight. A sheepish looking Adam Kirby (once a King now a Brummie) went past the stricken Morley who despite reservations pushed home. Protests that the rules decree a result should have been called at the end of lap 4 (when Morley was in second) came to nothing.
The next 1-5 was just two heats later. The normally reliable Danny Ayres lead from the off, with team mate Aaron Baseby in third ahead of Wajtknecht (who’d got his Central Park account off the ground with a win in heat two). Then on the second bend Ayres’ bike reared up alarmingly, twisting Danny heavily to the right and allowing another Kent old boy Connor Coles to get into a lead he was not to relinquish. Ayes fell to the back and when Wajtknecht passed Baseby on the final lap the nightmare start for Kent was compounded: three heats gone ten points behind.
There was a comeback launched: Shanes won heat four with comfort and Ayres & Baseby gave it the old ‘A-B’ to score a maximum of their own against Ellis of all riders in heat five. Then in heat seven came a classic James Shanes moment – missing the gate and lying third behind Wajtknecht & Coles offered little in the way of encouragement but the Dorset based ‘Wizard of Balance’ was having none of that, passing Coles on lap two and then in breath-taking, fence-scraping fashion rounding Wajtknecht on the outside on the final lap.
Not for the first time though, heat eight proved to be the SLYDE Kings’ bête noire – with former reserve team mates Couzins and Sheppard now to be the pairing together in this centre of a match setting. A second of four in total heat wins for Wajtknecht was backed by Kirby and suddenly the gap was eight again.
Heat 10 saw disaster strike. Skipper Ben Morley’s chain came off at the starting gate: another 1-5 heat reverse. The gap being 12 did at least afford the opportunity for a Tactical Rider to somehow peg back, via the promise of double points, the now rampant Brummies. Shanes was the pick, but up against the smooth and confident Ellis was a tall order unless the youngster from Dorset could gate. He didn’t – and then to compound matters the out of control Kirby turned right across the Kent man leaving him miles behind. Somehow by the end of lap two Shanes had worked his way back to second and in direct pursuit of Ellis. It went to the very last bend of lap four when with a sweeping manoeuvre around the boards somehow Shanes held on to tip Ellis on the line. Surely, the ride of the season so far at Central Park!
Aaron Baseby got into the winning act then – completing what is now becoming his customary heat 12 win. Nothing perfunctory about this though – involving as it did passing the high-scoring Wajtknecht to be only the second home rider to finish in front of the World Long Track qualifier.
Three heats to go and seven points behind. A maximum effort was needed from Morley & Shanes in heat 13; but amid further controversy, sadly the complete reverse was the outcome. Ellis had been warned in the twice rerun heat one to remain still at the tapes, so when he was pulled back for a shocking flyer in heat 13 it seemed certain he’d be punished by the referee with a 15 metres handicap. But no, instead another public warning followed. The tapes rose again and once more Ellis appeared to have jumped the start but this time the race was allowed to continue. Morley’s desperate attempts to get back on terms (with the up to this point unbeaten Shanes sadly well back in fourth) caused him to get out of shape on lap two and the Brummies’ skipper Perry passed him: it was then the fifth of those match-defining 5-1s to the visitors: this time confirming their victory. Morley was finally to get his win over Ellis in a storming showing in heat 15 but by then it was, of course, too late to affect the destiny of the CGNL match points.
More disappointment was to follow in the Bronze Helmet, with recently installed holder Danny Ayres challenged by the visitors’ star of the night, Zach Wajtknecht. The teenager won the toss for gate position and chose the outside berth. Ayres was in determined mood and though the Bristolian was first through the opening bends, the Central Park favourite Ayres remarkably passed the flying teen down the back straight. Wajtknecht fought back and regained the lead and in a do or die manoeuvre Danny stormed around into the dirt on the outside hoping to emulate the exploits out there earlier in the meeting by young Shanes – unfortunately he just misjudged it, hit the air barrier and his grip on both bike and the Bronze Helmet was relinquished.
So overall there was frustration for the Central Park faithful but not despondency, as the performance of James Shanes (who’d signed those all important contract papers before tapes up – see photo) was enough to brighten the most gloomy, actually and metaphorically, of June evenings.
Also adding a ray of sunshine under cloudy skies was the young Californian Hayley Perrault – who rode to great acclaim, not just the first female rider to appear at Kent Speedway but, remarkably a trained Classical Violinist and University undergraduate studying – of all things – Nuclear Engineering! What a credit to her herself, her country and the sport the 17 year old is.
Nuclear Engineering may be a somewhat remarkable side line for a Speedway rider but it doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to see the current problem with the Kent SLYDE Kings as a frustrated Team Manager Chris Hunt commented, “Today’s events really highlighted our potential vulnerability on an occasion when our top guys where having an off night. James’ superb effort when riding in the black and white helmet colour chasing down the two Brummies’ riders and against all odds getting six points showed the spirit we need to see, of racing full out for every point. Sure we had a lot of bad luck and some potentially key decisions went against us but our ‘bottom’ three riders really had a very poor day indeed and it showed that we are suffering badly when we are carrying three riders like this. I will need seriously to consider our options for the matches coming up, as this situation can’t just continue like this”.
Next up for the SLYDE Kings is a National Trophy away match at Rye House on Saturday (6/6) and then next Monday a vital City Gearboxes National League match at home to Stoke – that’s a 6.30pm start time on 8th. June.
Kent SLYDE Kings 40 Ben Morley 1 3 EF 1 3 8 Jamie Couzins X 0 1 1 2 Aaron Baseby 1 2' 1' 3 7+2 Danny Ayres 0 3 2 2 0 7 James Shanes 3 3 6^ 0 12 Danno Verge 2 0 0 0 2 Adam Sheppard R 1 F 1 2
Birmingham Brummies 53 Adam Ellis 3 1 2 3 2 11 Adam Kirby 2' 0 2' 1' 1 6+3 Connor Coles (G) 3 1' 2' X 6+2 R/R Tom Perry 2 2 3 2' 1' 10+2 Alex Wilson 1 X 1' 0 2+1 Zach Wajtknecht 3 2' 2 3 3 2 3 18+1