Published: 22 May 2007
Palmer Park Track League 21st May – On a dark and stormy night ….
Rain squalls and dark skies deterred some from heading out to the track on Monday night for the AW Cycles sponsored Palmer Park track league, and sadly, they missed out on a great night of still conditions and exciting racing which included the Track Leagues own Pursuit and Sprint Competitions and with League points up for grabs, many turned up just for their chosen events.
First up were the Youths and Ladies who competed in a 6 lap Scratch race and the form books read perfectly with Matt Gittings, Stephen Badbury and Daniel Maslin all winning their age categories. These three boys have been tearing up not only the league but the National Youth Omnium Series too with Bradbury and Maslin winning at Brighton last weekend and Gittings showing well in a very competitive Under 16 age group. In the Ladies it was National Omnium Series champion Janet Birkmyre who took the win ahead of Lara Wann.
- A tight finish in a Junior Handicap race
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
The Youth Handicap race always mixes up the results, as it should, and we had 4 different winners, James Hobb, Richard Barlow, George Withers and Holly Swarbrick taking good wins.
In the Youth/Ladies Block Handicap which mixes it up in groups, rather than individually, the regular winners were back to what they do well with Gittings, Bradbury and Birkmyre winning as well as George Withers taking his second victory of the evening.
The Seniors got their racing under way with a 10 lap scratch race and with the pursuits coming up, some were using it as good warm up preparation. The first 3 laps were lead out by David Jack but the real action didn't start until the last lap where Michael Wilmot used his blistering finish to win the A's, Trevor Bradbury won the B's and Emma Patterson won the ladies event.
- Sam Sturgeon contesting a heat of the Divisional Pursuit Champs
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
With the heats of the Senior League Open pursuits took a good 25 minutes to find the finalists and the times were very, very close with the top 6 riders within 8 seconds and the first heat had just over a second between 3 qualifiers. The finalists, Sam Sturgeon and ex-GB Olympic rower John Warnock, were very closely matched in the final, with 10 metres separating them all the way through until 2 laps to go when disaster struck for Warnock and he punctured, gifting the title to Sturgeon.
In the Ladies Pursuit it was an all Agisko-Viner final with Emma Patterson and Rohan Battison doing battle. Patterson coming out the champion by less than a second.
The next Event brought out the speedsters for the League Sprint Competition and after qualifying heats produced some fine rides, it was to be a very closely fought event for all of the Categories.
The A category mens event produced another rousing victory for Sam Serruya who blasted over the top of Ian Greenstreet, opening a nice gap to win with Michael Wilmot closing fast. The B's had some drama with Eddie Sobieralski pulling his foot out of his pedal on the last bend causing an abrupt change of direction as the action was just beginning, but it was pursuit finalist John Warnock who was leading out and just kept the hammer down all the way to the line, holding off a closing Trevor Bradbury with Scherrit Knoesen avoiding the swerving Sobieralski to finish third.
The Senior womens event was a more cut and dried affair with National medallist Janet Birkmyre ripping up the track and leaving Lara Wann and Kelly Moore in her wake to win by a half dozen bike lengths.
- Action from the Devil
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
There was little respite for the seniors as they launched straight into a Devil take the Hindmost and it was Michael Wilmot who claimed his second victory of the evening holding off a fast finishing pair, Russell Prince and Chris Legg.
The final event, the AW Cycles 20 km Endurance race is held over 44 laps and usually finishes with bodies spread all over the track, many pulling out having succumbed to the efforts of multiple attacks and hard driving pressure from some senior riders.
- Early stages of the 20K Endurance Race
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
Tonight was no different as attacks begun immediately from Gavin Spiers and David Jack and for 5 laps they held off an attentive bunch but when all back together it was the next move which caused the big split. Michael Wilmot and Russell Prince set off in tandem to open up a good gap and it was recognised as the move to be in by at least 4 others who made it across to the gap. The second group chased valiantly for most of the race and only when asked by the commissaires to sit up and stay out of the way, did they get lapped.
In the final few laps, with riders watching each other closely, it was Michael Wilmot who came round the final curve with a 4 bike lead and he held it all the way to the line.
Second, third and fourth were so close as they closed on the finish line in unison and it took a photo finish to separate them. Sam Serruya just pipping Ian Greenstreet and Russell Prince. The B cats saw Gavin Spiers stay ahead of Trevor Bradbury and John Warnock and in the Ladies it was Emma Patterson who determinedly stayed out there to win.