07 7 January 2015

TRACK RACING REPORT - WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY

There were 12 starters for the Wednesday 7 January track session. Given the time of year, this was not a bad roll up.

The A and B Grade scratch races were each eight laps. The A Grade race was fast paced and no one could make a break. A packed bunch accelerated to the line with Steve Jones taking a close win from Ben Davis and Michael Langdon. The B Grade scratch held an even pace until two laps from the finish when the top three place getters took off. Ian Drayton took the win from Phil Anderson and Steve Hirsler.

The points race is a gruelling event, in this instance having four sprints at four lap intervals. In A Grade, Aaron Sedgemen took the first sprint. However, Steve Jones who excels at these events, won all the remaining sprints. The final points tally saw Steve Jones take the win from Aaron Sedgemen and Ed Garnett on equal points. The B grade points race saw a variety of sprint winners with Phil Anderson, Ian Drayton and Steve Hirsler all having success. The points tally saw Phil Anderson as winner followed closely by Ian Drayton and Steve Hirsler.

The track session concluded with a combined A and B grade Italian Team Pursuit. This was excellent racing. Initially Team 2 looked to have it in the bag as the early riders established a good lead. However, Steve Jones and Ed Garnett in Team 1 were determined to make a good showing and closed the gap to around 1 metre at the finish. Steve put in a great last lap. However, Michael Langdon could sense the danger and found just enough pace to stay ahead.

Major place getters were as follows:

8 Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Steve Jones, Ben Davis, Michael Langdon; (B Grade) Ian Drayton, Phil Anderson, Steve Hirsler.

16 Lap Points Race (A Grade): Steve Jones 20, Aaron Sedgmen 15, Ed Garnett 15. (B Grade) Phil Anderson 22, Ian Drayton 20, Steve Hirsler 18.

6 Lap Italian Team Pursuit : (Team 2 Winners) Michael Langdon, Aaron Sedgemen, Rohan McMurray, Ben Davis, Phil Anderson, Steve Hirsler