Leicester came out on top in Mads Korneliussen’s Testimonial at the Norfolk Arena against the home side King’s Lynn, Swindon and Newport.
It was an all-round display that won the day as the Rapid Solicitors Lions riders were only unplaced in three of the sixteen races. Joonas Kylmakorpi, a late replacement for Jason Doyle who is still awaiting clearance to race in this country, was an inspired choice as a guest. The Eastbourne rider won two of his races, one of which came in the ninth heat when he beat the world number 3 Niels-Kristian Iversen in a close contest. The result enabled the Lions to edge ahead for the first time in the meeting but their lead was short-lived as Newport gained the advantage in the following race. Peter Ljung restored Leicester’s advantage in the next heat and with the progressive scores standing at Leicester 18, Newport 17, King’s Lynn 16 and Swindon 15 the eventual winning team was hard to predict. Korneliussen had done much to keep his new team in contention during the early races with a brace of heat wins and his third place in the twelfth heat preserved Leicester’s lead.
Swindon then came into the picture when Nicolai Klindt, who had previously ran three last places, headed Patrick Hougaard and that enabled the Wiltshire club to pull level on points with the Lions. Kylmakorpi controlled the next race from start to finish which edged them ahead again for the third time in the meeting and Ljung, who was looking sharper as the team tournament unfolded, finished second in the penultimate heat. His points maintained Leicester’s position at the top of the leader-board and needing a second place to guarantee the win it was left to Korneliussen on his big day to finish the task and he rose to the occasion to the delight of Leicester’s travelling supporters.
“The Testimonial was a successful day for Mads and deservedly so as he has been a loyal servant to British Speedway since he arrived here eleven seasons ago now. For me personally the day was an opportunity for three of the boys to stretch their legs after the long winter lay-off and it was a bonus to win the competition. Tom Perry and Max Clegg are riding at Birmingham on Wednesday in the Selco Classic so by the time we meet Peterborough at home on Saturday most of the team will have completed a fair number of practice laps. Simon Stead is the only rider who has not ridden in a meeting yet but he has been out practicing and of course we are still waiting for news as to whether Jason Doyle’s visa application has been successful. I am not too worried if he goes straight into a competitive meeting without practice because he has kept fit by riding regularly during the Australian season which has just finished” commented the Lions team Manager Norrie Allan.
Leicester 28: Joonas Kylmakorpi 10 points, Mads Korneliussen 9, Peter Ljung 7 and Patrick Hougaard 2
King’s Lynn 24: Kenneth Bjerre 8 points, Richie Worrall 7, Rory Schlein 6 and Morten Risager 3
Swindon 24: Peter Kildemand 11 points, Hans Andersen 5, Troy Batchelor 5 and Nicolai Klindt 3
Newport 20: Niels-Kristian Iversen 9 points, Cameron Woodward 6, Scott Nicholls 5 and Ty Proctor 0
