LEICESTER raced to a superb 53-37 win over league leaders Ipswich in their best performance of the season at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park on Thursday.
The Watling JCB Lions were without Ryan Douglas after a crash in Sweden earlier in the week, but their remaining six riders all got stuck in for a fine team performance to end the Witches’ record as their bogey team.
Skipper Max Fricke led the way with paid-16 from six rides, enjoying some terrific battles with the visitors’ top man Emil Sayfutdinov on a night of fierce and competitive racing.
But whilst Sayfutdinov’s only real support came from lively reserve Keynan Rew, Fricke was well backed down the Lions’ order as his combination with Richard Lawson paid rich dividends once again, and Luke Becker enjoyed his highest score of 2024 as he also hit double figures.
Lions opened the meeting with two 4-2s, Sam Hagon taking another excellent Heat 2 success, before Adam Ellis notched the first win for the Witches in Heat 3 – but remarkably those would be his only points of the night, whilst visiting captain Danny King fell on the first bend.
Ipswich did gain two points back in Heat 4 but the key phase of the meeting came immediately after the first track grade as the Lions took control.
Becker charged his way to the front of Heat 5 and won in a fast time with Sam Masters adding third place, whilst a tremendous Heat 6 saw Lawson hit the front on the second bend, and as he battled with Sayfutdinov, Fricke came powering through to join him for a 5-1.
Another Leicester 5-1 followed in the next with King caught out on bend four trying to pass Craig Cook, allowing Masters through on the inside, and all of a sudden the Lions were 12 points up.
Lawson and Rew had a great battle in Heat 8, passing and re-passing for the first two laps before Lawson moved clear, but the visitors did gain a foothold in Heat 9 with a fine effort by Rew to get inside both Becker and Masters off turn two to join Sayfutdinov for maximum points.
But the Lions responded immediately as Fricke and Lawson struck a 5-1 over King and Ellis in Heat 10 to make it 36-24, and a tactical substitute move by the Witches in Heat 11 was only partially successful as Sayfutdinov took the win over Fricke, with Scott Nicholls third for a 4-2.
Masters took Leicester closer to victory with another smart move to pass King at the end of the first lap of Heat 12, leaving the Lions ten points up ahead of Heat 13 which was undoubtedly the race of the night.
Once again Lawson established the advantage with Fricke initially squeezed out, but the Lions captain produced a brilliant ride to get past both Sayfutdinov and Nicholls at the end of lap one, before Sayfutdinov fought back to split the home riders as Lawson lost his steel shoe in the closing stages.
The 4-2 confirmed a Leicester victory, which became more emphatic with a 5-1 from Becker and Cook over Ellis and Jordan Jenkins in Heat 14 – and whilst Sayfutdinov completed a super showing by winning Heat 15, a 3-3 in that race leaves the Lions well placed for the aggregate point.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “It was a very good performance, and I think we saw a team that’s beginning to grow tonight.
“That was a stiff test for us, and we were concerned because of previous results against Ipswich, so to be honest I never saw us winning by 16 points.
“There was a good energy in the pits tonight, which is always the case when you’re winning, but I felt something in the early heats, there was a determination.
“It was drummed into them on the track walk that we’ve not beaten this team, and we needed to beat them.
“I know Ipswich are missing Jason Doyle who is fantastic around here, but my riders deserve the praise that they’re going to get tonight, because they did really well.”
The Lions are back in action next Thursday (July 25) when they host Belle Vue, with three league points available after a 48-42 defeat in Manchester last month.
LEICESTER 53: Max Fricke 15+1, Luke Becker 12+1, Richard Lawson 10+1, Sam Masters 7+2, Craig Cook 6+1, Sam Hagon 3, Ryan Douglas r/r.
IPSWICH 37: Emil Sayfutdinov 15, Keynan Rew 9+2, Danny King 4, Jordan Jenkins 3+1, Scott Nicholls 3, Adam Ellis 3, Dan Thompson r/r.
