CZECH scoring machine Tomas Topinka and Shane Parker – guesting for injured Kevin Doolan – led King's Lynn Stars scoring attack at Armadale last night.
The duo could have been a potential banana skin for Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs but the Capital side, who have lost just one match this season, never looked like being tripped up and triumphed in a Premier League encounter which produced some sta
rtlingly good speedway.
However, the Norfolk side made Monarchs sweat a little in the second half by winning three of the last five heats.
And no-one knows just how close the final score might have been had Parker and Shaun Tacey not encountered machine problems at the start of the meeting.
Parker picked up just two points from his first three outings including a last when he came out as a tactical substitute in the eighth race.
But the Aussie made amends by winning two of his last three outings and revealed how switching bikes turned the evening round for him.
He said: "I tried a different bike in my first two races and did nothing, so I swapped machines after that. In hindsight, I should have started on the machine I finished with. It wasn't good for King's Lynn as I was their guest booking. But at least I got my act together in the end."
Team-mate Tacey also toiled and was pointless after two rides. But the Norwich-born racer was unbeaten in his final couple of outings but it proved too little too late.
Tacey regretted his stuttering start but praised Monarchs for the team they have assembled this season.
He said: "Full credit to Edinburgh. I love coming to Armadale because you know the track surface will be spot-on.
"Personally I wasn't that happy with my own display.
"I changed bikes like Shane because my first machine just wasn't working. Normally, I score well at Armadale and I've had some good meetings here in the past.
"If I had been scoring in my opening rides, we might have pushed Edinburgh harder than we did. But Monarchs are solid throughout.
"They don't have any superstars as such, but I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. You don't always require superstars to have a good squad. And that's what Edinburgh have."
Monarchs got off to a cracking start when top scorer William Lawson and Andrew Tully grabbed a 5-1 over Parker in the opening heat. Tully and Aaron Summers repeated the trick in the following heat and this in essence laid the foundations for Monarchs' comfortable triumph.
Lawson had his sights trained on a maximum and when he zipped up the inside of Parker, who drifted slightly on the last bend of the final lap in heat 13, to take the chequered flag to thunderous applause, his five-ride full house looked a reasonable banker when he squared up to his rival again in the heat 15 finale.
But Lawson wasn't so sharp this time and was forced to settle for second as Parker crossed the finishing line with plenty to spare and satisfaction at having ruined Lawson's 15-point dream.
Monarchs' American kingpin Ryan Fisher was a bit out of sorts and was annoyed at allowing Topinka, who amassed 15 points – which included a tactical six-point victory in heat 7 – to pip him for second place on the line in heat ten. The Californian did salvage a win in heat 14 to finish with nine. But he admitted he still cannot get his bike set-up the way he wants or needs.
He said: "I struggled to find a set-up which suits me. I tried a couple of different things but they didn't really work.
"Normally when the Armadale track has a bit grip, I'm better off, but it didn't happen.
"I made one or two good gates but I should be making four. I should be leading into the first corner in all my races. But when your set-up isn't perfect it is hard to hold off guys never mind pass them.
"Speedway is so funny. Sometimes things work one week and not the next. But I need to get my bike problems figured out. I need to earn money, so I need to score as many points as I can."
King's Lynn who dropped a point at home to Monarchs, failed to muster enough back-up for Parker and Topinka. Former Monarch Rusty Harrison, for instance, collected just five points and probably should have done a lot better.
MONARCHS have been drawn against Reading Racers in the Premier Trophy semi-finals. The Berkshire side by coincidence visit Armadale on league business next Friday.
Monarchs: Lawson 14, Sneddon 10, Fisher 9, Wethers 9, Tully 7, Summers 5.
King's Lynn Stars: Topinka 15, Parker 10, Harrison 5, Tacey 5, Oliver 3, Smith 1, Lambert 0.
The full article contains 829 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
