The Kent Eagles were victorious at the inaugural NORA Best Paris competition last Saturday.
The Eagles produced a devastating display to triumph in the Pairs competition at Mildenhall’s West Row stadium on Saturday evening. Ben Morley and Jack Kingston would eventually triumph over the Cradley Heathens by a 6-3 margin in what was to prove a controversial final heat after both pairs had each amassed 19 points, topping the scorechart’s over a series of fifteen qualifying races.
Heathens Luke Harris and Seth Norman were faster from the start in the all-important final, but the race was called to a halt following a crash on the third and fourth turns which saw both Norman and Kingston come to grief. While Harris led, Morley was set to come through on Norman’s inside, no contact being evident but the latter parted company with his machine with the chasing Kingston laying down in an attempt to avoid his stricken adversary.
The referee John Strong swiftly ignited Kingston’s exclusion light believing he was the first to have fallen and thereby the cause of the stoppage, however having reviewed footage of the incident taken trackside the decision was reversed with Norman subsequently ruled out.
Norman was subsequently taken to hospital suffering a back injury, his condition unfortunately marring what had otherwise proved an enjoyable and entertaining meeting.
Anxious moments followed as Kingston’s own situation, a damaged wrist was checked out as well as damaged machinery, but the rider was determined to make it to the tapes, the final scoring system meaning that both Eagles now needed merely to complete the four laps to take the title.
This they duly did but Morley made sure of the victory, completing a top scoring display by leading Harris to the chequered flag.
Pairs representing the hosts Mildenhall, the Wisbech Cross Keys, the Anglian Angels, for whom experienced campaigner Simon Lambert, alongside Morley had proved the top scorer in the qualifying heats on 13 points and the Ipswich Academy had contested the first fifteen heats all intent on making the final.
The Fen Tigers on their home circuit were expected to feature strongly and with Alfie Bowtell romping to victory in each of his first two races to see Mildenhall lead the field at the mid-way stage that belief would seem likely to be borne out. However, with the Heathens inflicting a 5-1 over them in heat twelve, this being followed by a 4-2 going the way of the Eagles in the final race of the qualifiers that put an end to their chances.
The Eagles opened strongly with a 5-1 over Wisbech in the third, before Lambert (Anglian Angels) led both Morley and Kingston throughout for a share of the spoils in heat six. Cradley blunted the Kent cutting edge inflicting a 4-2 on them in race nine but a 5-1 over the Ipswich Academy in the eleventh and then the 4-2 success over the Fen Tigers would get their challenge back on track.
Their fellow finalists started on a slower burn, a first race 4-2 over the Ipswich Academy being followed by a similar reverse by the Cross Keys in heat five but with Norman in particular showing superb form with wins in his final three rides, their 4-2 over the Eagles, the 5-1 against the Fen Tigers and a closing 4-2 over the Anglian Angels in heat fourteen class them as deserved finalists.