READING RACERS 24

WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 11

WEYMOUTH Wildcats were soundly beaten by the Reading Racers despite a promising performance to concede their third loss at home, and remain winless overall in the Southern Development League.

The Wildcats, who consisted of Luke Whitehead, Max Pankhurst, Jacob Fellows and James Jessop, were beaten 24-11 at the Arlington Stadium in Eastbourne.

Pankhurst claimed the Wildcats’ only heat win of the evening, riding home to success in the second race and was the top scorer with seven points.

Whitehead and Fellows also claimed two points each, with a second-placed finish for the former in the first heat, while the latter scored two third-placed finishes in the third and fifth races.

Whitehead was winning heat three when disaster struck for him after he fell, turning a 3-3 into a 5-1 win for Reading.

The fall happened on the first lap after a tight corner with Reading’s Steven Whitehouse and Jamie Bursill.

Whitehead went around the outside of the two and his bike got away from him and the race was stopped, leaving Fellows to fend them off by himself. He fought well for a lap but the experience of Reading’s riders shone through as Fellows finished third.

Fellows also fell off in heat one and Jessop fell in round two, with the latter on the last corner and not realising it was the last lap he pushed his bike off the track ending hopes of an extra point.

Whitehead replaced Luke Barnes in the squad after the latter’s van broke down, however, Barnes and his mechanic still turned up to support and assist the team on the evening.

Co-promoter Martin Peters said: “The scoreline does not really reflect how the meeting went.

“It could have been a lot closer maybe 20-16 so there are positive signs there and Jake is riding so much better. He is starting to mix it with the opposition riders, he had a couple of really good battles and he is riding really well.

Peters was full of praise for Whitehead after he stepped in at short notice for the Wildcats and he has ridden previously for the Wildcats at Eastbourne.

Peters said: “I thought he rode really well, barring his score he still rode really well.

“His second race he was leading and then unfortunately fell off.

“For me he is not that far off a call to the National League if one of the sides is short of a rider.”

The result leaves Weymouth bottom of the table and the Wildcats are next in league action when they travel to Reading on Saturday, July 14.

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