First Semi-final
Shielfield Park, Berwick
Saturday 4th April 1998
David Meldrum as expected won the Northern Semi-final of the British Under-21 Championship after a (all Scottish) four way run-off ahead of Blair Scott, Grant MacDonald, and Barry Campbell. They were joined in the final, by a token Southerner: Oliver Allen, who came through a run-off ahead of local rider Wesley Waite.
The weather was atrocious. Berwick appeared as though it would escape the heavy rain that virtually wiped-out the Friday programme until rain started to fall about three-quarters of an hour before the scheduled start. After an inspection and consultation with the riders the referee, Jim McGregor deferred a decision to give it 15 minutes to see if the rain stopped. Fortunately, it did and the match went ahead without any parade.
Simon Cartwright (Hull) was missing from the line-up in Speedway Star. However Simon Stead (Peterborough) was listed in the programme and was reported as withdrawing. Either way the vacant slot went to first reserve Jitendra Duffill (Newcastle). Angela McAlden (Linlithgow) withdrew as reserve and was replaced by Mark McIlkenny (Glasgow).
Heat 1: : David Meldrum, Danny Fairburn, David Stokes, Jitendra Duffill [72.1]
An easy win for the home favourite. Duffill looked quite useful until he retired.
Heat 2: Ross Brady, Brian Turner, Wesley Waite, David McAllan. [74.2]
A lightening start for the former 'wild man' of Linlithgow. He was followed by McAllan who got into trouble on the new 3rd/4th bend banking Allowing Turner and Waite through.
Heat 3: Barry Campbell, Steven McAllister, Mark Blackwell [74.4]
Steven Jones was excluded for tape touching and his replacement Mark McIlkenny was excluded on two minutes. Barry Campbell won from the tapes ahead of McAllister and Blackwell.
Heat 4: Oliver Allen, Grant MacDonald, Blair Scott, Mark McIlkenny [72.7]
James Birkinshaw was excluded for taping. Oliver Allen was first away and Blair Scott having missed the start was unable to come back.
Heat 5: Barry Campbell, Grant MacDonald, Brian Turner [72.8]
A second win for Campbell ahead of the Glasgow team mates. Duffill fell.
Heat 6: David Meldrum, Wesley Waite, James Birkinshaw, Steven McAllister [72.8]
David Meldrum won his second race having withstood a powerful surge off the 3rd/4th bend banking by fellow Bandit Wesley Waite.
Heat 7: Oliver Allen, David McAllen, Steven Jones [73.6]
Oliver Allen was easily while David McAllen passed Danny Fairburn on the high banking. Fairburn subsequently retired.
Heat 8: Blair Scott, Ross Brady, Mark Blackwell, David Stokes [74.0]
Ross Brady gated ahead of Scott but was passed on the back straight of the first lap.
Leading positions after two rides each:
David Meldrum 6, Barry Campbell 6, Oliver Allen 6, Ross Brady 5, Blair Scott 4, Grant McDonald 4.
Heat 9: Blair Scott, Wesley Waite, Jitendra Duffill [awarded]
Steven Jones taped once more and Mark McIlkenny came in. Blair Scott made it two in a row when he led surprise package Wesley Waite into the last lap. McIlkenny fell and the race was stopped and awarded.
Heat 10: David Meldrum, Brian Turner, Oliver Allen, Mark Blackwell [72.6]
Meldrum kept his 100% record in the clash with the unbeaten Allen. Oliver got himself into 'another fine mess' by totally missing the start. He was able to pass the disappointing Blackwell but could make no impression on Turner.
Heat 11: Barry Campbell, James Birkinshaw, Danny Fairburn [73.3]
Ross Brady gated yet again but Campbell passed him going into the 3rd bend. Brady then managed his first fall of the evening.
Heat 12: Grant MacDonald, David McAllan, David Stokes [73.3]
MacDonald pulled himself into contention with a good win over local reserve McAllan. Steven McAllister retired.
Leading positions after three rides each:
David Meldrum 9, Barry Campbell 9, Blair Scott 7, Oliver Allen 7, Grant MacDonald 7
Heat 13: James Birkinshaw, David McAllen, Mark Blackwell [73.0]
Birkinshaw fell on the first bend but the referee invited all four back. The re-run was a cracking race between Birkinshaw and McAllen who were virtually side by side for much of the heat. Duffill retired again.
Heat 14: Grant MacDonald, Ross Brady, Steven Jones [74.2]
Meldrum started well but seemed to experience fuel feed problems around the banking. This allowed MacDonald and Brady through. Meldrum then seemed to get going once more and looked set to pass Brady when his bike packed up for good.
Heat 15: Blair Scott, Brian Turner [74.6]
Blair Scott edged closer to qualification by beating Turner. McAllister fell and Fairburn retired.
Heat 16: Wesley Waite, Barry Campbell, Oliver Allen [74.0]
While (almost) everyone was expecting a tight race between Campbell and Allen, Waite powered past Campbell on the back straight to secure a stunning win and bring himself into contention. David Stokes had earlier been excluded for taping and his replacement Mark McIlkenny retired.
Leading positions after four rides each:
Barry Campbell 11, Blair Scott 10, Grant MacDonald 10, David Meldrum 9, Oliver Allen 8, Wesley Waite 8, Brian Turner 7, Ross Brady 7, James Birkinshaw 6, David McAllen 6
Heat 17: Oliver Allen, Jitendra Duffill [74.6]
Oliver Allen missed the start once more but was fortunate when McAllister fell and was excluded after bringing him down with Brady well ahead. In the re-run, Allen pulled kept himself in contention with a win over Duffill after Ross Brady retired.
Heat 18: David Meldrum, Blair Scott, Barry Campbell, David McAllen. [74.2]
This was a great race as Campbell from the red gate edged out Meldrum from blue. Blair Scott blasted around the outside from yellow to lead. Campbell held off the predatory Meldrum for a lap or so but eventually succumbed. Meldrum carried on and passed Blair Scott for a great win.
Heat 19: Wesley Waite, Grant MacDonald, Danny Fairburn, Mark Blackwell [75.7]
A key race with MacDonald needing a win to take the event while Waite needed a win to secure a run-off for a top five place. The home rider gated ahead in the steadily worsening conditions and held off MacDonald.
Heat 20: Brian Turner [83.8]
This heat was important to settle the last reserve place for the final with Turner and Birkinshaw in contention. A first bend collision with Turner saw Birkinshaw excluded and taken from the track in an ambulance. In the re-run, both Stokes and Jones retired leaving Turner to struggle around alone with a very sick motor.
| Scores after five rides each | |||||||
| David Meldrum (Berwick) |
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
| Blair Scott (Edinburgh) |
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
| Grant MacDonald (Glasgow) |
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
| Barry Campbell (Edinburgh) |
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
| Oliver Allen (Peterborough) |
|
|
|
|
|
11
|
|
| Wesley Waite (Berwick) |
|
|
|
|
|
11
|
|
| Brian Turner (Glasgow) |
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
| Ross Brady (Peterborough) |
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
| James Birkinshaw (Newcastle) |
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
| David McAllen (Berwick) |
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
| Danny Fairburn(Hull) |
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
| Mark Blackwell (Wolverhampton) |
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
| Jitendra Duffill (Newcastle) |
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
| David Stokes (Glasgow) |
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
| Steven McAllister (Linlithgow) |
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
| Steven Jones (Newcastle) |
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
| Mark McIlkenny (Glasgow) (Reserve) |
|
|
|
|
0
|
||
Heat 21: Oliver Allen [83.6]
In the run-off to decide the last qualifying place for the Arena Essex final, Wesley Waite gated ahead of Allen but overdid things on the second bend and wheelied over and was excluded. Allen was then forced to cover the four laps alone, which he just about managed with a spluttering engine.
Heat 22: David Meldrum, Blair Scott, Grant MacDonald, Barry Campbell [72.5]
In the 'A-Final', sorry, the run-off for winner, Meldrum won as expected. He gated ahead of Scott and Campbell. The position stayed as that until the last lap when Campbell seemed to slow right down coming off the last bend allowing MacDonald through.
David Meldrum was the deserved winner of the event. But for his courageous double overtake of Campbell and Scott in Heat 18, he would not have qualified for the final. Barry Campbell looked very good on a track, which he described as 'not one of his favourites' until his surprise defeat by Waite. Blair Scott looked very comfortable on the banked track and but for a bad start in Heat 4 may well have emerged the winner. Grant McDonald improved after a moderate start but was fortunate in that Meldrum retired in Heat 14.
Allen also looked very good in the earlier heats until his poor gating proved too big a handicap. Wesley Waite, who was a late addition to the starting line-up really showed some of the others how to ride the Shielfield banking and was rather unlucky to fall when in pole position for the run-off with Allen.
Brian Turner was steady but never looked like beating the top four riders. James Birkinshaw was erratic with a very good win, a tape exclusion and a fall. Ross Brady was Ross Brady. His gating was superb but he was let down by a fall and an engine failure.
Berwick's reserve David McAllen was somewhat overshadowed by Wesley Waite who is not in the Bandits line-up. Danny Fairburn looked useful at times. Mark Blackwell was never in contention. The same can be said of the three ex-Lathallan riders, Jones, McAllister and Stokes. Jitendra Duffill showed a deal of promise when he kept his bike going.
The reshaped Shielfield track, with high banking on the 3rd/4th band and lower banking on the 1st/2nd bend, looked a big improvement on that of last season. While there was little overtaking, apart from Meldrum, this was inevitable given the conditions and the soddened track. It was a very entertaining meeting ending with a four-way tie.
The wet conditions made things very difficult for the riders. There were a large number of tape exclusions and many mechanical problems particularly from Heat 17 onwards when it started to rain once more.
Qualifiers: Meldrum, Scott, MacDonald, Campbell, Allen
Reserves: Waite, Turner.
Final to be held at Arena Essex on Friday 24th April.
John Lowe