THE PANTHERS play-off hopes have taken a massive hit with a second home loss in a week, this time to in-form Coventry Bees.
Already reeling from Monday’s defeat to Eastbourne, the Panthers needed to bounce back and douse Coventry’s play-off hopes whilst securing their own, but it was the Bees who triumphed.
The meeting started well enough for the Panthers, with Kenneth Bjerre and Krzysztof Buczkowski being split by Krzysztof Kasprzak for an opening heat 4-2.
Coventry always looked to have the edge at reserve, with former-Panther Lewis Bridger and Polish u-21 sensation Przemyslaw Pawlicki likely to cause the home side problems. Mathieu Tresarrieu led from tapes-to-flag, however, to give the Panthers fans great cause for optimism, whilst Norbert Kosciuch could only trail the two Coventry riders.
Captain Niels-Kristian Iversen and injury-hit Rory Schlein had to settle for second and third place respectively in heat three, with Edward Kennett looking very fast at the front.
Troy Batchelor picked up too much grip in heat four and was lucky to escape injury when he ploughed into the fence on turn two, although he was disqualified from the re-run. Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Chris Harris proved to be too quick for Norbert Kosciuch second time round, as the Bees secured a 5-1 that gave them an early lead.
That lead was extended when Krzysztof Kaspzak blasted from the tapes to win heat five, and Rory Schlein had to work hard to pass his compatriot. Unlike his team-mate, Niels-Kristian Iversen couldn’t get by, and the Bees’ lead was extended to four points.
As has proved the pattern in recent home meetings, the Panthers shared the next two heats, with Kenneth Bjerre and Troy Batchelor gaining heat wins.
Heat eight proved to be arguably the most important race of the meeting, and certainly the most decisive. Kryzsztof Buczkowski rode a fantastic race to win, and Mathieu Tresarrieu tussled with Richard Sweetman to eventually gain third place.
However, complaints from the Coventry camp prompted an examination from the Panthers Machine Examiner, and he found that Tresarrieu rode with a faulty silencer. This was relayed to the referee, who subsequently disqualified the Frenchman, and the race declared as a 3-3.
The next three heats were all won by home riders, with Iversen winning heat nine from Chris Harris and Lewis Bridger. Kenneth Bjerre picked up his third straight win in heat 10, and he was joined at the front by Krzysztof Buczkowski, who held off a strong challenge from Ben Barker.
Troy Batchelor made a lighting start to win heat 11, but Mat Tresarrieu retired with machinery troubles on lap three. Heat 12 was, ultimately, the deciding heat. Lewis Bridger, eager to prove a point, lead Rory Schlein for four laps, and Przemyslaw Pawlicki held off Norbert Kosciuch to give the Bees a 4-2, and a two point lead.
Krzysztof Kasprzak made a brilliant start to win heat 13, and it took all the efforts of Kenneth Bjerre and Troy Batchelor to hold off GP star Harris.
Przemyslaw Pawlicki, who has been a revelation for Coventry in the meetings he has ridden in, again proved to be their trump card, with a fabulous win in Heat 14. Despite a strong challenge from Iversen, the 19-year old rode a perfect four laps to leave his side within touching distance of a priceless away win.
As was the case on Monday, it was Kenneth Bjerre and Troy Batchelor who were given the responsibility of saving the match, and again Bjerre rode brilliantly to win. Batchelor originally joined him at the front, but Kasprzak and Harris both looked quicker and flew by him on lap two. He did hit back, though, and he and Harris passed and re-passed for a lap and a half before the Coventry man held on to inflict a second successive home defeat on the lacklustre Panthers.
Team manager Trevor Swales was furious with his team, he said: “We’ve got riders who either don’t want to do it, or aren’t capable of doing it. Some of them have got to put their hands up and admit that the last couple of meetings they have been absolute rubbish. It’s about time that they realise that.”
He fumed: “They were all offered a practice this afternoon, and some of them didn’t want to do it and some of them couldn’t. Practice is the time for trying engines and set-ups and what not, not during a big meeting. Coventry are a decent team, but we made them look a lot better than they were tonight.”
“To lose two meetings at home in a week is totally unacceptable and I thought that we were a better team than that, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we are just sixth place material, and not top four material. I think some of the riders need to say what they feel; because I know that personally I’m absolutely gutted. If we’re being realistic, that has put us out of the play-offs.”
He continued: “We now have to go to Lakeside and get a win, and winning there is like rocking horse droppings, it just doesn’t happen. Normally, to get one point would be great, but one isn’t enough now. Quite frankly, on the evidence of tonight and Monday, we are not good enough.”