PETERBOROUGH produced an exhilarating comeback in red-hot conditions to stun reigning Elite League Champions Coventry with a last-heat win, inspired by talismanic skipper Nicki Pedersen.
However, both sets of fans will go home pleased after witnessing some breathtaking action in soaring temperatures.
The Readypower Panthers, led by three-time world champion Pedersen, started slowly as the Bees took advantage of the home riders’ sluggish gating to race to an early lead.
Despite the two opening heats being shared, last-season’s top two averaging Premier League riders Ryan Fisher and Kenni Larsen raced to a heat three 5-1 for the visitors, before Edward Kennett and the brilliant Przemyslaw Pawlicki did the same in the following race to give the Midlands outfit an eight-point lead after just four heats.
Panther’s Polish duo of Krzysztof Buczkowski and Kacper Gomolski reduced that deficit in heat five when Buczek roared to a brilliant win over former Panthers skipper Niels Kristian Iversen, who was guesting in place of Bees number one Hans Andersen, whilst Gomolski filled in for third place.
The following heats were shared with Coventry’s Edward Kennett beating Pedersen in heat six before Fisher had a brilliant race with Troy Batchelor, with the American just getting the nod.
Panthers’ reserve Dakota North led for three and- a-half laps in heat eight before Pawlicki came under the young Australian brilliantly to secure a 4-2 for the guests, stretching their lead to eight points whilst the home fans were left wondering what happened to the seven riders who decimated the Bees just 11 days ago.
Crowd favourite Buczkowski produced one of his trademark rides to beat the previously unbeaten Edward Kennett in heat nine, but Gomolski’s frustrating morning continued as he just failed to catch Coventry’s Nick Morris as another heat was shared.
It was important for the home side to go into the interval with something to play for and that is exactly what they were given hope after Pedersen and Panthers’ big-money signing Linus Sundstrom secured a 5-1 in heat 10. The win didn’t come easy for the home duo, though, as it took a fall from Fisher on bend three on the last lap to allow Sundstrom to slip back into second place after being passed by the American earlier in the race.
With the Panthers riders given chance to regroup at the interval, Troy Batchelor produced a stunning ride to beat Iversen in heat 11.
Former GP man Iversen showed his knowledge of the Showground track to lead the Australian for three laps before Batchelor produced a brilliant pass on lap four to hold on for a vital win for the Panthers, especially as Norbert Kosciuch secured third place and a 4-2 for the home side, cutting the visitors lead to just two points.
It looked like Peterborough had blown their chances of victory after the impressive Fisher teamed up with Pawlicki to gain maximum points in heat 12, leaving North and Gomolski in their wake.
Heat 13 was always going to be vital in the meeting but the previous heat win for the away side meant that the Panthers duo of Pedersen and Batchelor had to take something from the race to give their side any chance of winning the meeting. Nicki Pedersen produced one of his trademark fast-starts to race into an early lead but the spectacular Batchelor had to round Kennett early on, before chasing down Iversen and passing him up the inside to give the home crowd a real buzz.
With temperatures soaring, the on-track action was hotting up even further and a titanic battle between Norbert Kosciuch and Przemyslaw Pawlicki in heat 14 will go down as one of the races of the season at the Showground. Kosciuch, racing in his first meeting since coming back from nasty head injuries, led his fellow countryman from the tapes before Pawlicki produced a superb inside pass on the penultimate lap. Kosciuch wasn’t done, however, and the Poznan-man conjured up a majestic last-bend pass to send the crowd into a frenzy and set up a last-heat decider.
With the scores level at 42-42, tensions were running high and Panthers team boss Trevor Swales had the luxury of being able to call on triple-world champion Pedersen for the last heat, teaming him with Batchelor, who had improved as the meeting went on.
Visiting team manager Alun Rossiter made a brave call and plumped for Fisher, who had won three races, and his ace-in-the-pack Shamek Pawlicki, who had only been beaten by an opponent once.
As the home duo gated and settled into first and second, no-one could predict what was about to happen.
Fisher and Pawlicki steadily gained ground on the Panthers pairing before both riders caught up with Batchelor on the last lap and with just two bends to go, all four riders were level. As Fisher charged round the outside, Pedersen held the inside line and Batchelor and Pawlicki were neck-and-neck as all four crossed the line within half a second of each other.
Without doubt, it was one of the best races ever to be seen at Alwalton and riders, officials and fans alike were kept in suspense waiting for what seemed like minutes for the official verdict from the referee.
Despite Fisher and Coventry claiming to have won the race, it was Peterborough’s Nicki Pedersen who in fact held on to the win whilst Batchelor got the nod over Pawlicki, sending the home fans into raptures as the Panthers completed their comeback to secure a two-point win in what was Coventry’s first Elite League defeat in 13.
Home hero Batchelor said: “ I didn’t honestly know whether I’d finished second or third in that last one but I knew I didn’t finish last, and Nicki was confident he’d won it. It was a pretty special way to end the meeting.
“I struggled in my first two but I went back to a set up I was familiar with and I felt really good after that. I was close to winning the last one, but the main thing is that we won the meeting and it was entertaining for the fans.
“We had to fight really hard today and if we fight like that tonight at Coventry, we have a good chance of bringing back some points.”