PETERBOROUGH came up short in their first outing since a major team overhaul tonight (Tuesday).
The ‘TC Harrison’ Panthers – featuring new recruits Adam Roynon, Richard Hall and Max Dilger - were pipped by high-flying Ipswich in an engrossing derby clash at the East of England Showground.
There were plenty of thrills and spills on a night which began with a bang as the Premier League track record tumbled.
Visiting number one Richie Worrall clocked a scorchingly fast 58.7 seconds when leading home partner Ritchie Hawkins for a 5-1 in the opener. In the process he blew away Redcar man Richard Lawson’s previous best mark of 59.6.
Ipswich led for the majority of the contest and eventually clinched victory in the closing stages although a tapes-to-flag success from new Panthers number one Lasse Bjerre in a re-run finale denied them maximum points.
Panthers team boss Carl Johnson said: “We knew we were in for a tough night with three new riders coming in – especially as all three of them have missed a lot of racing this year.
“Ipswich are a very strong team and that just had that bit too much for us tonight, but I remain fully confident that we will make the play-offs.
“I fully understand the fans will be disappointed to have lost at home, but we have meetings coming up thick and fast in which we can put this result right.”
Roynon was the pick of the newcomers with back-to-back victories in a seven-point haul.
He took the flag in a shared eighth heat and then led home number one Lasse Bjerre for a 5-1 in heat 10 which put Panthers ahead for the first time.
Hall and Dilger both endured difficult debuts as they failed to beat any opponents on the way to a point apiece.
Panthers fell behind to that lightning Ipswich start and were six points down after two races, but a run of three 4-2s in the space of four races hauled them level. They received a helping hand in heats six and seven as Ipswich men Cameron Heeps and Gino Manzares crashed respectively.
The hosts then briefly led after Roynon and Bjerre combined to great effect in heat 12 but Hall and Nicki Barrett were on the receiving end of a 5-1 in heat 12 as Ipswich edged back ahead – and this time Panthers couldn’t respond.
They fell further behind after a Witches 4-2 in heat 13 when Ales Dryml saw his run of a hat-trick of wins come to an end when at the rear before Heeps saw off Barrett as the re-run of heat 14 turned into a match race after Adam Ellis crashed out of the initial staging with Panthers skipper Ulrich Ostergaard already having retired after contact left him with chain damage.
Ostergaard was again in the wars in the finale when managing to avoid a crash after another brush with an opponent, but countryman Bjerre at least ensured the night ended on a positive note.
Panthers are back in action when they travel to Plymouth on Friday (August 22) when they will be without Bjerre and Hall.
Bjerre will be preparing to race for Denmark in the World Under 21 Team Cup Final the following day while Hall has an international grasstrack commitment in Finland.
SCORES
PANTHERS: Lasse Bjerre 11+1, Ales Dryml 9, Ulrich Ostergaard 8, Adam Roynon 7, Nicki Barrett 5, Richard Hall 1, Max Dilger 1.