There was the added dimension to the meeting in that Richard Sweetman was returning to his old club and the home fans certainly made their feelings known as they were to boo him throughout the night but there was also some good racing to cheer, even though gating still remained a very important part of every race.
The Glasgow riders appeared to have rather a lot of machinery problems going to the tapes in the early races. It started with Joe Screen making a last minute dash back to the pits prior to heat 1 and only just making it to tapes in time. When the tapes went up Joe looked to have edged it over Kauko Nieminen but Leicester's captain just edged it on the opening bends. Michal had slotted in behind Joe and although the home sides Graversen looked slightly quicker behind him, there was no way through.
It was Nick Morris who had the gremlins before the start of heat 2. he changed on to Richards Sweetman's bike and was to ride it all evening. it certainly suited him in heat 2 as he won the heat easily from the tapes with the action being at the rear between Theo Pijper and James Wright for third spot. Again it looked as if the rider at the back was quicker but with no passing line evident as yet, Theo was able to hold him off.
After a re run, Bondarenko coming off on the opening bends for an all four back decision, it looked for most of the race as if Leicester would inflict maximum damage on the Tigers in heat 3. Bondarenko and Bager had gated and looked quite comfortable team riding, even though former Lion Richard Sweetman was not far behind. Even into the final lap it looked as if the home side were going to get a maximum but when Bager drifted a little wide off the final bend, Richard found the grip to power up the inside and nick second place on the line.
Heat 4 was won easily by Magnus Karlsson from the gate with James Grieves comfortably in second spot. This time it was Tigers who were to lose out however on what looked like a share of the spoils when Wright managed to edge Pijper out at the start of lap three and come through into third.
The track was now settling down but that was no worry to Joe Screen who was excellent out of the traps in heat 5 and won easily. Again the battle was at the rear. Michal was in third and working very hard to try and thwart some good attempts to get through from Bager. Finally at the end of the third lap, Bager's quicker pace and track knowledge paid off as he went wide then but tight onto the inside line to power past Michal going into the final lap.
Then we had the bizarre heat 6. At one stage it seemed the race would go on all night with no fewer than 5 starts. the first one called back looked all right, Tigers on a 5-1 out of the gate but the referee called it back. Then attempt 2 came to a premature end when Graversen came off on his on lap 2 with Nick Morris already having a convincing lead. Another two starts were called back, on both occasions at least one Tigers rider being in front. One was definitely a roller from James in fairness. Finally, the race started and completed and ironically it was to be the only time a Tiger didn't make the gate, Nieminen winning from the tapes with Nick not far behind.
An excellent gate and wide swoop round the outside of the opening bends was enough to give Richard Sweetman an unassailable lead in a mundane heat 7 with Morris doing likewise on Richards bike in heat 8. Both heats were shared although again Rajkowski was trying hard to find a way out of last place but just could not seem to read the passing line.
James Grieves was perhaps a little lucky not to be warned for rolling in heat 9, another all four back being called. An electric gate from Nick Morris couple with a clever line on the opening bends meant the race was almost over before it started from the win point of view. Again things were closer at the rear. James had completely missed the gate but tracked Bondarenko for the opening lap before coming nicely inside him as they crossed the line into lap 2.
Heat 10 definitely produced the pass of the night although it was unfortunately from a Tigers point of view from a home rider. Magnus Karlsson was left to do battle on his own after his team mate suffered an engine failure on the second lap but the Glasgow pairing were already sitting pretty on a 1-5. Richard and Theo worked hard to team ride out front to attempt to keep Nieminen at the back but as we know from his Glasgow days Kauko never gives up and off the final bend he somehow managed to find both the drive and the gap to come through from 3rd to 1st on the line and turn a 1-5 into a shared heat. The Glasgow pairing had done everything right, they were just beaten by a superb piece of riding.
There may have been no passing in heat 11 but it was still avery entertaining race with three riders in close contention up front. Nick Morris was to lead from start to finish and did manage to put a little distance between himself and Karlsson on the final lap. Joe Screen had gated third and was buzzing all over the back of Karlsson. You had the feeling that he was lining up a last bend pass and just as most of the crowd felt it was coming there was a splutter from Joe's bike that denied the opportunity and Screen had to coast home in third.
No one could possibly have expected the outcome of heat 12 but a good gate and wide sweeping opening bends from Christian Henry saw him lead the race from start to finish. Nick Morris had been slow out of the gate but had got the better of Charles Wright on the opening bends and followed it up by coasting past Bondarenko at the end of the opening lapp and from then on in it was plane sailing for the Tigers duo.
It was followed by another excellent heat maximum from the Tigers with James Grieves and Joe Screen team riding in heat 13 to hold off the tenacious Kauko Nieminen and suddenly Tigers were 10 points up.
Leicester as expected tried to hit back with the TR, Henning Bager donning the black and white helmet cover in heat 14. After a level gate, Bager came out of the opening bends ahead but Nick quickly hit back up the inside and went on to win comfortably. Bager was left having to work hard to hold off Richard Sweetman, especially on the final bends, but the second spot for Bager was not enough for the home side.
Glasgow were now in the situation again of needing to avoid a 5-1 in heat 15, this time for maximum points. With on fire Nick Morris already having had 7 rides, it was the pairing of James Grieves and joe Screen who came to tapes to face Kauko Nieminen and Henning Bager. Unfortunately the Tigers pairing were caught out by a quick release of the tapes and Leicester hit the front. For all four laps, Joe Screen was buzzing over their back wheels but the home pairing, Bager in particular, did well to hold him off and Tigers had to settle for three points.
Before the meeting, many would have been more than happy to come away from the meeting with a point, to get three was again an excellent performance from the Tigers septet.
