Islanders’ pairing Chris Johnson, left, and Nick Simmons in action at Smallbrook on Tuesday night. Picture by David Valentine.
SPEEDWAYWIGHTLINK Islanders pair Nick Simmons and Chris Johnson crashed out in Group A of the National League Pairs’ Championship, which took place at Smallbrook Stadium on Tuesday.
All ten National League clubs were represented, and were split into two round-robin groups.
Simmonds and Johnson were drawn in the same group as eventual winners Tony Atkin and Grant Tregoning, of South Wales club Newport.
After Johnson crashed out of the first group race against Scunthorpe, they went on to record a 6-3 win over Rye House.
They then took a maximum 7-2 advantage over King’s Lynn.
So, despite Johnson’s early fall, the Islanders went into their fourth and final group heat against eventual champions Newport needing to finish first and second over the four-lap race to win the group.
It looked very much as if they were about to achieve their goal, the pair led for the whole of the first lap and appeared to be on their way to a maximum heat win.
But nothing can be taken for granted in speedway, as Johnson proved as he crashed into the safety fence on the second lap.
As the race was stopped by the referee, Johnson — who was unhurt in the crash — was excluded, meaning Simmons’s efforts were in vain as they could not win.
The Newport pair were thus confirmed as winners of Group A on a total of 26 points and went through to the deciding four-lap title decider to face the Bournemouth pairing of Jay Herne and Mark Baseby.
Newport played a good tactical game to keep Baseby at the back of the field, and thus earning no points, to give them an eventual 5-4 lead, and the title.
At the time of going to press it was unclear whether Johnson, or fellow Islander Tom Hill, would be fit enough to ride in the Islanders’ National Trophy match against Mildenhall Fen Tigers last night (Thursday).