CRAIG Cook brushed off a tough week to return to his imperious best – as he led Glasgow to their second win of the new campaign.
The Tigers skipper raced to a 15-point maximum as they ran out 52-38 winners over Poole Pirates in the SGB Championship.
He was ably backed by reserve Sam Jensen, who won four of his five races, with each home rider paid for at least one victory.
Cook – who stunned fans in heat 10 as he went from last to first to beat former British champion Danny King – said: “It’s been weird being off for so long and the start of the season has been very tough with a few wet matches and getting dropped by my Premiership side King’s Lynn.
“It wasn’t ideal, but we did some testing during the week and figured a few things out. We had a few teething issues but I found the problem with one of the engines, which we fixed.
“A couple of years ago this would’ve got to me, and I’d have been down in the dumps. But I work hard and it’s not the end – I can fix things like I showed tonight – and it’s just taken one practice to get back to normal.
“I still feel like there’s a few things to work on. I don’t feel a million miles away but it’s going to take a few more laps. We’ll keep making progress and pushing forward.”
The night got off to the worst possible start when visiting number one Rory Schlein came together with Cook, and both ended up in the fence. Schlein had to be taken away by ambulance for treatment on a leg injury.
The visitors plugged away – with Ashfield debutant Ben Cook impressing – but found the home number one and Jensen too hot to handle.
The Tigers move on to six points in the league – and have three fixtures next week, including away trips to Kent and Birmingham.