GLASGOW can officially claim to have the league’s top rider for the first time in more than a quarter of a century after Craig Cook stormed to the Championship Riders’ Individual at Sheffield tonight.
The Tigers No 1 powered from third place to first in the final to beat former Glasgow man Richard Lawson, home star Kyle Howarth and Edinburgh’s Erik Riss to win the competition for the second time.
He becomes the first Glasgow rider to win the event since Robert Nagy in 1992 and brings home the second trophy of the club’s new era.
The 31-year-old said: “It’s been such a hard season but it’s a really good feeling to win something like this.
“I’ve been on a really good engine the last couple of weeks and I’ve found something that is finally working for me.
“I needed to come from the back in the final. A couple of gaps opened up for me and I took them. Finals are always about taking your opportunities and I did today.
“We’ve still got a lot to race for at Glasgow. It’s a massive meeting on Tuesday night against Ipswich so we now have to focus on that.
“Both sides can make it into the play-offs and with any luck we can get some more silverware before the end of the season.”
Cook started his meeting with a third place but the two wins that followed put him right in contention to go straight to the final.
However he pulled up in his fourth heat after being forced out of the running early in the race, meaning he had to pick something up from his final programmed ride.
But he won that and the semi-final to secure his place in the last heat. And even though he didn’t make the best of starts in the final he cut back under Howarth on the second bend then dived under Lawson on the third to race clear for the title.
Fans will be able to see Cook parading the trophy ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Championship clash – tapes up at 7.30pm.