Glasgow star Richard Lawson proved he was among the best of British as he made the semi-final of the national championship at Wolverhampton tonight.
But the Cumbrian faced heartache as his hopes of making the final ended when he was disqualified from the penultimate race.
Lawson made a slow start to the night but was one of the form riders as the qualification races came to a conclusion, winning his last two heats and becoming the first man to beat the sensational Jason Garrity.
Watched at the track by team manager Stewart Dickson, Lawson then faced Edinburgh Monarch Craig Cook as well as GB internationals Danny King and Scott Nicholls, needing to finish in the top two in order to make the final.
Tough Start
Lawson felt the wrath of referee Christina Turnbull in the first running of the race as he was ruled to have jumped the start, and all four riders were forced back to the tapes.
In the second run, Lawson was in contention for second when his bike clipped the kerb on the third bend – causing him to lock up and Nicholls laid the bike down behind him. Despite protesting to Turnbull, the Tigers No 5 was thrown out the race.
Disappointment aside, this was Lawson’s best-ever showing in the British Final and another step in the right direction for the in-form 29-year-old.
Cook once again showed top form on the national stage by making the final and finishing second behind 2013 World Champion Tai Woffinden. The Monarchs No 5 was unlucky not to win the meeting – he was clear in front in the first running of the final when Garrity slid off, forcing a re-run, and Woffinden made the start second time around.
However, Cook will – for the second year running – be the wild card at Cardiff for the British Grand Prix as reward for finishing as the top non-GP rider tonight.