Richard Lawson was unstoppable as he powered to an 18-point maximum for Glasgow against Scunthorpe today.
But the meeting at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium was soured by the news that Australian favourite Kozza Smith had suffered a suspected broken thigh and hip in a horror heat nine pile-up.
Smith got locked together with Scorpion Ben Wilson going into the third bend, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Visitor Richard Hall managed to lay his bike down but it followed on and struck Smith as he lay on the track.
The 27-year-old was conscious but in pain as he left for hospital, but the outlook was bleak. The club are now awaiting further news on their popular No 4.
Team Reaction
Lawson said: “We all feel for Kozza and hopefully he’s back with us soon. It’s sad to see because he was picking things up and going really well.
“It’s come at a bad time for him, but hopefully we can all bounce back from it.”
Lawson was virtually unchallenged for his maximum, making great starts in each of his races in a stunning return to form.
He added: “Everything is falling into place now after the troubles I’ve had with the bike. It’s working brilliantly – long may it continue.”
For Scunthorpe, former Tiger Theo Pijper scored 11 points, but their depleted side struggled to make their mark, only winning three races from the 15.
Glasgow secured three Premier League points to continue their charge up the table, the meeting finishing 57-33.
Edinburgh are next up – away on Friday and then at home on Sunday.
Tigers scorers: Richard Lawson 18, Aaron Summers 10+1, James Sarjeant 10+1, Victor Palovaara 8+2, Kozza Smith 6+1, Dimitri Berge 5+1 (rider replacement for Nick Morris).
The club would like to apologise to all fans who attended today’s meeting for the delay at the start, caused by a fault in the tapes. They had been tested before the match but unfortunately failed to work properly when required. We will endeavour to ensure that this situation is avoided in the future.