LEICESTER secured their place in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership play-offs courtesy of a thrilling 49-41 win over leaders Ipswich at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park.
Skipper Max Fricke completed yet another paid maximum in the last race of the meeting as he combined with Ryan Douglas for a 5-1 which made sure of victory after the Witches had taken a gripping contest down to wire.
Fricke’s full house included a quite extraordinary race victory, even by his standards, in Heat 6, whilst Douglas dropped just one point and Sam Masters also reeled off three heat wins as the Lions’ top order dominated.
Unsurprisingly it took a little time for Luke Becker to work his way back into the swing of things after injury but the encouraging factor was how he gained pace throughout the meeting, and the whole team chipped in with vital points.
Fricke opened things up with a sharp start from gate four to defeat Jason Doyle in Heat 1, and the Lions had an early stroke of fortune in the next race when Jason Edwards crashed on the third bend having seemingly been set to take a 5-1 with Dan Thompson.
The re-run was shared before Leicester broke the deadlock in Heat 3, Douglas storming to a win over Emil Sayfutdinov whilst Kyle Howarth made it back inside Danny King for third place – and another 4-2 followed in the next as Masters neatly rounded Tom Brennan off turn four whilst Joe Thompson kept Edwards at bay for third.
The meeting really caught fire in Heat 5 as Douglas got the better of Doyle on the opening turns with the battle also raging between Howarth and Adam Ellis, who exchanged positions on bends three and four, with Howarth’s momentum taking him alongside Doyle, where he made contact with the Australian’s leg and Doyle came to grief.
Howarth was disqualified and frustratingly for Douglas, Doyle took the re-run with the Leicester rider quickly passing Ellis to prevent a Witches 5-1.
A maximum advantage to the visitors did look on the cards in Heat 6 but it was merely the cue for another stunning effort from Fricke, who spent three-and-three-quarter laps chasing Dan Thompson and Brennan before executing a cut-back off the last bend which took him inside Brennan and, incredibly, just ahead of Thompson with the Lions captain getting the verdict in a photo finish.
Masters headed Sayfutdinov in Heat 7 with Drew Kemp supplying third place ahead of King, but the Witches hit back as the previously scoreless Edwards took the win in Heat 8 over a charging Becker, with Ellis third for a 4-2.
The two-point gap was maintained in Heat 9 but only after more great action from Douglas who turned inside Brennan off the fourth bend with Thompson also in the mix, and Lions edged the lead back to four points with a 4-2 in Heat 10 as Sayfutdinov split Fricke and Becker off turn two.
A tense contest ensued with two more shared races, both won by Leicester riders with Masters chasing Thompson for three laps in Heat 11 before making a great pass at the start of the last lap, whilst Douglas again got the better of Sayfutdinov in Heat 12.
Heat 13 provided an action-packed first lap with Doyle making the start as Brennan cut back – but Doyle got in trouble mid-bend and dropped to the back, with Brennan keeping himself between Fricke and Masters to mean Leicester’s lead was six points, which still offered Ipswich options.
Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins duly inserted Sayfutdinov as a tactical substitute in Heat 14 but incredibly although his team-mate Thompson led, Sayfutdinov found himself mired at the back for two laps, and whilst he finally cleared Kemp for third place, there was no catching Howarth for second.
That made the Lions’ position slightly easier for Heat 15 as they simply had to avoid conceding a 5-1 which would have set up a Super Heat, but in the event they finished in style as Douglas and Fricke rode a perfect four laps together having hit the front, leaving Brennan and Sayfutdinov chasing but finding no way through – with the post-race celebrations thoroughly deserved after a tremendous contest.
Fricke said: “It was a difficult meeting. Ipswich are top of the league for a reason, and they pushed us all the way tonight so it was a tough night, but it was great to get a win over them in the end.
“It was tricky for Luke but credit to him because he’s doing an amazing job, and the hard work he’s done to get here is credit to him. For him to be back on track with us is awesome.
“I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s great to be racing a lot and we’re having a good time with this team of guys, and the support we’re getting is amazing.”
With a play-off place guaranteed, the Lions’ focus is now firmly on finishing as high as possible, and next up is a trip to direct rivals Sheffield on Thursday.
LEICESTER 49: Max Fricke 14+1, Ryan Douglas 14, Sam Masters 10, Luke Becker 3, Kyle Howarth 3, Drew Kemp 3, Joe Thompson 2+1.
IPSWICH 41: Dan Thompson 12+2, Emil Sayfutdinov 9, Tom Brennan 8+1, Jason Doyle 6+1, Adam Ellis 3+1, Jason Edwards 3, Danny King 0.
Ipswich win the aggregate point
