Heat by Heat Results - August 1979

Halifax started August with a hard-fought victory over Wolverhampton - with the final 8 point margin as much as the Dukes had ever been in front. Clever use of tactical substitutions clawed the Wolves back to within 2 points, courtesy of Nielsen and Danielssen, but Cartwright beat Nielsen twice in heats 11 and 13 to seal the win. It was a solid performance from the Dukes, with only Steve Wilcock struggling for points. Things might have been more difficult for Halifax had Jimmy McMillan not had a rare Shay off-night, his 3 points from 5 rides well short of what he would normally have contributed.

A convincing win for the Dukes against a one-man Stars, who relied upon guest Larry Ross for over half their points. Ross, in for Michael Lee riding in the World Long-track semi-final, put in one of the great Shay performances, beaten only by Carter and Cartwright. The Stars' guest prevented Carter from a maximum in heat 12 to cap an amazing 3 wins in as many heats! With Richard Hellsen also absent, and Dave Jessup having significant mechanical problems all night, the match was over as early as heat 9. Mick McKeon scored an impressive 10 points, as his partner Lohmann followed him home on 3 occasions.

Halifax kept up the pressure on the teams at the top of the table with a crushing win over a depleted Poole Pirates. With Malcolm Simmons injured, and Christer Sjosten and Ron Preston also unavailable, it was down to guest Peter Prinsloo to do his best for the visitors, as a guest scored over half the visitors points for the second week running. With Steve Wilcock riding in the Grand National Final at Hackney (he came 4th), Merv Janke stepped in again, and the Aussie was the only Duke to not really get among the points. Carter took another full maximum, with Cartwright being paid for a full score.

Another away win saw the Dukes through to the semi-finals of the Knock-out Cup, although given their cushion from the first leg, the overall result was never going to be an issue. Any hopes the Racers had of an amazing comeback had gone after 3 races, when Halifax led by 4, and although the hosts managed to edge in front mid-meeting, it was short-lived. John Davis scored a full-house for the Racers, but with Carter and McKeon on top form for the Dukes, the visitors moved on.

Given their recent successes on the road, and the demolition of the Pirates at The Shay the previous week, this felt somewhat disappointing, as Poole beat Halifax by 10 points. The Dukes were largely a 3-man team, as McKeon and Cartwright had off-nights, and a win for Klaus Lohmann in heat 2 all the reserves could muster. Carter and Langli kept battling, and Mike Lohmann started promisingly, but faded - his last place in heat 11 sealing the win for Poole. Ron Preston, missing at The Shay earlier in the month, was the star for the Pirates, his only defeat coming to Lohmann in heat 1.

Ian Cartwright's recent good form had earned him a shot at Peter Collins' Golden Helmet title - but the former World Champion comfortably defeated Cartwright 2-0 ahead of the league clash. Cartwright then beat Collins in heat 4 for Collins only defeat of the night. But with Chris Morton scoring a maximum, the odds were always against the Dukes pulling off a famous win. Although they led by 4 after 7 races, the Aces pulled level easily, and after the Dukes provided 4 race winners in the first 5 races, they could not repeat the feat thereafter. Morton and Collins were simply the difference between the 2 sides.

The Aces' Peter Collins put in one of the great performances in Shay history in the Warburtons Team Challenge. Collins firstly defeated Dukes' skipper Ian Cartwright to defend his Golden Helmet, setting a new track record in the first race, and then lowering it further in the second race. In the match, Collins was untouchable, although his 12 point maximum was not enough to prevent Halifax snatching the win after a last heat decider. The Dukes were 6 points adrift, but key 5-1s at critical points swung the tie in Halifax's favour. Collins then won both his second half races!

The Dukes ended the month of August with a close fought, but ultimately disappointing loss at Sheffield. An all-round team performance kept the tie close, and Halifax led by 2 points with only 4 races remaining. But Sheffield took heat advantages in the remaining races to leave the Dukes stunned. Langli took a nasty fall in heat 10, and was unable to ride again, and the crash seemed to take the momentum away, as they failed to win another race. Ian Cartwright and Klaus Lohmann were the only heat winners for the Dukes, as Doug Wyer raced to a maximum. Janke deputised for Wilcock, who was riding for Middlesbrough, but the Aussie was left battered and bruised after a heavy crash in the second half.