Heat by Heat Results - June 1979

Into June, and the long trip to Sussex resulted in a 10 point defeat to league newcomers Eastbourne. Both Gordon Kennett and Kai Niemi were unbeaten by a Duke, with the world number 2 beating the track record in the first heat. And with Steve Weatherley also winning 3 races, it was left to Kenny Carter to register the Dukes' sole win in heat 8. Although Halifax kept it close by packing the minor places, a 5-1 in heat 9 pulled the Eagles clear. Carter and McKeon looked the most likely to keep Halifax in the match, but Langli, Klaus Lohmann and Wilcock all had meetings to forget.

Dukes' skipper Ian Cartwright won the 1979 Dews Trophy in thrilling style. Cartwright was headed by Dane Hans Nielsen in heat 4, but then won his next 3 races. Both Nielsen and Sheffield's Craig Pendlebury completed their rides with 13 points, and with the Dukes' skipper on 11, he knew a win in heat 20 would see him clinch the title. Fellow Duke Mike Lohmann looked to be Cartwright's biggest rival - but his machine gave up the ghost as the tapes rose, and after a close tussle early on, Cartwright pulled away from Titman to seal victory. Graham Plant, after some after-meeting rides, fuelled talk of another comeback by taking some outings at reserve - but these proved to be his final rides for Halifax.

The racing, the result and the event were totally insignificant after the events of the previous day - but special mention had to be given to all the riders for going ahead and racing - and especially those who turned up at short notice, after being called upon on Saturday lunchtime - so many thanks to Joe Owen, Peter Prinsloo, Dennis Sigalos, Frank Auffret, Colin Cook, Tom Godal, Steve Finch and Paul Embley. All the riders went around the track at the end - and received a standing ovation from the supporters.

The Dukes' slim hopes of making the 4TT finals were crushed by Hull in the first 4 races at Newcastle - 4 third places as the Vikings scored 10 points from a possible 12 to move 9 points ahead. In the end that deflated the Dukes, who failed to provide a heat winner all night, and slipped to 3rd on the night behind Hull and the Diamonds. Hull dropped only 7 points all night, and even had the luxury of replacing Mauger in the last race. It was a disastrous night for Sheffield though, as the Tigers could only score 8 points - with 5 of those coming in heats 2 and 3! They went 7 races on the trot without registering a point. Hull qualified for finals day finishing 22 points clear of Halifax.

The Dukes took on Sheffield for a second time in 3 nights, although this time the Tigers fared a little better than at Newcastle. Both Doug Wyer and Reg Wilson were unbeaten, and Pendlebury was only denied his maximum by machine failure. With Mike Lohmann away in Denmark, Les Collins was drafted in to guest - but like most of the rest of the Dukes, was unable to win a heat. The Dukes' only race winner was Klaus Lohmann in heat 8, but packing the minor places kept the scores relatively close. Mick McKeon had a night to forget, failing to score, but Klaus Lohmann's paid 11 points was the highlight.

Halifax were furious as the Vikings stole the points in a last heat decider, after Ian Cartwright was excluded from the final race after clashing with Ivan Mauger. Popular consensus was that the Hull captain was clearly to blame, but the referee saw differently, and excluded Cartwright, much to the anger of the crowd. In the re-run, Mauger blocked Langli to assist Beaton to the 5-1 they needed to clinch the win. The Dukes had taken the lead for the first time in heat 12, after Mauger was also involved in controversy the race before, when he was excluded for failing to come to the tapes.

A famous day in Dukes' history, as Halifax recorded their first away league victory in 4 years at Leicester. There was little evidence of what was to come as the Lions took an opening heat 5-1, but Klaus Lohmann and Steve Wilcock restored parity the next race. With things close, the Dukes edged in front with a vital 4-2 from Carter and Wilcock in heat 8 - and this was a lead they would not relinquish. The killer blow was a 5-1 for Mike Lohmann and Carter in heat 11 which took the Dukes 6 in front with only 2 races remaining. John Titman completed his maximum in heat 12 and Farrell grabbed third to reduce the deficit - but Lohmann and Langli surged away in heat 13 to secure a famous victory, to the delight of the Dukes fans who had made the journey.

With confidence high after the win at Leicester, the Dukes brushed aside a feeble Belle Vue challenge - with usual talisman Peter Collins struggling with bike problems, and 3 riders failing to score a single point. Kenny Carter was absent, riding in the British Under-21 Championship at Canterbury, so Bruce Cribb again stepped in, and he contributed in 3 heat advantages. Both Ian Cartwright and Mick McKeon were paid for 11 points, both dropping their only point in their final ride, with the meeting comfortably over. And reserve Steve Wilcock had his best return for Halifax, dropping only a single point in heat 2.

At the end of a traumatic month for the Hawks, Halifax grabbed an away win to make it two in quick succession after their 4-year drought. 6 man Halifax - they had no seventh man, with Steve Wilcock being unavailable, and Janke and Sheard still being sidelined - were always in control from the moment Lohmann and Carter eased to a 5-1 in the first race. Although Hackney reduced the gap to 2 points on a couple of occasions, they were unable to draw level, largely due to the efforts of Ian Cartwright, Carter and Klaus Lohmann. Cartwright completed his maximum in heat 12 to confirm the win, and a Langli/Mike Lohmann 5-1 in the final race put a gloss on the victory. McKeon pushed home for a point in heat 10, after White had earlier stopped.

Halifax were rocked before the meeting when the Lohmann brothers walked out. An alleged disagreement with Eric Boothroyd resulted in the brothers refusing to ride. The Dukes were given an immediate facility for Mike, but with Ipswich also using rider replacement, both teams agreed to promote juniors. Dukes junior Mick Warren filled in for Ipswich, but was injured in a heavy crash in heat 2 and was unable to continue. As it transpired, the remaining Dukes eased to a comfortable win, with Cartwright, Carter and McKeon all scoring heavily. Special mention to Alan Stansfield and the returning Paul Sheard who were called upon to fill in at short notice - and scored a creditable 6 points between them.