Heat by Heat Results - April 1981

The match which shaped the early part of the Dukes' season - and very nearly ruined it. Carter's engine failure in heat 1 - his 3rd in 3 meetings, was a sign of things to come. Back out in heat 3, Kenny swooped around Hans Nielsen on the last bend, only to ride over the Dane's back wheel and into the fence. Carter was taken to hospital with serious injuries, later confirmed to be a jaw broken in multiple places. Carter later accused Nielsen of moving off line, but this was denied by the Dane. To cap a traumatic night, Pendlebury crashed in heat 14 chipping a bone in his ankle. The fact that the remaining Dukes held on to win the match was nothing short of miraculous.

No Carter, no Pendlebury and as a result the Dukes slipped to a predictably heavy defeat in the return match at Birmingham. Skipper Ian Cartrwight and John Louis scored 23 of the side's 30 points, as the Brummies made their superiority count. Nielsen was unbeaten by a Duke and received solid support from all his team-mates. For the Dukes, Skretting was still to beat an opponent, whilst reserves Baker and Guy Wilson failed to register a point.

Outstanding returns from Ian Cartwright and John Louis saw the Dukes shake off a persistent Leicester side. Halifax led from the moment Louis and Wyer won a re-run heat 1, after Cook had been excluded for bringing Wyer down. The top 2 Dukes appeared in 11 of the 16 races, including a last race 5-1 to put the gloss on the score, as Louis completed a 6-ride paid maximum. Wyer was in the wars again in heat 15 when his throttle stuck open. For the visitors, Gramstad was the main threat, with support from Cook, who also won 2 heats, and Les Collins, who inflicted Cartwright's only defeat.

The Dukes went to Belle Vue still without the injured Carter and Pendlebury, and battled bravely to a 5 point loss. The damage was done early, as the Aces jumped into a 8 point lead after only 3 races, and again it was down to Louis and Cartwright to keep the score as close as possible. Cartwright was the star of the night, scoring a massive 19 points from 7 outings, with Louis grabbing another 14. Rob Ashton contributed a solid paid 9 points, but the home side were always in control.

Another straight-forward home victory, with Louis and Cartwright again in the points, this time aided by a resurgent Doug Wyer, having his best meeting since joining the Dukes. Skipper Cartwright was unbeaten to lead by example, and Wyer struck up a useful pairing with young Steve Baker, scoring 2 heat advantages. Skretting had his best meeting so far, managing to beat Stead, Molyneux and Dave Morton on the track. For the Tigers, newly signed for 1981 American Shawn Moran was their main weapon, with Phil White and Dave Morton helping to ensure the score-line never got completely out of control.

After a recent upturn in results, the Dukes slumped to a last heat loss to the Aces, by the narrowest of margins. Again, Louis, Wyer and Cartwright shouldered the heavy scoring, but Belle Vue nullified the rest of the Dukes. Ashton was concussed after a heat 2 fall, and took little part, and Baker and Skretting filled last place in 8 of the 16 heats, as the Aces packed the minor places. Belle Vue may have won by more had McMillan not suffered bike problems, and had newcomer Ravn not withdrawn after the crash with Ashton early on. A last heat 4-2 for Ross and Morton against the over-worked Cartwright and Louis sealed the win for the visitors.

Another difficult night for the under-pressure Dukes, as they suffered a heavy defeat at Blackbird Road. Again, the bottom end of the side looked weak - neither reserve scoring a point, and Ashton failing to beat a Lion for his 2 points. Les Collins eased to a full house for Leicester, limiting the damage that Louis and Cartwright could inflict. The Lions were solid throughout, and although the Dukes actually led early on, the home side eased away, not running a last place after heat 6! Doug Wyer started well but faded as the Lions, led by Collins, exploited the Dukes' weakness.