Heat by Heat Results - May 1982

The Dukes finished off their home League Cup campaign on a freezing night by surprisingly seeing off a disappointing Coventry. Carter eased to his 6th home maximum out of seven, but was well supported by Cartwright and Janke. The new averages saw Janke and Wyer drop to reserve, and Wyer shook off recent mechanical issues to grab 2 race wins. Carter, bothered by the effects of flu, had to work hard for his points, coming from behind to pass Knudsen in heat 6. John Louis had a rare off night, failing to score in 3 outings before being replaced.

The Dukes started their British League campaign with a statement - a complete rout of Wimbledon, as they dropped only 9 points to the Dons. The visitors had no heart whatsoever, complaining about the state of the track throughout - although it had been watered to keep the dust down, the Dukes had no such problems, and the entire meeting was completed without a single faller! Carter romped to yet another maximum, the only surprise being that nobody else could do likewise. Only Malcolm Simmons offered any resistance for the visitors, with Dave Jessup unhappy and refusing to take his final ride.

The Dukes League Cup encounter at Sheffield saw a rare away win, Halifax easing to an 8 point success at Owlerton. The visitors led throughout, setting the tone with 4-2 heat wins in heats 1 and 2. Although Shawn Moran and David Bargh tried to keep the Tigers in touch, the hosts had too many weak links, with White, Fiora and Brown only managing to contribute 2 points. For the Dukes, Carter, Louis and a resurgent Doug Wyer, using his old track knowledge, led the way. The victory would have been even more comfortable but for engine problems for Louis, Janke and Cartwright.

Halifax topped the 50 point mark once again, as King's Lynn Stars were swept aside. The previous year, World Champion Michael Lee had failed to arrive, this time it was Billy Sanders, who claimed to have been injured loading his bike onto his trailer. Lee definitely turned up for this one, scoring all but 10 of the Stars' total, and dropping his only point to Louis in heat 4. The Dukes agreed the visitors could use rider replacement in the absence of a sick note for Sanders to encourage a good meeting, but the Dukes overwhelmed the visitors, Lee-aside, who could only twice beat a home rider.

Another open date for the Dukes, filled this time with a 4 Team Tournament - including 2 "Halifax" teams, giving a chance for those involved to impress. It was the "Young Dukes" lead by Carter who came out on top, although Wyer and Cartwright kept the "Halifax" team in contention. The opposition of Belle Vue and a Hull/Newcastle side provided little threat, apart from the impressive Larry Ross and Bobby Beaton. The Aces' Louis Carr blew the engine of his only bike first time out and withdrew, leaving the Aces short. Before the meeting Carter beat Bo Petersen in the Golden Helmet, and equalled The Shay track record in the process, before going on to get his usual maximum score.

Halifax pushed Eastbourne all the way, but ultimately fell just short, as the Eagles top 4 proved the difference. The Dukes led early on, but the home side pulled 6 points clear, allowing tactical sub Carter and Wyer to claw back a 5-1. But Preston and Moran hit back straight away with a 5-1 of their own, and the Dukes never got any closer. Carter dropped his only point to Moran in heat 5, but apart from Janke winning heat 2, none of the other Dukes could win a race. Had one of the remaining Dukes managed to find some form, the result could well have been different.

The Dukes were drawn against Hackney in the first round of the Knock-Out Cup, and shocked the Hawks by stealing a surprise away victory. Halifax trailed from the start and were behind right until the end, with a Carter/Ashton 4-2 finally drawing them level in heat 11. Louis and Cartwright filled the minor places in heat 12 to set up the last heat decider. Janke was brought in following an impressive evening, and stole the valuable point, as Carter completed his maximum, to give the Dukes the win. For the hosts, Titman was unlucky when his throttle jammed open causing him to crash whilst leading heat 6. Both Cartwright and Louis were unlucky to not get more points, being relegated in close finishes in heats 2 and 3.

Halifax followed up their away success with a comfortable home leg win and aggregate victory. Although the Hawks took an early lead, with a surprise 5-1 over Carter in heat 1, the Dukes clawed their way into the match and took the lead through Janke and Louis in heat 7. A 5-1 from Carter and Ashton in heat 10 saw the Dukes over the line. Janke was the hero, as the previous night, with a paid maximum, but John Louis had a night to forget, suffering mechanical issues. For the Hawks, Bo Petersen kept them in the tie, but the rest of his team-mates faded as the Dukes pulled away to set up a quarter final tie with local rivals Belle Vue.

The Dukes ended May with a dose of bad luck as they lost by 10 points in a Bank-Holiday Monday visit to King's Lynn. Carter was comfortably leading heat 1 when he had mechanical problems, allowing both Lee and Hollingworth past. Worse was to follow in heat 3 when Cartwright fell, and was unable to continue in the meeting as a result. Although Carter and Louis kept fighting, the Stars always had something in hand, and the Dukes could never get nearer than 6 points adrift after heat 3. After his heroics against Hackney, Janke had a disappointing meeting.