Heat by Heat Results - April 1985

The Dukes' first away trip of 1985 saw them agonisingly lose by a mere 3 points at Monmore Green. As in 1984, Halifax were led by a dominant Carter, with Neil Evitts battling hard for his 9 points. But in a close match, the home side shaded it due to their 3 heat leaders all scoring points - whereas the Dukes were again let down by the bottom end. Kurt Hansen had an excellent win in heat 2 as Halifax opened up a lead, but Hunter and Willmott again failed to make any impression, again being affected by engine problems. Larry Ross looked more like his usual self but crucially ran a last in heat 12 when a heat win was needed.

The Dukes management, and a large contingent of travelling fans were left furious after slipping to a 2 point defeat at Hyde Road on Good Friday afternoon. Halifax's rocky start to the season was forgotten, as they surged into a 12 point lead after only 5 races, with the Dukes' top 5 running riot. But an innocuous fall by Aces reserve Mark Crang in heat 4 changed the match. Crang slid off on the 3rd bend, and walked unaided to the pits. He was subbed in heat 7, but was still needed to take a 3rd compulsory outing. It was later announced that he had been withdrawn on "medical grounds" - and Scarisbrick was able to ride in heat 11 - in which he grabbed a crucial 3rd place over Willmott - which ultimately won Belle Vue the match. The Aces definitely got stronger as the match wore on, but the Dukes were left feeling that this was one they should have won.

The Dukes put the frustration of the Belle Vue defeat to one side the following day when they comfortably saw off a poor King's Lynn Stars. Carter blazed to another maximum, but the pleasing aspect was the seeming return to form of Hunter and Willmott. Hunter was moved to number 2, and seemed to look more capable, winning heat 8 to keep the Dukes ahead. Willmott won his first 3 races, crucially combining with Larry Ross for 2 of the Dukes' 3 5-1 victories. Neil Evitts and Eric Monaghan combined for the other in heat 11 to secure the points.

12 months earlier, Kenny Carter had seen his 1984 season wrecked with his first heat crash at Cradley. This time, he banished those memories with a superb 14 points - however the rest of the Dukes offered only fleeting support. The unlikely hero of the night was Eric Monaghan - winning the reserve race drew the Dukes level after 2 races, but better was to follow in heat 4 when he out-gated World Champion Gundersen, and kept the Dane at bay for 4 laps for the victory of his life! But Halifax faded after that, with Phil Collins scoring a 12 point maximum for the Heathens. Worryingly, Hunter failed to score again, and Ross scored only 2, with Steve Collins the only home rider he headed all night.

After losing at Cradley the previous night, the Dukes may have set their sights on winning at home and taking the bonus point - but they ended up with nothing. The Heathens were superior from top to bottom, and led from the moment Phil Collins edged ahead of Carter in heat 1. Unable to provide heat winners, the Dukes were 10 down after only 5 races, and never looked likely to fight back. Remarkably, a Willmott/Carter 5-1 in heat 12 reduced the gap to 4 points and gave hope of salvaging a draw - but track specialist Alan Grahame made sure of the points by heading clear of Evitts, with Ross off the pace.

A busy day for some riders saw Halifax edge out Oxford by 2 points. England had lost the first test to Denmark at Coventry in the afternoon, and the strain on machinery started to show, with Carter down on power and suffering a costly engine failure in heat 12 - whilst Oxford's Simon Wigg failed to score in the afternoon, and could only add 3 at The Shay. Neil Evitts was a late withdrawal after falling ill, and the Dukes hurriedly called Doug Wyer in to ride at number 8, as rider replacement was used for Evitts. Larry Ross was the hero for the Dukes, with 2 vital wins - one over Hans Nielsen, and the other in heat 12 to seal the win after Carter had stopped.

Riders, officials and supporters gathered at Owlerton on a cold Thursday night - and stood in silence to remember Billy Sanders. On the track, the Dukes put in one of their worst performances in recent memory as they were feebly swept aside by Sheffield. Kenny Carter, usually a force around Sheffield, failed to win a race, and neither Hunter - dogged by engine problems - or Evitts could score a point. Evitts clearly still suffering from his recent illness lost control in heat 4 and collected team mate Monaghan who was shaken. Other than Monaghan winning the reserve race, all the Dukes fans had to cheer was a win a piece for Ross and Willmott - but the Tigers won 9 of the 13 heats.

Halifax took a comfortable home win against Reading, who relied heavily on a resurgent John Davis, and Jan Andersson. Davis inflicted Carter's only defeat in heat 1, but three 5-1s in the next 4 races saw the Dukes open up a 12 point lead. Rod Hunter was again in frustrating form, suffering another engine failure and a fall. But the other Dukes all contributed, even though the Racers closed the gap. Reading used rider replacement for the absent Mitch Shirra, still recovering from serious injuries suffered during the winter, and were robbed of reserve Holloway after a heat 2 crash which resulted in a shoulder injury.