The city side have certainly justified their leap out of the Elite League danger-zone after racking up a hat-trick of home success against teams enjoying life at far loftier heights.

Third-placed Swindon were sunk on the opening day of September and an impressive slaying of table-topping Poole soon followed.

Now a Hammers side sitting pretty in second spot were well and truly nailed by a Panthers camp boasting bags of strength in depth and displaying a hunger to rival that of Vanessa Feltz at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Lakeside have been the most problematic visitors to the Showground this season after roaring to an emphatic KO Cup victory here and sharing the spoils in both Craven Shield and Elite League A battles.

But Panthers are a different proposition now and they have a very different track on which to do their racing.

The slick conditions in which Lakeside revelled in previous trips to Alwalton were replaced by a surface wonderfully prepared by Panthers legend Richard Greer and absolutely oozing grip.

The man who wowed the fans on two wheels back in the 1970s proved he is a dab hand in the tractor as well by laying on a track which was just begging to be attacked.

While it might have filled the visiting ranks and certain members of the Panthers fold with a fair amount of trepidation, it made for some spectacular viewing for the Showground faithful.

And no-one appeared to relish it more than the brightest young light of British speedway – Tai Woffinden.

The teenage star-in-the-making stepped into the void created by the absence of skipper Ryan Sullivan due to a sudden bout of illness and thrilled the crowd with a double-figures return (his 10 point haul being much bulkier than that managed by Sullivan in many meetings since his return to the club).

Woffinden, who does his regular racing for Rye House in the Premier League, claimed a hat-trick of heat victories even more eye-catching than the wheelies with which he celebrated – and he did it despite openly admitting that big tracks are not his cup of tea.

"I would have to admit that this is not my favourite place," said Woffinden. "It doesn't get much more different than Peterborough and Rye House, but I am really getting the hang of the big tracks after picking up experience of them in Poland and Sweden."

And so he should be. Woffinden is already carrying the expectations of a speedway nation on his young shoulders, but on last night's evidence his abundance of raw talent will surely take him to the very top.