LATEST NEWS: Palm Toft, of the table-topping Peterborough Panthers, lifted the gloom with a career best performance, while Scott reached a British final
The Danish racer delivered a stunning six-race maximum display when helping Panthers to SGB Championship victory against Edinburgh at the East of England Arena last Sunday (May 13).
His flawless 18-point haul was a major factor in a 48-42 success which ensured they bounced back from the humiliation of a 57-33 home drubbing at the hands of Workington just 48 hours earlier.
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Hide AdBut Palm Toft had only one thing on his mind after a magnificent display in his third meeting in as many days, saying: “It’s been a busy time without much sleep so I couldn’t wait to get to bed!
“I’ve had maximums in Britain before, but this is definitely my best performance for Peterborough.
“I actually used the same bike that I rode in my first two heats against Workington when I really struggled.
“I’ve had a few issues with my equipment and it was starting to get into my head and put me in a bit of a downer.
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Hide Ad“But we’ve worked out the problem now and I had a really good meeting on Saturday when I qualified for the Danish semi-final. That definitely helped my confidence for Sunday.
“We were all hurt by what happened against Workington. It is not good for anyone to lose a meeting like that.
“We wanted to correct things and it was better against Edinburgh and it was good for me to be able to help us do that.
“The track was very dry and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it like that as my score showed.
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Hide Ad“The team hasn’t fully clicked yet and when it does I feel sure we will challenge for silverware.”
Number one Scott Nicholls also delivered a double-figures display against Edinburgh with 12 points and he matched that tally on Tuesday night (May 15) when qualifying for next month’s British Final.
Nicholls, who celebrated his 40th birthday this week came through a semi at Leicester as he began his quest for an eighth national crown.
But Panthers captain Simon Lambert, who is currently struggling for form, missed out on the eight qualification spots when managing only three points – all of which arrived courtesy of a win in his final ride.
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Hide AdPanthers remain top of the SGB Championship ahead of tomorrow’s showdown against Newcastle (May 19, 7pm), but have ridden more meetings than any other side.
The meeting forms part of the big MCN Festival taking place at the East of England Arena this weekend.
Newcastle are likely to bring in two guests as Lewis Rose is sitting out the sport and Stuart Robson is injured.
Panthers: Scott Nicholls, Emil Grodal, Nike Lunna, Michael Palm Toft, Ulrich Ostergaard, Tom Bacon, Simon Lambert.