SCOTT Nicholls and Chris Harris rolled back the years to see the Buildbase Bees through to a thrilling win over local rivals Birmingham at Brandon.
Nicholls and Harris, stars of previous Coventry Elite League title wins, both overhauled Brummies’ No.1 Bjarne Pedersen in Heat 15 of a dramatic encounter which leaves their Midlands rivals still sweating on the confirmation of a place in the play-offs.
And for once this season it was Coventry who secured a comeback victory, as they trailed by six points with just three heats to go only to come up with the big finale.
The Brummies seemed to have taken control of the meeting when fast-gating from Danny King and Sebastian Ulamek saw them combine for a 5-1 over Bees skipper Harris in Heat 10 to go four-points up.
And a further 5-1 reverse in Heat 11 which looked on the cards could have spelt disaster only for Nicholls to crucially round Martin Smolinski off the final bend.
Further proof that every point could be vital came in Heat 12 when Edward Kennett switched inside the Brummies’ lively reserve Nicolas Covatti to save a 3-3, although with the scores at 33-39, a Coventry win still looked unlikely.
But Harris started the charge in Heat 13 with a fine ride to pass Pedersen at the midway point in the race, with Nicholls coming close to following him through with a 4-2 being the outcome.
And the scores were level after the next race as Kenni Larsen rode a brave outside line to get the better of Smolinski on turn two, teaming up with full-value reserve Michal Szczepaniak for a 5-1.
The Brummies needed a 3-3 in the last race for the draw that would have secured their play-off place – and they looked set to get it when Pedersen flew from the start, only for Nicholls to storm inside him into the third bend. Harris was quickly onto the Dane’s rear wheel and on the third lap he duly flew past his rival too, to the delight of the home crowd as Coventry snatched an unlikely win.
Nicholls said: “Fair play to Birmingham, they pushed us hard and led for a long time. They adapted to the track quicker, but at least we managed to get it together at the end.
“It was a great Heat 15 with me and Bomber, and we came away with a win. It’s great for the fans - we’ve got fantastic support here and I know how frustrating it’s been for them this season.
“It’s still nowhere near as frustrating as it’s been for us riders, but we’ve still got the Cup to go for, and it would be nice to get some success there and have as good an end to the season as we can to give the fans something to be happy about!â€
BUILDBASE BEES 47: Michal Szczepaniak 11+1, Scott Nicholls 11, Chris Harris 9+1, Edward Kennett 8+2, Kenni Larsen 6+2, Leigh Lanham 2, Chris Schramm 0.
BIRMINGHAM 43: Bjarne Pedersen 10, Danny King 10, Sebastian Ulamek 8+1, Martin Smolinski 6+2, Nicolas Covatti 6+2, Sam Masters 3, Ricky Ashworth r/r.
BUILDBASE BEES 47 Chris Harris 3 F 1 3 2* = 9+1 Leigh Lanham 0 1 1 0 = 2 Edward Kennett 3 3 1* 1* = 8+2 Kenni Larsen 2* R 2 2* = 6+2 Scott Nicholls 3 2 2 1 3 = 11 Chris Schramm 0 F = 0 Michal Szczepaniak 1 2* 3 0 2 3 = 11+1
BIRMINGHAM 43 Bjarne Pedersen 2 2 3 2 1 = 10 Martin Smolinski 1* 1* 2 1 1 = 6+2 Danny King 1 3 3 3 0 = 10 Ricky Ashworth Rider Replacement Sebastian Ulamek 0 3 3 2* 0 = 8+1 Nicolas Covatti 2* 1 2* 1 0 0 = 6+2 Sam Masters 3 0 0 0 = 3
