THURROCK’S track team continues to show it is a force to be reckonned with this season. Vortex Hammers demolished the Birmingham Brummies 69-21on Friday evening.

And in doing so the team maintained its unbeaten home record at the Raceway. The Hammers started in a devastating fashion, notching up maximum 5-1s in the opening three heats and following a further heat advantage by Mikkel Bech and Ben Morley in fourth.

The Brummies nominated their first tactical ride in heat five, but Danny King found the pace too hot to handle. The heat domination continued in heat six, with swoops either side of Edward Kennett by Watt and Bech by the third turn of lap one.

Lawson and Ellis then delivered a 4-2 in the seventh, before Bech and Watt again showed great team riding around the second and third bend in the eighth heat to leave the second Tactical nomination for the Brummies, Adam Skornicki, trailing in third. Morley and Ellis had delivered the seventh 5-1 maximum of the night before the Brummies finally delivered a race victory and heat advantage in heat 10 with Edward Kennett getting the better of Karlsson and with Lawson finishing at the rear behind King.

It was too little far too late however as Watt and Bridger scorched from the tapes in the next race to increase the Hammers lead further.

Heat 12 delivered one of the races of the night with Hammers young Ben Morley holding the experienced Skornicki behind him for four laps to notch up another 5-1 to the Hammers with Lawson. Bridger and Karlsson continued where they had left off in the 13th, before Bech delivered a classy sweep around bend three in heat 13, to help the Hammers to a further 4-2 with Ellis.

The nominated heat continued to form, with Bech and Watt combining to deliver a final 5-1 on a perfect night for the Essex based club.

Afterwards Vortex Hammers Co-Promoter Jon Cook enthused. ”It was a truly great team performance with paid maximums for Davey, Mikkel and Lewis, but also a fantastic effort from the rest of the boys including Ben’s victory over Skornicki in heat 12. Despite how the scoreline appears there were some great overtaking maneuvers and performances like this, with the team all clicking together, bodes well for the rest of the season.”

The Vortex Hammers team manager Neil Vatcher said: “It was a brilliant team performance and I’m especially pleased for both Ben, who had a great race victory, and for Lewis who showed a good return to form. We’ll look to continue where we left off on Saturday night at Leicester and on Good Friday when we take on the Eastbourne Eagles.”

The Vortex Hammers scorers were: Peter Karlsson 9+2, Richard Lawson 8+1, Davey Watt 14+1, Mikkel Bech 13+2, Lewis Bridger 10+2, Ben Morley 9+1 and Adam Ellis 6+2.