Speedway: Owlerton track record broken by Jack Holder as Sheffield beat Birmingham to go second

Sheffield moved into second place in the Speedway Premiership on a night which saw the Owlerton track record broken for the first time in 14 years.

The Tru7Group Tigers, missing Australian Josh Pickering on the night, won the meeting 54-36. But the biggest cheer of the night came after heat 13, which saw Sheffield number one Jack Holder record a time of 58.928 seconds.

It was the fastest four laps the stadium has seen in 95 years of speedway, surpassing the 59.1 seconds recorded by another Tigers great, Ricky Ashworth in October 2010.

Delighted Sheffield team manager Simon Stead described Holder’s track record winning heat as unbelievable.

He told The Star: “To do it in heat 13!. Normally you find that track record will be done in the first couple. The fact that Jack did it in heat 13 - he was obviously seriously travelling. I’m really delighted for him. It’s been stood a long, long time. He was going good, and he really deserved it.”

Sheffield had led the meeting since heat two, which had seen Jason Edwards and Dan Gilkes win a 4-2 heat advantage.

Tigers did not look back from there, and did not lose a heat during the evening.

Other than Jack Holder’s track record setting heat 13, other highlights included Tai Woffinden’s victory in heat 11, which saw him battle back from third place to first in the last two laps, despite the best efforts of Birmingham duo Zach Cook and Steve Worrall.

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Skipper Kyle Howarth changed his bike after his second ride, turning his night around, with a series of impressive rides including a second place, won through an overtake on Simon Lambert in heat nine, which saw Tigers notch their first 5-1 of the night, team mate Chris Holder having won the heat.

The win meant three points for Tigers, two for the meeting and one for the aggregate point over the two meetings.

It took Sheffield into second place, ahead of Belle Vue, with the teams level on points.

Sheffield 54: Chris Holder 14, Jack Holder 12, Tai Woffinden 11+1, Kyle Howarth 10+1, Jason Edwards 5+1, Dan Gilkes 2+1, Josh Pickering R/R.

Birmingham 36: Steve Worrall 11+1, Zach Cook 8+2, Justin Sedgmen 7+1, Tom Brennan 5, Leon Flint 4+2, Simon Lambert 1, Piotr Pawlicki R/R.

Sheffield win the aggregate point 99-81.

Table: Ipswich M 10 Pts 18; Sheffield 9 17; Belle Vue 11 17; Leicester 9 11; Oxford 10 11; Birmingham 11 6; Kings Lynn 8 1