Baseby takes big hit as Buccs miss out on podium

The Buccaneers rider was unable to avoid hitting Simon Lambert after the King’s Lynn rider locked up in front of him on the first turn in heat 19.

Lambert had already won four races and after gating smartly to forge into the lead, he looked certain to snap up the title.

But he was excluded and Baseby, who was thrown violently into the fence while still on his bike, amazingly picked himself up and finished third in the re-run.

The Bournemouth Castle Cover rider ended up with a disappointing four points as he and his Buccaneers colleague, Jay Herne, both missed out on a podium place.

Like Baseby, the Australian ace was never seriously in the hunt for a top-three place, despite being one of the pre-meeting favourites to win overall, and he ended up with seven.

Herne finished ninth and Baseby 15th as Lee Smart took advantage of Lambert’s late fall to clinch the title on 14 points, withy Lambert second on 12 and Adam Allott third with 11.

Earlier, Herne and Baseby had lined up for an intriguing heat two line-up that featured four riders considered genuine contenders for the title.

Buxton’s Craig Cook, the title holder, gated smartly to get out in front of Herne, but Adam Allott, also of the Hitmen, swept outside both on the second turn before going on to claim victory.

Cook followed in second, with Herne claiming third and Baseby trailing in last.

Baseby’s chances of overall victory quickly evaporated in his next outing when referee Phil Griffin judged he’d brought down heat six leader Darren Mallett on the fourth turn.

The Buccaneer had been out-gated by King’s Lynn’s rider, but reeled him in before drawing level on the back straight of the third lap.

Baseby dived under Mallett on the third corner, but then his bike lifted slightly on the fourth turn and Mallett went down, with the official excluding Bournemouth’s man.

It left Baseby without points from his opening two outings, and also out of the running for a podium place.

Herne made a poor gate in race seven and was passed on the inside of the second bend for third by Danny Warwick.

But the Aussie retaliated smartly, diving inside the Isle of Wight rider on the final corner to steal a valuable point behind winner Simon Lambert and Kyle Newman.

That left Herne disappointed with a return of only two points out of a possible six.

Baseby got on the scoreboard for the first time in heat nine when he finished second behind Nick Simmons.

Warwick led from the tapes, with Baseby second, but the Isle of Wight rider’s bike lost power as he shot off the second bend and impeded the Bournemouth rider’s progress.

Simmons and James Cockle blasted past on the outside of stranded Baseby, only for the Weymouth rider to fall on the third corner, gifting Baseby second again.

Warwick’s Islanders’ team-mate Simmons roared on to victory, with Cockle picking himself up off the shale to get third.

Herne, in desperate need of points, looked sharper in heat 12, gating smartly and looking more comfortable on a wet track as he followed Dudley’s Lee Smart home in second place, with Scunthorpe’s Gary Irving third and Mallett fourth.

The Aussie jetted out in front in race 12, but Simmons swept outside him on the second bend to claim victory, with Herne second, Dudley’s Barrie Evans third and Ben Morley, of Rye House, last.

Baseby passed Cobras’ Joe Jacobs on the second bend to bag third in heat 16 behind winner Smart and Newman.

Herne blasted outside Cottham and Jacobs on the second bend to soar into second in race 18 behind Cockle, who went on to win.

But Jacobs slipped under the Aussie on the fourth corner into second and Herne had to settle for third and seven points overall.

Baseby was then involved in a horror incident in race 19 when Lambert, unbeaten until then, lost control of his bike while leading on the first bend and completed a 360.

The Buccaneer, chasing hard in third behind Evans, had nowhere to go and his knee appeared to catch Lambert as he fell, straightening Baseby up.

Luckless Baseby then ploughed straight into the fence while still on his bike, but, amazingly, walked back to the pits soon after, seemingly uninjured.

The fall, and his exclusion, cost Lambert victory, while Baseby remarkably went out in the re-run and finished third behind Evans and Irving.

National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House Lee Smart (2-3-3-3-3) 14, Simon Lambert (3-3-3-3-fell exc) 12, Adam Allott (3-0-2-3-3) 11, Craig Cook (2-3-3-2-fell exc) 10, Nick Simmons (fell exc-2-3-3-1) 9, Ben Morley (3-3-1-0-2) 9, Barrie Evans (3-1-0-1-3) 8, Kyle Newman (2-2-1-2-ret) 7, Jay Herne (1-1-2-2-1) 7, James Cockle (fell exc-2-1-exc two mins-3) 6, Darren Mallett (ret-2-0-1-2) 5, Danny Warwick (2-0-ret-2-1) 5, Gary Cottham (1-1-2-1-0) 5, Gary Irving (1-1-1-0-2) 5, Mark Baseby (0-fell exc-2-1-1) 4, Joe Jacobs (1-0-fell exc-0-2) 3. Reserve: Niall Strudwick (ret) 0.

Referee: Phil Griffin.

Ht 1: (re-run) Lambert, Smart, Cottham, Simmons (fell excluded), 62.4.

Ht 2: Allott, Cook, Herne, Baseby, 62.2.

Ht 3: Evans, Warwick, Jacobs, Lambert (retired), 66.2.

Ht 4: (re-run) Morley, Newman, Irving, Cockle (fell excluded), 64.2.

Ht 5: Cook, Simmons, Irving, Jacobs, 62.8.

Ht 6: (re-run) Morley, Mallett, Cottham, Baseby (fell excluded), 64.4.

Ht 7: Lambert, Newman, Herne, Warwick, 63.9.

Ht 8: Smart, Cockle, Evans, Allott, 63.2.

Ht 9: Simmons, Baseby, Cockle (fell remounted), Warwick (retired), 64.1.

Ht 10: Cook, Cottham, Newman, Evans, 63.8.

Ht 11: (re-run) Lambert, Allott, Morley, Jacobs (fell excluded), 64.0.

Ht 12: Smart, Herne, Irving, Mallett, 64.2.

Ht 13: Simmons, Herne, Evans, Morley, 63.7.

Ht 14: Allott, Warwick, Cottham, Irving, 65.1.

Ht 15: (re-run) Lambert, Cook, Mallett, Strudwick (retired), Cockle (excluded two minutes), 64.2.

Ht 16: Smart, Newman, Baseby, Jacobs, 64.3.

Ht 17: Allott, Mallett, Simmons, Newman (fell, remounted, retired), 65.0.

Ht 18: Cockle, Jacobs, Herne, Cottham, 66.5.

Ht 19: (re-run) Evans, Irving, Baseby, Lambert (fell excluded), 64.9.

Ht 20: (re-run) Smart, Morley, Warwick, Cook (fell excluded), 64.6.