REPORT: Jordan Jenkins charges to National title

JORDAN Jenkins won the first official silverware for Oxford Speedway since 2005, when he claimed the National League Riders’ Championship at Scunthorpe yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

The 21-year-old skipper of the Oxford Chargers took the prestigious meeting on 14 points, one ahead of Kent’s Max Clegg and Mildenhall’s Jason Edwards, who both scored 13.

Jenkins showed his class by winning Heat 3 ahead of Lee Complin, before he received a warning for moving at the start in Heat 7. In the re-run, he saw off Dan Thompson to take another victory.

Heat 9 brought together three unbeaten riders – Jenkins, Joe Thompson and Ben Morley. Jenkins found himself in second place behind Edwards, who had already dropped a couple of points, and there was one alarming moment when Jenkins picked up drive and come close to running into Edwards. But he regained control of his bike and took the second place ahead of Thompson and Morley.

After three rides apiece, Jenkins, Clegg and Complin all had eight points. Complin lost ground when he only finished third in Heat 13. In the crunch clash in Heat 14, Jenkins made a terrific start from the outside gate and won ahead of 2016 champion Clegg.

Jenkins needed to win Heat 20 to clinch the meeting, while a second place would have placed him in a three-man run-off for first place with Clegg and Edwards.

At the first time of asking, Jack Smith was first to show from the tapes, but Jack Kingston came down in a tight first turn. All four riders came back for the re-run, where Jenkins made a dream start off gate 3 before he stretched his lead.

Fourth-placed Kingston fell at the end of the third lap, but Jenkins was already well into the final lap when the race was halted. In such circumstances, the race is usually awarded and that’s exactly what referee Graeme Hunter did – leaving Jenkins as the NLRC champion.

The second Oxford Charger in the line-up was 15-year-old Jody Scott. He was a replacement for the injured Nathan Stoneman, and he got stuck in and scored four points, gaining valuable experience for the future in the process.

Jenkins’ success is the first official silverware for Oxford Speedway since the 2005 Craven Shield, while he becomes the first Oxford rider to win a Riders’ Championship since the legendary Hans Nielsen won his third the British League Riders’ Championship in 1990 as an Oxford Cheetah.

Jenkins said: “I’m over the moon. It’s a tough meeting to win, because there were some quality riders in it. Jason (Edwards) beat me in one race and I had other riders pushing me in the others.

“I was watching the whole meeting, so I knew what was going on and I knew what I needed to do in my final race. I fluffed the start at the first attempt, so I was a bit fortunate that it got pulled back. I made a few changes to the bike prior to the re-run, and it all came good.

“It’s great to win something for Oxford – I was mindful that I was representing them in this meeting.

“To be the first rider to win a Riders’ Championship for Oxford since Hans Nielsen is a very good feeling, although I’m not sure if I can replicate everything he achieved in the sport. But it is definitely nice to win something for Oxford this year, in their first season back in speedway.”

NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP, Scunthorpe

Result: Jordan Jenkins 14, Max Clegg 13+3, Jason Edwards 13+2, Lee Complin 11, Ben Morley 10, Dan Thompson 10, Joe Thompson 9, Jack Kingston 9, Tom Woolley 7, Jack Smith 7, Ben Trigger 5, Jody Scott 4, Harry McGurk 3, Luke Harrison 2, Mason Watson 2, Luke Crang 1, Jack Shimelt (res) 0.

PHOTO by Ian Rispin