TEAM boss Dale Allitt insisted Niels-Kristian Iversen’s five-ride maximum had been “the biggest plus of the night” after King’s Lynn earned a deserved 45-45 draw at Somerset.
The Tru Plant Stars became the first team to stop the Rebels winning on home shale in 2018 with big hitters Iversen and Robert Lambert and reserve Michael Palm Toft coming to the party.
Allitt also played his part with a pair of masterstrokes, sending out Lambert as a tactical substitute and Palm Toft in a reserve switch in heats 11 and 12, each of which bagged 5-1 victories.
Iversen’s fourth race win in the 13th saw King’s Lynn lead by four until Richard Lawson and Nico Covatti levelled matters followed by a sixth shared race of the night led by the visitors' Danish talisman who has recently returned from mid-season shoulder surgery.
“The result was great but having Puk back to the rider we know he is justified the decision to get his treatment when we did,” said Allitt.
“He is not 100 per cent yet and won’t be for a little while. We said he would need to take small steps but with every meeting he looks stronger and fitter. That will continue.
“People might look at the score going into heat 14 but Somerset have won every home meeting so far this year.
“A draw is a fantastic result and just what we needed. They beat us at the Adrian Flux Arena so to go away with two points was a big positive.
“Before the meeting started we would have accepted the result, particularly having come into it under difficult circumstances. Ty Proctor is feeling his way back in after injury and we are still missing Kasper (Andersen).
“We need to keep climbing that table and get into the top four. We have four huge home meetings in July that we will look to make the most of so we have to be happy with this result.”
HEAT BY HEAT
Lewis Kerr gated in heat one and pinned Jason Doyle while Bradley Wilson-Dean made a clean getaway. The powerhouses fought back, though, with Iversen chopping up the inside on turn two of lap three to win.
Palm Toft pushed Jake Allen all the way but could not pass in spite of having more pace in the reserve race.
Ty Proctor made the start in heat three with the Stars briefly on a 5-1 only for Richard Lawson to roar from third to first by the end of lap one.
Nico Covatti shocked new British champion Lambert despite riding alone in the fourth following Jack Holder's violent lift and fall at the first attempt
The visitors hit back with a super-charged gate from Iversen backed up by Kerr but Doyle nudged Somerset back ahead with a tapes-to-flag success before Holder bounced back by passing Proctor with a determined charge in the seventh.
Palm Toft eased to the eighth but Kerr got swallowed up going into the back straight, a tale that was repeated by Lambert with Stars guest Max Clegg unable to land a glove at the rear.
Wilson-Dean led and was joined by Doyle as the Rebels comfortably landed a first maximum of the night to move six in front but with Lambert being sent out for Kerr, the Stars returned the favour without much bother after turn two.
Palm Toft then charged hard against compatriot Claus Vissing to back up Proctor’s on-the-button start to hand King’s Lynn the lead for the first time.
Iversen made it four out of four with Doyle seemingly having bike problems to double the advantage only for the pendulum to swing once more.
Lawson battled back to trump the swift-gating Thomas Jorgensen with Covatti diving up the inside on lap three in a 5-1 that levelled matters for the hosts.
And that was the way it stayed as Iversen bossed it again from the tapes despite the closest of attention from Doyle throughout. Lambert tried to recover from gate four but got cut adrift in the dirt.
SOMERSET 45: Nico Covatti 9+1, Richard Lawson 9, Jason Doyle 8+2, Bradley Wilson-Dean 7+1, Jack Holder 7+1, Jake Allen 4, Claus Vissing 1+1.
KING'S LYNN 45: Niels-Kristian Iversen 15, Robert Lambert 10+1, Michael Palm Toft 8+2, Ty Proctor 7, Thomas Jorgensen 3+1, Lewis Kerr 2+1, Max Clegg 0.
