Scunthorpe Scorpions v Redcar Bears

SCUNTHORPE’S Zaine Kennedy was airlifted to hospital for observation after an horrific crash at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday.

The Championship Jubilee League match against Redcar was held up for nearly an hour, as medical staff attended to Kennedy, who flew over the fence after lifting on the exit of the second bend of Heat 11.

The initial diagnosis was that he appears to have miraculously escaped major injuries, with observation required on a possible injury to the pelvis.

The Australian had scored 9+1 prior to the crash, and the Scorpions then closed out a 50-40 win with Ryan Douglas (14+1) scoring a paid maximum and Tero Aarnio making a successful return with 11+1. Charles Wright (13) and Lewis Kerr (10) reached double figures for the Bears.

Douglas said: “It was a scary crash for Zaine, and you never want to see a crash like that happen to any rider. We hope he’s okay.

“We don’t know the exact damage, although we were told maybe he’s not so bad, but we’ll just to keep our fingers crossed for him and hope he makes a speedy recovery.

“There was a bit of a break and we weren’t sure if it would continue. Just before racing re-started, we had a chat and said we were going to do it for Zaine and finish the job, as he’d helped get us into a good position. The whole team did the job, while I had a good night and got a paid maximum.”

CHAMPIONSHIP JUBILEE LEAGUE
SCUNTHORPE 50: Ryan Douglas 14+1, Tero Aarnio 11+1, Zaine Kennedy 9+1, James Wright 7+1, Simon Lambert 7, Adam Roynon 2, Jake Allen r/r
REDCAR 40: Charles Wright 13, Lewis Kerr 10, Kasper Andersen 8+3, Jordan Jenkins 5+1, Jason Edwards 2, Kyle Bickley 2, Erik Riss r/r
Championship Jubilee League points: Scunthorpe 3 Redcar 0

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Photo credit: IAN RISPIN