Speedway: Finn Kalle Katajisto equals record as he racks up huge total

The flying Finn amassed 19 points from seven rides and almost single handedly helped the capital speedway outfit polish off Newcastle Diamonds 61-31 – which more than atoned for their shock loss to King's Lynn Stars the previous week.

Katajisto also equalled the track record of 54.6 in heat four and was beaten just once by the opposition when Diamonds ace Mark Lemon squeezed him out in the opening race. That was Katajisto's only slip as he grabbed the limelight and commanded the Lothian Arena with a bravura display of tenacious riding and fearless passing.

And the youngster simply underlined how much he was missed against King's Lynn.

Katajisto said afterwards: "I felt really pleased with my score, my bike also felt good and I rode to my best.

"I had no idea I had equalled the track record because I never think about such things before a race, it was only when I got back to the pits that I was told about it.

"The track was in great shape, it had more dirt on it and this made things a whole lot easier for everybody."

Newcastle in truth were a major disappointment and the absence of their Danish duo Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach left them woefully exposed.

They used rider replacement for Larsen and Glasgow's Josh Grajczonek guested for Bach.

The Diamonds netted just four points from rider replacement and Grajczonek could only muster seven points from his five starts.

Monarchs were also forced to employ rider replacement as cover for Jozsef Tabaka, who was ill, but this made Monarchs slightly stronger as a consequence, as Diamonds boss George English acknowledged afterwards.

He said: "It wasn't a good night for us. We knew it would be tough

because everything conspired against us. We were missing our Danish stars and we could not adequately cover for them. And, when I heard Edinburgh were using rider replacement for Tabaka, that was the final nail in our coffin.

"I secretly feared a Monarchs backlash after they lost against King's Lynn. We go to every match expecting to win but I knew we had little chance because of the team we were forced to put out.

"Our choice of guest was also limited, I wanted to use William Lawson but he was injured this week and my other preference, Jason Lyons was at Scunthorpe last night but good luck to Edinburgh, they deserved to win.

"The Armadale track also had more dirt on it and this made the Edinburgh riders more comfortable because I heard they were not happy with conditions last week.

"We have just got to put this to bed now and move on, and things will be different when Monarchs visit us in the Premier Trophy tomorrow."

Even Diamonds captain Jason King was forced to acknowledge the superiority of the Monarchs, saying: "We should have done better, even though we were without Kenni and Rene, but Armadale is a tough place to come to when you fall behind, and our gating was very poor.

"Monarchs are a good side, even though they have had a couple of bad meetings recently, and what can you do against someone like Kalle? To get 19 points is a great haul from a reserve, he was on fire.

"I rode the track better than I have done, but still should have done better and I should have scored more than seven points."

Monarchs were in easy street at the end of the first half, leading 30-18 and Newcastle were simply resigned to their fate.

Kevin Wolbert scored 13 and was never headed by any Newcastle rider and teammate Matthew Wethers also scored 13 and commented: "This was a far better team performance and the track was far more rideable.

"We all feel much better."

Wolbert added: "I felt very good and I was very happy with the way I rode and the points I scored."

Monarchs No.1 Ryan Fisher, who finished third in his opening ride, hit better form thereafter to finish with 11 points.

And the American, who has been unhappy with how his engines have been performing of late, revealed: "I went through my whole bike this week and straightened everything out.

"I got my engine serviced again, even though it had just been serviced because I have been missing the starts in heat one but I tried something a little different this time, a lot fewer revs, and it helped me make better starts.

"The track was the best it has been all season. You felt you were actually going forward instead of just spinning all the time.

"This was a good result for us, and we really needed to bounce back after losing to King's Lynn and this was the best way to respond to that disappointing defeat."

However Andrew Tully's nightmare continues and his optimism about raising his average this year appears to be doomed at the moment.

After a third place in his first ride, he flopped off on the first bend in his next in heat four, a race which saw Katajisto accused in the pits afterwards of clipping Lemon's front wheel with his back wheel.

Tully then retired in his third ride and his eventual one point tally is miles away from his own expectations.

Monarchs: Katajisto 19, Wethers 13, Wolbert 13, Fisher 11, Dilger 4, Tully 1.

Newcastle: Lemon 9, King 7, Grajczonek 7, Sneddon 6, North 2, McKinna 0.