King’s Lynn rider crowned British Under-19 champion on stunning day for club’s youngsters at Workington

King's Lynn’s Luke Harrison was crowned British Under-19 Champion on a stunning day for the club’s youngsters at Workington on Saturday.

Harrison, who spent the second half of the Premiership season with the PSH Environmental Stars, had finished runner-up in the event last season, but this time he got his hands on the top prize.

He did so in a dramatic finale which saw his Young Stars team-mates Jody Scott and Cooper Rushen all join him on 12 points in a meeting which is run over the traditional 20-race format with no Finals, and with run-offs only taking place to separate ties.

Harrison had run a third place behind Vinnie Foord and Will Cairns in Heat 5, and he dropped a further point to Rushen in Heat 9, but otherwise had three wins.

Meanwhile, Scott won two races and was second to Ben Trigger, defending champion Ace Pijper and Harrison, whilst Rushen started with a third place behind Scott and Max Perry, and dropped his only other point to Foord.

And it looked like Workington’s Foord would take the title when he hit the front in Heat 19, which would have put him on to 13 points, only for a mechanical failure to cause him to crash out on the third lap.

Harrison and Scott were already on the 12-point mark and they were joined there by Rushen, who edged out Cairns in Heat 20, and that meant the three Young Stars riders were level at the top.

The run-off saw Harrison take the lead from Rushen, with Scott making it around the outside into second place on the lap two, but it was Harrison who brought it home to victory.

Harrison said: “It’s good to finally do it, after last year when I came second after it was rained-off, and coming so close in the Under-21s and not quite making it in the Final.

“To get the Under-19s this year was a big thing for me.”

Scores: Luke Harrison 12, Jody Scott 12, Cooper Rushen 12, Will Cairns 11, Ace Pijper 11, Vinnie Foord 10, Jordy Loftus 10, Max Perry 8, Freddy Hodder 7, Ben Trigger 7, Ryan Ingram 7, Stene Pijper 4, Harry Fletcher 4, Ashton Vale 2, Jamie Etherington 2, Charlie Southwick 1.

Run-off: Harrison, Scott, Rushen