FORMER Potters rider Ben Barker romped to a 15-point maximum to take victory in the Pride of the Potteries at Loomer Road on Saturday night.

Barker was pushed all the way by Josh Bates when the two riders met in heat 5, but Barker kept calm and rode to victory. To take the victory on the night and avoid a three way tie Barker needed to beat Max Clegg who had only been beaten by Bates and at the first time of asking Clegg jumped and the red lights went on, in the rerun Clegg got the drop on Barker who got his wheels in line off the second turn and managed to dive inside Clegg and went onto victory.

Ellis Perks and new Potters skipper Tom Perry were in the mix and put in solid displays as they kept their challenge alive of a rostrum place in a meeting which saw some good racing for the seasons’ opening meeting.

Meeting winner Barker said “I’ve started the season well and keep plugging away and hopefully it will be a great season for me, I was pushed by Josh Bates who is a bit like me and when we were together in heat 5 I knew I’d got to get ahead of him and get away and it’s good to see some of the younger British lads coming through like here tonight and enjoying there racing. In my final ride Max Clegg got over the top of me okay but I knew he could never turn hard enough on me so I just cut the corner off and run across him coming off turn two and it was goodnight Max.”

Barker continued “I’ve loved being back home here at Stoke and it’s a place I want to keep coming back to, this place is in my heart and I look forward to being back here sometime in the future.”

1. Ben Barker (Redcar) 15
2. Josh Bates (Leicester) 14
3. Max Clegg (Newcastle / Cradley) 13

Ellis Perks 12, Tom Perry 11, Danny Phillips 9, David Wallinger 8, Tom Woolley 7, Connor Coles 7, Luke Priest 6, Joe Lawlor 6, Corban Pavitt 3, Joe Alcock 3, Aaron Butcher 2, William O’Keefe 2, Shelby Rutherford 1, Sheldon Davies (res) 1.