Summer National Derby - Atlanta, GA
Consolation Heat
Jess Yates, Ben Hadsell, Dick Garrett, Timmy Barnes, Ed Smith, Steven Redden, Phillip Ruffin, Bill Malbrough, Joe Ramage, Randy Corson, Tom Gariepy, Charlie Clayton
Three minutes into the consolation heat and five drivers were already eliminated. Ed Smith and Bill Malbrough remain without a final to their names with Timmy Barnes (12th Spring Fling Derby, 4th Big Apple Smash Up) joining them as spectators after all three came together for one big elimination.
Tom Gariepy misses a fourth final in the last five events, the Wisconsin Invitational winner stalling at the start without making any impact, and Jess Yates (8th Arizona, 7th Jersey, 4th Sizzler) rounds out the frantic opening as the heat's whipping boy taking five hits, Randy Corson striking him twice.
Another three minutes go by before the next three evictions take place, starting with five-time finalist Corson (5th Frostbite, 5th Tampa, 8th Spring Fling) getting himself stuck on two occasions which allowed a foursome of destruction to descend upon him with the killer blow coming from Joe Ramage.
After reaching four finals in five events earlier this season Dick Garrett has just one appearance in the next six rounds, the four-time top seven man coming undone by early attention from Clayton that led to his suffering a catastrophic failure after his part in the Corson assault, and Phillip Ruffin (9th Ides of March, 8th Big Apple Smash Up) went for Ramage twice before a stall left him open to a big hit from Steven Redden in revenge for an earlier blindside shot.
That left a quartet comprised of Ben Hadsell, Steven Redden, Joe Ramage and Charlie Clayton to go full-on in a circle of carnage as Hadsell chased Redden while he re-fired from a stall to go after Ramage who in turn was battling Clayton and that last one, you guessed it, rampaged against Hadsell to complete the circle. The unlucky loser was Ramage who lost his battle with Clayton, earlier damage inflicted by Redden playing it's part.
That means Ben Hadsell will start his fourth final in five events after surviving that late onslaught where Clayton hit him three times in short order. He is joined by the now eight-time finalist Steven Redden who rode a pair of hits from Jess Yates to start the heat but avoided any more trouble until Hadsell became fully focused upon him. The last entrant into the final, his fourth of the season, is Charlie Clayton who was another proponent of the Avoid Everything strategy, freeing him up to lay two hits on Garrett before working over Hadsell.
Race Result
Q. Ben Hadsell
Q. Steven Redden
Q. Charlie Clayton
4. Joe Ramage
5. Phillip Ruffin
6. Dick Garrett
7. Randy Corson
8. Jess Yates
9. Tom Gariepy
10. Bill Malbrough
11. Timmy Barnes
12. Ed Smith
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