CONNOR Mountain won the Plumco Top Gun with a hearty hat-trick that earned the plaudits of Sheffield co-promoter Peter Mole.
The 20-year-old, cut from Ipswich’s team only two days ago, warmed up for the semi-final by claiming the chequered flag in the final qualifying race.
On 12 points Mountain had finished behind Simon Lambert and Nathan Greaves but secured a tapes-to-flag success in an engaging semi-final that saw Australian Zaine Kennedy blast from the back to join him in the showpiece.
Momentum proved decisive as Mountain again proved untouchable while Kennedy traded places several times with Lambert before taking second.
“I was very pleased for Connor, he did particularly well all things considered,” said Mole.
“He showed what quality he has and rode our track well to come out on top against an experienced rider in Simon Lambert who was as solid as you would expect.
“It was a thoroughly entertaining meeting and particularly interesting to see five Australian riders we had not had the chance to watch before.
“They impressed me a lot. One or two took a ride to get used to the track but from there they displayed great bike control, despite a couple of close scrapes with the fence!
“Every one of them looked bright prospects with a view to gaining places in British speedway. We had an eye on a couple of them from the start and they certainly caught the eye.
“Overall, there were some very good, entertaining races and the feedback we had from fans afterwards was incredibly positive. A great night and plenty of fun was had by everyone.”
TOP GUN INDIVIDUAL (Sheffield) 1. Connor Mountain 2. Zaine Kennedy 3. Simon Lambert 4. Nathan Greaves
