Mysterious absence of the Motor star! We know the reasons

In Leicester, the local Lions confirmed their medal ambitions by beating King's Lynn Stars 53-37. Both teams went into the match weakened - the hosts without the injured Luke Becker and the visitors without Jan Kvech, who is also struggling with health problems.

The hero of the evening was undoubtedly Max Fricke. The Australian proved once again that Beaumont Park is his fortress, where he is almost invincible. He scored 13 points and a bonus, and the only player who managed to beat him that evening was the excellently fit Richard Lawson. Fricke's current home run average is 2.724 - a phenomenal result and proof of his dominance on his own oval. However, the key to the Lions' victory was an extremely even line-up - as many as five players scored at least 8 points. In the team of the guests from King's Lynn, it was Lawson who stood out, scoring as many as 15 points and a bonus. Chris Harris also woke up in the second half of the match.

The experienced Briton, known for his tenacity and ability to find his feet in difficult conditions, finished the match with 11 points, but apart from those two, the rest of the team performed poorly. When the opposition has five players regularly scoring points, it is difficult to think of putting up an equal fight, especially with a reduced squad.

In Sheffield, the hosts also left no illusions, beating the Birmingham Brummies 50-40 to take the lead in the league table. Although the Tigers were without Jack Holder, who withdrew from the match due to a child's illness, this did not significantly affect the course of the competition.

The Brummies were also without a full line-up – Kenyan Rew was racing for Texom Stal Rzeszow in Poland that day, which meant another important link in the line-up was missing. However, Sheffield could count on their Australian leaders – Chris Holder was unstoppable, scoring 16 points, and Josh Pickering added a solid 14+1. Holder’s good form, who already showed himself on a good side in the match against Włókniarz at the weekend, is certainly also pleasing to ROW Rybnik fans and may herald a return to top form for the former world champion.

This is a clear signal to coach Piotr Żyto that it is worth betting on the former world champion. On the Brummies side, the aforementioned Tobiasz Musielak stood out – the Pole scored 14 points and a bonus, but did not have the appropriate support from his teammates. A positive surprise was the reserve Sam Hagon, who won 8+1, while the experienced Matej Zagar disappointed – the Slovenian did not manage to win a single race in six starts.

LEICESTER LIONS - KINGS LYNN STARS 53:37

Leicester: Max Fricke 13+1 (3, 3, 2, 3, 2*); Luke Becker replacement player; Ryan Douglas 10 (3, 2, 3, 0, 2); Kyle Howarth 8+2 (2*, 1*, 1, 1, 3, 0); Sam Masters 9 (d, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1); Drew Kemp 10+2 (3, 3, 1, 1*, 2*); Joe Thompson 3+2 (2*, 0, 1*)

Kings Lynn: Niels Kristian Iversen 3+1 (1*, 0, 2, in); Richard Lawson 15+1 (2, 3, 3, 3, 2, d, 2*); Chris Harris 11 (1, 0, 2, 2, 3, 3) ; Tobias Thomsen 0 (0, 0, 0); Jan Kvech replacement player; Zach Cook 7+2 (1, 2*, 2, 0, 1*, 0, 1); Luke Harrison 1 (d, 0, 1)

SHEFFIELD TIGERS - BIRMINGHAM BRUMMIES 50:40

Sheffield: Jack Holder replacement player; Anders Rowe 9+1 (3, 2*, 3, 1, 0); Josh Pickering 14+1 (3, 2, 2, 3, 3, 1*); Lewis Kerr 6+1 (1, 2*, d, d, 3); Chris Holder 16 (3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 2); Justin Sedgmen 2+1 (0, 0, 0, 2*); William Cairns 3 (3, 0, 0, 0)

Birmingham: Tobiasz Musielak 14+1 (2, 3, 3, 2, 1*, 3); Kenyan Rew replacement player; Jonas Jeppesen 7 (0, 1, 3, 2, 1); Paco Castagna 2 (0, 1, 1, 0, 0); Matej Zagar 7+1 (2, 1, 1*, 1, 2, d); Ben Barker 2+2 (1*, 0, 1*); Sam Hagon 8+1 (2, 1*, 2, 2, 1)