Captain Craig Cook led by example with a paid maximum but it was strong scoring from top to bottom that earned Comets a 17-point victory which will make others sit up and take notice.
It was a mixed start as Cook raced away from another former Workington rider, Josh Grajczonek, but Mason Campton trailed away after a good start and eventually retired with bike problems to let Josh Bates in.
Reserve Matt Williamson seems to have kicked on this season, following an impressive display at Newcastle last weekend with seven points on Saturday, and he started with a win.
Rob Branford and Jack Parkinson-Blackburn slotted in behind the youngster but, when the latter pulled up, Rob Shuttleworth crossed the line for third and Comets’ first heat advantage of the night.
Todd Kurtz got a flying start in heat three and managed to hold on to his spot, despite heavy pressure from Adam Roynon. Ty Proctor wound it on and forced his way through eventually and Roynon did the same with a hair-raising pass up the inside as Comets turned on the style with a 5-1.
Former Comet Kyle Howarth was lightning out of the gate in heat four and, though Thomas Jorgensen pushed him to the wire, he couldn’t line up a pass. Shuttleworth got the better of Parkinson-Blackburn to share the points and maintain Comets’ lead.
Roynon beat Grajczonek to the first bend in heat five but the Australian was quickly round him and away, while Proctor rode every line to keep Bates at the back.
A strong move from Howarth shoved Campton from first to last at the first bend in heat six, but Cook made the most of the opening to drive to the front.
Kurtz hit the front in heat seven and Jorgensen tried an ambitious sweep around the outside that only just failed to come off. A lap later he glided up the inside in a very smooth pass but Shuttleworth was stranded at the back, so the points were shared.
Campton gated like a man possessed in heat eight, with Williamson hot on his heels, but the race was pulled back when Bates took far too much speed into the first bend and hit the fence hard.
In the re-run, Williamson gated and roared into the distance for his second win in a row, while Campton was comfortable ahead of Parkinson-Blackburn until he crashed on the final bend and it was stopped and controversially awarded as a 5-0.
Howarth donned the black and white helmet in heat nine but a superb ride from Proctor kept him in second and Roynon was too quick for Branford to share the points.
Campton continued turning his meeting round with a brilliant start in heat nine, with Howarth and Cook duking it out behind him until an exquisite pass from the Comets skipper put him in the driving seat.
That was that until the final bend, when Howarth tried to round Campton and instead found the fence and the race was stopped and awarded.
The Tigers showed some late signs of life in heats 11 and 12, with Jorgensen splitting Grajczonek and Bates then Proctor doing the same with Kurtz and Branford.
But it was too late as the race of the night saw Cook and Jorgensen put the meeting to bed with a perfect start and some crowd-pleasing teamwork to secure a vital 5-1.
Kurtz was the only away rider in the penultimate heat after Parkinson-Blackburn missed the two minutes and he couldn’t keep Roynon at bay despite a good start.
Cook then muscled his way to the front in heat 15 and never looked back, with Jorgensen nowhere near Grajczonek or Howarth but the result had long since been secured.
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