Mixed Week For the Aces; Beat The Stars, but Fall to the Spires

BELLE VUE ACES 48-42 KING’S LYNN STARS – Belle Vue take Bonus Point 96-84

Monday night saw the Belle Vue Aces move to the top of the Premiership standings with a 48-42 victory over the bottom side King’s Lynn Stars at the National Speedway Stadium, as Ben Cook top scored for the Manchester side with 12+1 with the Aces also collecting the bonus point over a weakened, but stubborn Norfolk opposition. King’s Lynn came into the fixture down two stars so to speak, as with Benjamin Basso riding away on international duty, it saw Richard Lawson come in to guest for the Australian while Rider Replacement was being used at number 1 to cover for the injured Tobiasz Musielak.

The Aces got off to a great start through Norick Blodorn and Brady Kurtz in the opening race of the meeting, as they team rode to maximum points, before the Stars responded in kind in the very next race, as reserves Patryk Wojdylo and Anders Rowe recorded a 5-1 themselves to level things at 6-6. Ben Cook carried on his recent good home form to take heat 3, while his teammate in Jaimon Lidsey battled with Niels Kristian Iversen and saw the Danish rider come by to see a 4-2. 

It saw Dan Bewley showing his class in Heat four – as the Grand Prix rider went from dead last to lead the race by the end of the opening lap, where he passed Anders Rowe off turn two, before firing himself up the inside of both teammate Connor Bailey, and King’s Lynn’s Nicolai Klindt going into turns three and four. Belle Vue moved further ahead when they extended their lead to 19-11 in heat five, when Jaimon Lidsey and Ben Cook combined for maximum points for the Aces. Heats 6-11 saw six straight shared races in a row, with the starting gates not being even at all, where the inside gate was a huge advantage to have, as it produced nine out of the 15 race winners on the night.

King’s Lynn did well to stay in the contest as long as they did, as they moved within six points of the home side with Iversen and Wojdylo clawing back more points with a 4-2 over Lidsey and Bailey, to see the score 39-33. Another 3-3 in Heat 13 saw Michael Palm Toft take the race win ahead of Bewley and Brady, with the Aces also pocketing the bonus point with two heats to go at 42-36 or 90-78 on aggregate. Ben Cook produced another stunning ride around the NSS to pass Palm Toft on the final lap, and see a 4-2 going the way of the Aces, while Connor Mountain took third to seal victory for the hosts. King’s Lynn would have the final say in the match with Iversen and Wojdylo taking a heat advantage while the scores were the same at home as they well away at Saddlebow road, with the Aces victorious 48-42 over the Stars, and taking the bonus point 96-84 overall.

Belle Vue Aces = 48 (96)

1. Brady Kurtz – 2′, 3, 2, 1′, 0 = 8+2
2. Norick Blodorn – 3, 0, 3, 1′ = 7+1
3. Jaimon Lidsey – 1, 2′, 2, 2 = 7+1
4. Ben Cook – 3, 3, 1′, 3, 2 = 12+1
5. Dan Bewley – 3, 3, 3, 2 = 11
6. Connor Mountain – 0, 0, 0, 1 = 1
7. Connor Bailey – 1, 1, 0, 0 = 2

Kings Lynn Stars = 42 (84)

1. Tobiasz Musielak R/R – (NK – 1, NKI – 0, MPT – 2 = 3)
2. Richard Lawson (G) – 0, 1, 1′, 1′ = 3+2
3. Niels-Kristian Iversen – 2, 0, 2, 0, 3, 3 = 10
4. Michael Palm Toft – 0, 1′, 3, 2, 3, 2 = 11+1
5. Nicolai Klindt – 1, 2, 1′, 0 = 4 +1
6. Patryk Wojdylo – 3, 2, 0, 1, 1 = 7
7. Anders Rowe – 2′, 0, 2, 3, 0 = 7+1

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Oxford Spires 46-44 Belle Vue Aces – Aces take Bonus Point 95-85

Thursday night saw the Aces travelling down to Cowley to face the Oxford Spires with no Brady Kurtz in the line up, as he suffered an ankle injury in Sweden on Tuesday night. Things didn’t get off to a great start at all for Belle Vue, as hearts were in the collective fans mouths when Dan Bewley was put in the fence accidentally by Erik Riss on the opening lap of heat one, as both men lifted but saw the German unable to stop running into Dan. Bewley had to ice his hand due to taking a blow to it, but the visitors’ gating has improved this year, as it saw them out the trap better and leading by eight points come heat six, with a 5-1 from Connor Mountain and Dan Bewley to see them up 22-14. Oxford then started to turn the meeting around, as they pulled it right back thanks to a 5-1 from Craig Cook and Chris Harris in heat 7, before a 4-2 from Erik Riss and Ashton Boughen in Heat 8.

The final four races swung one way and then the other, as a 4-2 from Mountain and Lidsey put Belle Vue 37-35 ahead, Chris Harris and Rohan Tungate took a 5-1 in Heat 13 to see the host lead by two themselves at 40-38, but back came the Aces again in the contest, as this time Connor Mountain saw him take victory ahead of teammate Ben Cook for a 43-41 lead going into a last heat decider. Unfortunately though for the Aces, they failed to close it out again when in a good position, as a repeat performance of Heat 13 with the Oxford duo saw them both pass Bewley to take a 5-1 and win 46-44. 

But the standout performer was reserve Connor Mountain who scored 11 while down at reserve, and deserved all the plaudits for his efforts. Negative aspect was some poor gating late on, but positives saw the Aces taking home the overall Bonus point by 10 points at 95-85. Next up for Belle Vue is the return of the league champions to the NSS, as the Sheffield Tigers come to town and where the Aces captain in Brady Kurtz is rated as 50/50.

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Oxford Spires = 46 (85)

1. Rohan Tungate – 2, 1, 3, 2′, 2′ = 10+2
2. Erik Riss – X, 0, 3, 1 = 4
3. Charles Wright – 3, 2, 2, 2 = 9
4. Maciej Janowski – 0, 1′, 1′, 1 = 3+2
5. Chris Harris – 2, 2′, 3, 3, 3 = 13+1
6. Craig Cook – FX, 3, 0, 0 = 3
7. Ashton Boughen – 3, 0, 1, 0 = 4

Belle Vue Aces = 44 (95)

1. Brady Kurtz R/R
2. Norick Blodorn – 1, 0, 2, 1′ = 4+1
3. Jaimon Lidsey – 2, 3, 1, 2, 1 = 9
4. Ben Cook – 1′, 0, 0, 2, 2′ = 5+2
5. Dan Bewley – 3, 3, 2′, 3, 1, 1 = 13+1
6. Connor Mountain – 2, 3, 0, 3, 0, 3, 0 = 11
7. Connor Bailey – 1′, 1, FX = 2+1