ACES PILE PRESSURE ON LEAGUE LEADERS

BELLE Vue moved within 5 points of Premiership leaders Ipswich after delivering an emphatic 53-37 win over Birmingham at the National Speedway Stadium and collecting three vital league points.

The ATPI Aces meant business from the start, delivering a sensational 5-1 in Heat1, which they proceeded to follow up with a handful of further advantages so as to establish dominance.

But the Brummies were not to be ruled out as they responded with a maximum race advantage of their own in Heat 8 to narrow the then 16-point deficit down to 12.

And so it was that they continued to chip away at the ATPI Aces’ lead, with two 2-4s in heat s 10 and 11 bringing the gap down to just 8 points with four heats to go.

A tactical substitution did not have the desired effect one race later, however, when former Belle Vue Ace Tom Brennan was unable to gain ground on Jaimon Lidsey.

The ATPI Aces were more than happy to deliver a shared heat, before finishing off the night with triple heat advantages to finish the job and secure their aggregate win at 99-81 overall.

Captain Brady Kurtz again topped the scores with 14 points while Ben Cook surged to a hugely impressive 11+1 and Jaimon Lidsey produced some impressive form to add 9+2.

Lidsey said: “It was a tough away leg but we were able to hold on for the win, but we knew we needed something much bigger from our home performance to secure the three points.

“There was a point where they managed to cut the lead we had established in half but we didn’t panic, we just kept our heads down and chipped away at them.

“After the rain and in the second half of the meeting, Birmingham did find something that was working for them but I think we had some of the strongest heats in the second half of the night.

“We’ve got some big meetings coming up as we look to consolidate our place in the top four but we’ve got the team capable of doing it and I feel we can continue to put pressure on the leaders.”

Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces 53: Brady Kurtz 14, Ben Cook 11+1, Jaimon Lidsey 9+2, Dan Bewley 8+1, Antti Vuolas 6+2, Norick Blodorn 5, Jake Mulford 0.

Birmingham ‘Curtis Sport’ Brummies 37: Tom Brennan 9, Freddie Lindgren 7, Wiktor Lampart 5+1, Leon Flint 5+1, Zach Cook 5, Piotr Pawlicki 3+1, Michael Palm Toft 3.

Aggregate Score: Belle Vue 99-81 Birmingham