BELLE Vue are the early leaders of the 2021 Premiership after a productive Bank Holiday Monday against the Peterborough Panthers saw them collect 5 of the 7 league points on offer.
The BikeRight Aces began their day at the National Speedway Stadium where a strong Panthers side put up a solid challenge, holding a narrow lead over their hosts for most of the afternoon.
The atmosphere is the stadium was palpable as fans from both sides cheered on their teams under the blazing hot sunshine in Manchester.
But after vital contributions from Brady Kurtz and Charles Wright to secure a 5-1 in Heat 13, the visitors could only push for an overall 45-45 draw after forcing Belle Vue into a last-heat decider.
Dan Bewley continued his incredible start to the season by charging to his first Premiership full maximum in Manchester just 24 hours after scooping his first paid maximum in the Polish Ekstraliga.
He said: “We had a really good, close meeting in the morning. Things always get a bit tense when it comes down to a last-heat decider, but we were confident we could pull it off.
“We would’ve liked to get the win, but a draw is not a loss and we made the best of the situation, and I think with the performance of both teams it was a fair result in the end.
“We learned quite a few things ahead of the meeting at Peterborough. We finished the home meeting strong and we wanted to carry that momentum to the East of England Arena.”
The BikeRight Aces were quick to turn the tables on the Panthers when they travelled south down the A1, drawing on all of their previous experience and success to bag an impressive 40-50 victory.
Such was their confidence at the East of England Arena that they led the meeting from Heat 1, while the opposition struggled to match them blow for blow as they had done that morning.
The reserve duo of Tom Brennan and Jye Etheridge factored majorly into Belle Vue’s success, scoring 16 of their 50 points while their counterparts for Peterborough scored just 6.
Team boss Mark Lemon said: “To win a meeting on the road is fantastic but to win it by such a huge margin and pick up all of the league points on offer was just what we wanted.
“These are points that could be fundamental come the end of the season, and everyone chipped in and contributed to our efforts throughout the day.
“Dan Bewley was simply sensational, and we were thoroughly impressed with Tom Brennan’s performance at Peterborough. He only dropped two points and he’s never seen the track before!
“Results like these make it much less of a long day for everyone and as a manager I couldn’t ask for more from the boys than they gave us.”
The BikeRight Aces return to action at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday, June 7 against the Ipswich Witches, tapes up 7:30pm. Tickets are available online only at bellevue-speedway.com.
RESULT – BELLE VUE V PETERBOROUGH – MONDAY, MAY 31 [SGBP]
Belle Vue ‘BikeRight’ Aces 45: Dan Bewley 15, Brady Kurtz 8+1, Steve Worrall 5+2, Charles Wright 5+1, Jye Etheridge 5, Richie Worrall 4+1, Tom Brennan 3+1.
Peterborough ‘Crendon’ Panthers 45: Ulrich Ostergaard 11+1, Bjarne Pedersen 9+1, Hans Andersen 7+2, Scott Nicholls 6+1, Chris Harris 6+1, Michael Palm Toft 5+1, Jordan Palin 1
Premiership Points: Belle Vue 1 Peterborough 2
RESULT – PETERBOROUGH V BELLE VUE – MONDAY, MAY 31 [SGBP]
Peterborough ‘Crendon’ Panthers 40: Hans Andersen 13+1, Michael Palm Toft 11, Scott Nicholls 6+2, Ulrich Ostergaard 6, Chris Harris 4, Bjarne Pedersen 0, Jordan Palin 0
Belle Vue ‘BikeRight’ Aces 50: Dan Bewley 14, Tom Brennan 8+2, Jye Etheridge 8+1, Brady Kurtz 8, Charles Wright 7+2, Richie Worrall 3, Steve Worrall 2
Premiership Points: Peterborough 0 Belle Vue 4