DAN Bewley put on an Easter Monday masterclass by going unbeaten in eleven races as Belle Vue outscored Leicester across their home and away Knockout Cup clashes.
Bewley raced to a 15-point maximum in an emphatic 57-33 win for the ATPI Aces at the National Speedway Stadium, and then scored 17+1 from six rides at the Hydroscand Arena in a 50-40 defeat in the reverse fixture, which was more than enough for the aggregate point.
Bewley was well backed by a strong all-round showing in Manchester, and whilst it was tougher in general in the East Midlands, further encouragement came in the shape of three fast wins from Peter Kildemand.
The home meeting saw the Aces dominate proceedings, with the Lions’ only two race wins coming in the very first two heats from Ryan Douglas and Drew Kmep.
But Zach Cook and Kildemand put Belle Vue ahead with a 4-2 in Heat 3, and there was then a superb paid win for youngster Will Cairns in the next race as he followed Bewley home ahead of Lions skipper Sam Masters.
Aces continued to extend their lead and they notched another maximum in Heat 7 after Kyle Howarth had been excluded for bringing down Tate Zischke, who then combined with Bewley for a 5-1 in the re-run – whilst the Kildemand/Cook combination also brought home a perfect result over Masters and Kemp in Heat 9.
The next three races were shared as the Aces secured victory, with Kildemand riding superbly to hold tactical substitute Douglas at bay in Heat 12.
With the aggregate point mind, they then further extended their lead as guest Tom Brennan snatched third place from Masters in Heat 13, with Cook and Zischke then pulling off excellent moves to see off Howarth in Heat 14.
But Bewley saved the best for last in Heat 15 as Bewley found himself chasing Douglas for almost the full four laps before cutting back to snatch victory on the run to the line, his maximum being celebrated by the traditional bumps.
It was no surprise that there was a Leicester fightback at the Hydroscand Arena, but Belle Vue did gain an ideal start when Douglas fell in Heat 1 as Brennan and fellow guest Jonas Jeppesen, who was excellent value, opened up with a 5-1.
But the Lions responded immediately when Zischke came to grief in the reserves’ race, and the scores were level on the night after four races.
Nick Morris and Howarth put the Lions ahead with maximum points in Heat 5, but the Aces pegged things for a time with Kildemand taking his second win in Heat 7, although the gap went up to six when Dan Thompson passed Jeppesen in the next.
Bewley then produced a stunning ride to pass Howarth and Morris on successive laps in Heat 9, but the match as a whole went away from the Aces with two home 5-1s in the next two races.
A tactical substitute outing for Bewley saw him combine with Kildemand in Heat 12 as the Aces ensured there would be no worries over the aggregate point, and then it became a matter of whether the stand-in captain could wrap up a faultless day.
The answer was very much yes as Bewley produced a repeat performance to overhaul Douglas and then Masters in Heat 13, before Cook popped up with a Heat 14 win after a difficult evening.
Bewley had the final say in Heat 15 as despite being outgated he quickly found a route between Howarth and Masters and was in front by the time they went into the third bend.
Aces manager Mark Lemon said: “Everyone chipped in at home, and it was a solid performance all-round with no weak links.
“Leicester aren’t a bad team, and we probably had the upper hand from doing a few more matches, but we rode exceptionally well.
“We were full of optimism heading to Leicester and felt if we could continue in the same vein that an away win could be in the cards, but collectively we weren’t at the races in some cases.
“No real excuses, the track was good, the boys just didn’t find the correct set-ups, although Dan was absolutely sensational and Kildemand gave great back-up, but we just lacked a bit at the bottom end.
“We got the aggregate point and now we’ll just have to wait and see how the Leicester and Sheffield matches pan out.”
The ATPI Aces now take a short break from action before kicking off their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership league campaign at home to Ipswich on April 20, when they will have skipper Brady Kurtz and Norick Blodorn both back in the side.
BELLE VUE 57: Dan Bewley 15, Zach Cook 12+1, Tom Brennan 8+1, Peter Kildemand 7, Tate Zischke 6+2, Jonas Jeppesen 6, Will Cairns 3+2.
LEICESTER 33: Ryan Douglas 13, Nick Morris 4+1, Kyle Howarth 4+1, Sam Masters 4, Dan Thompson 3+3, Drew Kemp 3, Joe Thompson 2.
LEICESTER 50: Sam Masters 9+2, Kyle Howarth 8+3, Nick Morris 8, Dan Thompson 7+2, Drew Kemp 6+4, Kyle Howarth 6+3, Ryan Douglas 6+1, Joe Thompson 6.
BELLE VUE 40: Dan Bewley 17+1, Peter Kildemand 10, Jonas Jeppesen 6, Tom Brennan 3+1, Zach Cook 3, Will Cairns 1, Tate Zischke 0.
Belle Vue win the aggregate point