BELLE Vue host rivals Sheffield with plenty at stake in another Bank Holiday blockbuster of racing at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday (midday start).
The ATPI Aces will face the Tigers twice on one day, with the lunchtime opener in Manchester to be followed by a rapid return at Owlerton at 7.30pm.
There are two big targets for the Aces, as they can complete a 100 per cent home record in the league this season with another win, and they also have the opportunity to secure top spot in the standings ahead of the play-offs.
Second placed Leicester could reach a maximum points total of 34, with the Aces on 32. That means one win and the aggregate point on Monday will mean Belle Vue cannot be caught; whilst realistically their exceptional race points difference means just one win will effectively be enough regardless of the aggregate point.
However, with the possibility of further clashes between the Aces and the Tigers in the play-offs next month, there could be a psychological advantage to be gained for whoever wins on aggregate on Monday.
Earlier meetings this season in league and KO Cup have seen Belle Vue win at home but lose by more at Owlerton, where they have scored 34 and 36 points on their two visits.
However, there are mitigating factors as on both occasions the Aces travelled to their Roses rivals with riders missing, including Brady Kurtz back in April whilst the late-May clash came just after Dan Bewley’s injury.
On Monday they are scheduled to be at full strength including World Cup winners Kurtz and Jason Doyle, whilst reserve Tate Zischke returns to home action after missing the last two matches at the NSS due to concussion.
Sheffield are closing in on confirming their own play-off place despite having had to battle on since mid-June without No.1 Jack Holder who was injured in the Wroclaw GP.
Holder’s place on Monday lunchtime is taken by track specialist Ben Cook, and the Tigers also include the ever-spectacular Josh Pickering along with Leon Flint who starred in the recent British Final. They will track Max Fricke as a guest for Holder in the evening.
Aces manager Mark Lemon said: “Meetings between these two clubs rarely disappoint, and with plenty at stake at this stage of the season, I’m sure we’re in for another terrific contest.
“These are always tough encounters and although we remain clear at the top of the table, we certainly don’t underestimate the challenge of the Tigers. They are battling to secure a play-off place themselves, and whilst the first job is to complete a 100 per cent home record in the league, it’s also important to us to at least get the aggregate point if we can.
“We know all about Ben and just how good he can be around the NSS, so there’s no doubt he will be one of Sheffield’s major danger men.
“Alongside the likes of Josh Pickering and Chris Holder, they have plenty of riders capable of winning races around here, so we certainly won’t be taking anything for granted.”
Belle Vue will be staging their annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund during Monday lunchtime’s meeting, and supporters are asked to give as generously as they can to this very worthy cause.
There will also be a parade featuring the placegetters from the recent Mini Speedway GP held on Revvi electric bikes in Bury, which will be another special experience for the youngsters.
Tickets and Bank Holiday dining options for the NSS fixture are available from https://www.bellevue-speedway.com/tickets . The meeting will be live streamed at https://www.bvtv.live/ .
Unfortunately there is no streaming at Sheffield but updates will be available on our social media channels, and via the BSP updates service at https://live.britishspeedway.co.uk/ .
BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Norick Blodorn, Peter Kildemand, Zach Cook, Jason Doyle, Tate Zischke, Will Cairns.
SHEFFIELD: Ben Cook (at Belle Vue) / Max Fricke (at Sheffield), Anders Rowe, Chris Holder, Leon Flint, Josh Pickering, Jye Etheridge, Luke Killeen.