DAN BEWLEY admits it would be “special” to deliver a FOURTH ‘home’ victory in the ATPI FIM Manchester Grand Prix events.
The Belle Vue Ace and World No.4 goes into this weekend’s prestigious occasions at the National Speedway Stadium as already the most successful Brit in GPs on home shale.
Bewley, 26, is aiming to add to his two wins in Cardiff and one at Wroclaw, his home Ekstraliga club. He has also won a GP in Malilla, Sweden.
On what winning at the NSS would mean, he continued: “I think it would be up there for sure.
“Obviously the first GP win in Cardiff, nothing will top that. But to get one in Belle Vue would be special too.
“As far as the actual track’s concerned, as far as it being just a home track, I really don’t see it as much of an advantage.
“I feel like at that level, the track’s just a track. You’ve got to look at the track prep in that way too, it can be completely different to how you’ve ever been there.
“That was like the Speedway Nations last year, I’ve never ever ridden the track in any condition like that.
“But it is good to race on your home track. Like the Speedway Nations in the past, I feel like I always feel good when you have that, I don’t know, people might say it’s pressure, but when you’ve got that home crowd, it just gives you that little bit of extra. I think it’s awesome.
“I love the whole stadium, but the back straight’s kind of like, got a bit extra for me, it’s always a bit louder on that side.
“If I was going to watch, that’s where I’d want to be, I’d want to be in there with them.”
Fellow Brit and World No.2 Robert Lambert believes that Manchester can deliver “magnificent” racing.
He said: “I think Manchester is one of those tracks which are wide open and create plenty of lines.
“Hopefully the track is prepared in a good way, then it can create some magnificent racing.
“We saw it in the Speedway of Nations Final last year and the British Final this year in the Grand Final. I’m sure there will be many more great heats this weekend coming.”
The third Brit in the line-up, local boy wild card Charles Wright, also reckons it could be epic entertainment.
He added: “Belle Vue is one of the best tracks in the world to race on, as was proved in the British Final. It’s a lot about what you are on and how the engine performs on the night.
“In league matches you can’t practise but here we get time trials to see which one works best and that’s really handy to know.”