BEN Cook makes his first appearance as a fully-fledged Belle Vue Ace in his first ever Peter Craven Memorial meeting, and he’s got some serious competition ahead of him on March 18.
The 26-year-old Cowra native links up with the ATPI Aces in the Premiership this season after demonstrating a stunning run of form with the now-defunct Peterborough Panthers.
2023 was his first time stepping up to British Speedway’s top flight, and though the first half of his year was a steep learning curve, he soon demonstrated his great potential.
In the latter half of the season he became one of the highest averaging riders from meeting to meeting, scoring in excess of 7 points consistently at every track he raced.
He continued to show his improvement when he went home to his native Australia over the winter, when he took part in the Senior National Championships.
Cook finished an overall sixth in the standings with 42 points, just 15 points behind his Belle Vue team mate and ATPI Aces skipper Brady Kurtz in fifth.
And, he was honoured in the final round at Gillman with the prestigious award: The Australian Speedway Riders – Rider of the Year Award.
The gong was in recognition of the 26-year-old’s massive rate of improvement – domestically and internationally – over the last 12 months.
Belle Vue CEO Mark Lemon said: “I think supporters are already very curious to see how Ben will adapt to life at the National Speedway Stadium, given his experience at Peterborough.
“He’s guested for us a few times but now he’s a home rider I think he will really come into his own and could be something of a dark horse for the ATPI Aces.
“I could say the same about the Peter Craven Memorial. Every year there’s the out-and-out favourites, but we’ve seen plenty of dark horses spring up and shock us all with their efforts.
“Ben had a fantastic run in Australia and was recognised for his great improvement. He’s definitely one to watch, not just in this event but for the season as well.”
Book your tickets for the 2024 Peter Craven Memorial online via our online portal at BELLEVUE-SPEEDWAY.COM/EVENTS, and Race Day Hospitality at BELLEVUE-SPEEDWAY.COM/HOSPITALITY.
Image: ©Eddie Garvey