ANTICIPATION is at a fever pitch as the Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces prepare for their first ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Grand Final since they became champions back in 2022.
Manchester’s finest host the first leg on Monday, September 23 at the National Speedway Stadium after spectacularly knocking out current champions Sheffield at Owlerton last week.
It came at a price, however, with club No.4 Ben Cook taken to hospital after a nasty crash, though the latest update is positive as he suffered a bad concussion but no further injuries.
It means he will not race in either leg of the Grand Final due to the mandatory 10-day rest period, with former NSS track record holder Niels-Kritstian Iversen stepping in to guest for the ATPI Aces.
Title hopefuls Leicester have also summoned a guest of their own, with Lewis Kerr coming in at No.6 in place of Craig Cook who is also sidelined due to injury.
With both sides at full strength and the taste of victory so close, the tension is mounting as Belle Vue target their 14th overall league title while the Lions face their first ever top flight Grand Final.
Club boss Mark Lemon said: “The excitement around the club has been building since we knocked Sheffield out of the Grand Final. There’s real belief that we can take this all the way.
“We were so disappointed to miss out on last year’s Grand Final, especially after all of the hard work the boys put in to turn things around against Ipswich.
“You can feel the energy in the team has shifted. They meant business at Owlerton, they meant business at home and I strongly believe things will kick up another notch on Monday.
“Our skills at home are unquestionable, and we are once of the most successful teams where aggregate points are concerned and we’re not behind the door for getting results at Leicester.
“But we need to take things one step at a time, one race at a time as we did in the semi-finals and, hopefully, all of our efforts will culminate in a positive outcome come Thursday.”
Tickets for the home leg of the 2024 ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Grand Final are now on sale at belle vue-speedway.com/event, along with hospitality bookings.
South stand parking is now sold out, and programmes can also be reserved online with high demand expected and fans encouraged to book sooner rather than later.
BELLE VUE v LEICESTER – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 @ 7:30PM [POGF L1]
Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces: Brady Kurtz (C) 9.31, Norick Blodorn 5.54, Jaimon Lidsey 6.97, Niels. K. Iversen (G) 6.86, Dan Bewley 8.78, Antti Vuolas 4.46, Jake Mulford RS; TM: Mark Lemon
Leicester ‘Watling JCB’ Lions: Max Fricke (C) 8.70, Richard Lawson 7.21, Sam Masters 7.17, Luke Becker 6.17, Ryan Douglas 7.59, Lewis Kerr (G) 5.03, Sam Hagon RS; TM: Stuart Dickson
Image: ©Belle Vue Speedway