BELLE Vue bid to extend a 100 per cent start to their league campaign when they travel to defending champions Ipswich on Thursday (7.30pm).
The ATPI Aces are the early pace setters in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership with three wins out of three so far, including Monday’s excellent 49-41 away success at King’s Lynn.
Now they head back to East Anglia, this time to Suffolk to face a Witches side who are unbeaten at home this season and who have already qualified for the KO Cup Final.
There is also an aggregate point up for grabs with the Aces defending a 12-point advantage from the dramatic reverse fixture at the National Speedway Stadium which saw them fight back from an early eight-point deficit to record a convincing victory.
With Peter Kildemand still sidelined by a broken collarbone, the Aces have called up Lewis Kerr to guest, on a night when all six Premiership clubs are scheduled to be in action. The experienced Kerr, who rides for Poole in the Championship, is not part of a top-flight team this season.
The home side are without Swedish racer Philip Hellstrom-Bangs at reserve as he is currently serving a suspension imposed by his national federation. Jordan Jenkins, who was part of their title-winning squad last season, steps in to guest.
Aces manager Mark Lemon said: “It’s a new challenge and we’re heading to the home of the reigning champions, but we’ll head there with the same attitude and ambition that we did at King’s Lynn.
“You’ve got to have that mindset that you’re capable of winning. This team is capable of winning, so if we don’t then we kind of come away disappointed – but it’s also a two-legged aggregate, so the main thing is to get the aggregate point.
“We’re not going to win every aggregate point, we’re not going to win every meeting, but we’ll certainly be going there to give it our best.
“Lewi comes in and he’s got a bit form and is local to the area, so he knows the place well. Hopefully we’ll get Peter Kildemand back in the short term.”
For supporters not making the trip to Foxhall, the meeting will be live streamed on British Speedway Network, available from https://www.britishspeedwaynetwork.co.uk/ .
*The ATPI Aces’ next home fixture is a mouthwatering Bank Holiday showdown with Sheffield (Monday May 25, midday). Tickets and hospitality are available from https://www.bellevue-speedway.com/tickets .
IPSWICH: Tom Brennan, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Scott Nicholls, Tobiasz Musielak, Jordan Jenkins, Jason Edwards.
BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Norick Blodorn, Lewis Kerr, Zach Cook, Dan Bewley, Tate Zischke, Will Cairns.