IT’S another exciting night in prospect at the National Speedway Stadium as reigning Premiership Champions Belle Vue get ready to welcome Ipswich to Manchester on Monday, July 17.
It'll be a hero’s welcome home for club No.1 Dan Bewley who, in his first Grand Prix final of 2023, surged to victory in the Malilla SGP on Saturday.
And, on Sunday afternoon, new Rising Star Connor Bailey topped the podium in Glasgow to become the brand-new British U21 Champion.
The two sides met at Foxhall last Thursday in what proved to be a tough battle from start to finish, with the lead to-ing and fro-ing until the ATPI Aces secured the 44-46 victory.
It’s sets up the battle for the aggregate point nicely as the TruMix Witches try desperately to salvage their top four ambitions, with the Play Offs now looming.
Belle Vue, meanwhile, have all but consolidated their place in this year’s league title contention after one of their most impressive home and away campaigns in recent seasons.
Both teams are expected to be a full strength ready for Eurosport cameras rolling into town, and Aces boss Mark Lemon says his side can expect a tough test against the Witches.
He said: “We have been on a bit of a roll recently and that success can sometimes snowball, but at the same time it can also be the other way around.
“I would much prefer to be in our position than Ipswich’s, but that only makes them a more formidable opponent when it comes to the home leg at the National Speedway Stadium.
“Things were very close at Foxhall and it was all credit to our lads that their tenacity and determination won out, and we’ll need to make sure we’re on top of our game on Monday.
“We have to keep up the pressure on the other Premiership clubs. There’s three points on offer for both sides in this meeting and we are expecting a fierce battle for them.”
The ATPI Aces are back at home on Monday, July 17 when the Ipswich Witches visit the National Speedway Stadium for the second time this season, tapes up at 7:30pm.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes, south stand parking and hospitality are now available to pre-book at bellevue-speedway.com/events.
BELLE VUE V IPSWICH – MONDAY, JULY 17 @ 7:30PM [P2]
Ipswich ‘TruMix’ Witches: Emil Sayfutdinov 9.80, Keynan Rew 4.00, Danny King (C) 6.73, Erik Riss 5.93, Jason Doyle 9.66, Danyon Hume 3.92, Dan Thompson (RS); TM: Ritchie Hawkins
Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces: Dan Bewley 8.28, Norick Blodorn 5.69, Jaimon Lidsey 7.25, Charles Wright 6.67, Brady Kurtz (C) 8.28, Tom Brennan 5.66, Connor Bailey RS; TM: Mark Lemon
Aggregate score: Belle Vue 46-44 Ipswich
Image: Ian Charles