THE deciding leg of Belle Vue’s ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Semi-Final clash with Sheffield is guaranteed to serve up some exceptional racing when the action heads to Owlerton on September 19.
Their opening gambit at the National Speedway Stadium saw the ATPI Aces draw first blood with a 51-39 thumping of the reigning top flight champions, the Tru7 Group Tigers.
But Sheffield are fabled for their strength at home, where they have gone almost undefeated throughout 2024, and are undoubtedly determined to turn their fortunes around.
The aggregate winner from the Owlerton leg will go through to next week’s Grand Final against the Leicester Lions, who won over Ipswich to progress through for the first time in their history.
It is also the scene of the ATPI Aces’ ultimate triumph when, back in 2022, they did enough to secure their first league title in 29 years much to the delight of supporters.
Their magic number on the night would be 40 points, which would be enough to secure the aggregate win and see them through into the Grand Final.
But the team is taking nothing for granted, despite their emphatic win on Monday, as team boss Mark Lemon knows all too well that the tables can turn very quickly.
“We’ve been in semi-final situations often enough to know what is riding on it and we are fully aware we'll have to be at our very best against Sheffield.
"We know previous league performances mean nothing, and the Play Offs are where it is at, it is now or never. I know the boys have worked immensely hard to be here at this point of the season.
“With upmost respect for the Tigers, we can be the better team over the two legs and we’ll have to let our racing do the talking for us at Owlerton.”
The Belle Vue 'ATPI' Aces head to Sheffield on Thursday, September 19 for the second leg of their Premiership Play Off semi-final against the Tru7 group Tigers.
The Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts, meanwhile, return to Manchester on September 30 for their last home appearance of 2024 against Sheffield/Scunthorpe at the National Speedway Stadium.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes and south stand parking are now available to pre-book at bellevue-speedwaycom/events.
The club has also confirmed that our end-of-season celebration – The Maugers 2024 – has been arranged for Saturday, October 26 at the stadium, with further details to be communicated soon.
SHEFFIELD v BELLE VUE – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 @ 7:30PM [POSF L2]
Sheffield ‘Tru7 Group’ Tigers: Jack Holder 8.70, Kyle Howarth (C) 5.35, Chris Holder 8.65, Josh Pickering 6.61, Chris Harris (G) 8.67, Jason Edwards 3.52, Dan Gilkes; TM: Simon Stead
Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces: Brady Kurtz (C) 9.31, Norick Blodorn 5.54, Jaimon Lidsey 6.97, Ben Cook 6.86, Dan Bewley 8.78, Antti Vuolas 4.46, Jake Mulford RS; TM: Mark Lemon
Aggregate Score: Sheffield 39-51 Belle Vue
Image: ©Belle Vue Speedway