A closely fought battle at the Adrian Flux Arena saw Belle Vue just edged out 46-44 by King’s Lynn, but they still secure the aggregate bonus point after an overall win of 101-73.
The ATPI Aces have already secured their place in the 2023 Premiership Play Offs, and they now have only one fixture remaining to bag as many last-minute league points as they can.
Despite still being struck by injury, the MacInnes Stars were determined to bow out of their campaign on a high and set to work on the reigning league champions right from the word go.
There was a never a point where either one side or the other gained a significant foothold as the lead frequently traded hands, with the home team gaining a greater grasp at the half-way stage.
A well fought comeback by the visitors saw the scores levelled at 39 apiece after Heat 13, but a 4-2 to the Stars a race later forced Belle Vue into a last-heat decider for the win on the night.
And though the ATPI Aces duo of Dan Bewley and Brady Kurtz successfully split the King’s Lynn pair, they had no answer to the returning Robert Lambert who sealed the deal.
Kurtz top scored for the visitors with 12+1 while Dan Bewley added an 11-point haul, Jaimon Lidsey 8 and Charles Wright contributing 7+2.
Wright said: “The track was quite a bit different to the last time we came here, it was much more grippy but I wouldn’t say that it caught us out, we were simply beaten by the better team.
“It was a decent meeting and we kept things close, and but for a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races we could’ve come away with the win.
“Some of the lads were struggling for one reason or another but when all is said and done, we win and lose as a team and unfortunately tonight didn’t go to plan for us.
“It’s not a disaster in terms of the Play Offs because we are already guaranteed our place but it would be great if we could finish our season at the top, to send out a statement if nothing else.
“We’ve still got the bonus point, and we’ve got the bank holiday against Leicester to look forward to so we’ll regroup over the weekend and, hopefully, bounce back at home come Monday.”
The ATPI Aces round off their calendar fixtures on bank holiday Monday, August 28 against the Leicester lions at the National Speedway Stadium, tapes up at 12:00pm.
And the Cool Running Colts return to the National Speedway Stadium on Friday, August 25 against the Workington Comets, tapes up at 7:30pm.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes and hospitality are now available to pre-book at bellevue-speedway.com/events. South stand parking is sold out, but St. Peter’s School will be open on the day.
RESULT – KING’S LYNN V BELLE VUE – THURSDAY, AUGUST 24 @ 7:30PM [P2]
King’s Lynn ‘MacInnes’ Stars 46: Robert Lambert 14, Simon Lambert 13+1, Anders Rowe 13+1, Michael Palm Toft 3+1, Jordan Jenkins 3+1, Emil Breum 0, Nicolai Klindt r/r.
Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces 44: Brady Kurtz 12+1, Dan Bewley 11, Jamon Lidsey 8, Charles Wright 7+2, Tom Brennan 5+1, Norick Blodorn 1, Connor Bailey 0.
Belle Vue Win 101-73 On Aggregate
Image: Ian Charles