ANOTHER emphatic home win for the Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts sees them move second in the National Development League after defeating Edinburgh 54-36 in Manchester.
Before league action began, William Cairns and Ashton Boughen were crowned the 250cc and 500c British Champions respectively after the seventh and final round of the British Youth Championships.
The Cool Running Colts came up against one of their toughest challenges to date at the National Speedway Stadium, despite the Monarchs Academy being without four of their regular riders.
And it was a must-win fixture for the home team as they pursue their ambition of the NDL Grand Final in a couple of months’ time, with the aggregate bonus point also up for grabs.
The night began in the usual fashion with the Cool Running Colts taking the early lead, yet despite establishing a 10-point advantage after six races the visitors were quick to pause further advancement.
With the aggregate scores tied, the Monarchs Academy delivered a handful of shared races and a 4-2 in their favour to reclaim their lead on aggregate albeit only temporarily.
Belle Vue soon responded with a succession of heat advantages to seal the win on the night and pull the aggregate bonus well out of reach for their Scottish rivals.
James Pearson was back at the top of the score charts for the Cool Running Colts with 14 points while Jack Smith scored 11+1 points and Sam Hagon added 10 points.
Club No.7 Luke Muff said: “We have to give credit to Edinburgh. They had over half their regular team missing but they still put up a tough fight and they made us work hard.
“A few of our lads were disappointed to drop a couple of points here and there but I think overall we can be satisfied with how we rode; we got the win and that was the main thing.
“Having the British Youth Championship beforehand did mean track conditions were a lot slicker than usual, but it was the same for everyone and we had to adapt to it.
“This was another crucial result for us. We’re in the top two right now but we still have some big matches coming up that we really need to win if we want to stay there.”
With the Speedway World Cup on the horizon, there’s a pause in racing in Manchester until the ATPI Aces return home to the National Speedway Stadium on Monday, July 31.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes, south stand parking and hospitality are now available to pre-book at bellevue-speedway.com/events.
RESULT – BELLE VUE V EDINBURGH – FRIDAY, JULY 21 @ 7:30PM [NDL]
Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts 54: James Pearson 14, Jack Smith 11+1, Sam Hagon 10, Luke Muff 7+1, Matt Marson 5+2, Freddy Hodder 5+2, Paul Bowen 2+1 Edinburgh ‘Stellar’ Monarchs Academy 36: Ashton Boughen 16, Max Clegg 9, Mickie Simpson 6+1, Dayle Wood 4+2, Connor Coles 1, Mark Parker 0, Alex Spooner r/r
Belle Vue Win 94-86 On Aggregate
RESULT – BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP – FRIDAY, JULY 21 @ 6:00PM
ROUND 7
500cc - Ashton Boughen, Max James, Ashton Vale, Jody Scott
250cc - William Cairns, Jamie Etherington
SERIES
500cc - British Champion: Ashton Boughen, Jody Scott, Aston Vale
250cc - British Champion: William Cairns, Jamie Etherington, Cooper Rushen
Image: Ian Charles