BELLE Vue remain on top of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table after collecting a hard-earned two points against Roses rivals Sheffield on Bank Holiday Monday.
The injury-hit ATPI Aces dug deep to defeat the Tigers 50-40 at the National Speedway Stadium at lunchtime before going down 54-36 in the Owlerton return, a scoreline which didn’t reflect the meeting in any way, as it was only a strong finish from the Tigers which took them clear.
The results mean the Aces have a three-point advantage at the top of the table, avoiding any significant damage despite a trio of absentees including the shattering injury to Dan Bewley last week.
The first match of the day saw Belle Vue claw back from six points down to maintain their unbeaten home record this season.
Once again they didn’t make the best of starts with skipper Brady Kurtz relegated to the back of Heat 1 after a battle with Anders Rowe, guest Kye Thomson taking an excellent win, and each of the next three races ended in 4-2s to the Tigers.
Sheffield reserve Jye Etheridge was fortunate to be allowed back in the re-run of Heat 2 after appearing to trigger a tangle between Will Cairns and Luke Killeen, and Etheridge’s race win in the re-run was backed up by Chris Holder and Josh Pickering in the next two races to put the Tigers 15-9 up.
The comeback was sparked by Zach Cook and guest Justin Sedgmen, who raced to the first 5-1 of the day in Heat 5 leaving World No.5 Jack Holder trailing, and then Kurtz made it around Pickering on the opening lap of Heat 6 with Thomson supplying third place to level the scores.
The next three races were shared with a dramatic Heat 8 seeing Thomson pass Killeen for the win after the visiting duo had nearly collided on the opening lap, whilst Etheridge was a faller on the second bend in Heat 9.
Aces finally hit the front with a 4-2 in Heat 10 even though Chris Holder managed to split Kurtz and Thomson on the opening lap, and the advantage extended to four points as guest Jaimon Lidsey defeated Jack Holder in Heat 11 whilst a cracking scrap for third place was resolved in favour of Tate Zischke over Anders Rowe.
Etheridge was rightly disqualified from Heat 12 after a hectic start to lap two saw him run into Sedgmen, but the impressive Chris Holder took charge of the re-run to keep the Tigers in with a chance.
Heat 13 was always going to be a big one and it went the Aces’ way thanks to fast starts from Kurtz and Lidsey, and although Pickering briefly split the pair into bend three, Kurtz flew back round the outside to make it a 5-1.
Tigers boss Simon Stead responded with a tactical substitute ride in Heat 14 for Chris Holder, but he was beaten by Cook with a superb turn two move, whilst Zischke provided third place as the Aces secured their win.
But there was still time for a fabulous Heat 15 with all four riders in contention and Holder rolling back the years by surging inside Kurtz heading into lap two to leave the final margin at ten points.
The Aces always expected a Sheffield backlash in South Yorkshire, but after the shock of conceding an opening race 5-1 to Jack Holder and Rowe, they kept their hosts very much in check.
Cook was the visitors’ first winner in Heat 3, a race which saw them hold a 5-1 position until first Leon Flint and then Chris Holder overhauled Sedgmen, whilst Kurtz took the flag in Heat 5.
Belle Vue moved six points ahead with a fine ride by Pickering to pass Cook in Heat 7, but Thomson led an Aces 4-2 in Heat 8 as Cairns rounded home guest Freddy Hodder into turn three for third place.
A 4-2 from Leon Flint and Chris Holder in Heat 9 put the Aces six down once again, and an immediate tactical substitute outing for Kurtz didn’t quite have the desired effect as he was left with little room by Jack Holder, before both Kurtz and Cook surged inside Rowe to at least protect a 3-3.
Kurtz did defeat Pickering in Heat 11 with Thomson third, and with the scores at 35-31 the Aces were still very much in contention for the aggregate point at least.
However, the meeting slipped away in the closing stages with Etheridge and Chris Holder getting the best of the early stages of Heat 12 for a 5-1, and that result was matched by Jack Holder and Pickering in the next as they also built a lead in the early stages.
Cook and Flint had a fine battle on the first lap of Heat 14 with Cook just making it around the outside, and that meant the Aces needed a 5-1 in Heat 15 to level the aggregate scores.
But it was the Tigers fans who were celebrating, as Kurtz’s early lead was reeled in by Jack Holder who charged through at the end of lap one, with Pickering following him through two laps later as Sheffield confirmed the extra point.
However, the crucial aspect of the day was that the Aces had put points on the board despite their depleted situation, no mean feat in itself against a Tigers side who started the day at full-strength.
Manager Mark Lemon said: “I thought it was a tenacious performance, and the guests came in and fitted in nicely.
“We were pretty happy with the ten-point victory at home considering we were six points down early on. We made some changes, the boys got dialled in and it was a good result.
“We know what Jaimon is capable of around the National Speedway Stadium, and he just came back and fitted in like a glove, which I expected, and Kye has been probably the rider of the Premiership so far this season – his average is pretty false in a sense.
“I’m not going to lie, Dan’s injury has left a real dampener and it’s hard to pick yourself up from that, let alone what Dan’s thinking.
“To lose a guy of his calibre, in his prime and riding on the crest of a wave and looking like a real candidate for a potential World Championship, and to take him out of the Belle Vue team is absolutely devastating and we’re all thinking of him, and we just pray it can be a fast recovery.”
BELLE VUE 50: Jaimon Lidsey 10+2, Brady Kurtz 10+1, Zach Cook 10, Kye Thomson 8, Tate Zischke 8, Justin Sedgmen 4+3, Will Cairns 0.
SHEFFIELD 40: Chris Holder 16, Josh Pickering 9, Jack Holder 4+1, Luke Killeen 4, Anders Rowe 3+1, Jye Etheridge 3, Leon Flint 1.
SHEFFIELD 54: Jack Holder 14+1, Josh Pickering 12+2, Leon Flint 9+1, Jye Etheridge 8, Chris Holder 6+2, Anders Rowe 5, Freddy Hodder 0.
BELLE VUE 36: Zach Cook 9+1, Brady Kurtz 8, Niels-Kristian Iversen 6+1, Kye Thomson 5, Tate Zischke 4+1, William Cairns 4+1, Justin Sedgmen 0.
The ATPI Aces now take a break from action with all eyes turning to the FIM Grand Prix of Manchester on the weekend of June 5/6.
Their next meeting as a team is at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday June 15 when they face Leicester.
*NORICK Blodorn missed out on a place in the Grand Prix Challenge as he finished two places adrift of the mark required at his Qualifier in Abensberg on Monday.
Blodorn scored nine points, and would have required two more to be involved in a run-off for the final qualifying positions from a meeting won by former Wolverhampton and Leicester rider Luke Becker.