Belle Vue have a tough assignment when they make the trip south to Norfolk on October 1 after slipping to a 41-49 defeat to King’s Lynn at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday night.
The Rentruck Aces were dominant in the first half of the meeting, leading by 10 points after seven races despite the late loss of Craig Cook who suffered a wrist injury in Saturday’s Grand Prix.
But the Tru Plant stars were far from deterred as their performance reflected, with Michael Palm Toft the key for the visitors, scoring 18 of their 49 points, and was a difficult man to contend with.
Returning Ace Jye Etheridge was in the thick of the action, supporting Max Fricke’s 14+1 with 9 of his own while an on-track disagreement with Thomas Jorgensen led to a clash of opinions.
Team No.3 Steve Worrall said: “Disappointed is an understatement. We went from 10 points up to 8 points down. There’s no two ways about it, we’re gutted to have let that slip away from us.
“Early doors, we were riding the track very well but as the dirt line built up it just seemed to come to King’s Lynn and they found something that we were ultimately lacking. It was a game-changer.
“But in a way it takes the pressure off us for the second leg. The weight of expectation is on their shoulders now but we’re not about to hold back. We’ve got everything to gain from next Monday.
“It only takes two 5-1s to turn the tables. They’re not as comfortable as they’d like to be. This semi-final is still fair game and we’re not giving up just because things have gotten tough.”
The fate of both teams will be sealed on October 1 when they travel to the Adrian Flux Arena for leg two, which will be run parallel to the south coast decider between Poole and Somerset.
The club will host its annual end of season celebration ‘The Maugers’ on October 20 at the National Speedway Stadium. Ticket information coming soon.
Words: Hayley Bromley,Images: Ian Charles
