Photo: Ian Charles Belle Vue's Max Fricke (Red) leads Charles Wright (White) and Jack Holder (Yellow/Black) Belle Vue Aces v Somerset Rebels, British Speedway Premiership, Belle Vue National Speedway Stadium, Manchester, Monday 30 April 2018

Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon was ecstatic in the wake of his sides’ vital 42-48 victory over Somerset on Wednesday, with three vital points pushing them right back into Play Off contention.

The Rebels took early command of proceedings with a 5-1 to open, but a rapid Rentruck Aces response meant it was short-lived and the tables soon turned in the favour of the visiting team.

And it was a crucial 5-1 in Heat 5 courtesy of Craig Cook and Steve Worrall that was the catalyst to the comeback, putting Belle Vue two points ahead and in control for the remainder of the night.

Dimitri Bergé really flexed his Premiership potential with 8 big points to his name in only his second Rentruck Aces appearance while Cook, despite a tapes infringement, top scored with 11.

Aces supremo Mark Lemon said: “It couldn’t have been a better turnaround after Monday. There was a lot of pressure on the boys to deliver, and what can I say? They rose to the challenge.

“I’ve always said this team, on paper, is more than capable of winning away so in that respect, the result doesn’t surprise me. It’s a competitive league and we’ve thrown ourselves a lifeline.

“But for a couple of pieces of bad luck, with Craig touching the tapes and Rohan packing up in Heat 15, we could’ve gone further. But we did what we came to do and it was a brilliant result.”

Belle Vue’s victory at the Oaktree Arena has sent a clear message to their rivals that they’re not going down without a fight, and next on their radar are the Swindon Robins on August 16.

Another big result could see them leapfrog Wolverhampton and onto the cusp of the top four, and with their confidence boosted after their win, they’re ready to pile the pressure on their rivals.

But they travel to the Abbey Stadium without top man Craig Cook and flying reserve Mark Riss due to their prior Championship commitments. Brady Kurtz and Theo Pjiper guest respectively.

Lemon said: “Winning at Somerset was just what we needed after such a disappointing night on Monday. The boys are really pumped up and there’s nothing to stop them from going all-out.

“We’ve had some very strong performances at Swindon before now, and even though both Craig and Mark will be missing I’m more than confident that Brady and Theo will do a good job for us.

“There’s still work to be done for us to get into the top four, but it’s not impossible and the fat lady isn’t singing yet. We have to stay cool and focus on our game plan to get the result we want.”

There’s a score to be settled with the Leicester Lions on Monday, August 20 when they make the trip to the National Speedway Stadium to face off against the Rentruck Aces in the Premiership.

Words: Hayley Bromley,Images: Ian Charles

Tickets are now available online at www.bellevueaces.co and at the atadium box office on race night.

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