BELLE Vue will take a 12-point lead into Thursday’s Premiership Grand Final decider after triumphing 51-39 over local rivals Sheffield at the National Speedway Stadium.
A bumper crowd descended on Manchester to witness the ATPI Aces take the lead in their War of the Roses finale, on a night that was full of excitement, thrills and spills.
Tension was palpable as both sides took to the track for Heat 1, with the two sides locked in an epic two-race dead heat until the home heroes were able to establish an advantage.
But the early loss of Jye Etheridge, who got into a tangle in Heat 5 took the ATPI Aces down to just six riders, before Charles Wright also withdrew later on after a heavy fall.
The remaining five Belle Vue riders dug extra deep to cover for their injured comrades and are delighted with the advantage they now take to Owlerton on Thursday.
Captain Brady Kurtz said: “We can certainly be happy with this result. If you’d have told us ahead of time we’d be taking a 12-point lead into Thursday we’d have gladly taken that.
“We had to do it the hard way though. Being one rider down makes the job a little tougher, never mind two and of course we wish Jye and Charles all the best for a speedy recovery.
“Those last few heat advantages were absolutely crucial for us and I think this margin has really boosted our confidence going into the Owlerton leg.
“But it’ll be a fresh start on the night and we know that Sheffield will be looking to bounce back on home shale, and we fully expect them to put up a tough fight.
“We need to learn from past mistakes we’ve made at Sheffield if we want to win that title. We want this so badly, we’ve worked all season long to be here, and now it all comes down to one night.”
The ATPI Aces travel to Sheffield on Thursday, October 13 for the deciding leg of their Premiership Grand Final against the TruPlant Tigers.
And the final meeting of the 2022 season in Manchester comes to the National Speedway Stadium on October 27 for the finale of the Premiership Pairs.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes and south stand parking are now available to reserve online at bellevue-speedway.com.
