Belle Vue will take a 24-point aggregate lead into the second leg of their Premiership KOC Quarter Final with Wolverhampton after stamping their authority on the first round in Manchester.
Temperatures soared as the riders came to the tapes but it was the visitors breaking the biggest sweat as the Rentruck Aces took control of proceedings, leading by 8 points after five heats.
With no tactical substitutes or tactical rides permitted, it boiled down to damage control for the visitors which, as time went on, because progressively more difficult for them to manage.
The home team have established an effective rhythm at the NSS which added to their overall strength such that their Wolverhampton counterparts were unable to respond in kind.
Max Fricke topped the score charts for the Rentruck Aces with 13 points from five rides while Dan Bewley followed up with 11+1 and Rohan Tungate continued his resurgence in form with 9+1.
It’s just the start team boss Mark Lemon was hoping to see from his side as they look to defend their hard-earned 2017 silverware, stating: “This was only stage one of this quarter final clash.
“I’m delighted with the performance the boys put in but this is only one half of the bigger picture. We’ve still got a job to do and I’d like to think 24 points is enough for us to finish it at Monmore.
“Conditions were far from what we’re used to this afternoon. It’s been extremely hot and everyone has put in a tremendous effort to bring home such an emphatic win against a quality team.
“Wolverhampton are a tough outfit. They’ve started the season well but are a team who haven’t always excelled at our track and I don’t think we expected to come away with such a big win.
“But we’re far from resting on our laurels. We know they are quite capable of turning things around on their home track so we need to be prepared for anything when we go down there.”
Words: Hayley Bromley,Images: Ian Charles
The Rentruck Aces welcome back reigning Premiership Champions Swindon to the National Speedway Stadium on Monday, May 14 in their first league clash of the 2018 season.
Tickets are available online now at www.bellevueaces.co and at the stadium box office on race night.
