BELLE VUE hero Dan Bewley insists the “job is not finished” after his team took an 18-point lead over Leicester.
The ATPI Aces beat Leicester 54-36 in the first leg of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership first leg at the National Speedway Stadium.
It was Belle Vue’s first Grand Final since becoming champions back in 2022, and it placed them well for their final meeting against the Lions on Thursday at Leicester.
Bewley delivered an incredible 15-point maximum for the Aces who had a strong finish to the meeting after initially having only an eight-point lead with only three races remaining.
Bewley said: “It was a good night for me but more importantly, a good night for the boys. But the job’s not finished yet.
“We go again in a couple of days at Leicester and that’s a big one.
“They’re good at their place just as we are here, and they kept us honest for a time.
“The track was really good, it’s just a shame the rain came when it did, but we knew we’d have to make it work.
“Brady (Kurtz) and myself had a plan ahead of Heat 15. We knew what lines we wanted and we made it work.
“We take 18 points into the next leg. Hopefully it’s enough, but we’ll see what we can do.”
Kurtz scored an impressive 10+2 points with Jaimon Lidsey following closely behind with 10+1, and Niels Kristian Iversen made a strong guest appearance scoring 8+1 points.
Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “It’s been a difficult night for us but we’re not throwing the towel in, I can assure you. We’ll give it a go on Thursday and we’ll see what happens.
“We need to come out all guns blazing there, and after six or seven races we’ll know if we’re in with a chance.”
The teams will next face each other at Pidcock Motorcycles Arena on Thursday for the Grand Final decider of the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Words by Freya Taylor.
Images by Taylor Lanning.