KURTZ GETS CLOSER!

BELLE Vue captain Brady Kurtz will head into Monday’s televised ROWE Motor Oil Premiership clash with Ipswich just three points off the World Championship lead.

The in-form Aces star is chasing down defending champion Bartosz Zmarzlik in the Grand Prix series and his victory in Riga on Saturday made a significant dent in his title rival’s advantage.

Kurtz became the first rider in nearly four years, and only the seventh in history, to complete a hat-trick of three successive GP wins, with a big bonus coming from the fact that Zmarzlik was relegated to last place in the Final, meaning a six-point gain overall for the Australian.

Said Kurtz: “Three in a row is pretty crazy really. It was a tough night. It started off terribly, but we got the bike working and I started making really good starts, which was super important. I made two good starts at the end.

“I didn’t really know which gate to choose for the last-chance race. I went with gate one and no-one else really seemed to want gate one. I am not sure why.

“I made it work and it was nice to hit the front. I was actually really happy to make the Final. After the way the night started, I was super happy just to be in the Final. To make another start then and win it was cool.”

Meanwhile Kurtz’s Belle Vue team-mate Dan Bewley now trails Fredrik Lindgren by nine points in the race for bronze after the Swede finished second in Riga. There are two rounds remaining in the series.