ACES BOOK THEIR PLACE

BELLE Vue will contest the top-flight play-offs for the ninth time in the last ten seasons having sealed their spot with a comfortable 58-32 win over Birmingham.

Captain Brady Kurtz scored a 12-point maximum at the National Speedway Stadium as the Aces returned to winning ways in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership after a tough week on the road with defeats at Sheffield and Ipswich.

Meanwhile Dan Bewley and Jaimon Lidsey both scored 13+1 from five rides, dropping their only points to former Aces favourite Matej Zagar who supplied two of the three race wins for the visitors, whilst Keynan Rew scored 8+1.

Kurtz said: “I think it was important for all the boys to win some races and have a little bit of fun again. 

“It’s been a bit of a sad time for us. There was a smile back on everyone’s faces again in the pits. It was definitely a better atmosphere.

“We’ve never been great away. But we always try and pull something out at the end. I still believe we’ve got the team to do that, no question about it.”

Birmingham boss Chris Adams said: “Obviously it’s always disappointing to lose wherever you go.

“But Belle Vue are very strong at home, and they proved again how tough they are to beat on home shale, especially when their top three are hitting the points.

“The score doesn’t reflect how we rode, and we deserved a few more points on the board to what we got.”

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Photo credit: IAN CHARLES