FRESH from their victory at Ipswich, the Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces are looking to extend their success on the road when they visit the Peterborough Panthers on Monday, April 17.
It was a much-needed win for the reigning Premiership Champions at Foxhall, after a poor start to 2023, and now they have strong appetite for more of the same at the East of England Arena.
A history of favourable results, coupled with a renewed sense of confidence, has raised belief amongst the ATPI Aces that a win could well be on the cards at Peterborough’s Alwalton circuit.
And the Crendon Panthers will have their work cut out after the sudden resignation of No.1 rider Nicki Pedersen following a crash in his first appearance for the club earlier this month.
With Rider Replacement in operation for Peterborough to cover his rides, Belle Vue spearhead Dan Bewley says his team must capitalise on this opportunity.
He said: “It’s been a busy few weeks for us but that result at Ipswich has definitely reinvigorated the boys and we’re feeling confident going to Peterborough.
“But even without Nicki Pedersen they’ve got some very strong riders in their team, and one man certainly doesn’t make a team so we will be showing them the proper respect in that way.
“Peterborough is a track that I enjoy riding and a lot of the boys have a had good meetings there before, but that has no impact on the here and now.
“The form we found at Ipswich is what we need to be building on and carrying into all our meetings if we want to have a chance at retaining the Premiership title.
“We fully expect the Peterborough boys to give us a hard time, and rightly so because I’m sure they, like us, will also have a point to prove so I think it’ll be a close one.”
The ATPI Aces continue their Premiership pursuits later this week with a visit to top flight newcomers Leicester on Thursday, April 20.
They then resume their title defence at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday, April 24 with the reciprocating fixture against the Peterborough Panthers.
Meeting tickets, race day hospitality and south stand parking are now available to pre-book at bellevue-speedway.com.
PETERBOROUGH V BELLE VUE – MONDAY, APRIL 17 @ 7:30PM
Peterborough ‘Crendon’ Panthers: Nicki Pedersen 8.61 R/R, Hans Andersen 4.93, Richie Worrall 6.15, Benjamin Basso 6.81, Niels-Kristian Iversen 7.17, Ben Cook 4.06, Jordan Jenkins (RS); TM: Rob Lyon.
Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces: Dan Bewley 8.95, Norick Blodorn 5.33, Tom Brennan 5.74, Charles Wright 6.55, Brady Kurtz (C) 8.22, Jaimon Lidsey 5.16, Jake Mulford (RS); TM: Mark Lemon
Image: Eddie Garvey