BELLE Vue reach the halfway stage of their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership schedule when they make their first-ever trip to newcomers Northampton on Thursday (7.30pm).
The ATPI Aces are sitting pretty at the top of the table with 16 points from nine matches, and their five-point lead has been unaffected by results elsewhere over the last week.
The visit to Northampton International Shaleway offers them the opportunity to add to their away total, which already includes a win at King’s Lynn, and at the very least should see them bring back another aggregate point.
The Aces won the reverse fixture 53-37 at the National Speedway Stadium back in May, so 38 points on Thursday will be enough in that respect, but they will be keen for victory on the night.
Northampton have only won one of their first 13 matches in all competitions, but that does not tell the story of their season as they have been very competitive and have frequently taken matches down to last-heat deciders.
The Foxes, who include recent Belle Vue rider Jaimon Lidsey at No.1, did get some reward on Monday as they visited King’s Lynn and came away with a 45-45 draw courtesy of Niels-Kristian Iversen’s Heat 15 win over Max Fricke.
Iversen was an absentee from their early fixtures and they then suffered the loss of Zagar who broke his ankle in a crash at the NSS, but the former Aces star returned earlier this week to give them their initial starting line-up for the first time.
Belle Vue CEO Mark Lemon is forced into one change for the meeting as Rising Star Will Cairns is absent due to the first round of the SGP2 (World Under-21) series taking place in Malilla, Sweden on Friday.
Former British Under-21 Champion Sam Hagon, who is currently in good form with Championship club Glasgow, has been booked to guest.
Lemon said: “I think it’s exciting for us to go down there, it’s a fresh new track and we’re all looking forward to it.
“It’s a case of normal service for us, and our ambition remains the same. We go into the meeting with the intention of winning, and we monitor as it goes with how the team is performing on the night.
“If we can’t win then we keep it as tight as possible because we know the aggregate point is also at stake, with the home win behind us.
“Sam has found a bit of form lately and he has a good connection with us, with being a former Colts rider, and it’s nice to see him riding so well at the moment. When we knew we were missing Will, I felt he was the perfect candidate.”
If you aren’t able to make the journey to Northampton in person, you can still follow all the action via the Foxes’ live stream coverage at https://www.northamptonfoxestv.com/ .
NORTHAMPTON: Jaimon Lidsey, Kye Thomson, Matej Zagar, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Nicolai Klindt, Troy Batchelor, Luke Harrison.
BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Norick Blodorn, Peter Kildemand, Zach Cook, Jason Doyle, Tate Zischke, Sam Hagon.