ACES HEAD TO BIRMINGHAM

THE Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces head to Birmingham’s Perry Barr Stadium on Monday, July 29 for what could be a crucial encounter with the Brummies. 

A difficult clash against Leicester last week was one of the rare occasions that the 2022 Premiership Champions failed to collect the aggregate bonus point. 

But they managed to maintain their position in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership rankings, currently sitting third behind Sheffield and only 7 points adrift of leaders Ipswich. 

The Mancunians will be without club stalwart Dan Bewley for this match, after a heavy crash against the Lions ruled him out for a mandatory period after he picked up a concussion. 

The team will therefore operate Rider Replacement at No.3, with all of Bewley’s team mates eligible to take his programmed rides. 

Team boss Mark Lemon said: “It was a pretty hard knock that Dan took last week and this meeting was always going to be a big “if” for him, and it’s not ideal being without one of your top riders. 

“This is a crucial point in our season. We have just seven meetings left to consolidate our place in the 2024 play offs and you can feel the tension is building. 

“Birmingham may be well outside of contention at the moment, so in a sense they have nothing to lose and we must treat them with caution. 

“They are, after all, a different team to the one we’ve previously met. With Freddie Lindgren leading the way and other very capable riders at their disposal, they aren’t to be underestimated. 

“But we have proven time and again that we can win matches without some of our key riders and this is just one more test for us on the road to the play offs, and we’re ready to embrace it.” 

Birmingham ‘Curtis Sport’ Brummies: Fredrik Lindgren 8.00, Michael Palm Toft 4.65, Wiktor Lampert 5.08, Zach Cook, Tom Brennan 6.50, Piotr Pawlicki 4.48, Leon Flint RS; TM: Sam Ermolenko 

Belle Vue ‘ATPI’ Aces: Brady Kurtz (C) 8.87, Norick Blodorn 5.20, Jaimon Lidsey 7.58, Ben Cook 6.57, Dan Bewley 8.13, Antti Vuolas (G) 4.57, Jake Mulford (G) RS; TM: Mark Lemon

Photo credit: Ian Charles