However, it wasn’t the start the Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts had hoped for as they suffered a 38-49 defeat to Leicester Lion Cubs in an battle of attrition at the National Speedway Stadium.

It was a challenging afternoon after several days of heavy rain took its toll on the National Speedway Stadium was compounded by a last -minute deluge prior to tapes up.

But with credit to the riders on both sides and track staff as each team remained determined to see the meeting through and soldiered on despite a difficult start to the afternoon.

A series of stoppages in the opening heats were the result of several racers falling foul of the early track conditions, and with some remedial track work taken place the meeting continued in gritty determination from both teams.

The circuit soon settled down and produced some exciting action, with both Leicester and Belle Vue locked in battle with neither side giving an inch.

It wasn’t until the business end of the afternoon that the visiting Cubs took control and established a lead that, try as they might, was out of reach of recovery for the Cool Running Colts.

Visiting No.1 Ben Trigger, guesting for the Sam Hagon who was on Championship duty, topped the scores for Belle Vue, with debutant Chad Wirtzfeld scoring 8+2 and Matt Marson adding 6.

Wirtzfeld said: “I’m pretty happy with how things went personally. It was a difficult start and I was gutted not to win Heat 1, especially as I was leading to begin with.

“It was a learning curve because I’m not as familiar with the track as some of the other boys but things came together quite well for me because I don’t have a point of reference for this place.

“Because it was so deep, it was much more similar to the conditions I’m used to in Grass Track, which I think is what was throwing the others off, especially early on.

“But I don’t think the result reflected the effort that was put in. Everyone was doing their best and nobody was throwing in the towel. It was just one of those afternoon’s unfortunately.

“There were a few stoppages and a few crashes. Thankfully nobody got badly hurt but if we hadn’t lost as many points due to crashes it might’ve been closer, or we could’ve won.

“There’s no point thinking what could’ve been. We’ve got to learn from this one, take it on the chin and come back stronger for the next one.”

The ATPI Aces tackle the first round of their Premiership KOC Quarter final with Sheffield on Easter Monday, April 1 at the National Speedway Stadium, tapes up at 12pm.

Meeting tickets, race day programmes and south stand parking are now available to pre-book, along with race day hospitality on Easter Monday, at bellevue-speedway.com.

RESULT – BELLE VUE V LEICESTER – FRIDAY, MARCH 29 @ 1PM

Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts 38: Ben Trigger 11, Chad Wirtzfeld 8+2, Matt Marson 6, Freddy Hodder 5, Luke Muff 4, Jack Shimelt 3, Harry McGurk 1+1

Leicester Lion Cubs 49: Joe Thompson 12, Luke Crang 9+1, Jody Scott 8+1, Tom Spencer 8, Vinnie Foord 5+1, Arran Butcher 5+1, Sonny Springer 2+1

Referee Scorecard

Words by Hayley Bromley – Images courtesy of Ian Charles

The post Belle Vue Colts suffer NDL home defeat by Leicester Lion Cubs – Race Report and Scores appeared first on Speedway Hub UK.

It’s the first time since the club’s annual press day that the team has taken to the track together and are hoping to kick off their league campaign with a strong performance at home.

The new regulations governing the National Development League this season have seen the traditional Play Offs scrapped, with the team finishing top of the table declared champions.

And with an almost identical side to last year, club bosses fancy their chances and are backing the Cool Running Colts in their opening match of 2024.

Two changes, one on each side of the pits, sees both Sam Hagon for the home team and Max James for the away team missing in action due to clashes in the Championship league.

So, Belle Vue have called up Ben Trigger to deputise at No.1 for Hagon, while Leicester have snapped up the services of Jody Scott to stand in at No.5.

Team co-boss Graham Goodwin said: “We couldn’t ask for a tougher opening fixture than the Lion Cubs. They have been arguably our toughest NDL opponents in recent years.

“With no play offs this season, every fixture becomes even more vital than the last and every point is as crucial as the next. It very much is all-or-nothing if we want to make an impression.

“We always say there’s no pressure on the guys, and that’s a true this year as it always has been. We know they’re capable of doing what needs to be done, it’s not something we have to tell them.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but at the same time it will be a very exciting afternoon of racing and we hope to see a big crowd to cheer on the lads.”

The Speedway season in Manchester continues on Good Friday, March 29 when the Cool Running Colts face Leicester in their first NDL league action of the season.

The ATPI Aces, meanwhile, hope to get their league campaign underway when they visit Ipswich on Thursday, March 21 before heading home to Manchester on Easter Monday, April 1.

Meeting tickets, race day programmes and south stand parking are now available for both home meetings, along with race day hospitality on Easter Monday, at bellevue-speedway.com.

BELLE VUE V LEICESTER – FRIDAY, MARCH 29 @ 1PM [NDL]

Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts: Ben Trigger (G) 8.24, Chad Wirtzfeld 3.81, Matt Marson 5.86, Luke Muff 4.83, Freddy Hodder (C) 6.44, Jack Shimelt 3.00, Harry McGurk 3.00; TM: Steve Williams & Graham Goodwin

Leicester Lion Cubs: Joe Thompson (C) 9.08, Vinnie Foord 3.81, Tom Spencer 5.78, Arran Butcher 4.69, Jody Scott (G) 5.70, Luke Crang 3.61, Sonny Springer 3.00; TM: Dave Howard

Words by Hayley Bromley – Image by Ian Charles

The post Belle Vue Colts V Leicester Lion Cubs – The Preview appeared first on Speedway Hub UK.