Kenneth’s off to the perfect start at Aces
NEW Aces signing Kenneth Bjerre roared to victory in Belle Vue’s season opener, The Peter Craven Memorial, taking the chequered flag ahead of former GP rider Troy Batchelor and World No.9 Matej Žagar.
The event, the first under the control of the club’s new management, was hailed a triumph and declared to the sport that Belle Vue is open for business.
The Aces star rode an almost perfect season opener, dropping one point all evening in his first outing before going on to bag an unequalled 14 points from his first five rides in Manchester.
His fellow Aces also enjoyed a fantastic first night on home turf with Justin Sedgmen finishing with six points, while club No.1 Max Fricke just missed out on qualification for the final after collecting 11.
With a crowd in excess of 1,700 cheering him on, Bjerre was delighted to secure his place among the many legends, such as Ivan Mauger, to have lifted the coveted Peter Craven Memorial trophy.
The 32-year old admitted his determination to impress on his home debut. He said: “I did feel a bit of pressure going into this match, especially with it being my new home track. But so far the season has been good to me. I’ve had two other good meetings.
“I was really looking forward to the Peter Craven Memorial. I have fond memories of riding for this club. I remember the times I was riding with the likes of Jason [Crump] and Steady [Simon Stead].
“To win on the night was amazing! The track was fantastic and the fans’ reception was brilliant. I can’t wait to get our league season started next week. I have a good feeling about this year.”