Pirates hit back for share of spoils

A PROMISING start for the Belle Vue Aces ended in a 45-45 draw after the visiting Poole Pirates came to life and destroyed the home team’s 16-point advantage.

The Rentruck Aces were piling in the heat wins early on, with a 5-1 to start things off in Heat 1, complemented by a series of strong performances that gave them a comfortable lead.

But the Pirates got their second wind at the mid-way point, with two consecutive 5-1s swinging their way in Heats 9 and 10 – and all but cutting Belle Vue’s advantage in half.

They battled hard to keep their opponents at bay, holding them to three drawn heats and maintaining an eight-point gap with two races to go, until Poole unleashed their secret weapon – Brady Kurtz.

The in-form Aussie inspired his side to two final 5-1s to bring the meeting level after Heat 15, dashing the Rentruck Aces’ hopes of a maximum haul and an overall win on the day.

Team captain Max Fricke said: “It was quite a surprise to us all that it came down to a last heat decider.

“Fair play to Poole, they’re a strong team but for us, it was extremely frustrating to let that lead slip because we didn’t want anything less than a win.”

The Rentruck Aces are at Peterborough on Thursday before Race Off 2 of the Speedway of Nations, at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium, next weekend, May 11.

Then, triple British U21 champion Robert Lambert and his King’s Lynn Stars make their way to the NSS on Thursday, May 16.