Ipswich Witches 52 Belle Vue Aces 38
Ipswich Withes got their Premiership season up and running with a thumping win over Belle Vue Aces at Foxhall Stadium tonight.
The Suffolk side were in irrestible form, in front of a large home crowd, and up against an Aces team tipped as one of the favourites for the title.
Despite conceding a 1-5 in the first race, the home side hit back - and in style.
By heat five they were eight up and the maximums just kept on coming for the home side.
Cameron Heeps led the way for the home side from reserve, winning three races in thrilling fashion. But this was a complete Witches performance, despite them being without No.1 Chris Harris, who was injured.
The crowd lapped it up and the Witches showed they could go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the country.
It was sensational stuff from the home side with some cracking racing on a super Foxhall circuit.
The Aces streaked from the inside gates in the opening heat to lay down a real marker, both Steve Worrall and Max Fricke looking impressive.
But the Witches hit straight back with a maximum of their own, Heeps and Jake Allen leaving the Aces in their tyre-tracks. The Witches were at it again in the next, Krystian Pieszczek belting out of gate two and Richard Lawson joining him as Ricky Wells got out of shape going into bend one.
The Witches had hit back impressively.
Heat four was a cracker. Danny King flew around the outside of Allen, who was on one wheel down the backstraight. But Aces No.5 Kenneth Bjerre had loads of speed and dived past Allen before going after King, who he just couldn’t catch on the line.
Lawson rode a great race to hold off Fricke as Pieszczek passed Worrall as the Witches took their lead to eight.
The home crowd were loving this.
Bjerre won the next but there was no stopping the Witches who gated to another 5-1, their third in seven heats, with Heeps and King heading the way. Worrall was the next to win a heat for the Aces, but they were having too many last places and the Witches were 12 up with seven heats to go. Bjerre and both Witches were side by side into turns one and two in heat nine before the Aces man won his second race of the night.
Heeps has had a terrific start to the season and he replaced David Bellego in heat 10, gating with partner Rory Schlein as the Witches lead increased to 16.
If heat four was a cracker, heat 11 was sensational, as Fricke and Heeps battled for second place behind Worrall for four pulsating laps, the young Witches Aussie getting it on the line. Ipswich were almost home.
Bjerre was out on a tactical ride in heat 12 and he won well, but again the Aces couldn’t get another heat advantage. It was all over in the next as Bjerre again showed his class, but the Witches filled the minor placings and the meeting was won.
The last race was another corker with the impressive Lawson holding off all Bjerre’s attentions for four thrilling laps.
The Foxhall fans went home more than happy after a terrific night’s entertainment.
Scorers
Ipswich: R Schlein 6+1, D Bellego 4+1, R Lawson 11+2, K Pieszczek 8, D King 6+2, C Heeps 12+1, J Allen 5+3
Belle Vue: M Fricke 6, S Worrall 9+2, D Bewley 0, R Wells 6, K Bjerre 16, D Berge 1, J Lidsey 0.
Heat details
1 Fricke, Worrall, Bellego, Schlein 56.0 1-5
2 Heeps, Allen, Berge, Lidsey 56.2 6-6
3 Pieszczek, Lawson, Wells, Bewley 57.1 11-7
4 King, Bjerre, Allen, Lidsey 57.8 15-9
5 Lawson, Fricke, Pieszczek, Worrall 57.3 19-11
6 Bjerre, Schlein, Bellego, Berge 56.0 22-14
7 Heeps, King, Wells, Bewley 56.1 27-15
8 Worrall, Bellego, Allen, Lidsey 57.2 30-18
9 Bjerre, Pieszczek, Lawson, Berge 56.1 33-21
10 Heeps, Schlein, Wells, Bewley 57.2 38-22
11 Worrall Heeps, Fricke, King 57.0 40-26
12 Bjerre*, Lawson, Heeps, Berge 56.3 43-29
13 Bjerre, Schlein, King, Fricke 56.8 46-32
14 Wells, Pieszczek, Allen, Lidsey 57.9 49-35
15 Lawson, Bjerre, Worrall, Heeps 57.2 52-38
*tac ride points count double
Ipswich 3 pts. Belle Vue 0 pts.
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