Belle Vue Aces Poole Pirates

The Poole No.1 Carpet Cleaning Pirates had an early wake-up call in this Bank Holiday SGB Premiership fixture at the National Speedway Stadium, in more ways than one.

Trailing to two opening 5-1 heat reversals and just one race winner from the first eight heats, it was just before 1pm when the Pirates decided to come out from their slumber to reel in a 16 -point deficit and secure a draw for their sixth league point of the season.

Brady Kurtz, assured of a busy day having been booked as cover for the injured Jason Doyle in the evening televised fixture at Swindon, was hugely instrumental in the Pirates' recovery appearing in each of the final three heats, two of which he helped Poole secure vital 5-1s from.

Having been that only race winner in the first half of the meeting, Kurtz almost wiped out his team-mate Nico Covatti in heat nine as the Argentinian was running a wider line than even the young Aussie had ventured into. But avoiding any collision, Covatti kept his nerve as he set the pace out front. Kurtz then had to be mindful of the mounting pressure from Aces' rising star Dan Bewley to seal the first maximum heat gain of the meeting for Poole.

Nicolai Klindt and Josh Grajczonek followed suit in the very next race, the Poole skipper just getting up on Steve Worrall in time with Max Fricke uncharacterstically lingering at the rear.

Inspired by his team-mates' efforts in the two previous rides, Jack Holder then came to the party with a tapes-to-flag effort, but Richie Worrall's pressure on Dimitri Berge and Kenneth Bjerre was all in vain and Poole had to settle for the share of the heat 11 spoils.

Dan Bewley was the clear winner in heat 12, missing all the action as his partner Jaimon Lidsey tried to stave off the interests of Klindt whilst also attempting to apply pressure to Covatti, who had at one stage just headed Bewley but had no response when the youngster twisted the grip once and for all. Just as it seemed Belle Vue were about to return to collecting heat advantages, Klindt found room to inch into third place and the scores remained separated by eight points.

Holder showed good spatial awareness in heat 13 as he tried to hold things up to give Kurtz the opportunity to shrug off Bjerre, a tactic that just paid off with another drawn heat as Fricke led home.

With victory realistically beyond the Pirates' grasp, a draw was best chance Poole had but they needed two 5-1s to claim it. Kurtz came in as a tactical substitute for Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen and managed to be supported home by Grajczonek to ensure the first of those big scores was accomplished.

It was back to partnering Holder in an exhilarating final heat with Kurtz making an excellent start and Holder quickly upsides. But then Fricke began his assault and there was little to choose between the three Aussies as the race unfolded. Somehow, Holder managed to frustrate Fricke sufficiently to get Poole across the line for what, in time, could prove to be a valuable two league points.

BELLE VUE 45

M.Fricke 2',3,0,3,1=9+1
S.Worrall 3,1,3,1=8
D.Bewley 3,3,1,3,0=10
R.Wells 1,2',0,0=3+1
K.Bjerre 2,3,2,0=7
D.Berge 2',0,1',1=4+2
J.Lidsey 3,R,1,0=4
 
POOLE 45
J.Holder 0,1,3,2,2'=8+1
R.Worrall 1,0,2,0=3
N.Klindt 2,1',3,1'=7+2
J.Grajczonek 0,2,2',2'=6+2
B.Kurtz 3,2,2',1',3,3=14+2
N.Covatti 1,0,3,2=6
N.Busk-Jakobsen 0,1,0=1
 
Ht 1: S.Worrall, M.Fricke, R.Worrall, J.Holder 5-1 5-1 |60.66]
Ht 2: J.Lidsey, D.Berge, N.Covatti, N.Busk-Jakobsen 5-1 10-2 [61.09]
Ht 3: D.Bewley, N.Klindt, R.Wells, J.Grajczonek 4-2 14-4 [60.4]
Ht 4: B.Kurtz, K.Bjerre, N.Busk-Jakobsen, J.Lidsey (Rtd) 2-4 16-8 [60.34]
Ht 5: D.Bewley, R.Wells, J.Holder, R.Worrall 5-1 21-9 [61.19]
Ht 6: M.Fricke, B.Kurtz, S.Worrall, N.Covatti 4-2 25-11 [61.88]
Ht 7: K.Bjerre, J.Grajczonek, N.Klindt, D.Berge 3-3 28-14 [61.56]
Ht 8: S.Worrall, R.Worrall, J.Lidsey, N.Busk-Jakobsen 4-2 32-16 [63.47]
Ht 9: N.Covatti, B.Kurtz, D.Bewley, R.Wells 1-5 33-21 [63.56]
Ht 10: N.Klindt, J.Grajczonek, S.Worrall, M.Fricke 1-5 34-26 [62.6]
Ht 11: J.Holder, K.Bjerre, D.Berge, R.Worrall 3-3 37-29 [63.12]
Ht 12: D.Bewley, N.Covatti, N.Klindt, J.Lidsey 3-3 40-32 [62.35]
Ht 13: M.Fricke, J.Holder, B.Kurtz, K.Bjerre 3-3 43-35 [62.59]
Ht 14: B.Kurtz (TS), J.Grajczonek, D.Berge, R.Wells 1-5 44-40 [63.37]
Ht 15: B.Kurtz, J.Holder, M.Fricke, D.Bewley 1-5 45-45 [63.25]
Gates: POOLE won toss and chose gates 1&3 | BELLE VUE took gates in heat 15
Referee Graham Flint
League Points BELLE VUE 1 POOLE 2
Rider of the Night: B.Kurtz