Somerset v Belle Vue 23/05/18

[idh]

Teams from

Teams (from)
Somerset: - Jason Doyle (Capt); Jake Allen; Charles Wright; Jack Holder; Richard Lawson; Todd Kurtz (guest); James Shanes (guest). Team manager: Garry May
Belle Vue: - Craig Cook; Rider replacement for Steve Worrall; Dan Bewley; Rohan Tungate; Max Fricke (Capt); Jye Etheridge; Damian Drozdz. Team manager: Mark Lemon

Rebels Web Site

[Najjer]

Wilson-Dean missing is a big blow, he's been in great form at the OTA this season.

Let's hope for an 8 point win and a decent track from heat 1 and not heat 9 this week!

[Ghosty]

Has there been any reports reference track work/ new shale/ new clay!  Current speedway bikes & riders only seem to be able to handle/ride a slick track, might be better to lay concrete?

[Aces51]

Hopefully, a close and enjoyable meeting. Somerset not as strong because of the absence of the reserves but Drozdz has never seen the track and I'm not sure that Etheridge has either. I will be surprised if we can gain an advantage from Somerset's weakness but Tungate will have a point to prove and Cook, Fricke and Bewley could do well. A point is certainly possible.

[waytogo28]

1 hour ago, Ghosty said:

Has there been any reports reference track work/ new shale/ new clay!  Current speedway bikes & riders only seem to be able to handle/ride a slick track, might be better to lay concrete?

Don't suggest laying concrete, that is what speedway in Japan consists of and you get 2 heats in an hour, or very occasionally 3. Meetings literally take all day but it's less than 50p to get in. All down to the queues at the bookies which is where the money is made ( or lost ).

[Grachan]

9 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

Don't suggest laying concrete, that is what speedway in Japan consists of and you get 2 heats in an hour, or very occasionally 3. Meetings literally take all day but it's less than 50p to get in. All down to the queues at the bookies which is where the money is made ( or lost ).

The reason you get two or three races in an hour isn't because of the concrete track. It's because it is run in the same way as horse racing.

[Cliffeboy]

Tough on the Rebs losing BWD as well now for the visit of the Aces. Kurtz is a good shout as a stand in and knows the track well, while Shanes always gives100%. Still waiting for a stand out performance from the skipper, Rebs still not quite on it at the moment, as soon as they all click we should be comfy at home. For the Aces it depends which Rohan turns up, if he is on it things could get tasty. Cookie may have an eye on Saturday. Rebels should get over the line but the Aces have the personnel to grab a point.

[bellevueace]

I can see a comfy home win, I just don't think the Aces are going to be anywhere near as productive on the road as we have been the past couple of seasons, would settle for a point but not convinced we will manage that.

Edited May 22, 2018 by bellevueace

[mikec]

No massive expectations for tomorrow night from an Aces point of view unfortunately. Could do with Tungate carrying his speed from Monday into this one, great to watch, especially heat 15 v Iversen and Lambert.

Not expecting much from reserve, don't remember Bewley scoring too big here either. Sorry to be a tad negative, prediction 52-38 Rebels. Will be delighted to be proved wrong though. 

[RebelDan]

The Rebels are significantly under strength for this one - if Tungate and one of the BV reserves fire this could be a v close meeting.

[Spiderman1]

rebels by 10 + ,reserves fine ,kurtz will go well, heat 6  'battle of the ausies' ,as said before ,this team will take some beating at home in '18 

[ellioth4]

Is there anyone going to this meeting who would be able to text updates to the Updates site? If so, could you please send me a private message which includes your mobile number.

Thanks

[Ovalman]

Was sat chatting to Doyley at Reading services earlier, on his way from Norfolk to Zummerrzet. Said he much prefers riding for the Rebs rather than the Robs. Friendly guy, but ard as nails

[colin wood]

Good point for the Aces and Cook back on form.Doyle would pick this match to hit top form!

[Najjer]

Most importantly, the track was back in great nick tonight. Some great races, even if there wasn't loads of passing. Heat 15 a classic with all 4 riders within a fag paper of each other with the only pass coming from the ultra quick Jack Holder. It makes it much more fun when he misses the gate as he's really sussing the OTA now and making some cracking passes.

Doyle back to form with a great 15 point maximum. Far from vintage though as he flew from the gate in every race but lacked speed after that and had them queueing up behind him. A mammoth well needed score never the less! Rebels missed Wilson-Dean and Jepperson so a good victory dug out the bag.

For the Aces Cook gated well but had no answer to Doyle. Tungate and Fricke mixed it whilst Etheridge and Bewley both impressed. The Pole however was embarrassing and couldn't get round the track to save his life. I dread to think what he will be like at Wolves or Rye House with the tighter turns!!

In other news, what a race in heat 9.... race of the season so far with Holder diving under Fricke and Wright roaring around him on the final turn. Great stuff!

[EnglishRoundabout]

A healthy crowd turned up for this meeting on a balmy summers evening at the OTA. Not often can one have a totally comfortable evening there as there is usually a breeze or two either whistling in from the nearby sea or from across the levels and the M5. 

In the past the weather has played havoc with Craig Cooks’s Recent performances at the OTA. Too wet, or even too windy, he has cut a miserable figure. Tonight however, he changed that with a classy performance. Looking out for his team mates where possible and although chasing Jason Doyle hard for all 3 of his races against the World Champion, he could not make an impression, despite looking far quicker than him. Cookie probably did sneak a roller or two, but was great entertainment.  

Doyle was impervious. He surely created his own groove around the track as not once did he leave the inside line. He simply blasted from the gate, hit the front and stayed there for all of his five races. 

As Najjer stated, curiously, he certainly didn’t look as fast as Cook or arguably Fricke. In heat 6, both Fricke and Etheridge caught and almost passed the world champ. At one stage, both were almost queuing to pass him, but it appeared his track craft and knowledge kept him in front. 

A classic heat 9 that saw a pumped up Charles Wright come from last to second which culminated in a superb last bend pass on Fricke, Wrighty then completed a celebratory fist pumping lap. 

Heat 15 was even better. Doyle once again hit the front with an electrifying start and once again seemed to almost hold up the following pack who all snapped at his heels throughout. Holder, who really does look like the signing of the season, not for the first time missed the gate by a country mile, but chased down Fricke before executing a lovely inside pass. 

A note of credit for young Bewley who really looks like a find.  His development this season has been amazing and he once again looked the part with two fine wins.  Aces fans will be disappointed in the performance of Drodz, whose future with the Manchester club must now be in real danger  

Finally, a pat on the pack for the Somerset management who ensured the resurrection of the old track!  Thankfully, we saw the familiar terrific racing, rather than the processional stuff served up for the first 5 heats or so in recent weeks.  The track looked in excellent shape and back where it should be as one of Britain’s best racing circuits. .

 

 

 

[Cliffeboy]

Great report as usual ER, I asked for a top performance from the skipper and it looks like he delivered. Well done him and the rest of the lads. 

[bellevueace]

I wasn't expecting a point so am happy with that but getting so close to the win is frustrating, I always felt we would be a 6 man team on the road with Drozdz struggling, dosent bode well for visits to Wolves and Rye.

[idh]

Photo's from last night

Somerset v Belle Vue Photo's

Slideshow

Somerset v Belle Vue Slideshow

Edited May 24, 2018 by idh

[ouch]

Another frustrating night for Aces fans as we saw more points squandered due to our inability to adequately cover for our injured skipper. 

 

This was the most entertaining of the away meeting I’ve seen this year but I feared the worst after a very uneventful eight heats. 

 

The inside line was extremely strong but this led to some interesting riding as riders queued up on the line. Some tremendous skill was shown whilst they tried to avoid the guy in front at the same time as keeping in contact with the white line. Max appeared to have breaks fitted. This parking of the bike did leave you occasionally vulnerable to an outside past though these were few and far between. 

 

Jason showed his experience by setting his bike up to get of the start and then sticking to the white line as he knew it was safe. 

 

Another enjoyable visit to the Oaktree Arena on a lovely evening for speedway. Glad we got a point but the feeling remains that all these dropped points will see a play off spot just out of reach come the end of the qualifiers.