REPORT: Track record beaten twice, as Spires demolish Aces

OXS Oxford Spires smashed the 50-point barrier for the first time this season, with a 53-37 victory over Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership at Oxford Stadium last night (Thursday).

The result consolidates fourth place in the Premiership table for Spires, as they remain four points ahead of Leicester in the final play-off qualifying position. The victory also took takes Spires to just a single point behind third-placed Belle Vue. The two sides will meet again in Manchester on Monday evening.

After a glorious day, track staff put plenty of water down to combat the hot weather and keep the dust down. Conditions were tricky in the opening three races as a result, necessitating a couple of early track grades, but the track then settled down and produced some terrific racing.

Spires’ skipper Chris Harris regained his track record when he set a time of 57.34 seconds in Heat 4. But he lost it again two heats later in Heat 6, when Great Britain star Dan Bewley lowered the time further to 57.12 seconds.

Since Troy Batchelor set the initial track record in the opening race of the comeback season at Cowley in 2022, the track record had only been broken twice – by Harris last September and by Chris Holder earlier this month on July 1. Last night saw the track record tumble twice in a single evening!

Spires put in a rock solid performance, and Belle Vue did not take a single heat advantage all night, with Rohan Tungate and Harris leading the charge with 12+1 apiece, while Maciej Janowski (9+1) and Erik Riss (8+3) also collected double figures.

Oxford took the lead after Chares Wright won a battle with Ben Cook for second place to join Janowski in Heat 3.

There were two very close finishes – when Riss flew around Antti Vuolas at the end of Heat 2 to win the race, and in Heat 6, when Drew Kemp stole third from Vuolas with a similar move.

Spires moved six points ahead with a 4-2 in Heat 8, after Kemp charged around Norick Blodorn and Ashton Boughen fended off Jake Mulford for third place.

Aces’ team manager Mark Lemon placed Brady Kurtz into Heat 9 as a tactical substitute alongside Bewley. Bewley won the race, but Janowski and Wright shut off a determined effort from Kurtz to ensure a 3-3.

Harris and Riss took a 4-2 in Heat 11 to extend the lead to eight points, while victory was in sight when Janowski and Riss went either side of Vuolas in Heat 12 for a 5-1.

Spires clinched the meeting with a 5-1 from Rohan Tungate and Harris in Heat 13, after a brilliant surge from Harris on the fourth turn to move past Bewley and Kurtz.

Belle Vue looked to reduce the deficit in Heat 15, as Bewley worked his way to join Ben Cook at the front. But both Tungate and Harris picked off Cook to ensure Oxford didn’t concede a single heat-advantage all night and that they have a 16 point lead to take up to Manchester in terms of the aggregate bonus point.

Spires’ skipper Chris Harris said: “Belle Vue have got a decent side, so it was a good team performance for us to beat them by sixteen points.

“The track was a bit patchy and heavy to begin with. I don’t mind that sort of track, but some of the other riders don’t like it so much. After the track work, we had some good, close racing. It was fun tonight. As the track developed it had different racing lines and we sent the fans home happy.

“It was nice to get the track record back, if only for a couple of races. If you’re going to lose the track record, it may as well be to someone like Dan Bewley, because he’s a World Class rider. I’ll try to get it back next time!

“We’re in a good position for the aggregate bonus point, but we’re not going to Belle Vue on Monday to just pick up the bonus point, we want to go there and get the win.

“Our confidence as a team is building at the right point of the season and we just want to keep it going.”

The next action at Oxford Stadium is next Wednesday (July 24), when the Monarch Oxford Cheetahs entertain the Berwick Bandits in the Cab Direct Championship. Tickets are already on sale at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

OXS Oxford Spires 53: Rohan Tungate 12+1, Drew Kemp 4+1, Maciej Janowski 9+1, Charles Wright 7+2, Chris Harris 12+1, Erik Riss 8+3, Ashton Boughen 1.

Belle Vue Aces 37: Brady Kurtz 6+1, Norick Blodorn 4, Jaimon Lidsey 5+1, Ben Cook 6, Dan Bewley 12, Antti Vuolas 2, Jake Mulford 2+2.

PHOTO: Chris Harris battling with Brady Kurtz and Dan Bewley in Heat 13. He won the battle to join Rohan Tungate for a 5-1 (pic: Steve Edmunds)