Aces hoping to step up a gear

BELLE Vue Aces are reflecting on a speedway season which saw them retain their Elite League status by the skin of their teeth.

Boss Chris Morton was always viewing the latest campaign with one eye on the future, but bottom place was certainly not part of the plan and Aces had to defeat Edinburgh Monarchs in a relegation ride-off to secure their place in the top flight.

Strong home form is essential and 18 points over the season was simply not good enough.

Injuries played a major part, with the Aces having to use 16 riders during the season - more than any other team apart from fellow strugglers Poole.

The loss of skipper Charlie Gjedde for half of the season and the sight of Jason Crump being struck down after the Aces had tempted him back to league racing were major disappointments.

On the positive side, there was a strong run to the semi-final of the Knock-out Cup which was ended by defeat at the hands of Coventry.

Number one Kris Kasprzak topped the averages and, despite occasional inconsistency, pulled out crucial wins when needed.

The major riding success was Patrick Hougaard. Unusually tall for a speedway rider and with a spectacular style, Hougaard – third in the World Under-21 Championship – more than lived up to his promise and the Aces are desperate to retain him for next year.

Both James Wright and Ulrich Ostergaard had their moments despite injury-disrupted seasons, and Ostergaard, stepping up from top rider in the 2008 Premier League, will benefit from his season in the Elite League.

Aces must hope to emulate Wolverhampton who, after being in the relegation play-offs in 2008, recovered to secure the Elite League title this season.

With little hope of Crump returning full time, Belle Vue will be looking for a focal point and the popular name on the Aces’ message boards is Dane Hans Anderson.