Opening night a fright for Aces

FALSE START: Riders take to the track at the National Speedway Stadium opening night before racing was abandoned. PICTURE: GRAEME VINE.

BELLE Vue Aces’ opening night of the new £7million National Speedway Stadium ended before it had begun - when 16 of the world’s top riders refused to ride, claiming the track was unfit for racing.

The ceremonial cutting of the tape by the Lord Mayor of Manchester was followed by a handful of practice laps before the riders delivered their verdict behind closed doors with Aces bosses Chris Morton and David Gordon.

The news was met by boos from the capacity crowd of 5,000, some of whom had travelled a long distance - even Glasgow and Plymouth.

“This is a disaster,” Morton announced to the crowd. “This is the last thing we wanted to happen. Everyone at the club has worked so hard to get to this moment.”

In a later statement, the club acknowledged it understood the frustration and disappointment of fans.

The night was disappointing for Morton and Gordon, who first started work on the new stadium nine years ago.

All thoughts at Belle Vue are now trained towards getting the track fit for the Elite League season opener against Wolverhampton, scheduled for a 1pm start on Good Friday.

Aces are looking to build on last season’s near miss when they fell just short, losing the play-off final by two points over two legs to Poole Pirates.