Manchester’s Belle Vue Aces Speedway

You can't deny the quality of the National Speedway Stadium, home to some of the world's best viewing and racing facilities. Belle Vue's track and the stadium are genuinely Ace!

Date Visited
Monday 18th May 2022
Fixture
Belle Vue Aces v Wolverhampton Wolves

My alarm went off in the early morning hours, and, if I'm brutally honest, I had to fight the urge to send the phone into orbit! My common sense prevailed, battling my lazier tendencies to get up and jump in the shower. I had to get on the road early to make the trip from Newcastle to Manchester for a 12 midday start! The Good-Friday fixture was the first of a double header, with everyone heading down the M6 after racing finished to Monmore Green for the second leg later that evening!

I got myself ready and headed into the sunshine outside, only to find my bike seat was nicely watered in the early hours and needed to be dried off. Despite the early rain, it was a fresh morning. I set off towards the west and started to worry as I drew closer to Manchester, driving through a few patches of rain! I shouldn't have worried. The backdrop of glorious sunshine greeted my arrival in Manchester!

Kirkmanshulme Lane was my destination, but not the tight greyhound track that was home to the Aces for 28 years. Just 160 metres away, a brand new purpose-built speedway arena lay, the National Speedway Stadium. Many labelled it as one of the best Speedway circuits in the UK and the world. The 8-million pound circuit is now the premier UK speedway track, and few could argue with its credentials. Just check out my video on the 2021 Play-Off final to see what racing this fantastic venue can produce.

This wasn't my first visit to the Aces' new home. I stopped in earlier in the season for the terrific Peter Craven Memorial, won by Michael Palm Toft ahead of many GP standard riders like Tai Woffinden, Jason Doyle, Robert Lambert and Matej Zager. This, however, would be the first time I would sit in the Grandstand, costing an additional £2 for somewhere to park my backside! I pulled into the main car park only to be told no chance, go round to the second bend, park there and walk back. It wasn't a big problem, but something to note if you travel via bike to the stadium. Parking is tight at the stadium, so book ahead or get here earlier to prevent delays getting into the stadium by car. If you are standing at the terracing on the back-straight, I suggest you pop around the front to look at the facade before you enter. It's cool to see Speedway as the primary sport, not football or greyhounds. You get the awe that this is the country's primary speedway circuit.

I entered the turnstiles for the Grandstand towards bend 4. There's a bar with catering facilities to the left and the entrance to the Grandstand ahead of you. You walk out to view the track from the front of the stand and proceed to your pre-allocated seat. It's similar to the traditional football stands with bulkhead entrances. The track shop is located in the recess of the Grandstand on the forecourt. Great for the home straight fans put punters from the terracing can't get to it, so that sucks! I wondered why I couldn't find the shop earlier in the season!

Once you find your seat, the view from the Grandstand is spectacular! Is it worth the extra £2? Well, that depends. The view from the backstraight is good, especially if you get there early and stand at the front. However, the further back you stand, the harder it is to see the other side of the track. The riders disappear at the far corners. The Grandstand poses no such issue. You've got a good view of the entire circuit from anywhere (I tried sitting in various places before the racing and found the view was good), probably because the stand has the height advantage that the terraces do not possess. When I return to Belle Vue, I'll likely pay the extra to go in the Grandstand, seeing as I've already spent a fortune in petrol to get there!

The only dissapointment is once again, you can't really see anything in the pits. The Grandstand viewers towards bend 1 can see the access and egress but otherwise, the riders pit bays are mostly behind the grandstand.

The National Speedway Stadium's (NSS) official length is 347 metres, making it the fourth-longest track in the country, behind Isle of Wight, Berwick and Sheffield, but just ahead of Peterborough. The straights are 63% of bend size, making the shape similar to tracks like Scunthorpe, Sheffield and Peterborough. The inside curb isn't totaly straight. It's more of an oval, making it a natural speedway circuit. The riders don't often have their wheels in line, even on the straights, as they always turn.

These features aren't unique to NSS. It's the width of the circuit that sets it apart. The average width on the straights is 13.5 metres, and the bends are 14.6 metres wide. Only Scunthorpe is wider, and the Eddie Wright Raceway produces similar racing to NSS. I believe this is because the riders have lots of room to manoeuvre into the straights and don't have to fall into a single file to fit down a 10 metres straight width.

Dan Bewley set the track record in 2019 and the average race speed is 53.4 mph, making Belle Vue the third fastest behind Berwick and Sheffield.

Belle Vue Aces entertained Wolverhampton Wolves in a must-win Premiership League Cup encounter. Wolves looked the stronger outfit, primarily as the Aces side lined up quite a way of the points limit compared to the visitors. At 12 pm prompt, the riders were marched out for the pre-match parade, then Belle Vue did a beautiful tribute to Nigel Pearson, who passed away just before the Easter weekend. Once Hayley Bromley did introductions, the riders completed the pre-match laps, and Heat 1 was underway shortly after. No messing around, especially with the evening fixture to follow.

Wolverhampton opened the scoring with a 1-5 in Heat 1 to set the tone for the afternoon. Max Fricke briefly got the better of Steve Worrall but was re-passed by the tenacious Wolf. There were passes in Heat's 2 and 3 to share the spoils. Then the Aces hit back with a 5-1 after passing Leon Flint, who led initially. This would be the only time the Aces got back level as Wolverhampton hit back with a maximum of their own over the weak pairing of Jake Allen and Charles Wright. There was more super passing in Heat 6 to bring the score back within 2 points followed by shared heats in 7, 8 and 9. Belle Vue struggled with Jake Allen at 3, he's a good rider but wasn't on the same level as the rest of the field.

Wolves opened the lead up to 4 points in Heat 10, but Belle Vue pulled it back again to just 2 points in Heat 12. A further two shared heats meant we went to the last heat Decider. With the Ryan Douglas looking very fast and Sam Masters going well, it didn't look good for the Aces. Fricke didn't look very quick, and Kurtz ran a duck in Heat 13. So it proved that the Wolves pair gated and got away. Although Douglas had to work hard for the second, he fended off the Aces' challenges to hold on for the 1-5.

Wolverhampton took the spoils with a 42-48 victory and had the confidence going into the return meeting. My rider of the meeting for this one was Australian Ryan Douglas. He's been in scintillating form so far this season, winning Josh Auties' testimonial and finishing on the rostrum at Lewis Kerrs. Today proved no different as he dropped a single point to the opposition in Heat 3.

It has to be said that the racing was exceptional. Even in races that were tapes to flag, you often felt a pass was on the cards. The track dried out towards the end, so the passing settled down, but it was still spectacular to watch. The scoreline was very close as well. Although Wolves looked stronger, it wasn't a done deal as Brady Kurtz, Charles Wright, and Max Fricke are good riders, and the last three heats could have quickly gone the other way. A brief victory parade for the Wolves riders followed the racing, although the stadium was half empty by then.

I, like everyone else, would be dashing down to Wolverhampton, but first, I checked out some of the local football stadia. Manchester City's Etihad Stadium is only a mile away from Kirkamshulme lane, so I checked it out before driving across town to Old Trafford to look at Manchester United's home. After getting told off for using a camera at the Red Devil's home, I popped in KFC for some lunch, then travelled to my Hotel in Wolverhampton. I brief pit stop to freshen up, then off to Monmore for Part 2! 

Parking
It can be tricky if you get there late, I would advise arriving with plenty of time. Pre-booked parking options are available in the local school, and limited parking on-site. There is some space in the local streets. If you travel by MotorBike, you can park by the second bend entrance.

Admission
Premiership
Adults - £20 on the covered terrace, £22 for seat in Grand Stand. Grand Stand 'Premium' seats are £25.
Concessions - £17 terrace, £19 Grand Stand and £22 Grand Stand Premium. 
Junior (Under 17) - £7 Terrace (Under 12 go Free on Terracing), £8 Grandstand and £10 Grand Stand Premium.
Family Ticket (2 Adults and 2 Children), £40 on Terracing, £48 in Grandstand or £56 for Grandstand Premium.

National Development League
Adults £12, Concessions £10, Junior (12 to 17) £5, Under 11 go Free.

I've not been to the NSS for National League, but I strongly advise you pre-book tickets for Premiership matches. The queues can get long for the ticket office and it's so easy to scan your ticket and get in quickly if you've pre-booked.

Programme
Belle Vue has a glossy programme on sale for £3 with a paper centre, a nice size racecard with plenty of space for alterations.

Viewing Facilities
You will find few better, the view in the Grandstand is on par with my favourite at Peterborough, and the terracing at the backstraight provides a great view. I'm not a fan of paying more money for grandstands at Speedway, but in this instance you pay in advance, and it's fully transparent, so fair play. It's worth £2 for a seat and premier view in my opinion.

Catering
I didn't get a chance to try any of the food, but plenty of catering options are available, providing the usual speedway foods and some healthier options. The backstraight has some burger wagon-type offerings, and they were decent. I tried one last year when I first visited the NSS.

Escaping!
It's a busy area, and the roads get clogged quickly. Kirky lane runs into two busy streets on either side with traffic lights. Don't expect to get out in a hurry unless you're in your car, as the winning time for heat 15 is given out! It's not too bad, though. I left about 30 minutes after the Speedway finished, and most traffic had already disbanded by then.

Fancy a visit Britain's Premier Speedway Venue?

Check out their website for fixtures and ticket information if you fancy watching the Belle Vue Aces, or their awesome second team the Belle Vue Colts.
https://www.bellevue-speedway.com/

2022 UK TOUR STATS

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Wolverhampton Wolves
Monday 18th April 2022

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