Maryport racer Dan Bewley completed a sensational final week of the season with victory in Belle Vue’s prestigious Peter Craven Memorial last night.
Bewley, who had won the FIM Speedway of Nations with Great Britain last weekend, scored 14 points in the qualifiers and then took the six-man Grand Final at the National Speedway Stadium.
Ryan Douglas and former Aces favourite Max Fricke completed the podium finishers with Chris Harris, Luke Becker and Nick Morris also reaching the Final.
The 22-year-old former Workington Comets rider said: “I knew I had to make a decent start, to stay out of trouble if nothing else! With more than four riders in the semi and the final, it looked a bit chaotic at the start.
“I chose gate 2 and when I came to the tapes I tried to check out a little bit so I wasn’t distracted by all the bikes and all the activity around me. It’s probably the best gate I’ve made all year, so I just focused on staying in front for the four laps.
“It is a very special way to end my speedway season. It’s an awesome way to wrap things up. It really is an honour to win this meeting and it has been a fantastic season for me personally, the best ever.”
Peter Craven was a former Belle Vue star, who was twice world champion in 1955 and 1962 who was tragically killed in a track crash while racing at Edinburgh in 1963, aged 29.
He had taken evasive action to avoid a fallen rider and collided with the fence. He died in hospital four days later.
Since the inception of the Peter Craven Memorial meeting in 1967 winners have included a virtual who’s who of speedway giants, including Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Peter Collins, Greg Hancock and Jason Crump.
