Former Workington Comets rider Charles Wright helped Premiership champions Belle Vue blast back to form last night.
The scored a 49-41 win at Ipswich for their first league points of the season after losing their opening three meetings in league and KO Cup.
They put on a superb display at Foxhall, going eight points up after five races and defending their advantage each time the Witches threatened a fightback.
All-round strength proved key for the visitors with Wright and Jaimon Lidsey both scoring 9+1 and skipper Brady Kurtz adding nine, whilst Jason Doyle (13+1) and Emil Sayfutdinov (12+1) again led the way for the Witches.
Wright said: “This result was exactly what we needed. It’s a fantastic win for the team, especially here because Ipswich are very strong at home, but we were stronger.
“There was a lot of communication between the boys all night, from the track walk all the way through to Heat 15 we were sharing information and set ups.
“I think that was one of the major differences compared to previous meetings, and that reflected in our strength in depth; everybody rode well from start to finish.”
Ipswich manager Ritchie Hawkins, who also had a spell riding for the Comets, said: “We were beaten by the better team on the night, and congratulations to Belle Vue. They turned their early season form around and looked like the champions they are.
“I think for us, you could really see the inexperience we have in the side, that certainly showed today, and the wet conditions really made it even more evident.”
