All eyes were on Workington Comets’ history making signing Celina Liebmann at last night’s prestigious Peter Craven meeting at Belle Vue.
The 24-teare-old German, the first woman to be signed to race in British speedway, was included in the select field for the track opener.
She did not score in any of her five rides but after a quiet start to the night became very much more competitive in her races.
Belle Vue captain Brady Kurtz made the perfect start to the season with victory for the first time in the Memorial meeting at the National Speedway Stadium.
The Australian headed up an Aces one-two in the final with West Cumbrian Dan Bewley taking second place, whilst Leicester skipper Max Fricke was third on his old home track.
There was drama in the early stages of the deciding six-rider race when four-time event winner Jason Doyle clashed with Fredrik Lindgren and was forced to pull out before completing a lap, with Kurtz celebrating his triumph shortly after.
Kurtz said: “It was almost as if the stars aligned for me! In past years, I’ve been close, I’ve made it into the final or at least onto the podium, but I’ve never been able to get the win.
“This is a very special moment for me. This meeting is probably one of the most high-profile individual events in British Speedway, and definitely one of the most prestigious.
“It’s surreal to think that my name is on the same trophy that riders like Ivan Mauger and Ove Fundin have won, and it means a lot to me to win, especially here at Belle Vue.”
