Workington’s young Finnish prospect Antti Vuolas gets another chance in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership tonight when he guests for Belle Vue at home to Oxford Spires.
Vuolas made his debut last Thursday for the Aces when they lost 53-37 at Cowley and they look for revenge tonight at the National Speedway Stadium. The young Finn scored two points, finishing second behind Eric Ross in the reserve races but failed to register in his other two starts.
The aggregate point is up for grabs as the teams meet for the second time in five days but the Spires will be hard to peg back after establishing a decent lead from that first meeting.
The Spires won by 16 points at Cowley to maintain their position in the top four, moving to within one point of the Aces although they have raced two more matches.
West Cumbrian star Dan Bewley makes his first home appearance since his Speedway of Nations triumph in Manchester earlier this month, with the Aces once again calling upon Vuolas and Jake Mulford to stand in at reserve.
Vuolas’ Workington team-mate Tate Zischke had been signed at reserve by the Aces but crashed badly on his debut and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Oxford also have lower-order changes after they announced that Luke Killeen is stepping up into their Premiership team, meaning Riss moves into the top five.
Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “We took a battering at Cowley, which was really disappointing considering how close we had kept things almost until the last moments.
“I want to see a strong response from the boys tonight that mirrors the gritty efforts of the Spires, which I know is not beyond the capabilities of this team.
“The key will be in the aggregate points. We have an excellent record in that respect and it is our home performances, certainly this year, where our strength has flourished.”
Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “We are going to carry on the great work from last week, with 16 points the lads know that wasting this and failing is not an option.”
