PIRATES were subjected to their first home defeat in 13 months as Belle Vue exacted revenge for their 2015 grand final loss.

Poole had won their opening four meetings of the season at Wimborne Road but the newly shaken up team order did not appear to work in their favour.

Team boss Neil Middleditch was also without the services of Polish star Krzysztof Buczkowski due to a shoulder injury. But that should not detract from a fine display by the visitors in front of the Sky cameras.

Belle Vue’s Aussie youngster Max Fricke was gone in 60 seconds flat when he took a surprise victory in the opener, with Bjarne Pedersen – on his first home appearance since rejoining Pirates – working overtime to keep out Grand Prix star Matej Zagar for third.

To the first reserves’ race, where Brady Kurtz inched past Joe Jacobs after the Aces man got the jump but the star turn went to Adam Ellis, who split Jacobs and Steve Worrall on bend two to set up a maximum.

The visitors responded immediately. Poole guest Joonas Kylmakorpi was side by side with Scott Nicholls for much of the race but eventually slipped to third as Belle Vue levelled matters thanks to a 5-1 of their own.

Mark Lemon’s troops had the wind in their sails and Ellis’s heat-four retirement when third aided them further, with world championship leader Chris Holder unable to rein in Steve Worrall after the reserve had made a decent start.

Kurtz’s heat-five exclusion deepened Pirates’ difficulties when he was correctly judged to have caused a Jacobs spill by referee Jim Lawrence. But Pedersen saved the Australian champion’s blushes courtesy of a confident triumph from the gate.

Heat six was controversially pulled back for an unsatisfactory start before Craig Cook was excluded for an infringement at the tapes, only for the lightning Zagar to do exactly as Pedersen had previously, keeping the Aces in front.

Poole were in need of a heat advantage and it duly arrived when Kylmakorpi and Hans Andersen bullied their way to the front at the first turn and banked a maximum.

Holder then claimed his maiden win of the meeting at the third time of asking but Ellis was passed for third by Fricke on turn two of the second lap. Despite the Ringwood-based rider’s best efforts, Fricke was too quick.

Pirates looked in trouble in heat nine when brothers Steve and Richie Worrall got away the quickest but Pedersen used all his experience and nerve to round the latter on turn four, at least preventing the away septet from regaining the lead.

It was not long before the alarm bells were ringing in earnest, however. Again Belle Vue gated and although the fit-again Kyle Newman – in his first Elite League meeting in a month – slipped past Fricke, his counterpart returned the favour and the visitors assumed a four-point lead.

So easy was the race win for Zagar that he appeared to be slowing down in the closing stages as he checked for his team-mate behind him.

Matters went from bad to worse when Pedersen crashed to the deck on turn four of heat 11 and earned an exclusion. Andersen was unable to contain the firepower of Nicholls and Cook and a 4-2 handed Belle Vue a six-point lead with four heats left.

Another missed gate by the hosts allowed Steve Worrall to seize an advantage he never relinquished and although Kurtz and Ellis blocked off Jacobs, a shared heat was far from the result Neil Middleditch’s side wanted.

Matters appeared to be heading in a more positive direction when Andersen and Kylmakorpi roared to the front in a re-run heat 13. But Andersen got out of shape on turn four and took down Zagar, the Danish star excluded as a result.

Kylmakorpi made a flying start at the third time of asking but Zagar, who had looked the fastest rider of the night by some distance, was just too quick and it was not long before he smoothly and capably charged into first.

The Aces wrapped up victory with a race to spare thanks in part to another excellent ride from Nicholls, who blitzed round Holder early on. A tough night for Newman continued with a big lift out of turn two which effectively ruled him out of contention.

Pirates took their third heat advantage of the meeting in the closing encounter thanks to Andersen and Pedersen but it proved too little, too late.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

PIRATES 41: 1 Hans Andersen (2-2*-2-d/q-3) 9+1, 2 Bjarne Pedersen (1*-3-2-f/ex-1) 7+1, 3 Kyle Newman (0-1*-1-0) 2+1, 4 Chris Holder (2-2-3-2) 9, 5 Joonas Kylmakorpi (1-3-0-2) 6, 6 Brady Kurtz (3-d/q-0-2) 5, 7 Adam Ellis (2*-rtd-0-1*) 3+2. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

BELLE VUE 49: 1 Matej Zagar (0-3-3-3) 9, 2 Max Fricke (3-2-1*-2*) 8+2, 3 Scott Nicholls (3-1-3-3-2) 12, 4 Richie Worrall (1-0-1-1) 3, 5 Craig Cook (2*-d/q-1-1) 4+1, 6 Joe Jacobs (0-1*-0) 1+1, 7 Steve Worrall (1-3-2-3-3-0) 12. 
Team manager: Mark Lemon. 

HT 1: Fricke, Andersen, Pedersen, Zagar, 60.00 (3-3). 

HT 2: Kurtz, Ellis, S Worrall, Jacobs, 60.84 (8-4).

HT 3: Nicholls, Cook, Kylmakorpi, Newman, 60.69 (9-9). 

HT 4: S Worrall, Holder, R Worrall, Ellis (rtd), 60.84 (11-13). 

HT 5: Pedersen, Fricke, Jacobs, Kurtz (d/q), 61.41 (14-16). 

HT 6: Zagar, Holder, Newman, Cook (d/q), 60.94 (17-19). 

HT 7: Kylmakorpi, Andersen, Nicholls, R Worrall, 61.19 (22-20).

HT 8: Holder, S Worrall, Fricke, Ellis, 61.19 (25-23).

HT 9: S Worrall, Pedersen, R Worrall, Kurtz, 61.50 (27-27).

HT 10: Zagar, Fricke, Newman, Kylmakorpi, 62.03 (28-32).

HT 11: Nicholls, Andersen, Cook, Pedersen, 60.81 (30-36).

HT 12: S Worrall, Kurtz, Ellis, Jacobs, 61.59 (33-39).

HT 13: Zagar, Kylmakorpi, Cook, Andersen (d/q), 61.19 (35-43). 

HT 14: Nicholls, Holder, R Worrall, Newman, 61.44 (37-47).

HT 15: Andersen, Nicholls, Pedersen, S Worrall, 62.19 (41-49).

ECHO STAR RIDER – CHRIS HOLDER

A RARITY to see a world championship leader in a second-string role in the Elite League but Holder did a decent job at number four.

It was a rare off-night for Pirates and bore no comparison with previous outings this season, with Holder one of few bright spots.

He may expect more from himself but a nine-point haul against a fired-up Aces side was a solid effort.

Hans Andersen also rode well but will be frustrated by his heat-13 exclusion.