DANNY Ford believes Pirates' dramatic fightback at Belle Vue can be the catalyst for another SGB Premiership title challenge.

Ford saw the Poole class of 2019 all but beaten after eight heats at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday as the Aces ran into a comprehensive 16-point advantage.

But the co-promoter was delighted as his septet fought back to within four points following a sensational 5-1 win in heat 14 from Brady Kurtz and skipper Josh Grajczonek.

And in a heat 15 full of drama, Kurtz linked up with fellow Aussie Jack Holder to keep Australian champion Max Fricke and rising British star Dan Bewley at bay and secure a 45-45 draw.

Ford said: “It really wasn’t looking great for us after heat eight and I was thinking it was going to be a long afternoon.

“But the boys have really come together well over the past week following the wins at Somerset and over Belle Vue at home.

“And this draw really feels like a third successive win because we were completely out of it halfway through the meeting.

“It’s results like this that can really propel a team forward and I hope that’s the case with us now we’re up and running.”