FIM SPEEDWAY: HOME CROWD IN BEWLEY’S CORNER

Great Britain’s Dan Bewley says the local crowd will bring his home advantage as he prepares for the first-ever ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester double-header on June 13 and 14.

The four-time Speedway GP winner lines up on his Rowe Motor Oil Premiership home track, where he has raced for Belle Vue almost every season since 2016.

Tickets are selling fast with the North Grandstand on the home straight completely sold out for both days and the South Stand sold out for round five on Saturday, June 14.

Bewley’s thrill-a-moment heroics around the National Speedway Stadium circuit have made him a huge favourite among Belle Vue fans, and he has already won two FIM Speedway of Nations world titles in Manchester.

Some will assume Bewley’s home-track knowledge will give him a considerable advantage against the best riders in the world in June. But the Cumbrian believes the backing of the home fans could give him the edge.

He said: “I go to every GP and I kind of feel the same way. Being in Manchester doesn’t make me feel any different confidence-wise. The big thing I would say, and it was the same when you went to Cardiff, is that it’s the home crowd that makes a difference.

“On my track, I don’t feel any different. It’s more when you come to the stadium, you’re on the track walk and you really do notice the home crowd. It’s that little bit special.”

Bewley is delighted to see the National Speedway Stadium rewarded with its very first Speedway GP events, having previously staged the 2016 FIM Speedway World Cup Race Off and Final, as well as the 2021 and 2024 FIM SON Finals.

He said: “I know it’s something the club has been pushing to get for a long time. A few years back they had the SON for the first time, and they had the SWC in 2016, which was when I first got started.

“Since the first year of the stadium, they have always been pushing for big meetings.

“I have wished there was a GP here for a few years now. I really do believe, and I think everyone agrees, that there deserves to be a GP here (Manchester). The racing is awesome all the time. It’s a good stadium.”