KING’S Lynn gave a hugely positive display at Belle Vue on Monday, going down to a narrow 47-43 defeat in the Sports Insure Premiership.
The MacInnes Stars fought hard from start to finish at the National Speedway Stadium, and with a little more fortune could even have taken a shock victory from the meeting.
Top performances came from Danish duo Nicolai Klindt and Michael Palm Toft, whilst Artem Laguta recovered from a last place in his first ride show his true class with two excellent wins.
The meeting was under threat from the weather with major thunderstorms in the area, but the NSS escaped with a shower – which did certainly have an effect in the early stages.
Gate four proved a problem for Laguta in Heat 1 as he was filled in on turn one and retired, as Tom Brennan and Dan Bewley raced to a 5-1.
But despite conceding maximum points again in Heat 3 to Charles Wright and the very fast Jaimon Lidsey, the Stars worked their way into the meeting with wins for Kye Thomson and Michael Palm Toft, the latter impressively rounding home skipper Brady Kurtz in Heat 4.
The hosts went six points up when Bewley won Heat 6 over Palm Toft, but Klindt rode superbly to defeat Kurtz in Heat 7 as the Stars clawed the gap back to four points.
Lidsey’s third win with Wright third in Heat 9 made it 30-24, before the Stars suffered misfortune in Heat 10 when they appeared set for a 4-2 with Klindt heading Bewley and Frederik Jakobsen in third place, only for Jakobsen to suffer mechanical trouble on the last lap enabling Brennan to go through.
Laguta superbly swooped to the front of Heat 11, getting the better of Kurtz and Norick Blodorn, but a tactical substitute outing for Klindt in Heat 12 was frustrated by Lidsey, with Blodorn taking third spot in a 4-2.
But the Stars came storming back with a brilliant 5-1 in Heat 13 as Laguta and Palm Toft team-rode superbly to hold Bewley and Kurtz at bay, and keep them in with a chance in the meeting.
Those hopes ended, though, in Heat 14 with Blodorn taking the win and Wright working his way through to second place for a 5-1, before Klindt and Palm Toft responded with a maximum of their own in Heat 15 once again over Bewley and also ending Lidsey’s hopes of an unbeaten night.
Klindt said: “I said to the boys beforehand that I felt we had a chance, but everyone needed to click.
“Unfortunately Fred had bike issues again tonight and he can do much better, but only losing by four here to the champions is not a bad result.”
The MacInnes Stars are back in action at the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday when they host Wolverhampton.
BELLE VUE 47: Jaimon Lidsey 12, Dan Bewley 9+1, Tom Brennan 8+1, Norick Blodorn 7+1, Brady Kurtz 6, Charles Wright 5+2, Jake Mulford 0. KING’S LYNN 43: Nicolai Klindt 12, Michael Palm Toft 11+2, Artem Laguta 8, Kye Thomson 4, Thomas Jorgensen 3+2, Jason Edwards 3, Frederik Jakobsen 2. Belle Vue win the aggregate point
