The Belle Vue Aces won their first British Speedway Premiership since 1993 - a moment the fans ‘have waited 29 years for’.
The Aces had lost four finals in the last seven years but that all changed on Thursday as they beat the Sheffield Tigers after the second leg of the grand final.
They lifted the title with a 91-89 aggregate win and team manager Mark Lemon, who also serves as the club’s CEO, said: “It is elation beyond belief. I didn’t think this could happen. So much hard work has gone into this. The fans have waited 29 years for this – they have waited so long and look at them, they are loving it!”
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Sheffield won 50-40 in the home leg on Thursday night but Belle Vue triumphed 51-39 in the first leg in Manchester on Monday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Lemon added: “We're the longest continuing speedway club in the world, so to have a drought like this for so long and then clinch it is just amazing. I still can't quite believe it. It hasn't sunk in.”
He added: “In the last seven years this is our fourth Grand Final appearance and we've narrowly missed out every time. It's got a big monkey off our backs after 29 years. We'd come so close before and eventually, through perseverance, we've done it.
“We had our backs against the wall with some injuries but the boys rallied and put in a huge performance. I think the noise the away fans made for us got us over the line. This is a big club with a big heart.”
The final fixture in Manchester takes the form of the Premiership Pairs on Thursday, October 27 at the National Speedway Stadium.
Ahead of the meeting, the Premiership Champions will be on parade on home shale as they bring the league trophy home to Manchester for the first time since 1993.
Meeting tickets, race day programmes and south parking are available to reserve now at bellevue-speedway.com, with hospitality details coming soon.
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