CHRIS Harris was once again the man to supply the thrills as the Buildbase Bees made it nine wins out of ten to enhance their position at the top of the table.
Harris scored his third paid maximum of the season to help Coventry to a 14-point win over a battling Belle Vue side, who contributed to an entertaining fixture in which Bees always looked the likely winners but were never able to pull substantially clear.
And Harris produced another contender for race of the season with his spectacular blast between Kevin Doolan and Joe Screen to win Heat 7, as well as some fine team riding with Scott Nicholls in the later stages.
The win was achieved at some cost, though, with Olly Allen - just back from a shoulder injury - taken to hospital after the meeting complaining of neck pains after an awkward fall in Heat 14. Allen had been able to walk off the track after the turn two incident, but required further attention in the pits and was therefore taken away for a check-up.
Simon Stead started the meeting in good form for the Aces, and he managed to hold Nicholls at bay for the duration of Heat 1, with the visitors' promising start continuing when Adam Skornicki made an excellent gate from the outside to take control of Heat 2. Ryan Fisher, meanwhile, blew a motor when attempting a practice start but managed to make a passing move on Martin Smolinski going into lap two to edge Belle Vue into a narrow lead.
That was swiftly turned around in Heat 3 with Schlein left in no man's land from the outside but executing a perfect cut-back to hit the front on the back straight - and Allen was quickly there to join him as Screen went from first to last in the space of just over a lap.
Harris was out-trapped by Skornicki in Heat 4 but made it around the outside as the riders went into turn three, Smolinski holding third this time over Fisher who fell as he chased - but Belle Vue moved back to within two points in the next race as Stead defeated Schlein for a second straight win and James Wright snatched third from a slowing Allen on the run-in.
Bees made the first real breakthrough with a 5-1 in Heat 6, Nicholls outgating Skornicki and pinning the Pole on the inside to allow Janniro to sweep round into second place - and then came the ride of the night from Harris. He found himself third going into turn three with Screen and Doolan close to each other - but somehow Harris managed to go around Screen as they exited turn four and immediately find a gap inside Doolan to charge through and hit the front.
Bees then went ten points clear with another good 5-1 in Heat 8, Janniro storming round Skornicki on the exit of turn two and Smolinski neatly trapping the Pole next time around to slip through on the inside. But back came Belle Vue, aided by a fall for Rory Schlein on the first bend of Heat 9, and Doolan headed home Allen and Skornicki to reduced the gap to eight.
Nicholls and Janniro took their own 4-2 in Heat 10 before the Aces handed Stead the black-and-white helmet colour for the next race - only for Harris to choose the perfect time to made a tremendous start. Stead, in fact, trailed his team-mate for a couple of laps before eventually going into second place to double-up to four points.
Schlein made short work of winning a shared Heat 12 with the Bees reserves not enjoying the best of nights, and there was then another excellent first bend move from Nicholls, who just got to the corner ahead of Stead and took his opponent wide - meanwhile Harris, seeing this in front of him, managed to sharply turn his bike back for the inside and come through the gap to link up with Nicholls for another 5-1.
Then came Allen's accident as he picked up drive coming into the second bend and could not avoid contact with the fence. He did walk away after treatment, but was still in discomfort back in the pits with a hospital visit resulting. In the re-run, the impressive Doolan gated to a win over Morten Risager and Fisher, who was in the race as Skornicki had completed his full quota of seven rides in the space of 13 heats!
Bees finished with another maximum heat advantage from their Grand Prix riders, and again Harris had to do it the hard way as he rounded Doolan off the second bend and then moved inside Stead on the third and fourth bends for second spot - Stead then coming to a stop on the following lap and having to push his machine off the track.
Credit to Belle Vue for making a match of it, but the Coventry win never looked to be in jeopardy and they can now reflect on a highly satisfactory first quarter of the season, with plenty more challenges to follow.
Coventry 53 Belle Vue 39 (Elite League A)
BUILDBASE BEES 53 Scott Nicholls 2 3 3 3 3 = 14 Billy Janniro 1* 2* 3 1 = 7+2 Rory Schlein 3 2 F 3 = 8 Olly Allen 2* 0 2 X = 4+1 Chris Harris 3 3 3 2* 2* = 13+2 Morten Risager 2 0 0 2 = 4 Martin Smolinski 0 1 2* 0 = 3+1
BELLE VUE 39 Simon Stead 3 3 4 1 R = 11 James Wright 0 1 0 1* = 2+1 Joe Screen 0 1* 0 2 = 3+1 Kevin Doolan 1 2 3 2 3 1 = 12 Kaj Laukkanen R/R Ryan Fisher 1 0 0 1 = 2 Adam Skornicki 3 2 1 1 1 1* 0 = 9+1