Aces’ bosses David Gordon and Chris Morton moved quickly after the lifting of a transfer embargo last Thursday with the World No 6 signing after talks at the M6 services near Walsall.
The capture of Harris, 28, who also won the British title in 2007 and 2009, is a huge boost for the Aces as they needed a new No 1 to replace Dane Hans Andersen. Harris said: “There had been a lot of rumours about me moving but nothing was happening because of the ban on transfers.
“I had got fed up with it all to the point of thinking I’d just ride in Europe and give Britain a miss.
“But I am English and I want to ride in England. I’ve always enjoyed coming to Belle Vue, I like the track and get on well with the management, so this is a great move for me.”
The Cornishman ends a seven-year spell at Coventry to spearhead Belle Vue’s Elite League challenge when the new season starts in March.
He will be joined by top Aussie Rory Schlein, currently racing in the four-round Australian championship, who texted his acceptance of a Belle Vue job offer.
The former Australian Under-16 and Under-21 champion, from Darwin, joined the Aces from Edinburgh in 2004 but stayed for only one season before moving to Coventry, despite efforts to keep him.
Schlein, 26, returns to Belle Vue on a 6.92 average after finishing last season at Peterborough.
Harris, born in Truro, has made no secret of the fact he likes racing on Kirkmanshulme Lane circuit and proved it by winning the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy (above) last season, despite being disqualified from his first race. He will be the only Brit in the 2011 World championship Grand Prix after finishing sixth of the eight automatic qualifiers last season.
His greatest achievement was to win the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in 2007.
Harris, who has an 8.06 average is also an inspirational captain as he proved when leading Coventry to the league title last season. He is also Britain’s World Cup skipper.
Aces chief Gordon said: “We are delighted to have completed the top end of our team with riders who really want to come to the club. Chris’s record speaks for itself.”
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Delighted to get two decent riders in. Bomber Harris is a proper racer. Mind you, we got all giddy last year when Hans and PK signed. Hope Charlie can get back to something like normal and then we'll have a team.
Fantastic news.
Harris is a rider who gives everything, all the time, something that has been missing from some recent Aces' sides
Excellent news!!Just what we Belle Vue fans needed after so many seasons in the doldrums.Hopefully we can look forward with optimism to the new season.Well done to the management team and roll on March 28th.
Britain's No.1 rider
The most exciting rider in the world
One of the very best around Kirkmanshulme Lane
We couldn't have signed anyone better.
We've got a National League team, we've got Chris Harris leading the Elite League team, we just need to new stadium now.
Manchester Council, it's over to you to do your bit.
Great news for Aces fans........At last an English number One...must be the first since PC and Mort !!!! Bomber is a genuine box office draw and COULD be the next English World Champ, a true Racer.... Welcome also to Rory he will be a great addition to the team and a great team man.....
The best news possible,a great rider who had his best season last year,Roo boy as well things are looking up,all we need now is the new stadium.
Brilliant news just what Belle Vue needs, Chris is a real trier in the same mould as the Belle Vue's greatest riders. With a little help & luck he could make the next great leap whilst in Belle Vue colours, and give us (England & Belle Vue) another world champion.
Brilliant news, Chris is a real trier and in the same mould as Belle Vue's great riders of the past. With a little help & luck he may just make the next great leap and become Englands next world Champion. Well done Belle Vue.
Brilliant news, Chris is a real trier and in the same mould as Belle Vue's great riders of the past. With a little help & luck he may just make the next great leap and become England's next world Champion. If we can get the new bigger track built too, the Aces could well be back where they belong.
This is excellent news - at last something for supporters of the Belle Vue Aces to get genuinely excited about. Given the impending cuts and redundancies Manchester City Council have to make I would like to see the management come up with a scheme to allow discount for anyone made redundant from MCC in the next few months, even if it's for next season only. There is some strong reasoning for this: One, we need to build the fan base drastically, two, it would provide bargaining power with MCC over the new stadium planning and most importantly it would further capitalise on the great team re-building work and offer an opportunity to re-brand speedway the people's sport and brand the Aces as the the people's club. Since the inception of the premier league, ordinary football fans have been priced out. Admission fees for speedway are still relatively low, though th sport stuggles to get the crowds back to anywhere near like the glory days. Well, sieze the time, never in recent history have the Aces had a team with riders of such integrity, Chris Harris, epitomising that. Now is the time to hook new people in and old fans back in, and with the likes of Harris, Schlein, Hougaard and Gjedde, who will race their socks off, this time people might actually come back. Come on Chris and Dave, you know it makes sense. Capitalise on all this great work you've been doing. Offer discount to the soon to the be redundant or early retired 2,000 MCC employed staff. It's a win-win situation. For the record, I am not employed by MCC myself.
Chris
Excellent news for long suffering Belle Vue Aces fans. I would like to see the management go one step further now and capitalise on their great work by offering soon to be redundant and early retired staff of Manchester City Council a discount for next season. The reasons for this are three-fold: One, we need more people through the gates, two, it would strengthen our relationship with the MCC leadership as Dave and Chris try to make that new stadium reality and two it would capitalise on the great signings of Chris and Rory, two riders of talent and integrity that this club desperately needed. There is an opportunity here to re-brand speedway the people's sport and re-brand the Aces the people's club. Ordinary fans have been priced out of football over the last 20 years yet speedway admission fees remain relatively low. With the new team shaping up the way it is there is real opportunity this time to get people through the gates and most importantly, with the show on offer, make them want to come back - someting we've failed at mainly through the let-downs we've had. Come on, Chris and Dave, sieze the moment and capitalise on the great things you've achieved already. Make your work work for you. It's a win-win-win-win situation (for you, the existing fans, the new fans, and MCC). I am not an MCC employee by the way!
Chris
I agree about Kirky Lane Jack, but perhaps some sort of recognition of the plight of 2,000 council staff would be a nice gesture and one that the MCC leadership would take great note of. It would start building the crowds up again ready for the move, particularly if they have the new stadium desires rammed doen their throats and that Kirky Lane is just the start of the journey, I wiil get this question poised for the fans forum in March I think.