NAYLOR, Rhys Stuart Brian
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 August 1993, Basildon, Essex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) King’s Lynn II.

NEATH, Christopher (Chris)
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 January 1982, Worcester, Worcestershire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1998-99) Newport, Newport II; (2000-01) Newport; (2002-03) Swindon, Wolverhampton; (2004) Rye House, Wolverhampton; (2005-06) Rye House; (2007) Rye House, Lakeside, Reading; (2008) Rye House, Wolverhampton; (2009) Rye House, Poole.
CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 1999 [Newport], 2005 [Rye House]; League Championship winner: 1999 [Newport II], 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2005 [Rye House], 2007 [Rye House]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2003 [Swindon].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Neath initially forged a successful career in speedway's sister sport, becoming British Schoolboy Grass-Track Champion at Junior level in 1993 and at Intermediate level in 1997. He has since gained a wealth of experience on the UK speedway scene, having first ridden for Newport at Conference League level in 1998. His meteoric development that year saw him appear in three different spheres in the one season; he rode in the Youth Development League for Wolverhampton, as well as representing Newport at both Conference and Premier level. He is currently the skipper of PL outfit Rye House and, having become an asset of the side in a formal off-season transfer from Wolverhampton, the 2009 campaign represents his sixth successive term with the Hertfordshire side. ‘Mr. Big Stuff', as he is known at the club, won the Premier League Championship with the Rockets in both 2005 and 2007, having previously struck Elite League gold with the Wolverhampton in 2002. Neath was awarded a testimonial in 2008, with his special meeting going ahead at Rye House on 20 September, when Fredrik Lindgren took the spoils of victory in an individual event. The Worcester-born speedster also replaced Craig Watson as Poole's No. 8 rider in April 2009. However, a re-shaping of the Pirates' declared line-up towards the end of the following month saw Neath lose his position with at the club. He had previously enjoyed stints in the same position at top-flight level with Lakeside and Reading (both 2007), and Wolverhampton (2008) - the latter with whom he also ‘doubled-up' from 2002 to 2004, inclusive.

NERMARK, Daniel Karl
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 July 1977, Karlstad, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001-02) Wolverhampton; (2003) Ipswich; (2004) Wolverhampton; (2005) Edinburgh; (2006-07) King's Lynn; (2008) Workington; (2009) Eastbourne.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2006 [King's Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both King's Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both King's Lynn]; Pairs Championship winner: 2008 [Workington].
RIDER LINKS: Son of former junior rider Anders Nermark.
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Swede initially rode moto-cross, prior to switching to speedway at his hometown track, Karlstad, when he was seventeen years-of-age. He also played ice hockey for the junior Karlstad sides, before deciding to concentrate fully on speedway. Nermark's first UK team was Wolverhampton, whom he joined in 2001 but, having remained on board with them the following year, he sustained a broken leg at Oxford on 19 June and his second term with the Black Country outfit was prematurely over. Having recovered, he spent the 2003 season with Ipswich, before resuming with the Wolves a year later. Unluckily, though, the campaign had barely got underway when he broke both thighs whilst riding for Gorzow in a Polish First Division fixture versus Gniezno on 18 April; this again spelt an early end to his racing for the year. Nermark bravely bounced back from his career-threatening injuries to link with Premier League Edinburgh on loan in 2005 and he enjoyed a solid season, before joining King's Lynn where he played a key role in their treble success of the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy in 2006. Remaining with the Stars in 2007, Nermark helped the side retain the Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy but, having topped the league table, they missed out on the chance of back-to-back Championship glory after losing to Sheffield in an absorbing Play-Off semi-final. Capping a great personal campaign, the Swede was handed the Premier League Rider of the Year award when the Speedway Riders' Association held their annual ceremony. In December, it was announced that Nermark had signed for Workington on a full transfer from Wolverhampton. Although he put together some phenomenal performances with the Comets to post a career-high real-time average of 10.53 - this figure making him the No. 1 rider in PL circles for the year - the season wasn't without incident. On 5 May, in a league fixture at Rye House, he clashed with Daniel Halsey on the home straight of heat eleven and both riders thudded into the first bend safety fence. It was initially thought that Nermark had broken his scaphoid, although it was later confirmed as damaged ligaments. Despite the discomfort, he rode twice in his homeland in the days that followed, before informing the Comets that he had been advised to rest and, as such, wouldn't be available for their match at Scunthorpe on 9 May. He also then missed Workington's home encounter with Reading but - despite an assurance to the contrary - rode in Poland for Ostrow in a Division One meeting at Grudziadz on 11 May. This led to a face-to-face meeting with Comets' boss Keith Denham and a £500 fine was imposed on the rider who, to his credit, made a written apology and requested that the fine be added to the collection for his seriously injured Workington team-mate Barry Burchatt. Having settled back into his high-scoring groove, more success came Nermark's way on 27 June, when he partnered fellow Comet Kauko Nieminen to the Premier League Pairs Championship at Somerset's Oak Tree Arena. However, barely a month later, on 24 July, he sustained a broken tibia and knee ligament damage after clipping Ty Proctor's rear wheel in a horrendous heat eleven accident at Redcar, and this resulted in a five-week spell out of action. The Swede could have been sidelined for longer, but shelled out over £2,000 on knee braces to ensure his return to the Workington side for a home match versus Glasgow on 30 August. Unfortunately, it was to be his last appearance of the year for the side. He subsequently represented Ostrow in a Polish Division One Play-Off fixture against Bydgoszcz on 7 September but, four days later, was forced to pull out of the Polish side's league match versus Gdansk in his second outing. He was told he must have an operation on his knee and that if he rode again it could end his career. The requisite surgery duly took place in Poland that same month. Nermark was wanted by the Comets in 2009, but regrettably wasn't fit for the start of the season. Having eventually made a track comeback, he did offer his services to Eastbourne at the end of July as a possible replacement for the injured David Norris. Nothing came of it initially, as the rider sensed all might not be well with a troublesome shoulder that he had knocked the previous month. However, after a successful meeting in his homeland for Piraterna against Elit Vetlanda on 29 July, the move did eventually come off in August after Eagles' promoter Bob Dugard had arranged for the Swede to use the two bikes previously utilized by Norris, and also fixed him up with a mechanic.

NEWMAN, Kyle
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 December 1991, Poole, Dorset.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007-08) Weymouth; (2009) Bournemouth, Newport.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Bournemouth].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Keith Newman (born: 3 May 1962, Poole, Dorset).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially been Newport's No. 8 rider, Newman officially came into the Wasps' declared 1-7 in May 2009 as a replacement for the injured Nick Simmons. However, by the end of the month, he himself had been replaced in the line-up by Tony Atkin. The Poole-born rider was subsequently recalled by the Wasps as a ‘doubling-up' rider - along with Kyle Hughes - in place of Atkin in early June. Subsequently though, at the start of the following month, his ‘doubling-up' partner was changed to Shelby Rutherford, as the club brought in a raft of changes to try and improve their on-track results. A little over a week later, a further alteration saw Newport opt for a straight 1-7 line-up, with Marek Mroz coming in to replace both Newman and Rutherford. The Dorset lad continued his somewhat yo-yo association with the Wasps in August, however, when he was re-declared back into the line up after Mroz had sustained a broken leg. Regrettably - having helped Bournemouth to lift the Knock-Out Cup - the youngster ended the season with a serious injury himself, when he shattered his left thigh in six places during the Welsh Junior Championship at Queensway Meadows on 18 October. He received the multiple injuries in heat ten when, on the third bend of lap three, he attempted to pass Andrew Aldridge. The two riders unfortunately collided and Newman was violently hit by both machines, before ending up in the air safety barrier. Aldridge was back on his feet quickly, whilst Newman was eventually taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in extreme discomfort, wrecking his plans for a season of racing Down Under in Australia.

NICHOLLS, Scott Karl
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 May 1978, Ipswich, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (1994) Peterborough; (1995-98) Ipswich; (1999-2000) Poole; (2001-04) Ipswich; (2005-07) Coventry; (2008) Eastbourne; (2009) Coventry, Ipswich.
MAJOR HONOURS: British Under-21 Champion: 1998, 1999; British Champion: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008; Czech Golden Helmet Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005, 2007 [both Coventry]; Elite Shield winner: 2006 [Coventry]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both Coventry], 2008 [Eastbourne]; Craven Shield winner: 2007 [Coventry].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Shaun Nicholls (born: 30 November 1971, Ipswich, Suffolk).
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Nicholls' testimonial meeting was held at Ipswich on 24 July 2004, when victory in an individual event went the way of Leigh Adams; (2) The Englishman joined Coventry for £36,000 plus VAT in 2005, the fee having been set by a tribunal; (3) Nicholls ended his self-imposed exile from British racing by re-joining parent club Coventry late in May 2009 for a short stint as a replacement for the injured Olly Allen. However, following his first meeting back for the Bees versus Ipswich at home on 25 May, Nicholls' 10-point score were deducted because the SCB found that Coventry's re-declaration had not been approved by the BSPA Management Committee. An agreement was subsequently reached with the BSPA in early June to allow Nicholls to ride for the club, with Jordan Frampton standing down from the team. With Allen deemed fit to return to the Bees' line-up in July, the Ipswich-born rider returned to his hometown team on loan for the remainder of the season, replacing Jaroslaw Hampel.

NIEMINEN, Kauko Tapio
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 August 1979, Seinajoki, Finland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002-05) Workington; (2006) Glasgow; (2007) Workington; (2008) Workington, Lakeside; (2009) Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOURS: Finnish Under-21 Champion: 1998, 1999, 2000; Finnish Champion: 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2004, 2008 [both Workington]; Pairs Championship winner: 2008 [Workington]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Nieminen made an instant impression in Lakeside's colours in the summer of 2008 when he was signed as the club's No. 8 rider - and ended up scoring a hatful of points. Such was the regard in which he was held by both supporters and management alike that he was signed to ride for the Hammers on a full-time basis in 2009.  The Finn first came to British shores in 2002 to ride for the Workington and has made great progress ever since.

NILSSON, Kim
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 February 1990, Stockholm, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Newport.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Tommy Nilsson (born: 10 March 1955, Stockholm Sweden).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Newport decided to blood the teenager in mid-September 2009 - following an injury to Leigh Lanham - with a view to their team's make-up for the following season. The son of former rider, Tommy, is a team-mate of fellow Wasp Jonas Andersson with Vargarna in Sweden. Nilsson gained good international experience, having won a bronze medal with his country in the Under-21 World Cup in both 2008 and 2009.

NORRIS, David Michael
DATE OF BIRTH: 20 August 1972, Eastbourne, East Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (1988-89) Eastbourne; (1990-92) Ipswich; (1993) Ipswich, Eastbourne; (1994) Eastbourne; (1995) Reading; (1996-2007) Eastbourne; (2009) Eastbourne.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 1991 [Ipswich]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1994, 1997, 2002 [all Eastbourne]; Premiership winner: 1996 [Eastbourne]; Elite Shield winner: 2009 [Eastbourne].
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Eastbourne staged a testimonial meeting for Norris on 1 September 2002, which saw Lee Richardson take the spoils of victory in an individual event; (2) A keen fisherman, Norris set a lake record at Whitevans Pond Fisheries, near Horsham, in 2004, when he landed a 42 lb common carp; (3) Norris broke his right leg in two places, when he crashed during Eastbourne's home league match against Swindon on 6 September 2004. The accident, in heat ten, saw him catapulted over the safety fence, prior to landing heavily on the concrete stock-car track after clipping the rear wheel of visiting speedster Peter Ljung; (4) The rider, Eastbourne's all-time highest points-scorer, announced his retirement after the 2007 season, having been plagued by injury and illness since a crash at Swindon on 28 April 2005. However, he subsequently stated in February 2008 that he was ready to make a return to the sport after learning he would have to wait more than a year for a farewell meeting. Norris eventually resumed riding with his hometown club in 2009; (5) The Eastbourne-born rider was left on the sidelines after sustaining third degree burns to an arm during the Eagles' televised match against Swindon on 11 May 2009. The accident, which occurred in heat ten, saw Norris end up with his arm trapped between the mudguard and wheel of a machine in a nasty-looking crash. Having sustained third degree burns, the injury took time to heal and the Eastbourne legend eventually ruled out a return to action before the cessation of the season. Norris himself advised the club to find someone else but, having explored several avenues without success, the Eagles were forced to continue operating the rider replacement facility until August, when they finally found a suitable alternative in Swedish ace Daniel Nermark.

NORTH, Dakota
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 August 1991, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Mildenhall.
MAJOR HONOUR: Australian Under-16 Champion: 2007.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Rod North (born: 26 October 1956, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The young Aussie's father appeared in British speedway in the late 1970s and early 1980s, riding mainly for Stoke. Dakota is so named because of his dad's love of aeroplanes and he first started junior speedway racing in 2003, before going on to lift the Aussie Under-16 Championship some four years later, when he defeated a certain Darcy Ward in the final. The same year also saw him win the Australian Junior Pairs Championship, partnered by Justin Sedgmen. North is backed by Leigh Adams and was part of his pit crew during the 2009 Australian Championship, which saw the long-serving Swindon rider claim his tenth national title. The Victorian subsequently joined Mildenhall in July, following Darren Smith's decision to concentrate on business interests. However, having impressed with some high scores, his stay in the UK was to be brief. On 14 July, he represented Australasia in an Under-21 Test match at the Isle of Wight and, having collected 13 points from his first six rides, he took a hefty tumble on the third bend of heat fourteen. Although it was thought he had suffered only bad bruising, it turned out that a couple of bones in his vertebrae had been chipped. As such, he returned home to Australia to recuperate and was eventually replaced in the Fen Tigers' team declaration by Adam Kirby. North had had some previous experience of the British racing scene during a brief visit in September 2007, when he rode twice apiece for both Oxford and Rye House at Conference level, although none of these appearances are recorded officially as he wasn't in either sides declared line-up.