PARKER, Shane Andrew
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 April 1970, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1990-94) Ipswich; (1995-96) Middlesbrough; (1997-98) King's Lynn; (1999) Hull; (2000) King's Lynn, Belle Vue; (2001-02) Peterborough; (2003) King's Lynn, Peterborough; (2004-09) Glasgow.
MAJOR HONOURS: Australian Under-16 Champion: 1985; South Australia State Champion: 1991, 1994, 2001, 2002.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 1991 [Ipswich]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2001 [Peterborough]; Pairs Championship winner: 2005, 2006 [both Glasgow].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Parker has ridden bikes for most of his life, having first tried cycle speedway at just three years-of-age. He then moved on to junior moto-cross, before taking up junior speedway at eleven and finally the full-size machines when fifteen at North Arm, Adelaide. And, an early success came not long after that, when he won the Australian Under-16 Championship. Prior to his twentieth birthday, in 1990, he ventured to the UK to link with the then Second Division Ipswich and remained with the club - through their elevation back to the top-flight the following year - until the conclusion of the 1994 campaign. A switch to Middlesbrough for the two years of the large amalgamated Premier League was to prove a precursor for a return to British speedway's uppermost tier with King's Lynn in 1997, for what was the first season of the all-new Elite League. After two terms with the then nicknamed Knights, Parker spent a year at Hull as the East Yorkshire club dipped a toe in the higher echelon for just a single year. For the new Millennium, Parker was again identified in the colours of King's Lynn but, with the Norfolk side riding high in the league standings, it came as a considerable shock when he was dropped and replaced by Peter Nahlin towards the end of July. The Australian subsequently saw the season out with Belle Vue, prior to linking with Peterborough in 2001. The regular patrons at the East of England Showground were to enjoy Parker's trademark brand of showmanship and flamboyance for a couple of seasons, before he became the first rider to take advantage of a rule change in 2003 that permitted him to also ‘double-down' with King's Lynn, who had returned to the second sphere of racing. That certainly kept the rider from Down Under busy, as the year saw him total a whopping 70 official appearances between the Panthers and the revamped Stars! Parker moved into the Premier League on a full-time basis when he signed for Glasgow in 2004, and in six seasons with the club he has proved enormously popular - so much so that he has joined the likes of Steve Lawson and Charlie Monk at the sharp end of the club's legends' list. In his first term with the Scottish outfit, he was quickly dubbed the ‘King of Ashfield' and his dominance at the circuit saw him launch a year-on-year assault on the track record, which he has lowered on a number of occasions. An example of his conviction to the club occurred in 2005 after he had suffered a collarbone break in Glasgow's league fixture at Newport on 10 June. This was sustained in heat four of the match, when he clipped the rear wheel of Wasps' guest Stuart Robson during a titanic scrap. Despite the injury, he heroically rode alongside George Stancl a little over a fortnight later, on 26 June, when the duo took victory in the Premier League Pairs Championship at their Ashfield Stadium. In a hectic year, his testimonial was also played out at the Glasgow venue on 17 July, when Sam Ermolenko took victory in an individual event. Meanwhile, off the track, Parker was the leading light in reforming the Speedway Riders' Association and he organized their first-ever awards evening, too. The Tigers replicated their PL Pairs triumph on 8 October 2006, when Parker master-minded a successful defence of the title with Danny Bird. The Aussie suffered a bout of pneumonia prior to the start of the 2008 season. Then, after a difficult beginning to the campaign whilst he regained fitness, his tall scoring form for Glasgow returned, only for him to suffer a broken collarbone and lower arm whilst making a guest appearance for King's Lynn in a league match at Berwick on 3 May. Parker sustained the injuries in the opening heat, after clashing with home team member Norbert Magosi on the first bend. It had been thought that the 2009 campaign might represent the Adelaide-born speedster's last in the saddle but, in August, the Scottish Sun gave Glasgow supporters a ray of hope when the rider himself stated that it was a little premature to suggest he would retire at the end of the season. The veteran Aussie sustained a broken knuckle in the Tigers' league match at Berwick on 19 September and although he rode in the following day's home encounter versus Birmingham, he was forced to pull out of the meeting after two rides and seek medical advice. The upshot meant a plaster cast on his hand and a spell of recuperation.

PARSONS, Joel Lewis
DATE OF BIRTH: 24 July 1985, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Rye House II, Wimbledon; (2004) Rye House II, Hull, King's Lynn II; (2005) Hull, Mildenhall; (2006) Newport, Belle Vue; (2007) Sheffield, Belle Vue; (2008) Sheffield, Swindon; (2009) Sheffield, Coventry, Belle Vue.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2003 [Rye House II]; League Championship winner: 2004 [Hull]; Knock-Out Cup Winner: 2004 [Hull]; Young Shield winner: 2004 [Hull].
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Parsons sustained a dislocated knee whilst appearing for Rye House in a Conference League match at Sheffield on 13 October 2003, when, in heat seven, he was sent tumbling after being hit by home rider Paul Cooper; (2) The Aussie suffered a back injury in Hull's opening Premier Trophy match versus Stoke at Craven Park Stadium on 16 March 2005. The injury bug struck again later that same season when, in Parsons' first Conference League match for Mildenhall, versus Oxford at West Row on 3 July, he was involved in a heat eleven coming together with Ben Barker, which unfortunately resulted in him breaking his right leg in two places; (3) In 2009, the Aussie was a late replacement for Adam Roynon in a ‘doubling-up' capacity at Coventry, following the injuries sustained by the Englishman in pre-season practice at King's Lynn. However, he was subsequently replaced in the role by Josh Auty in June. Parsons did make a late-season return to the top-flight in a ‘doubling-up' role alongside Michal Rajkowski at Belle Vue in August, though. This was part of a massive change at the Manchester club, which also saw the Aces sign Jason Crump and Lubos Tomicek. Meanwhile, those replaced were Tomasz Chrzanowski and Morten Risager, together with the injured Charlie Gjedde. In another Belle Vue alteration at the start of September, the Australian's ‘doubling-up' partner was changed to fellow countryman Richard Sweetman.

PAVLIC, Jurica
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 July 1989, Prelog, Croatia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-09) Swindon.
MAJOR HONOURS: Croatian Champion: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; European Under-19 Champion: 2006; European Champion: 2007.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Zvonimir ‘Zvonko' Pavlic (born: 28 August 1960, Cakovec, Croatia).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The highly sought rider made a remarkable start to his British career after joining Swindon in August 2008 as a replacement for the injured Seb Alden. Indeed, in only his third match for the Robins, Pavlic registered a blinding 21-point maximum from seven starts in an away league match at Lakeside. He went on to net 96 points from nine official appearances to end the campaign with a real-time average (including bonus points) of 8.16. The year also saw the Croatian wonderkid finish third in the World Under-21 Championship - behind Emil Sayfutdinov and Chris Holder - at Pardubice, Czech Republic on 4 October. In 2009, during Pavlic's first full term of racing in the UK, he received a 28-day ban from the BSPA after being deemed to be withholding his services. The Prelog-born speedster had been due to appear for Swindon against Coventry on 25 June but, after riding in Sweden two evenings previously, Pavlic flew back to his homeland rather than heading to Blunsdon. Following the conclusion of his ban, the Robins announced that Pavlic would re-assume his position in their squad towards the end of July. The youngster hadn't actually appeared for the club since 12 June, but it was stated that he would rejoin them for the remainder of the campaign; however, after a run of disappointing returns, he was released in the third week of august and replaced by club asset Morten Risager.

PEDERSEN, Bjarne Aagaard
DATE OF BIRTH: 12 July 1978, Ryde, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2000-01) Newcastle; (2002) Poole; (2003) Poole, Newcastle; (2004-09) Poole.
MAJOR HONOURS: Danish Under-21 Champion: 1999; Danish Champion: 2004; Elite League Riders' Champion: 2004; World Cup Champion: 2006, 2008.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2001 [Newcastle], 2003 [Poole], 2004 [Poole], 2008 [Poole]; Craven Shield winner: 2002, 2006 [both Poole]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003, 2004 [both Poole]; British League Cup winner: 2003 [Poole]; Pairs Championship winner: 2007 [Poole].
GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHT: European GP Champion: 2004.
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Dane's testimonial meeting took place at Poole on 18 March 2009, when County Crest Pallets defeated Newcastle 50-37. Pedersen is currently in his eighth consecutive season as a Poole rider and has been an integral part of the Pirates' success in the recent past. He has assumed the role of captain this term and his experience at Wimborne Road is certainly extensive. The Dane was a Grand Prix regular from 2003 to 2008, but didn't figure in the 2009 series. Late in the current campaign, it was agreed that he could take a break from representing for the Pirates in some challenge matches in order to spend time with his partner, Lone, who was expecting a child in early October. Pedersen did confirm, though, that he would be available to ride for Poole should they go into the Relegation Play-Offs against the Premier League Play-Off victors. In the event the Pirates avoided that scenario, but the Dane was quick to confirm that he wanted to continue representing the Dorset side for at least two more years.

PHILLIPS, Glen Alan
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 November 1982, Farnborough, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (1999) Exeter, Isle of Wight, King's Lynn II; (2000) Isle of Wight, Somerset; (2001) Isle of Wight; (2002) Wimbledon, Reading; (2003-05) Isle of Wight; (2006) Somerset; (2007-08) Isle of Wight; (2009) Stoke.
ADDITIONAL INFO: In 2009, Phillips missed successive Premier Trophy matches for Stoke at Somerset and at home to Scunthorpe on 24 and 25 April, respectively. The Potters had used a facility on each occasion but, as they were unable to provide medical evidence of an injury, the results of both fixtures were amended and the rider had his registration suspended for the club's following home fixture. Shortly afterwards, in mid-May, Phillips was released by Stoke after a run of under par performances. He was replaced in the side by Mark Burrows.

PICKARD, Jaimie (Jay)
DATE OF BIRTH: 23 February 1990, Stourbridge, Worcestershire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2006) Plymouth; (2007) Plymouth, Stoke II; (2008) Plymouth; (2009) Newport II.
CLUB HONOURS: Conference Trophy winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Plymouth].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Pickard linked with Newport's new National League side in 2009, but lost his place in the team in June upon the Hornets' acquisition of young Australian Todd Kurtz. Although he subsequently didn't link officially with another side, he did see out the campaign with a number of appearances for his former team, Plymouth, as the Devon outfit cemented top-spot in the National Trophy.

PISZCZ, Tomasz
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 June 1977, Lublin, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) Peterborough, Coventry; (2005-06) Workington; (2008) Birmingham, Belle Vue; (2009) Birmingham, Poole.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2006 [Workington]; Pairs Championship winner: 2009 [Birmingham].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Piszcz initially began riding at his hometown track, Lublin, in 1993, having watched the sport there from a young age. He made his British debut with Peterborough at the start of the 2004 campaign, but was fined £1,000 by the club shortly afterwards for missing their home and away Easter Monday fixtures against Coventry, on 12 April. As a further punishment, the Pole also received a 14-day ban from the BSPA. He was to be dropped from the Panthers' line-up at the end of May, being replaced shortly afterwards by Henrik Moller. Having been quickly signed-up by Coventry, Piszcz broke his ankle in only his second meeting the club, versus Ipswich at Brandon on 17 June. He returned to action for the latter part of the campaign, but was unable to help the Bees improve on bottom spot in the final Elite League standings. The hard-charging rider didn't return to the UK until linking with Workington towards the end of August 2005 but, having greatly impressed, he was a starting member of the Comets side for the following season. Surprisingly, there were no takers for his services in 2007, but he made a return with injury-hit Birmingham a year, joining the side in August. Late in the season, he also became a squad member at Belle Vue but, in the event, only made a solitary appearance for the Aces. Remaining with the Brummies in 2009, the tenacious rider also filled a position with Poole, however, together with fellow ‘doubling-up' rider Carl Stonehewer, he lost his place in the Pirates' squad in a late May shake-up; the duo were replaced by Paul Fry and Ben Wilson. Known for his liking of the wider dirt lines - due to his experience on the larger Polish circuits - Piszcz ably demonstrated his considerable talents when he linked with Jason Lyons to win the Premier League Pairs Championship for Birmingham at Somerset's Oak Tree Arena on 26 June. Moving on to 9 August, the rider was placed under unbearable pressure from his sponsors in Poland to race in a Play-Off fixture in his home country, rather than appear in a re-arranged meeting for the Brummies at Newport, which the club had been told to undertake at short notice - on the one date Piszcz had wanted to avoid. He had informed the Polish club of his decision to race for Birmingham, but this led to the threatened withdrawal of his sponsorship, which would also have had a significant effect on his British equipment. The West Midlands outfit had sympathy with the rider, as they appreciated the situation was not of his making, however, they also had to do their utmost to field a competitive team for their encounter in South Wales. Consequently, with the approval of the BSPA, they were permitted a guest facility for the meeting and, in addition, Piszcz received a suspension from the Brummies' next two home fixtures. Also, the rider was handed a significant club fine, but readily agreed to donate £1,000 from his own pocket to Birmingham Children's Hospital, and to make a personal appearance to hand over the cheque. Then, at the end of September, the popular Pole was banned from riding in Britain by his Polish club, Lublin, for the remainder of the season, although Brummies' promoter Graham Drury remained confident that he could get to the bottom of the situation and ensure that Piszcz would be available for the Play-Offs that the West Midlands club had qualified for. However, there was to be no satisfactory outcome for Birmingham as far as the Pole was concerned and they had to utilize guests in his absence.

POOLE, Taylor
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 July 1992, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Mildenhall.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Mick Poole (born: 27 November 1966, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Taylor is the son of former speedway ace Mick; he is also the grandson of Terry, who was a leading short-track rider, before he became the speedway promoter at Gosford, NSW, during the 1990s and into the Millennium. Coming from a family steeped in the sport, the youngster started in junior speedway at just ten years-of-age. Having worked his way up to a full size steed, Poole ventured to the UK in August 2009 to join Mildenhall as a replacement for Dean Felton, participating in a practice spin at Peterborough and a second-half event at Coventry prior to making his debut for the Fen Tigers. Just a month previously, he had cracked a bone in his left foot at Barliegh Ranch Raceway in Newcastle, NSW, after a collision with another rider. A subsequent operation at Gosford Hospital quickened-up the recovery time, though, and he was raring to go upon his arrival in Britain, despite still having metalwork in his foot.

PRIEST, Luke Alex James
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 June 1985, Birmingham, West Midlands.
BRITISH CAREER: (2000) Ashfield, Owlerton; (2001) Sheffield II, Boston; (2002) Sheffield II; (2003) Sheffield II, Stoke II; (2004) Newport, Stoke II, Sheffield II; (2005) Stoke II; (2006) Stoke, Stoke II; (2007) Stoke II; (2008) Weymouth, Mildenhall; (2009) Bournemouth, Workington, Mildenhall.
RIDER LINKS: Son of John Priest (born: 5 September 1952, Birmingham, West Midlands).
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Priest received severe injuries whilst riding for Stoke's Conference League side in a home fixture versus Scunthorpe on 5 July 2006. The accident saw Priest go under the air safety barrier, suffering pelvic, elbow and ankle injuries in addition to internal organ damage. After initially being in a critical but stable condition, a long period of recuperation followed, before he bravely returned to the saddle late in the 2007 campaign; (2) On 31 July 2008, Priest was travelling to Redcar to take a guest booking for Newcastle in a Premier League fixture that fell foul to inclement weather. On the journey, he stopped at Manchester Birch services, but when he returned to his van, the side door had been forced open and his kitbag stolen. Two helmets and two race suits, together with back protectors, knee pads and boots were amongst the items taken, which totalled £2,500 in value; (3) The rider was involved in controversy following a heat three clash with Sam Hurst, whilst representing Bournemouth in a Knock-Out Cup encounter at Newport on 26 April 2009. Priest was adjudged to have ridden into his opponent and disqualified from the re-run, however, having ridden back to where the accident occurred, he was allegedly punched by Hurst. After the riders had returned to the pits, a mass fight broke out and the Birmingham-born rider was handed a £300 fine by referee Dave Watters; (4) Late in May 2009, Priest was released by both Bournemouth and Workington, his replacements being Danny Warwick and Craig Cook, respectively. He was soon snapped-up by Mildenhall, though, where he took the place of Mark Thompson.

PROCTOR, Tyron (Ty)
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 February 1987, Longwarry, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Redcar, Peterborough; (2009) Redcar, Wolverhampton.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2009 [Wolverhampton].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Proctor finished as runner-up to Chris Holder in the 2008 Australian Under-21 Championship at Mildura, prior to embarking on his first season of league racing in Britain, where he linked with Redcar. He was soon hailed as a great character to be around in the pits and, because of his on-track exploits, understandably acquired the nickname of ‘The Showman'. The Aussie also made some impressive appearances for top-flight Peterborough in his debut campaign. For 2009, he remained with Redcar for a second term and also joined Wolverhampton in a ‘doubling-up' capacity. In a glorious end to the campaign, he participated in both legs of the Play-Off Grand Final as Wolves defeated Swindon to win the Elite League Championship. More success came shortly afterwards - although it is not officially recognized - when he rode as a guest for King's Lynn in both legs of the Premier League Knock-Out Cup final and helped them defeat Edinburgh.