RAJKOWSKI, Michal
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 December 1984, Rawicz, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Newport; (2008) Belle Vue, Mildenhall; (2009) Edinburgh.
CLUB HONOUR: Play-Off winner: 2008 [Edinburgh].
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Polish thrill-merchant was handed a late position in Newport's starting line-up in 2007, after the club had been unable to conclude a deal with Craig Waston. The Pole had impressed at Queensway Meadows during that January's New Year Classic and, after initially starting in the No. 1 position, he enjoyed a phenomenal spell at reserve that saw him elevated back to the top spot in the riding order, from where he continued to excel. Although his scores did tend to be laced with inconsistency as the campaign wore on, there was little doubt that Rajkowski's contributions had transformed him into a real favourite with the Newport supporters. A full-time transfer took him to Belle Vue the following year, but the step-up proved too big a climb at that stage of his career and he eventually dropped back into the Premier League with Mildenhall. Rajkowski made the move to reigning PL Champions Edinburgh for 2009 and also featured in a late-term return to the top-flight in a ‘doubling-up' role alongside Joel Parsons at his parent club, Belle Vue, in August. This was part of a sweeping 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. However, before turning a wheel in anger for the Manchester side, Rajkowski was himself replaced in the ‘doubling-up' position by Richard Sweetman who, it was felt by the Aces' management, was more conveniently based. The Pole was to enjoy a solid campaign with Edinburgh, posting a real-time average of over 7 points per match. Regrettably, his season came to an end in the second leg of the Play-Off final at King's Lynn on 20 October when, whilst leading heat eight, he lifted and hit the fence. The upshot was an ankle injury that meant him missing out on the Knock-Out Cup final versus King's Lynn and also the Promotion Play-Off against Belle Vue.

RAYSON, Oliver Henry
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 March 1993, Culford, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Boston; (2009) Mildenhall.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially started riding at 9 years of age, Rayson is a highly-rated prospect, whose brief career thus far was highlighted by a stunning performance in the Standing Family Trophy at Sittingbourne in 2007 when, aged only 14, he only just missed out on first spot.

RESCH, John Martin Thomas
DATE OF BIRTH: 5 January 1993, Pembury, Nr. Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Bournemouth.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Resch first rode on a 125cc Honda at the Sittingbourne junior track, when aged twelve. He contested the British Under-15 Championship in 2008, winning a round at Stoke on 10 July and eventually finishing third overall. He turned sixteen years of age in January 2009 and was subsequently installed as Bournemouth's No. 8 rider in May.

RICHARDSON, James Alan Scott
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 September 1988, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005-07) Scunthorpe; (2008) Scunthorpe II; (2009) Scunthorpe II, Buxton.
CLUB HONOURS: Conference Shield winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Conference Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both Scunthorpe]; League Championship winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Derek Richardson (born: 22 July 1958, Earlsheaton, West Yorkshire).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having spent his entire career on the books of Scunthorpe since first representing them in 2005, Richardson again returned to the Saints' National League squad in May 2009, when he replaced James Sarjeant. However, on 14 August, in a home league match against Rye House he unluckily sustained a broken collarbone in a heat fifteen crash and looked likely to sit out the rest of the season. This was a great pity for the Yorkshire lad, as he had been due to partner Simon Lambert in the NL Pairs Championship at the Isle of Wight just four days after his accident, on 18 August. Richardson's injury led to a recall to the Saints' declared line-up for John MacPhail. Having recuperated, the Mirfield-born rider was signed by Buxton towards the end of September in place of the injured Greg Blair.

RICHARDSON, Lee Stewart
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 April 1979, Hastings, Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (1995) Reading; (1996) Reading II, Poole; (1997) Reading, Peterborough; (1998) Reading; (1999) Poole; (2000-03) Coventry; (2004) Peterborough; (2005-07) Swindon; (2008) Eastbourne; (2009) Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOURS: World Under-21 Champion: 1999; Elite League Riders' Champion: 2003.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1997 [Reading]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1998 [Reading], 2008 [Eastbourne], 2009 [Lakeside]; Craven Shield winner: 2000 [Coventry]; Pairs Championship winner: 2005 [Swindon].
GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHTS: Grand Final Champion: 2002.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Colin Richardson (born: 24 November 1958, Southwark, South-East London). Nephew of Steve Weatherley (born: 26 November 1957, Dartford, Kent).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Hastings-born speedster hails from a talented sports family and boasts several other links besides those to former riders Colin Richardson and Steve Weatherley: Grandad Eric Richardson played football for Sunderland juniors from 1946 to 1948; Aunt Julie Clark (nee Richardson) won 27 England caps playing basketball; Uncle Keith (Marner) was Light Welterweight Boxing Champion of Southern England in 1994. ‘Rico' spent the 2004 season on loan at Peterborough, prior to Swindon paying out a club record transfer fee of £32,000 plus VAT in 2005, when they secured his signature from Coventry. He subsequently joined Lakeside in 2009 on loan from Swindon, following a successful spell at Eastbourne in 2008.  A former Grand Prix regular, Richardson rides with pace and aggression and is well known for conjuring extremely quick starts. He completed back-to-back Knock-Out Cup wins in 2009, helping the Hammers to lift the prestigious trophy, having been victorious with Eastbourne the previous year.

RISAGER, Morten
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 September 1987, Arhus, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-06) Coventry; (2007) Coventry, Eastbourne; (2008) Peterborough, Wolverhampton; (2009) Ipswich, Belle Vue, Swindon.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005, 2007 [both Coventry]; Elite Shield winner: 2006 [Coventry].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Risager (pronounced Rizz-air) first rode at a very young age, in 1993, and attributes his father, Kartsen, as being the biggest influence on his subsequent career. He made his official British debut with Coventry on 1 April 2004, marking the occasion with 5+1 points against Belle Vue in a Knock-Out Cup tie. A total of thirty-four appearances for the Bees that year yielded very acceptable first term figures of 188 points and a real-time average of 5.85; his best performance among several being a match-winning contribution of 15+1 points from a reserve berth when Coventry narrowly defeated Poole, 46-44, at Brandon on 10 June. His progress continued in 2005, when he was an integral component of the Bees' League Championship success, which culminated in an aggregate victory over Belle Vue in the Play-Off Final. The only downside of an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable season was almost a month on the sidelines following a heat eight crash in a home league match versus Eastbourne on 23 May, which left the youngster nursing wrist and ankle breaks. Regrettably, Risager's career stuttered in 2006 and he missed much of the concluding third of the season because of a badly broken right tibia and fibula. The injury occurred in heat six of an Under-21 international match for Denmark against Poland at Poznan on 11 June, when he collided with Ronnie Jamrozy. Bravely, he returned to the saddle with Coventry in September, but clearly wasn't fully fit and rode in only two matches before returning to Denmark to further his rehabilitation. Having completed his recovery, the Dane began his fourth season with Coventry in 2007 and, although he started very brightly, his form tailed-off and he was replaced by Steve Johnston in June. Risager subsequently joined Eastbourne, initially on a month's loan to cover for the injured Dean Barker, but was to remain with the East Sussex club until the season's conclusion. Throughout this time, he greatly impressed the Eagles' management and also rediscovered his touch. During the winter break - in December - Coventry and Swindon concluded a direct swap deal that saw Olly Allen join the Bees on a permanent basis, whilst Risager became an asset of the Robins. However, it was stressed at the time by the Wiltshire club that he would spend the 2008 term on loan elsewhere, as they were unable to accommodate him within the then 38.85 points limit. As such, the Dane linked with Peterborough for the campaign, but he was to lose his team spot in a major August shake-up that saw Ryan Sullivan, Lukas Dryml and Karol Zabik all return to the club. Risager joined Wolverhampton a month later, somewhat ironically as a replacement for the elder of the Dryml racing brothers, Ales, who had been released by the West Midlands outfit. His spell with the club lasted just eight matches as, in the Elite League Relegation Play-Off, he sustained a broken hand at Peterborough on 16 October. This occurred when he was involved in first bend mêlée after team-mate Fredrik Lindgren had tangled with the Panthers' Daniel King on the charge to the first bend. The Swindon asset was signed by Ipswich on a month's loan in April 2009, following an early season injury to then club skipper Leigh Lanham. Upon Lanham's return to fitness, Risager was immediately snapped-up by Belle Vue, when a team re-shuffle saw the Aces replace Steve Boxall and dispense with their other ‘doubling-up' rider, Thomas H. Jonasson. His stay with the Manchester outfit lasted until August, when he was released amid a raft of changes. Both Tomasz Chrzanowski and the injured Charlie Gjedde also saw their names deleted from Belle Vue's team declaration, as dramatic modifications were effected. Incoming was the returning Jason Crump, together with Lubos Tomicek, whilst the Aces also opted to sign both Joel Parsons and Michal Rajkowski under the rule that permits Premier League riders to ‘double-up' with clubs in the higher sphere. The likeable Dane wasn't without a club for long, though, as he joined parent team Swindon almost straight away, when the Wiltshire club made the decision to dispense with Jurica Pavlic.

ROBSON, Stuart Anthony
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 November 1976, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
BRITISH CAREER: (1993-94) Newcastle, Edinburgh; (1995) Coventry; (1996) Coventry, Middlesbrough; (1997) Hull; (1998-2002) Coventry; (2003) Coventry, Newcastle; (2004) Coventry; (2005-07) Rye House; (2009) Lakeside.
CLUB HONOURS: Craven Shield winner: 2000 [Coventry]; League Championship winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Premier Trophy winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside].
RIDER LINKS: Son of John Robson (born: 12 February 1950, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear). Brother of Scott Robson (born: 15 August 1971, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Robson originally made his official racing debut in 1993 for Newcastle in the then Second Division and first dipped into the higher sphere with Coventry two years later, going on to become a long-serving Bee.  The Sunderland-born rider was awarded a testimonial in 2004, with his special meeting going ahead at Brandon on 11 July, when Steve Johnston and Chris Harris came out on top in a pairs event. ‘Robbo' was in the wars when he shattered his pelvis and suffered serious back injuries, whilst also fracturing his sternum and receiving extensive internal bleeding in a frightening crash at Mildenhall in a Knock-Out Cup tie for Rye House on 29 April 2007. The accident occurred in heat nine of the match and saw the rider's machine lift when the throttle jammed open on the run to the first corner, prior to him hitting the board and wire safety fence at full tilt. The meeting was subsequently abandoned and Robson was to miss the 2008 campaign, although he did appear late season in some open events. The experienced rider joined Lakeside on a full-time basis in 2009, when he jumped on the comeback trail in British speedway's top-flight. And he ended the term with a Knock-Out Cup winner's medal, following the Essex team's aggregate success over Coventry in the final.  

ROYNON, Adam Wayne
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 August 1988, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Swindon II, Armadale; (2004) Newcastle II, Mildenhall; (2005) Mildenhall, Boston, Glasgow; (2006) Buxton, Rye House; (2007) Rye House, Plymouth; (2008) Birmingham; (2009) No official appearances.
MAJOR HONOUR: Conference League Riders' Champion: 2006.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2004 [Mildenhall], 2007 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Mildenhall].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Chris Roynon (born: 22 May 1946, Bristol, Avon).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Roynon is the son of a former rider; his father, Chris, represented Plymouth, Doncaster, Barrow, Paisley, Coatbridge and Workington in a career that spanned some thirteen seasons, beginning in 1968. Prior to racing speedway bikes, Adam actually won the Under-8 British BMX Championship at Chesterfield in 1996. He then enjoyed a stint at karting and was also part of the junior scene at Blackburn Rovers FC. He first cut his teeth with a speedway machine on a Cumbrian beach in 1999 and, after impressing in second-halves at various tracks, he made his debut in the Conference League for Swindon the day following his fifteenth birthday in 2003. He went on to make nine appearances for the Sprockets, which yielded 61 points and a splendid 6.52 average. The season also saw Roynon ride in a single Conference Trophy meeting for Armadale on 6 September, when he notched 6+1 points in a home encounter with Stoke. In 2004, he joined Peterborough's second side; however, he was to only represent the Pumas in a three-team tournament at the East of England Showground, before the team withdrew from the Conference Trophy competition on 16 April due to the problems in securing the necessary support services for Sunday meetings. He then linked with Newcastle Gems, but made just two Conference League appearances for the side before joining Mildenhall. Regrettably, his appearances for the Fen Tigers were restricted by injury, since he broke both wrists in a spill against Buxton at West Row on 31 May. Then, shortly after returning to action, he suffered a hairline fracture to his upper right arm in a crash at Wimbledon in a Conference Trophy engagement on 22 September. Thankfully, he again returned before the end of the campaign and played a part as Mildenhall romped to victory in the Knock-Out Cup, claiming a 15-point maximum as they walloped Boston 69-12 in the second leg of the final. That completed a glorious clean sweep for the Fen Tigers, as they added that particular trophy to previous successes in the League Championship, Conference Trophy and Four-Team Championship. Remaining with Mildenhall in 2005, Roynon averaged 8.18 from five league matches, prior to joining Boston. His stay with the Barracuda-Braves was to be brief and, in fact, saw him ride in just three Conference Trophy meetings, plus one in the Knock-Out Cup. An opportunity in the Premier League had presented itself with Glasgow in early July, when the Scottish outfit re-declared their side and he was to grab the chance with both hands. His wholehearted efforts were appreciated by the management and fans alike, but the injury bug was to strike once more. On 11 September, the Tigers entertained their counterparts from Sheffield and, on the second bend of heat two, Roynon unavoidably clashed with Paul Cooper, sustaining a broken arm and bringing his season to a premature end. Having recuperated, he began the 2006 term with Buxton and consistently produced excellent performances to head the side's averages. And the pinnacle of his fledgeling career occurred on 9 September, when he strung together five superb rides to win the Conference League Riders' Championship with a 15-point full-house at Rye House. He had made a number of guest appearances for the Hoddesdon club during the season and just prior to his CLRC success, he had been drafted into the side officially in place of the injured Jamie Courtney. Unfortunately, though, he was to once more suffer injury when, on 16 September, he received a broken right ankle in a home encounter with the Isle of Wight. Having again recovered his fitness, Roynon was a key component of the Rockets' line-up in 2007 that scooped the Premier League title, as he posted a solid average in excess of 7 points per match. Rye House faced the Isle of Wight in the Play-Off semi-final, narrowly losing 46-44 in the first leg at Smallbrook Stadium, before dispatching the Islanders 61-29 in the return match on their own patch. Roynon's contribution was respective tallies of 4+1 and 8+2 points, and he was to also produce the goods in the final against Sheffield. The Rockets travelled to Owlerton Stadium for the first leg on 18 October and dug deep to restrict the Tigers to a 51-42 success on the night, with Roynon topping his side's scoring on 11+1 points. That clearly made Rye House the favourites going into the second leg and they duly completed the job with an emphatic 69-23 victory on 20 October, when the Cumbrian helped himself to 7+2 points. The year also saw him enjoy a brief and high-scoring early-season spell in the Plymouth side, appearing in just four Conference League matches and one in the Conference Trophy. Having signed for Birmingham in 2008, Roynon was in the wars once more when he received a broken leg whilst representing the side in a Knock-Out Cup tie at Rye House on 31 May 2008. This occurred in a re-run of heat one when, on the third bend, his team-mate Phil Morris tumbled down after he had been cleanly passed by home rider Robert Mear. The closely following Roynon attempted to lay his machine down, but was unable to avoid his stricken colleague, with the resultant crash causing the leg break. Having joined Workington for 2009 and agreed to ‘double-up' with Coventry, the Barrow-born rider was seriously injured in a pre-season crash at King's Lynn on 6 March, whilst practicing with the Team Great Britain squad. After initial treatment at the track and at the local Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, he was taken to a high-dependency unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, with a blood clot on the brain and a broken bone in his neck. He underwent surgery, but it was reported in August that the screws holding a bone called the odontoid peg together hadn't held it tightly enough, meaning it hadn't healed. The setback put his hoped-for comeback on hold and meant the likelihood of another operation for the youngster, which would fuse the vertebrae together. However, there was much more positive news towards the end of the following month, when he was given the all-clear to resume a normal life by his specialist after a surprise decision that he didn't need a further operation after all.

RUTHERFORD, Shelby James
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 July 1989, Perth, Western Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Newport II, Newport.
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Rutherford is not counted as an Australian due to partiality; (2) The Australian-born rider experienced problems in obtaining his passport in 2009, before finally gaining clearance to ride officially in mid-April. The Aussie is a close friend of Newport legend Frank Smart, who recommended the youngster to his former club. Having initially joined their National League operation in the No. 8 berth, Rutherford was promoted to a position in the main 1-7 in June. He replaced Rich Andrews, who took over in the No. 8 slot. The Perth-born rider was subsequently called-up to the main Newport side in a ‘doubling-up' role - alongside Kyle Newman - early in July, when he took the place of Kyle Hughes. A little over a week later, however, a further alteration saw Newport opt for a straight 1-7 line-up, with Marek Mroz coming in to replace both Rutherford and Newman.

RYMEL, Adrian
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 October 1975, Koprivnice, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001-03) Berwick; (2004) Berwick, Peterborough; (2005) Berwick, Coventry; (2006) Berwick; (2008) Berwick; (2009) Workington.
MAJOR HONOUR: Czech Republic Champion: 2006.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2002 [Berwick], 2009 [Workington]; Young Shield winner: 2009 [Workington].
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Czech started on the path to a career in speedway by participating in a practice session at Koprivnice in his homeland at the age of thirteen. He subsequently made his first foray into the British racing scene with Berwick in 2001; however, despite often being surrounded by controversy during a lengthy association with the Bandits - particularly with his on-off relationship with the club - Rymel always remained popular with the team's supporters. During his time with Berwick, the internationally capped rider became Peterborough's official No. 9 during 2004 and filled a similar back-up position with Coventry the following term, when he was the Bees' No. 8 for a spell. After missing the 2007 season in the UK, the Czech ace once again represented the Bandits in 2008, but was lured across country by Workington for the 2009 campaign. It was to prove a fruitful move, as he helped the Comets to victory in both the Four-Team Championship and the Young Shield.