WALKER, Simon Mark
DATE OF BIRTH: 19 February 1980, Bristol, Avon.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Newport II; (2002) Newport II, Swindon II; (2003) Swindon II, Trelawny II; (2004) Somerset, Swindon II, King's Lynn II; (2005) Boston, Somerset; (2006-09) Somerset.
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Bristol-born racer showcases a unique and spectacular style that makes him one of the most exciting riders at Premier League level. Regrettably, though, he sustained injuries to his lower back and vertebra in heat twelve of Somerset's visit to Reading in the Knock-Out Cup on 29 June 2008. The extent of his injuries ultimately brought his season to an end. Having returned to the saddle, ‘Si-Co' took another unwanted knock in Somerset's home encounter with Stoke in the Premier Trophy on 24 April 2009 when, following heat nine, he clipped Jesper Kristiansen's rear wheel and fell, suffering muscle and ligament damage to an arm. Having resumed racing, Walker faced another enforced break after the Rebels' home league match versus Rye House on 21 August, during which he aggravated a wrist injury.

WARD, Darcy
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 May 1992, Nanago, Queensland, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Boston; (2009) King's Lynn.
MAJOR HONOURS: Queensland State Champion: 2009; Australian Under-21 Champion: 2009; World Under-21 Champion: 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2009 [King's Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2009 [King's Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [King's Lynn].
ADDITIONAL INFO: The teenage sensation started the 2009 season at reserve for King's Lynn, but quickly became the talk of the sport after a string of magnificent displays, which led to him moving up to the side's No. 1 slot in early June. His blistering form continued and saw him shoot to pole position in the overall Premier League averages, before injury struck at Edinburgh on 10 July. The Aussie was leading heat five, but lost control on the pits bend and crashed into the safety fence, chipping a bone at the bottom of an ankle. The injury necessitated a spell on the sidelines and the use of guests in his place; the youngster quickly recovered, though, returning to the Stars' line-up on 2 August to continue his high-scoring exploits. Ward's efforts helped propel King's Lynn to a League Championship and Premier Trophy double, whilst individually the talented Aussie finished a gallant runner-up to home representative Ricky Ashworth in the Premier League Riders' Championship at Sheffield on 27 September. Further glory came his way on 3 October, though, when he annexed the World Under-21 Championship with a typically breathtaking display at Gorican, Croatia. Ward was to retain top spot in the Premier League averages, finishing up with a real-time figure close on 10 points per match. He did, however, sustain a back injury whilst representing Australia against Great Britain in an Under-25 Test match at Ipswich on 15 October. That necessitated a trip to Poland, where he received specialist attention from his Extra League club's physiotherapist at Torun, before returning to the UK for more treatment with a specialist in London. He subsequently appeared in the first leg of the Knock-Out Cup final at Edinburgh on 23 October, but missed the return leg five days later when the Stars secured an aggregate victory. That capped a superb year for the club, as they had already won the League Championship and Premier Trophy.

WARWICK, Daniel (Danny) John
DATE OF BIRTH: 21 November 1983, Poole, Dorset.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Newport II; (2003) Newport II, Poole; (2004) Weymouth, Swindon II, King's Lynn II; (2005) Newport II; (2006) Berwick, Weymouth; (2007) Somerset, Sittingbourne; (2008) Reading; (2009) Berwick, Bournemouth.
MAJOR HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Bournemouth]; League Championship winner: 2009 [Bournemouth].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Carl Warwick (born: 7 October 1981, Poole, Dorset).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Remarkably, Warwick remained ever-present over a four-year period - from 2004 to 2007 inclusive - with four different teams, namely Swindon II, Newport II, Berwick and Somerset. That impressive sequence came to an unfortunate end in 2008, when, whilst riding for Reading in a challenge match against Somerset at Smallmead on 17 March, he sustained a small fracture to his right ankle. This occurred in the original running of heat two, when he took a knock from visiting rider Stephan Katt entering the first bend and came down heavily. Although he bravely participated in the re-run, Warwick was clearly in pain and pulled up without completing the race. Soon after returning to the saddle, he was in the wars once more in another home match versus King's Lynn in the Knock-Out Cup on 28 April. Again, in heat two, he was inadvertently clipped on the first corner as both visiting riders, John Oliver and Kozza Smith, came to grief. The upshot was a fractured shoulder for the Poole-born rider and a lengthy spell out of action. He returned to the Racers' line-up for the last sector of the season but, with the track closing at the end of the term, had to move on in 2009. Warwick was to link with Berwick for a second spell, but lost his team spot in May, when the Bandits opted to bring in the locally-based Greg Blair. Renowned for his dreadlocks, the popular speedster subsequently joined Bournemouth later the same month, replacing Luke Priest in the line-up. Late in the season, on 8 October, Warwick hit a bump on the Poole racing strip and was catapulted over his handlebars in an alarming heat ten spill against the USA Dream Team. His crash was described as one of the worst ever seen at the venue and he was extremely lucky to walk away from it. Despite being black and blue, he bravely turned out for the Buccaneers in a Play-Off semi-final tie at Weymouth the following evening, before the pain got too much for him to represent the side in the first leg of the Knock-Out Cup final at Buxton on 11 October. He did, however, return to the line-up as they sealed KOC victory in the second leg four days later. And, later in the month, he helped Bournemouth secure the League Championship courtesy of a Play-Off Final success over Plymouth.

WATSON, Craig
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 August 1976, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1997-99) Newport; (2000-01) Poole; (2002) Newport; (2003) Newport, Belle Vue; (2004-06) Newport; (2007) Poole, Glasgow; (2008) Newport, Birmingham; (2009) No official appearances.
MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales State Champion: 2004.
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) ‘Wato' sustained a dislocated ankle and multiple fractures in a crash whilst riding for Newport in a home league meeting versus Stoke on 8 May 2005, ending his season prematurely; (2) He returned to the saddle in 2006, but his campaign was again disrupted by a broken arm; (3) Newport were forced to close down after promoter Tim Stone's death on 26 April 2008. Only the side's Premier Trophy and Knock-Out Cup matches were permitted to count in the riders' records and Watson subsequently re-located to Birmingham; (4) Having rejoined Newport in 2009, the Aussie sustained a broken left leg in the track's reopening individual meeting on 15 March, being subsequently replaced in the Wasps' line-up by Paul Fry; this was also to cost him the No. 8 berth at Poole and he was replaced in the position by Chris Neath.

WATT, David (Davey) John
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 January 1978, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Isle of Wight; (2002) Newcastle; (2003) King's Lynn, Poole; (2004) Rye House, Poole, Eastbourne; (2005) Eastbourne; (2006) Oxford; (2007) Eastbourne; (2008) Poole; (2009) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOUR: Queensland State Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOURS: Young Shield winner: 2001 [Isle of Wight]; League Championship winner: 2008 [Poole]; Elite Shield winner: 2009 [Eastbourne].
ADDITIONAL INFO: The hard-charging Australian international played an integral role in Poole's 2008 Elite League winning side. Watt is a popular rider, who is renowned for his bravery, commitment and exciting riding style.

WEBSTER, Timothy (Tim) Mark
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 May 1989, Walsall, West Midlands.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) King's Lynn II; (2005) Weymouth, Scunthorpe; (2006) Newport II; (200
7) Plymouth; (2008-09) Weymouth.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth].ADDITIONAL INFO: Webster first rode a speedway bike in October 2003 and, a year later, made his official debut with King's Lynn's second side - the Starlets - in their final Conference Trophy match of the 2004 season in an away encounter versus Weymouth on 31 October, failing to score from four outings. He made just a single Knock-Out Cup appearance for Weymouth the following year and also raced in one Conference League match for Scunthorpe. Thirteen appearances came his way for Newport Mavericks in 2006 as he continued to make his way in the sport. A season with Plymouth in 2007 proved a good move as he attained a real-time average of 3.74 from twenty-seven official matches. Webster enjoyed the first of two terms in Weymouth's colours in 2008, when he increased his average to above 6 points per match. Highlighting a fruitful 2009 campaign, he established a new track record of 50.9 seconds for the Radipole Lane circuit on 8 August, in heat two of a National League fixture against Newport. Prior to the season's end it was confirmed by Wildcats' boss Phil Bartlett that the rider was set for a full transfer back to Newport, whom he had previously been an asset of. This came after Webster had officially requested a permanent move with the Speedway Control Bureau.

WELLS, Rick (Ricky)
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 July 1991, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Coventry.
MAJOR HONOURS: USA Under-21 Champion: 2007, 2008; AMA American Champion: 2009.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Previously nicknamed ‘The Kiwi Kid', Wells - who races on an American licence - had the start of his British career delayed slightly with Coventry in 2009, whilst his official paperwork was ironed out. He was temporarily replaced by Filip Sitera, before being able to line-up for the Bees in April. Coventry had been taking a keen interest in Wells' progress for over a year, and members of the management team had attended his meetings on previous trips to Europe, including his run to the semi-finals of the World Under-21 Championship last season. Having agreed to join the club, it initially looked likely that the Auckland-born rider would be loaned out to a Premier League club in order to gain more experience but, with the regulations ruling that out, he made the big step directly into the top-flight. The youngster experienced the highs and lows of the sport in a three-day spell as the season unfolded, winning the American Championship on 19 September. However, on 21 September, he crashed heavily in heat eleven of the Play-Off semi-final between Coventry and Swindon at Brandon Stadium, sustaining bad bruising to his lower back, although thankfully no broken bones. That necessitated a spell on the sidelines for the rider. Wells' success in the 41st United States National Championship at the famous Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, California, made him the youngest-ever winner of the title at 18 years and 54 days old. He was also the first foreign-born rider to claim the Championship.

WERNER, Jeffrey Brent
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 April 1974, Los Angeles, California, USA.
BRITISH CAREER: (1995-97) Long Eaton; (1998) Newcastle; (1999-2000) Workington; (2001) Eastbourne; (2002) Rye House; (2003) Rye House, Peterborough; (2004) Rye House, Belle Vue; (2005) Rye House, Oxford; (2006) Eastbourne, Mildenhall, Arena-Essex; (2007) Birmingham; (2008) Somerset, Eastbourne; (2009) Newport.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 1997 [Long Eaton]; Pairs Championship winner: 1999 [Workington]; League Championship winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Premier Trophy winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Somerset].
RIDER LINKS: Nephew of Dubb Ferrell (born: 1957, Los Angeles, California, USA).
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Werner's testimonial was held at Rye House on 8 October 2005, when Morten Risager took victory in an individual event. (2)The American quit the sport after a poor run of form with Birmingham in May 2007, but was persuaded to return by Somerset in 2008 after Ritchie Hawkins had been injured prior to the season; (3) Werner joined Newport in 2009, but a revamp of the side in early July saw him replaced by Swedish newcomer Jonas Andersson.

WETHERS, Matthew James
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 May 1985, Adelaide, South Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Armadale, Wolverhampton II, Edinburgh; (2004) Edinburgh, Armadale; (2005) Glasgow, King's Lynn, Edinburgh; (2006) Edinburgh, Poole; (2007-09) Edinburgh.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2003, 2008 [both Edinburgh]; Premier Trophy winner: 2008 [Edinburgh]; Play-Off winner: 2008, 2009 [Edinburgh].
ADDITIONAL INFO: ‘Stormy' represented Edinburgh for a seventh successive season in 2009 and is the team's only remaining rider from the legendary Championship-winning side of 2003. During that time, the mega-popular Aussie has had brief spells with other outfits - most notably in 2005 with stints at Glasgow and King's Lynn - but it's with the Monarchs that his heart lies. He has become an accomplished competitor with the Scottish team, winning the Rider of the Year award in 2007 and adding a further league title in 2008, as well as being part of the side that triumphed in both the Premier Trophy and the Play-Offs. He posted a real-time average of almost 8 points per match in 2009 and also helped Edinburgh to another Play-Off success against King's Lynn in an enthralling final.

WHITE-WILLIAMS, James (Jamie)
DATE OF BIRTH: 2 December 1985, Newport, Gwent, South Wales.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Plymouth; (2009) Weymouth.
CLUB HONOUR: Conference Trophy winner: 2008 [Plymouth].

WHITTINGTON, Scott
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 June 1989, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Buxton.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Whittington initially took his first speedway skids on the Sheffield training track at 14-years-of-age. Having continued to practice, he eventually broke into the Buxton side in 2008, making seventeen official appearances for the Hitmen. He was named as No. 8 for the Derbyshire team in 2009 but, having not been called into action, was replaced in the role by Jason Garrity in July.

WIDMAN, Christopher (Chris) David
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 March 1990, Leicester, Leicestershire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005) Scunthorpe; (2008) Boston; (2009) King's Lynn II.

WILKINSON, Carl Adam
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 May 1981, Boston, Lincolnshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1997) Peterborough II; (1998) Norfolk; (1999) King's Lynn II; (2000) Boston, Newcastle, Glasgow; (2001) Boston; (2002-03) Newport, Newport II; (2004) Newport; (2005) Boston, Berwick; (2006) Newport, Ipswich; (2007) Newcastle, Wolverhampton; (2008-09) Scunthorpe, Ipswich.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1997 [Peterborough II]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2000 [Boston].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Wilkinson was named as one of Ipswich's ‘doubling-up' riders for 2009 and shared the position with young Australian prospect Kozza Smith. The Brit  first burst on to the scene at Amateur League level with Peterborough in 1997 and his spectacular riding style has thrilled crowds the length and breath of Britain ever since at a variety of clubs. Prior to the end of the season, ‘Wilko' tied-up a deal to remain with Scunthorpe for a third successive season in 2010.

WILSON, Ben Ryan
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 March 1986, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001-02) Sheffield II; (2003) Sheffield, Sheffield II, Buxton; (2004) Sheffield, Sheffield II, Carmarthen; (2005) Sheffield; (2006) Sheffield, Wolverhampton; (2007) Sheffield, Belle Vue; (2008) Sheffield; (2009) Redcar, Poole.
MAJOR HONOUR: British Under-21 Champion: 2006.
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) Wilson ended the 2004 campaign with a broken collarbone, suffered on 29 October whilst appearing for the GB Under-21s versus Scotland at Armadale Stadium. The meeting was held amidst dreadfully wet conditions and was abandoned after the fourth heat, which had unfortunately seen the Yorkshireman collect his painful injury when David McAllan had inadvertently spun and fallen in front of him; (2) In May 2009, Wilson joined Poole in a ‘doubling-up' capacity alongside Paul Fry, when the Pirates released Carl Stonehewer and Tomasz Piszcz. Regrettably, the Sheffield-born rider seemed likely to miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a broken heel, when lost control and crashed whilst leading heat fourteen of Redcar's televised league match versus Edinburgh on 24 August. However, he defied the medical experts and took part in a behind-closed-doors practice session, before amazingly returning to the Bears' line-up in an away league match at Sheffield on 3 September - just 10 days after his accident!

WOFFINDEN, Tai
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 August 1990, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2006) Scunthorpe, Sheffield; (2007) Rye House, Scunthorpe, Poole; (2008) Rye House; (2009) Wolverhampton.
MAJOR HONOURS: Conference League Riders' Champion: 2007; British Under-18 Champion: 2007, 2008; British Under-21 Champion: 2008; Premier League Riders' Champion: 2008.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe], 2007 [Rye House and Scunthorpe], 2009 [Wolverhampton]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both Scunthorpe]; Conference Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both Scunthorpe]; Conference Shield winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Rob Woffinden (born: 27 March 1962, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire).
ADDITIONAL INFO: In October 2006, Wolverhampton won the race to sign the highly talented youngster on a full contract. He subsequently spent two seasons with Rye House in the Premier League, before stepping up to the Elite League on a full-time basis with the Wolves in 2009. It's hard not to get excited about the talented Woffinden, whose progress through the leagues has been emphatic and includes the scooping of numerous individual titles along the way.  He learnt to ride speedway in Perth, Australia, prior to beginning his British career with Scunthorpe - just like his father had done in 1978 - before progressing on to Rye House. Woffinden occupied a hugely impressive third place, behind Scott Nicholls and Edward Kennett, in the British Final staged at Swindon in 2008.

WÖLBERT, Kevin
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 June 1989, Crivitz, Parchim, Germany.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Edinburgh.
MAJOR HONOUR: German Champion: 2008.
CLUB HONOUR: Play-Off winner: 2008 [Edinburgh].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having attracted considerable attention in recent years, the talented Wölbert continued his progression up the speedway ladder when he finished sixth in the European Under-19 Championship at Stralsund in his home country on 30 August 2008. Then, the following day, he further showcased his abilities by taking third spot in the German Under-21 Championship at Herxheim. However, the pinnacle of his career thus far occurred in Diedenbergen on 14 September, when he was crowned German Champion. The meeting saw Wölbert notch 12 points to tie for first place with Richard Speiser and defending Champion Martin Smolinski but, in the title run-off, he jetted away and held off the pressing former Coventry rider for a fine success. Prior to his excellent run on the individual front, Wölbert had also top-scored for Germany as they grabbed a highly creditable second place behind Sweden in the European Under-19 Team Championship Final at Rawicz, Poland, on 22 May. Having lined-up at Edinburgh for the aborted Scottish Open on 31 July 2009, the German subsequently joined the reigning Premier League Champions in August, replacing the injured Andrew Tully and also linking with compatriot Max Dilger, who had signed for the Monarchs a couple of weeks previously. His signing was to be one that re-ignited the season for the Scottish side, as he averaged almost 9 points per match (including bonus). Regrettably, Wölbert was to miss Edinburgh's trip to King's Lynn for the second leg of the Knock-Out Cup final after receiving a hand injury - and possibly a broken finger - during the Promotion Play-Off at Belle Vue on 26 October. The injury occurred in the nominated heat, when the German's clutch disintegrated on the first bend, causing him to fall heavily. He also missed out on the return leg against the Aces, but at least had enjoyed the satisfaction of helping the Monarchs to victory over King's Lynn in the Play-Off final earlier in the month. Immediately prior to his injury, the club had handed their fans an early Christmas present with the news that Wölbert was the first name on the Edinburgh team-sheet for 2010, the popular rider having agreed to return for a full term.

WOODWARD, Cameron Jackson
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 January 1985, Mildura, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Poole; (2004-05) Edinburgh; (2006-09) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: Victoria State Champion: 2006, 2008, 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Eastbourne]; Elite Shield winner: 2009 [Eastbourne].
ADDITIONAL INFO: The laid back Australian youngster has made steady progress during his time in British speedway and lines up in Eastbourne colours for a fourth successive season this term.  A neat style, the ability to conjure decent starts and good speed meant Woodward assumed a second-string role in the Eagles' septet and no doubt he will be targeting a heat-leader berth before the end of the campaign.

WORTMANN, Casper
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 May 1988, Odense, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Mildenhall; (2009) Newcastle.
ADDITIONAL INFO: (1) The Dane sustained internal damage and a knee injury during Mildenhall's Premier Trophy clash with Birmingham on 6 April 2008. It was subsequently revealed that the Dane had been fighting for his life and had required emergency surgery on the morning following the meeting, as he had liver and kidney injuries, with blood pumping into his abdomen. Thankfully, he was released from hospital some two weeks later, when he returned to Denmark to recuperate. Amazingly, he returned to action for Mildenhall later in 2008; (2) Having joined Newcastle in 2009, the Dane was to lose his team spot at the end of May when a change saw him replaced by Adam McKinna.

WRATHALL, Adam Mark Edward
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 November 1991, Blackpool, Lancashire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Oxford II; (2008-09) Scunthorpe II.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Wrathall sustained multiple injuries in Oxford's opening Conference Trophy fixture of the 2007 season, at home to Weymouth on 8 April. In heat two, he lost control on the fourth bend and, together with his machine, he was flung over the safety fence. Among other things, he received a broken right leg, broken left thumb, broken bones in his back, bruising to his lings and head, with some internal bleeding at the back of the brain.

WRIGHT, Charles Martin
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 October 1988, Stockport, Cheshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-06) Buxton; (2007) Workington, Buxton; (2008-09) Workington.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team winner: 2008 [Workington]; Young Shield winner: 2008 [Workington].
RIDER LINKS: Grandson of Jim Yacoby (born: 26 September 1939, Denton, Manchester, Greater Manchester). Brother of fellow rider James Wright (see separate entry).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Like his elder brother, Wright began his racing career in the grass-track scene, taking his first rides at just six years-of-age. His initial skids on a speedway machine occurred some years later at King's Lynn, before he took his Conference League bow with Buxton in 2004. He was to spend four seasons on board with the Hitmen, the last of which also saw him combine his duties with Premier League Workington, in 2007. Remaining with the Comets in 2008, the youngster continued to develop and was an obvious starter in the Cumbrian side this term. However, he was injured in Workington's away league match at Glasgow on 31 May. This occurred after team-mate Adrian Rymel had started heat eleven off a 15-metre handicap and quickly caught home rider Mitchell Davey, before colliding with the Australian as he forged a route through on the fourth bend. That sent Davey into the path of Wright, who was thrown 20 feet down the home straight. He sustained bruising to the heels and a badly damaged hand; it was the latter of these that was to cause the most problems and after missing over two months of action a revised team declaration in August saw him replaced by the vastly experienced Phil Morris.

WRIGHT, James Philip
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 June 1986, Stockport, Cheshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Buxton; (2003) Buxton, Belle Vue; (2004) Workington, Buxton; (2005-07) Workington, Belle Vue; (2008) Swindon; (2009) Belle Vue.
MAJOR HONOURS: Conference League Riders' Champion: 2004; Premier League Riders' Champion: 2007.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2002 [Buxton]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2006 [Workington]; Elite Shield winner: 2008 [Swindon].
RIDER LINKS: Grandson of Jim Yacoby (born: 26 September 1939, Denton, Manchester, Greater Manchester). Brother of fellow rider Charles Wright (see separate entry).
ADDITIONAL INFO: After a fairly lengthy association with Belle Vue, Wright made the switch to Swindon on loan in 2008 prior to returning to the Manchester outfit this term, where the elder of the two racing brothers looks to continue his Elite League development.  He is a popular rider due to a never-say-die attitude and an exciting riding style, and these attributes came to the fore on 10 August this season when, having dropped to a reserve berth, he tallied a career-best top-flight haul of 17+1 points in a league fixture versus Coventry at Kirkmanshulme Lane.

WRIGHT, Matthew (Matt) Paul
DATE OF BIRTH: 19 November 1985, Harlow, Essex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Boston, Mildenhall, Carmarthen, Wimbledon II; (2003) Mildenhall, Ipswich; (2004-05) Wimbledon; (2006) Mildenhall, Mildenhall II; (2007) Boston; (2008) Boston, Mildenhall, Weymouth; (2009) Weymouth, Isle of Wight.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2003 [Mildenhall], 2008 [Weymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003 [Mildenhall].
ADDITIONAL INFO: Wright originally started in moto-cross racing at the age of eight, before taking his very first speedway outing on 1 April 2001, when fifteen. He subsequently made his Conference-level debut with Boston in May 2002 and went on to also appear for three other sides that year. He quickly became a stalwart of British speedway's third tier and, starting in 2003, put together a remarkable run of 124 consecutive official appearances at that level. His run ended on 7 July 2006, when he missed a trip to Plymouth for Mildenhall's then nicknamed Academy side, although he did turn out for the senior Fen Tigers team at Somerset that evening in a Premier League encounter! Thereafter, he continued to ply his trade in the Conference League, representing Boston, Mildenhall and Weymouth in the intervening seasons, and being again identified with the Wildcats this term as the set-up morphed into the new National League. He lost his team spot in August, however, when displaced by Lee Smethills. The lad from Harlow wasn't sidelined for long, though, as he was quickly snapped-up by the Isle of Wight to replace the injured Tom Brown.