DALLAWAY, Lewis Steven
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 February 1986, Walsall, West Midlands.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) King’s Lynn II; (2005) Newport II, Weymouth; (2006-10) Buxton.
CLUB HONOURS: National Trophy winner: 2010 [Buxton]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2010 [Buxton]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Buxton].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.83 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Dallaway – a protégé of former rider Alan Grahame – first rode a speedway bike at the Sheffield training track at Christmas time in 2001, prior to making his official debut in a Conference Trophy match for King’s Lynn at Mildenhall on 5 September 2004. He represented both Newport and Weymouth in 2005, before linking with Buxton the following term.

After a slow start during that first season with the Hitmen, mainly due to riding in the difficult No. 2 position, he was forced to take a few weeks out with a serious eye problem but when he returned his improvement was noticeable. A drop down to reserve also meant that he had slightly easier rides and his point-scoring rose. He recorded a paid maximum in the defeat of Cleveland in the Conference Shield at Axe Edge on 27 August and ended the season with a creditable 4.48 average from twenty-eight matches.

Remaining with the Hitmen, the 2007 campaign turned out to be, quite literally, an up-and-down year as he was involved in several incidents and many weren’t his fault, but somehow he always managed to be present for the next meeting. In the end, Dallaway missed the final match of the season after being injured the night before at Stoke on 20 October, yet he still turned up at Buxton and was willing to give it a go if he had been required to do so.

Regrettably, the 2008 term saw him slip back a little with a lot of mechanical troubles – especially away from home – but, in 2009, he was back to the level he was before and ended the season with a career-high real-time 4.96 average, having attained 165 points from thirty-two official appearances. As a measure of his progress, he won the club’s Top Bonus Points Scorer Trophy in both 2008 and 2009. And, in February 2010, the Buxton management confirmed that the Walsall-born rider would represent them for a fifth successive season in the new term.

Dallaway was ruled out with a neck injury after a crash in his opening ride during Buxton’s Knock-Out Cup semi-final tie against Dudley at Wolverhampton on 14 September. Thankfully, he was released from hospital later the same evening and quickly returned to action to play a key role as the Hitmen went on to take a clean sweep of the silverware, winning firstly the National Trophy and then the Knock-Out Cup.

On the last official day of the season – 31 October – they also sealed the League Championship when they defeated Newport 56-35 in a one-legged Play-Off final on their own track after the scheduled first leg in South Wales had been washed out two days beforehand. Dallaway’s contribution on the day was 6+1 points, as he concluded a wonderful campaign with an average of close on 5 points a match.

DAVEY, Mitchell James Ryan
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 March 1990, Ayr, Queensland, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-10) Glasgow.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Gary Davey (born: 1965, Queensland, Australia).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.77 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Davey's father, Gary, never appeared in the UK, but was a North Queensland solo rider in the 1980s and 1990s. During this time, he skippered the Townsville team in matches against England, USA and Russia. Son Mitchell linked with Glasgow for his initial season of British racing in 2008 and, after some promising performances, was retained by the Tigers in 2009, when he was the only member of the side who stayed ever-present throughout forty official matches to average 4.49.

He remained with Glasgow for a third term in 2010, but sustained a broken collarbone when the Tigers entertained Newport in a league fixture on 16 May. The injury occurred in heat two, when the Aussie landed heavily on his shoulder. The following week, he was replaced in the line-up by the returning Anders Andersen. Having recuperated, Davey was recalled to the Scottish side's line-up at the end of July, when he took the place of Jamie Courtney. However, Davey's confidence hit an all-time low as he struggled for points and this led to him being replaced in the Tigers team by Jake Anderson at the tail-end of August.

DAVIDSSON, Daniel Jan Johan
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 March 1983, Mariestad, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Poole; (2004) Poole; (2005) Coventry, Peterborough; (2006) Poole; (2008-09) Poole; (2010) Lakeside.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2004 [Poole], 2005 [Coventry], 2008 [Poole]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Poole].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Jan Davidsson (born: 18 October 1956, Motala, Sweden). Brother of Jonas Davidsson (born: 7 August 1984, Motala, Sweden).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.71 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: In May 2005, Davidsson lost his place in the Coventry side to make way for the return of Billy Janniro. He subsequently turned down approaches from a number of Premier League clubs, before returning to the top-flight with Peterborough a couple of months later. The Swede's recall to the Poole side in May 2008 was an instrumental factor in the Pirates' eventual Elite League Championship success that year. Davidsson had first linked with the Dorset side in 2003 and subsequently spent various spells at the club.

Known for his fast-starting ability, he often proved hard to pass once out front; however, having failed to recapture his form of the previous season, he was released at the start of August 2009, when Poole signed Leon Madsen. At the beginning of December, it was announced that the elder of the racing brothers had become a full club asset of Lakeside in a swap deal that saw fellow Swede Ricky Kling's registration switch to Poole.

After making strides with the Hammers, Davidsson admitted that he had been close to quitting the sport during the winter. That he hadn't packed it in was initially a blessing for the side based at Arena-Essex, as the elder of the racing brothers showed great form in the early months of the campaign. However, he struggled after sustaining a knock to his back after crashing twice during a home league encounter versus Eastbourne on 25 June.

Having resumed in the saddle, the rider required another short spell on the sidelines after he sustained what was described a ‘ricked neck' during a home league match versus Coventry on 21 July. With his confidence knocked back, he was a shadow of the rider he'd previously been for the Hammers and, early in August, he lost his team place to Peter Ljung.

DAVIDSSON, Jan Jonas Daniel
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 August 1984, Motala, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Reading; (2004) Oxford; (2005) Swindon; (2006) Poole; (2007) Reading; (2008-10) Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOURS: Finnish Under-21 Champion: 2002; Swedish Under-21 Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Jan Davidsson (born: 18 October 1956, Motala, Sweden). Brother of Daniel Davidsson (born: 17 March 1983, Mariestad, Sweden).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.97 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The younger of the racing brothers has always ridden as Jonas Davidsson. He and his sibling are the sons of former Eastbourne teamster Jan, who represented the Eagles back in 1980. Jonas gained much experience of motorcycles at an early age, having first ridden an 80cc machine in his hometown, when aged just 13. He took his British bow in the Premier League with Reading in 2003 and ended the campaign on-song to average 6.62, having registered 194-points from twenty-nine league matches.

In 2004, he stepped up to the Elite League by transferring to Oxford and this was clearly a brave move by one so young. He learnt much from his debut year in the top-flight, too, netting 132-points from thirty-two league fixtures for a promising 5.21 average. Swindon was his next port of call, the Swede having requested a transfer from the Cheetahs' lair himself. Regrettably - despite some eye-catching performances - a lack of consistency saw his average drop backwards with the Wiltshire outfit and he was to spend the following term at Poole where, by and large, he regained the touch he had demonstrated with Oxford.  

Davidsson looked to be lost to the British racing scene in 2007 until he linked with Reading in mid-May amidst a number of problems at the Berkshire club. Despite that and a change of promotion the following month, he knuckled down to achieve a healthy near 6-point average. With Reading dropping down to the Premier League for 2008, he linked with Lakeside in a move that was to be the making of the rider and, having impressed in the first part of the campaign, the talented Swede featured in a mid-term full transfer to the Hammers from Swindon.

Although the Swedish international suffered a serious injury whilst appearing in his homeland towards the latter part of the campaign, he determinedly returned to the saddle for the Play-Off final against Poole, which the Hammers ultimately lost on aggregate. Lakeside again made the Play-Offs in 2009 and - although they dipped out at the semi-final stage - they had the consolation of subsequently winning the Knock-Out Cup, beating Coventry in the final. Having raised his real-time average to over 8.5 points per match, there was never any doubt that the gifted Davidsson would again line-up for the Hammers in 2010, his third term in the club's colours eventually being confirmed in January.

After a relatively slow start to his campaign, the Swede had really clicked into gear when, on 24 June, he was hit by a stray machine whilst racing in Poland and taken immediately to hospital with head and facial injuries. The upshot was a broken cheekbone and the popular Lakeside rider required a short spell of recuperation on the sidelines. Worse was to come in the Elite League Pairs Championship at Ipswich on 4 September, when he season came to an abrupt and painful.

In heat seventeen of the prestigious Super7even event, he sustained a broken thumb after somehow appearing to jump off his machine at the conclusion of the race and then being inadvertently run into by Swindon's Mads Korneliussen, who did everything to lay his machine down and avoid the stricken rider. The Hammers' management applied to the BSPA for an emergency 28-day injury change to their declared 1-7 in the hope of replacing the Swede, but this was vetoed and instead they had to operate the rider replacement facility in his absence.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 4 – 74th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 16 – 76th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 13 – 79th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 2 – 74th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 4
Events: 11 – 6th on Sweden’s list; 21st on SWC all-time list
Points: 106 – 7th on Sweden’s list; 23rd on SWC all-time list
Finals: 3
Gold medals: 0

DAVIES, Alex
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 September 1992, Northampton, Northamptonshire
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Newport.
STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
RIDER LINKS: Son of Stephen Davies (born: 31 January 1965, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia). Grandson of Keith Davies.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Davies' father, Stephen, joined King's Lynn in 1986 and enjoyed five seasons with the club, making in excess of 200 official appearances. Alex came along in 1992 and returned to Australia with his parents when aged just a couple of months. He subsequently began riding bikes as a member of the Hunter Motorcycle Club when aged 11 and then moved on to the long-track scene, before starting speedway at 13. He went on to represent Australia in the Under-16 FIM Gold Trophy on two separate occasions, in Poland and Denmark. And, in 2008, he appeared in a second-half event at King's Lynn's Norfolk Arena. In December 2009, the Stars' management revealed that they had signed Davies on a full contract in readiness for the 2010 campaign. And, in Februay, it was revealed that he would also represent the Young Stars at National League level.

However, on 22 February, King's Lynn released the news that the Aussie had been refused a British Passport and would therefore be unable to join the club after all. The British Home Office turned down the application on the basis that although he was born in the UK to a mother with British ancestry, the rider himself didn't have any direct ancestry. Also, although his mother had previously resided in the UK for four years, they had never classed her as having partiality. That wasn't to be the end of Davies' ambitions, though as, in March, Newport stepped in to sign him after Grant Tregoning had encountered visa problems. This meant the speedster had to apply for a work permit to ride in the UK and instead of having an assessed average of 3.00, it was set at the 5-point mark.

DAY, Terence (Terry) Anthony John
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 February 1985, Poole, Dorset
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Wimbledon; (2003) Newport II; (2006-07) Weymouth; (2008) Rye House II; (2009-10) Weymouth.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.25 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Day made his debut as a 17-year-old at Conference-level with Wimbledon in 2002, before representing Newport Mavericks the following season. He then appeared lost to the sport, but resurfaced with Weymouth in 2006. After two seasons in Dorset, he linked with Rye House in 2008 and posted an average of almost 5 points per match for the Kart Raceway Cobras. The Poole-born rider returned to Weymouth in 2009, when he enjoyed his most productive term in the sport to post a real-time average of 7.37.

After starting his fourth term on the Wildcats’ books encouragingly in 2010, the Verwood-based speedster was involved in a frightening spill in heat eight of a Knock-Out Cup tie versus Newport at Radipole Lane on 28 May. The race saw Day thrown from his machine after locking-up on the final bend whilst chasing down Hornets’ Mark Jones, before being inadvertently hit by the closely following Danny Stoneman whose rear wheel collided with fierce impact on his team-mate’s head.

He was taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, where it was discovered he had fortunately suffered only concussion and bruising. This meant a spell out of action and the Weymouth rider was extremely grateful that his Shoei helmet had almost certainly saved his life. Regrettably, though, the effects of the concussion proved difficult to shake off and he was to be out of action for considerably longer than initially anticipated. And, towards the end of July, this resulted in him being replaced in the Wildcats’ team declaration by Adam McKinna.

Day was finally able to get back on a bike on 15 October, when he took a practice spin at Weymouth’s Wessex Stadium and, although obviously not race fit, he came through the session satisfactorily. He admitted that the concussion was still causing problems with his sleeping, but looked forward to getting fully fit for a team slot in 2011.

DICKEN, Lee Charles
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 August 1978, Hull, East Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1994) Buxton; (1995) Hull, Stoke, Peterborough; (1996) Hull, Owlerton, Sheffield; (1997-98) Hull; (1999) Hull, Exeter; (2000) Hull; (2001) Hull, Arena-Essex; (2002) Newport, Wolverhampton; (2003) Hull, Newcastle; (2004) Newcastle, Newcastle II, Glasgow; (2005) Hull, Sittingbourne, Newport, Newport II; (2006-08) Glasgow; (2009) Newport II, Glasgow; (2010) Glasgow.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2002 [Wolverhampton].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.08 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The much-travelled Dicken – whose father was a former promoter at Hull in the early days of the Vikings’ tenure at Craven Park – lost his place in Newport’s National League line-up towards the end of May 2009, when he was replaced after a poor run of form by Ryan Sedgmen. However, Glasgow quickly agreed terms with the Yorkshireman for him to return to Ashfield as a replacement for Lee Smart.

Undaunted by the near 600-mile round trip from his Hull base for home meetings, he had proved extremely popular with the Tigers’ supporters after two previous spells with the club. And, he went on to post a real-time average of a shade under 5 points per match, having totalled 134 points from twenty-four official matches. Having concluded the campaign on a high with several double-figure returns, the management announced that he had been retained for the 2010 campaign just before Christmas.

Having felt ill during the Tigers’ league match at Stoke on 19 June, Dicken was advised by the medical staff at Glasgow – during the return fixture the following day – that he might have something that required attention at hospital. He took heed of the advice and a bone infection was discovered, which meant there was something in his bloodstream that caused pain and irritation. He was subsequently forced to have an operation to remove a foreign body from his leg and was able to quickly return to action.

The Glasgow skipper avoided a broken collarbone, but nevertheless sustained muscle damage during the Tigers’ Premier Trophy clash with fierce Scottish rivals Edinburgh at Ashfield Stadium on 25 July. This occurred in heat eight of the encounter when Dicken and Monarchs’ Kalle Katajisto were both brought down after Tobias Busch had shed a chain. Despite doubts over his fitness, he rode on in the Tigers’ subsequent meetings, but aggravated a hip injury when he fell in heat ten of a home league fixture versus Workington on 8 August.

He returned to the track on 22 August and subsequently appeared in home and away matches against Newcastle seven and eight days later, respectively. However, he clearly wasn’t fit and took a break from the team, before answering an SOS to again resume racing in a home clash with fierce rivals Edinburgh on 5 September.

His season came to an end a week later, though, when he took another hefty knock in a home encounter with King’s Lynn. This happened in heat four when Stars’ reserve Cal McDade fell exiting the fourth bend of lap two. In a painful-looking accident, the closely following Dicken struck both the stricken rider and his mount, before coming to rest on the track.

DILGER, Max
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 July 1989, Lahr, Germany.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009-10) Edinburgh.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2010 [Edinburgh].
MAJOR HONOURS: German Under-21 Champion: 2008.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having represented AC Landshut in his home country and Kolejarz Opole in Poland, Dilger added a third string to his bow at the tail-end of July 2009, when he also signed for Edinburgh as a replacement for Thomas H. Jonasson. This came after he had attracted considerable attention having defeated Richard Speiser in a title run-off to become the German Under-21 Champion at Herxheim on 31 August 2008. Prior to joining the Monarchs, Dilger's only previous experience of racing in the UK had occurred at Rye House - also in 2008 - when he participated in the semi-final of the World Under-21 Championship on 15 June. The German's stint in the Edinburgh side came to an end in mid-September, when Andrew Tully returned to the line-up from injury.

Having been named as the final piece in the Monarchs' team-building jigsaw for 2010, Dilger was expected to improve on his 3.00 starting average, however, he didn't live up to expectations and was axed in mid-June to make way for Scotsman Cal McDade. Although popular behind the scenes at Armadale, the German hadn't been helped by the after-effects of a dislocated shoulder sustained in heat two of a Premier Trophy match at Workington on 17 April.

DOOLAN, Kevin
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 November 1980, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1999-2000) Belle Vue; (2002) Berwick; (2003) Glasgow; (2004) King’s Lynn; (2005) King’s Lynn, Ipswich; (2006) King’s Lynn, Eastbourne; (2007) Belle Vue; (2008) King’s Lynn; (2009) Workington, Belle Vue; (2010) King’s Lynn.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2005, 2006 [both King’s Lynn]; Young Shield winner: 2005 [King’s Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2006 [King’s Lynn]; League Championship winner: 2006 [King’s Lynn]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2009 [Workington].
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.87 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Doolan – one of the cheeriest guys in speedway – has ridden for a number of clubs, starting in 1999 with Belle Vue – when he possessed a striking green-coloured bike – then on to Berwick, Glasgow and King’s Lynn. The Stars displayed considerable foresight when they signed the then Berwick asset, as most teams would rather not fork out and instead prefer to take riders on loan, but the go-ahead Norfolk outfit reckoned he would be worth buying outright.

They were proved right and a rider who once suffered from unreliable machinery emerged to become one of the most professionally equipped speedsters around. His pits set-up is immaculate, and on-track he doesn’t do much wrong either.

Doolan moved back into the Elite League with Belle Vue in 2007 and did well, but then surprisingly returned to Saddlebow Road the following year, when the only downside to a terrific campaign was an early-season setback when he sustained a trapped nerve in his back, together with swelling and bruising to his hips when he crashed in heat fifteen of King’s Lynn’s league match at Sheffield on 17 April.

Going into 2009, it was quite surprising when he moved to Workington from the Stars, for whom he had formed a devastating spearhead with Czech ace Tomáš Topinka. Also, having originally started his UK career with Belle Vue, Doolan once more returned to the Manchester outfit in the No. 8 capacity for a short stint in mid-June 2009, when he replaced compatriot Josh Grajczonek. Upon the conclusion of his permitted period with the Aces, Grajczonek resumed in the role.

Regrettably, Doolan’s season came to an abrupt halt on 12 September, when he sustained three broken ribs, a shoulder blade injury and a bruised lung. This occurred in an aborted heat fifteen of the Comets’ home league match versus Redcar, when the Australian’s bike had lifted as he exited the fourth turn, before crashing down heavily and sending the rider tumbling into the safety fence.

Unfortunately, for Doolan – who had assumed the role of club skipper with Workington – he was ruled out of action for the remainder of the season in early October, having previously hoped that he might have been able to return before the curtain fell on the campaign.

He posted a real-time average of over 9 points per match for the Cumbrian outfit and, naturally, was wanted again in 2010; however, in November, it was revealed that he had opted to return to King’s Lynn. He jumped back into the saddle to participate in the Christmas Cracker event at Scunthorpe on 27 December, when he showed no ill-effects from the injuries to top-score with 14 points, prior to winning the final ahead of Jerran Hart, Luke Bowen and Ben Barker. And, he followed that up with a second-place finish, behind Steve Boxall, in the New Year Classic at Newport on 3 January.

The free-scoring Aussie – whose average in excess of 9.5 points per match comfortably kept him inside the Premier League’s top 10 riders – was involved in a first heat crash with home rider Ricky Ashworth when King’s Lynn visited Sheffield for a league encounter on 22 July. He was taken to the Northern General Hospital for X-rays and a check up. The upshot was unfortunately a broken wrist, which subsequently required plating.

With him likely to be out of action for the remainder of the season, the Stars’ management executed an astonishing raft of changes in August. The first move had seen Adam Roynon replace Joe Haines and this was immediately followed by another four amendments to their team declaration, as Casper Wortmann and Chris Mills were released, whilst the injured Doolan and the unwell Darren Mallett also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced the Victorian, with the other incoming riders being Lasse Bjerre, Jamie Courtney and Cal McDade.

With his season over early, the Aussie had scored 249 points from twenty-two matches for an average of 9.76, figures that gave him fourth spot overall in the final overall statistics for the Premier League. On 5 November, King’s Lynn revealed that they had reluctantly parted ways with the popular speedster. The Stars had been keen to retain his services for the 2011 season, but the two parties were unable to come to a financial deal.

The club stated that due to his increasing costs, Doolan had insisted on “a pay rise, which equated to around a 30 per cent increase over the whole season”. But they were unable to meet that request, especially in such an unsteady economy and had therefore made him available for a full transfer.

DOYLE, Jason Kevin
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 October 1985, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005) Isle of Wight; (2006) Isle of Wight, Poole; (2007) Poole; (2008) Somerset; (2010) Poole.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Somerset], 2010 [Poole].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Kevin Doyle.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.38 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Doyle was fined £300 and excluded from the rest of the meeting after throwing a punch at Reading’s Tom P. Madsen, following a back straight crash during heat six of a Premier Trophy match at Somerset on 11 April 2008. Having agreed to rejoin Poole in 2009, Doyle was injured before turning a wheel for the Pirates, when he suffered a torn rotator cuff during round two of the Australian Championship at the Olympic Park, Mildura, on 7 January.

Having recuperated, he journeyed to the UK as scheduled only to aggravate the torn tendons at the top of his left arm in a heat fourteen crash during Newport’s re-opening meeting for the Prince of Wales Trophy on 15 March. He subsequently returned Down Under to recover fully and was replaced in the Poole side by Łukasz Jankowski.

The Aussie hoped to resume racing with Poole in 2010 but – having felt badly about letting the club down the previous year – expressed doubts over whether he would actually take his place in the Pirates’ line-up, although team boss Neil Middleditch was quick to assure the rider that there was a space open for him. And, in January, the Poole management confirmed that the Australian had, in fact, agreed a deal before the Christmas holidays to be the final piece in their team jigsaw for the new campaign.

Doyle sustained concussion after a crash during Poole’s home league encounter versus Wolverhampton on 18 August. He subsequently rode in Somerset’s 10-Year Anniversary meeting two days later, but had to withdraw from the event after taking a nasty-looking crash on the final turn of the opening lap in heat six. However, he was deemed fit to take his place in the Pirates’ next meeting at Wolverhampton on 23 August.

Worse was to come at the sharp end of the season, though; having ridden for Poole in the first leg of the Play-Off semi-final at Wolverhampton on 13 September, there was concern that the Aussie might miss the remainder of the season after dislocating a shoulder in a moto-cross accident. However, he recovered sufficiently to represent the Pirates’ in the first leg of the final at Coventry on 27 September, although he took another knock to the injury when he fell in the penultimate heat.

Poole eventually missed out on the League Championship after losing to the Bees on aggregate, but Doyle went on to secure his first maximum at Elite League level with an unbeaten display – 9+3 points from four starts – in the Pirates’ Knock-Out Cup semi-final win over Peterborough at Wimborne Road on 13 October. And they did at least gain some consolation for their high stakes loss in the league title decider when, on 27 October, they clinched an aggregate victory over Eastbourne to lift the Knock-Out Cup at their home raceway; it being Doyle’s first piece of silverware at top-flight level, having previously won the Premier League KOC with Somerset in 2008.

DRYML, Aleš
DATE OF BIRTH: 19 October 1979, Pardubice, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2000-02) Oxford; (2003) Belle Vue, Poole; (2004-05) Peterborough; (2006) Oxford; (2008) Wolverhampton; (2009) Peterborough, Poole; (2010) Peterborough, Ipswich.
NOTE: Dryml also appeared for Oxford in 2007, but this is not credited in his career record because the club closed down prematurely, with all their matches expunged from the records.
MAJOR HONOUR: German Under-21 Champion: 1998.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2001 [Oxford]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003 [Poole].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Ales Dryml [Senior] (born: 10 June 1953, Kolina, Czech Republic). Brother of Lukáš Dryml (born: 16 April 1981, Pardubice, Czech Republic).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.67 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The elder of the Dryml brothers was seriously hurt in a track accident on 12 July 2006, during Oxford’s home league encounter versus Wolverhampton and was subsequently placed in an intensive care unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital. Remarkably, and against all the odds, the Czech recovered from his severe head injuries and was able to return to his homeland where he began his recuperation. Bravely, the Czech ace returned to the British racing scene with Wolverhampton in 2008, when he was handed an amended green sheet average in order to assist his passage back into the sport.

In 2009, Dryml re-joined one of his former clubs, Peterborough, but was released by the Panthers late in April to make way for Henning Bager. He was immediately signed by Poole as a replacement for Łukasz Jankowski, but his stay with the Pirates didn’t last long either; he was released when the club signed Hans Andersen late in May. Remarkably, following Karol Ząbik’s decision to quit Peterborough for personal reasons, Dryml was recalled by the Panthers for his second spell of the campaign with the side. Dryml was to see the season out with the club, his two spells yielding 127 points and a real-time 5.66 average from twenty-three appearances.

He wasn’t retained for the start of the 2010 campaign but, in May, once again rejoined Peterborough as a direct replacement for Ulrich Østergaard. However, his latest return to the East of England Showground was to be very brief, indeed. Before the end of the same month – having made just three appearances for the Panthers – he was replaced in the side by Polish newcomer Kamil Brzozowski.

This was part of a complicated series of deals that included the signing of Rory Schlein to bolster the side’s top-end and, under the rules, because of the Australian’s higher average he could only be accommodated by releasing Dryml and bringing in someone with a lower figure so that the new-look line-up fitted within the points limit. However, the Czech was signed a week later by Ipswich as a replacement for Claus Vissing, who had struggled for form in the first couple of months of the term.
 
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 12 – 51st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 30 – 66th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 35 – 60th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 3 – 68th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 8
Events: 14 – 1st on Czech Republic’s list; 15th on SWC all-time list
Points: 107 – 1st on Czech Republic’s list; 21st on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

DRYML, Lukáš
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 April 1981, Pardubice, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2000-02) Oxford; (2003) Poole; (2004) Peterborough; (2005) Oxford, Peterborough; (2007-08) Peterborough; (2009-10) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: European Under-19 Champion: 2000; World Under-21 Champion: 2002; Czech Republic Champion: 2005, 2008, 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2001 [Oxford], 2003 [Poole]; Elite Shield winner: 2007 [Peterborough], 2009 [Eastbourne].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Ales Dryml [Senior] (born: 10 June 1953, Kolina, Czech Republic). Brother of Ales Dryml (born: 19 October 1979, Pardubice, Czech Republic).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.70 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The vastly experienced Czech international had been tipped for World Championship success only a few seasons previously and, whilst he never achieved the glory some predicted, he remains a hugely talented performer. In 2009, the younger of the Dryml brothers joined Eastbourne as a temporary replacement for Denis Gizatullin, whilst the Russian thrill-merchant’s visa application was ironed out.

When it became clear that Gizatullin wouldn’t be coming after all, the Eagles were happy to cement Dryml’s position in the side for the entire season. The Czech proved extremely popular with the Sussex outfit in scoring 195 points from thirty-one official appearances for a 6.09 average and, in mid-November, the club announced that he would be returning for a second successive term in 2010.  

However, Dryml was told that he was being released to make way for Lewis Bridger’s expected return to Arlington in early June, but the Czech was reprieved when the British rider decided he wished to remain with Coventry following his move from Peterborough to Brandon. He later missed part of the season after being laid low by a viral infection and, on 1 September, temporarily lost the feeling in an arm after a track accident in his homeland whilst representing Pardubice in a meeting at Plzeň.

Having overcome that setback, the rider was to miss Eastbourne’s Knock-Out Cup semi-final success over Wolverhampton and their subsequent appearance in the final against Poole after sustaining a shoulder injury in his homeland in early October.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 34 – 25th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 222 – 28th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 152 – 28th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 22 – 34th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 4 – 25th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 6
Events: 11 – 2nd on Czech Republic’s list; 22nd on SWC all-time list
Points: 80 – 3rd on Czech Republic’s list; 31st on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

DYER, Michael (Micky) Steven
DATE OF BIRTH: 3 January 1991, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Dudley.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Dyer first rode at Nepean, near Sydney, in his homeland late in 2007. He was to show plenty of potential and made rapid strides before catching the eye when he represented New South Wales in the annual series of matches versus Queensland in 2010. The first of these occurred at Moranbah, North Queensland on 21 May, when the opening meeting was the first for speedway bikes at the venue for twelve years and the first appearance of the NSW team at the track for thirty-one years. In fact, the last previous time NSW had raced on the circuit their team had comprised the likes of Dave Mills, Ricky Day, Carl Askew and Wayne Forrest.

The match in the ‘Sunshine State' saw the visitors claim a massive 73-35 success, with Dyer grabbing a jaw-dropping 17 points. The second fixture at Bowen two days later saw NSW win 65-43 and Dyer recorded a 15-point tally to again head the score-chart. He repeated this haul at Brandon on 29 May, as his team suffered a 58-50 reverse and, the following day, rounded out the series with 17 points as NSW returned to winning ways, 64-43.

The following month he made the long journey to England and took his first laps on a British track at Stoke on 21 June, when he joined the Dudley squad for a practice session arranged by former Cradley riders Mark Robinson and Anthony Boyd. Having impressed on the Loomer Road strip, it was announced two days later that the Aussie had joined the Heathens as a replacement for James Sarjeant.