The following is an A-Z list of riders who are contracted to appear in 2010, at Elite League, Premier League and National League level.
NOTE: (1) All entries for the current season are as per the declared team line-ups, but do not necessarily relate to actual appearances for the named clubs, particularly in the case of No. 8 riders in the Elite League; (2) The symbol II after a team's name differentiates between a club's National level and higher league side, when more than one team was operated in the same season; (3) With regard to 'Club Honours', riders have been credited with a contribution to a league title-winning side if they rode in 6 or more matches of the team's league programme - and with a cup-winning contribution if they appeared in at least one leg of the final; (4) The term 'real-time average' means the figure a rider achieved from all official meetings, inclusive of bonus points; (5) '2010 Starting Average' is each riders' figure at the beginning of the campaign or, indeed, if they joined after the start of the season. These are the official figures, which exclude bonus points; (6) The Speedway Grand Prix statistics will be updated for participating riders after each round of the 2010 series.
SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX & SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP STATISTICS COURTESY OF STEVE BRANDON
LAST UPDATED: November 6, 2010
RIDERS - S
SANCHEZ, Emiliano Diebo DATE OF BIRTH: 9 December 1977, Buenos Aires, Argentina. BRITISH CAREER: (1999-2001) Glasgow; (2002-03) Trelawny; (2004) Hull, Peterborough; (2005) Hull; (2006) Sheffield; (2007) Birmingham; (2008) Stoke, Scunthorpe; (2009) King’s Lynn; (2010) Redcar. MAJOR HONOURS: Argentine Champion: 2000, 2002; Italian Champion: 2004, 2005. CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 2002 [Trelawny], 2009 [King’s Lynn]; League Championship winner: 2004 [Hull], 2009 [King’s Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup Winner: 2004 [Hull], 2009 [King’s Lynn]; Young Shield winner: 2004 [Hull]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.07 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The globetrotting Sanchez first appeared in the UK with Glasgow on 30 May 1999, when he made a tremendously exciting debut for the Tigers. After spending two further terms with the Scottish club, he subsequently enjoyed spells with Trelawny, Hull and Sheffield. And, in 2004, whilst on the books of the now-defunct Vikings, he played a key part as the East Yorkshire outfit concluded a wonderful campaign by winning the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield.
Nicknamed ‘Potty', the Argentine racer spent the 2007 campaign with Birmingham, but his season was cut short after suffering serious injuries in a league match at Newport on 19 August. This happened in heat fifteen and, as he chased the Wasps' Tom Hedley along the home straight, Sanchez clipped the Aussie's rear wheel and careered into the safety fence, sustaining two broken fingers on the right hand, a broken nose, collapsed lung and internal injuries. Regrettably, he subsequently required an operation that led to the removal of his spleen.
In 2008, he resumed in the saddle with Stoke but, in June, agreement was reached between the Potters and Scunthorpe for Sanchez and Andrew Moore to swap sides in a direct rider exchange. In 2009, the Buenos Aires-born speedster was a late replacement for John Oliver in the King's Lynn side just prior to the season, after the Australian had enlightened the club that he would be staying at home Down Under because his partner was expecting a baby.
A great team man, Sanchez enjoyed a fabulous season to post a real-time average in excess of 8 points per match and scooped the club's Rider of the Year award, as he claimed the second treble success of his career, helping the Stars secure the League Championship, Premier Trophy and Knock-Out Cup. Due to the points-limit, though, the Norfolk outfit was unable to retain his services and - in December - it was announced that he had joined Redcar for the 2010 campaign.
As ever, he proved a very popular acquisition at the South Tees Motorsports Park and was to maintain a healthy 7-point average. However, his season was to be cut short through injury on 5 August in a home league derby versus Newcastle. In the nominated heat, he was battling away in his trademark never-say-die manner with visting rider David Howe, but was squeezed wide on the first turn of lap two and had nowhere to go. He impacted hard with the safety fence and sustained a very painful injury after trapping his right hand between the forks and front wheel of his bike.
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 1 Events: 1 – 7th on Italy’s list; 157th on SWC all-time list Points: 6 – 1st on Italy’s list; 112th on SWC all-time list Finals: 0 Gold medals: 0
SARJEANT, James DATE OF BIRTH: 16 November 1993, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Scunthorpe II; (2010) Dudley, Bournemouth 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.79 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Sarjeant began the 2009 term in Scunthorpe Saints’ declared 1-7 but, following the return of Scott Richardson at the beginning of May, he instead took over the role of the club’s No. 8 from Jack Hirst. Later that same month, though, he was promoted back to the main body of the side in place of Ricky Scarboro. However, on 22 June, following Belle Vue’s Elite League encounter versus Coventry, Sarjeant unluckily sustained a broken arm in a second-half spill.
His place in Scunthorpe’s National League side was subsequently filled by John MacPhail but, having recovered from his injury, he returned to the Saints’ declared squad at the end of July, when he took the place of Byron Bekker. At the season’s end, Sarjeant had made fifteen official appearances for the club, scoring 61 points for a real-time average of 4.83.
Late in February, it was announced that the former Sheffield mascot would be representing the new Dudley side in 2010, but he was to lose his place in the side towards the end of June when the Heathens grasped the opportunity of signing Australian hot-shot Micky Dyer. However, Sarjeant returned to action with Bournemouth in August amidst sweeping changes at the South Coast club that also saw the arrivals of Jerran Hart and Danny Stoneman, whilst Karl Mason, Daniel Halsey and John Resch were all released.
The Coventry asset was taken to hospital with a hand injury after crashing in heat eight of the Ozchem Top Gun Championship at Sheffield on 16 September. This occurred after a coming together with Tom Armstrong, which saw Sarjeant’s right hand get stuck in the young Australian’s rear wheel. He was detained in hospital overnight and ruled out of action whilst he recuperated.
SCARBORO, Ricky John DATE OF BIRTH: 31 July 1966, Grunby, Nr. Skegness, Lincolnshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1999) Mildenhall, King's Lynn II; (2000-01) Boston; (2002) Boston, King's Lynn II; (2003) Oxford, Oxford II, Mildenhall, Stoke II; (2004) Oxford II, Coventry II; (2005) Oxford II, Sittingbourne, Scunthorpe; (2008) Scunthorpe II, Sittingbourne; (2009) Scunthorpe II, King's Lynn II; (2010) Isle of Wight, Rye House II. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.58 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The former six-times East Midlands Grass-track Champion joined Scunthorpe’s National League side in mid-Aril 2009, replacing James Birkinshaw in the squad. He was, however, replaced himself in late May, when James Sarjeant moved up from the No. 8 slot to a position in the side’s declared 1-7. Scarboro wasn’t on the sidelines for long, though, as he joined King’s Lynn’s National League side shortly afterwards in place of the injured Jake Knight. Upon Knight’s return to fitness at the end of July, the Grunby-born rider made way in a re-declaration of the Barracudas’ squad.
The veteran racer once again returned to the speedway scene late in June 2010, when he displaced Danny Hodgson in the main body of the Isle of Wight side. Scarboro’s return was to be short-lived as, in July, he was replaced in the Islanders’ line-up by Lee Smethills. However, following an injury sustained by Ben Morley, he joined Rye House Cobras at the tail-end of the same month to cover for the youngster’s absence. His stint with the Hoddesden-based club came to an end in September, when Morley was deemed fit to return.
SCHLEIN, Rory Robert DATE OF BIRTH: 1 September 1984, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2001-02) Edinburgh, Sheffield II; (2003-04) Edinburgh, Belle Vue; (2005-07) Coventry; (2008) Coventry, Ipswich; (2009) Coventry; (2010) Coventry, Peterborough. MAJOR HONOURS: Australian Under-16 Champion: 2000; Australian Under-21 Champion: 2003, 2004; South Australia State Champion: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2001 [Sheffield II], 2003 [Edinburgh], 2005 [Coventry], 2007 [Coventry], 2010 [Coventry]; Elite Shield winner: 2006 [Coventry]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both Coventry]; Craven Shield winner: 2007 [Coventry]. RIDER LINKS: Son of Lyndon Schlein (born: 1 December 1951, Adelaide, South Australia). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.25 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Schlein returned to Coventry for a fifth season in 2009, following a brief loan spell at Ipswich that began in mid-August the previous year. He initially joined the Bees in the winter of 2004/05, after showing a liking for the Brandon circuit in his visits for Belle Vue, with whom he had been ‘doubling-up’ from Edinburgh. Unfortunately, though, his first season with Coventry was wrecked when he sustained a broken back, which ruled him out for two-thirds of the campaign.
Then, in August 2006, he had the misfortune to suffer a broken leg; however, he bounced back to play his part in the Bees’ wonderful treble success of 2007. The ‘Roo Boy’ was in the wars again whilst representing Dackarna in a home Swedish Elite League match against Piraterna on 5 May 2009, when he sustained a dislocated shoulder after being unable to avoid a collision in front of him between Fredrik Lindgren and Robert Kościecha.
And, on 10 July, in Coventry’s home league match versus Ipswich, the Australian crashed in heat four, suffering a broken collarbone, together with wrist, finger and knee injuries. In the interim, whilst he recuperated, the Bees re-signed popular German Martin Smolinski to plug the gap. Having regained fitness – and following practice spins at both Sheffield and Coventry – Schlein returned to the Bees’ line-up in August, with Smolinski standing down after a brief stay.
The Aussie suffered more bad luck on 1 October, when he bizarrely sustained a suspected dislocated knee after being hit by flying shale whilst representing Coventry in heat nine of a Midland League match at Peterborough. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t as bad as first thought and he was able to take his regular place in the Bees’ line-up for their next fixture in the Knock-Out Cup semi-final at Belle Vue on 5 October.
Regrettably, the season was to end with yet another setback, when Schlein sustained a serious shoulder injury in the annual 16-Lapper at Ipswich on 22 October. The accident occurred in the final, when then-Coventry team-mate Olly Allen fell in front of the Australian, leaving him nowhere to go, before closely following compatriot Troy Batchelor inadvertently rode over him.
In December, it was revealed that the Aussie had concluded a deal to remain with Coventry for a sixth term in 2010. Schlein subsequently journeyed Down Under just after Christmas and made his return to the track in the first round of the Australian Championship at Gillman on 2 January, before going on to take fourth place overall in the three-round series. Towards the end of May, a dramatic switch saw the Darwin-born rider link with Peterborough, as Coventry drafted in Krzysztof Kasprzak to form a new-look spearhead alongside Chris Harris.
Schlein was the victim of some hard-riding from his fellow countryman, Chris Holder, during the Panthers’ league match at Poole on 1 September and left the Wimborne Road track with a swollen ankle. He went for some physiotherapy treatment the following day where it was revealed he has suffered soft tissue damage. After getting some rest, the swelling reduced and he was able to face his former club, Coventry, in a league fixture at the East of England Showground two days after receiving the knock.
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 3 Events: 6 – 7th on Australia’s list; 50th on SWC all-time list Points: 31 – 7th on Australia’s list; 64th on SWC all-time list Finals: 1 Gold medals: 0
SCHRAMM, Chris DATE OF BIRTH: 30 May 1984, Maldon, Essex. BRITISH CAREER: (2000) Peterborough II, Berwick, Arena-Essex; (2001-02) Peterborough II, Reading; (2003) Newport, Wimbledon, Peterborough II, Oxford II; (2004) Reading, Oxford II; (2005) Berwick, Peterborough; (2006) Newport; (2007) Newport, Ipswich; (2008) Ipswich; (2009) King's Lynn, Eastbourne; (2010) Workington, Eastbourne. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Peterborough II], 2009 [King’s Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2009 [King’s Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [King’s Lynn]; Young Shield winner: 2010 [Workington]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.34 (PL), 3.67 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Schramm has had sport in his blood for many years; having originally been powered by horses, before settling for horse-power instead. Indeed, between the ages of eight and fourteen, he was a keen show-jumper, before he sold his horse in order to purchase his initial speedway steed. Schramm took his first speedway skids at Sittingbourne, before eventually breaking into Peterborough’s Conference League team on 5 May 2000, when he impressively raced to 12+1 points from seven outings in a home match against Boston.
Shortly afterwards, he took his Premier League bow in a match for Berwick at Swindon on 1 June. A couple of PL meetings also came his way with Arena-Essex on successive evenings, again versus Swindon at Blunsdon and also against Newport in a home encounter, on 7 and 8 September, respectively. The only drawback to an impressive first term was a collarbone injury, which he suffered in heat nine of Peterborough’s fixture versus Ashfield at the East of England Showground on 2 June.
The youngster continued to work hard at his game in 2001, when he again represented the Pumas at Conference level. The year also saw ‘Schrammy’ break into the Reading team during the Premier Trophy schedule and, following Marc Norris’ decision to step down from the side, he made one of the reserve berths his own. In 2002, he was once more identified with both Peterborough in the Conference League and Reading in Premier League circles. The Pumas were the most successful of his two teams, winning their League Championship by a single point from Sheffield in a very tight finish.
A change of scenery took Schramm to Newport in 2003 and his new team-mates included the likes of Craig Watson, Niels-Kristian Iversen and Frank Smart. He also made two appearances for Wimbledon in the Conference Trophy and three for Peterborough in British speedway’s third tier, before linking with the Oxford Silver Machine Academy in July.
A return to Reading followed in 2004 and he also remained on board with Oxford’s Conference League outfit. The Racers concluded their campaign in third position and, despite a short spell out with a hip injury, Schramm posted a healthy 5-point average. By coincidence, Oxford also ended their campaign occupying third place in the Conference League table.
That was to be Schramm’s final year in that particular sphere of racing and he signed off with a near 10-point average. The season also saw an international debut come his way on 12 May, when he recorded 12+2 points for the Great Britain Under-21 side in a match against Wimbledon at Plough Lane, suffering his only defeat at the hands of home ace Mark Burrows. Berwick was his next port of call in 2005 and he also spent the term as Peterborough’s No. 8 rider.
For the Bandits, he raised his average close to the 6-point mark, but for the Panthers appearances were thin on the ground and, in fact, he only represented the side in a single Elite League fixture. Individually, Schramm enjoyed a fabulous evening at Rye House on 30 April, when he finished as runner-up to Edward Kennett in the British Under-21 Championship. His programmed rides brought him 11 points and a direct route into the final, but he was unable to prevent Kennett from grabbing glory, whilst Richard Hall took third spot on the rostrum.
He returned to Newport in 2006 and again posted a solid 6-point average. Staying with the Wasps in 2007, Schramm was also installed as Ipswich’s No. 8 rider in the highest sphere of British racing. Having impressed with the Witches, he made the full-time step-up in 2008 and battled away throughout to average over 4 points per match.
A return to the Premier League saw him represent King’s Lynn in 2009 and he was also was introduced as Eastbourne’s No. 8 rider in May, as a direct replacement for James Holder. The Essex lad enjoyed a terrific term with the Stars, posting a real-time average of around 8.5 points per match – the highest of his career – and helping the side to a glorious treble of the League Championship, Premier Trophy and Knock-Out Cup.
Unfortunately, the Norfolk club was unable to accommodate Schramm within their team plans for 2010 but, in January, he was revealed as the final member of the Workington side for the new campaign. The Comets’ management had tried in vain to sign a 9-point rider but, in the end, were forced to concede that there wasn’t anyone of that quality available. They therefore plumped for the next best option in the Maldon-born racer, who had enjoyed three very good meetings for the Stars at Workington’s Derwent Park raceway in 2009.
The rider himself was enthusiastic about the change of scenery, despite living in Chelmsford and facing a 650-mile round trip for home meetings. Towards the end of the same month, Eastbourne again named Schramm as their No. 8, meaning considerably less travelling for top-flight home meetings with the Arlington-based outfit!
Early in June, the Comets’ management confirmed that Schramm had taken over the captaincy of the team from Andre Compton. He had done a good job as stand-in skipper whilst the Dewsbury-born rider had been injured earlier in the season and it was felt that he had the right leadership qualities.
The elevation in status was temporarily postponed, though, after he had picked up a knock to his left ankle during Workington’s league encounter with Newcastle at Derwent Park on 5 June. The injury was sustained when he was bumped near the end of a race by the Diamonds’ Mark Lemon, a manoeuvre that resulted in the Comet brushing the fence and losing second place to the Australian.
Schramm went on to net over 350 points for the club, which equated to an average of 7.5 points a match. And, right at the season’s end, he played in big part in Workington winning the Young Shield for a third successive season. Indeed, in the final, they had to pull back 20 points against Rye House in the second leg at Derwent Park on 30 October, but won emphatically on the night, 66-28; the Essex man notching 12+2 points from six outings in a typically tenacious display.
SCREEN, Joseph (Joe) DATE OF BIRTH: 27 November 1972, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1989-93) Belle Vue; (1994-97) Bradford; (1998) Belle Vue; (1999) Hull; (2000-02) Eastbourne; (2003) Eastbourne, Belle Vue; (2004-08) Belle Vue; (2009) Poole; (2010) Wolverhampton, Glasgow. MAJOR HONOURS: British Under-21 Champion: 1990, 1993; Division One Riders’ Champion: 1992; World Under-21 Champion: 1993; British Champion: 1996, 2004. CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 1992 [Belle Vue]; League Championship winner: 1993 [Belle Vue], 1997 [Bradford], 2000 [Eastbourne]; Premiership winner: 1994 [Bradford]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1995 [Bradford], 2002 [Eastbourne], 2005 [Belle Vue]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.35 (EL), 9.80 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Screen, a real stalwart of British speedway, has spent a majority of his career riding for northern-based sides and has a special affinity with Manchester’s Belle Vue, whom he represented for the best part of twelve seasons during three spells in their famous colours. Although not known for lightning starts, he is renowned for his leg-trailing style and the ability to conjure breathtaking passes. Regrettably, having qualified for the 2001 Grand Prix series, Screen sustained a broken thigh whilst representing Eastbourne as a guest at King’s Lynn on 25 April.
The injury was to rule him out for the remainder of the season, with his GP place filled throughout by Henrik Gustafsson. Prior to that, Screen had appeared in the series of 1996, 1999 and 2000, as well as being the wildcard in the 1997 and 1998 British rounds. He would enjoy just one further outing in the 2002 British GP at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, taking his career record in the event to twenty-one appearances and 159 points.
Screen celebrated his testimonial at Belle Vue on 2 May 2004, when the meeting was abandoned following a nasty crash involving Sean Wilson in the first semi-final. Having headed the qualifying scorers at the time of the curtailment, Jason Crump was subsequently awarded first place. The former British international was a surprise addition to Poole’s 2009 squad but, nonetheless, performed solidly for the Dorset side. In December, having received no offers from Elite League clubs, it was revealed that Premier League Glasgow had agreed a two-year deal with the veteran.
In order to allow this to happen, the Scottish outfit had requested that his green sheet average – which would have been over 12 points per match – be re-assessed, but the move was vetoed by the BSPA management committee. Had the move been permitted, it would have represented Screen’s first-ever dip into the second tier; even as a promising youngster, he had elected to go straight into the top-flight with Belle Vue in 1989, when just sixteen years-of-age.
The thought that he might be lost to the sport was thankfully dismissed in mid-December, when it was announced that the reigning top-flight Champions, Wolverhampton, had struck a unique deal with vastly experienced campaigner. This saw Screen sign a short-term contract to act as cover for his close friend, Adam Skórnicki, who was initially expected to be out of action until June whilst he recovered from a knee injury.
This meant that the twice British Champion – who was actually within an hour of signing for the Monmore Green club when he left Belle Vue for Bradford at the end of the 1993 season for a £32,500 fee – was set to only complete a maximum of eleven league meetings and, as such, his green sheet average would stay the same whatever his performances because a new figure only applies after the mandatory twelve appearances. That, in fact, was a clause in the contract inserted at Screen’s own suggestion.
However, on 23 April, Wolverhampton moved to clarify the position surrounding Skórnicki. The club revealed that the Pole wasn’t ready to resume his British career, even though he was making good progress with his return to fitness. The rider had expressed reservations about competing in three countries (Poland, Sweden and England) and the hectic schedule accompanying it.
As a result, the Monmore club – who had received enquiries regarding the potential availability of Screen – were happy to keep the Chesterfield-born rider on board. Towards the end of May, though, the Pole declared himself fit to return to action and Wolves’ subsequernt team re-declaration showed Screen losing his place to the mega-popular Polish speedster.
After a couple of weeks in the speedway wilderness, the big announcement came on 7 June that Glasgow had signed the vastly experienced rider – at the second attempt – as a replacement for James Grieves, who had sustained a foot injury. He had, of course, been wanted by the Scottish side during the close season, but the move was ruled out due to the complex average rules that govern the sport.
He was subsequently taken ill during the Tigers’ league visit to Scunthorpe on 3 September, but although he returned to the side nine days later and also appeared in successive away league fixtures at King’s Lynn and Rye House on 17 and 18 September, respectively, they were to be his last of the season due re-occurring illness as a result of his crash at Ashfield in August.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record: Grand Prix ridden: 21 - 38th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix points: 159 - 34th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix races: 105 - 35th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix race wins: 16 - 42nd on SGP all-time list Grand Prix wins: 0 - n/a Grand Prix finals: 1 - 46th on SGP all-time list
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 3 Events: 5 – 8th on Great Britain’s list; 62nd on SWC all-time list Points: 39 – 8th on Great Britain’s list; 50th on SWC all-time list Finals: 1 Gold medals: 0
SEDGMEN, Justin Maxwell DATE OF BIRTH: 17 February 1992, Mildura, Victoria, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Somerset; (2010) Birmingham, Swindon. RIDER LINKS: Brother of Ryan Sedgmen (born: 6 February 1990, Mildura, Victoria, Australia). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.64 (PL), 3.00 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The younger of the two racing brothers first turned a wheel amidst the junior scene at Mildura, when aged just eight. He moved on to the full size 500 cc machines some eight years later and subsequently finished fourth in the 2009 Australian Under-21 Championship – in a meeting won by Darcy Ward – at Gosford, New South Wales, on 31 January, prior to embarking on a career in the UK with Somerset. The youngster’s determined racing gained him many admirers at the Oak Tree Arena during his year with the club.
However, in mid-November, it was announced that he had agreed to join Birmingham in 2010, as he followed former Rebels’ skipper and fellow Aussie Steve Johnston to Perry Barr. Sedgmen again gave notice of his immense talent on 16 January, when he was runner-up to the precocious Ward in the Aussie Under-21 Championship at Mildura. And, he was to start the season with a string of eye-catching tallies from a reserve berth for the Brummies; his sparkling form being noted by parent club Swindon, who announced on 14 April that they had brought the Milduran into their squad as a replacement for Steve Boxall in the No. 8 position.
Sedgmen showed little let-up in his form with Birmingham and was to maintain an average in excess of 7.5 points per match. Although it was obviously much harder in the top-flight for the Robins, he showcased plenty of tenacity and was a willing member of the side when called upon. His efforts weren’t lost on the Swindon management and the Aussie was handed a late run in the side after the decision to dispense with Morten Risager in September.
SHIELDS, Adam Matthew DATE OF BIRTH: 8 February 1977, Kurri-Kurri, New South Wales, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2000-02) Isle of Wight; (2003) Isle of Wight, Eastbourne; (2004-06) Eastbourne; (2007-10) Lakeside. MAJOR HONOURS: Australian Under-21 Champion: 1997; Premier League Riders’ Champion: 2002; New South Wales State Champion: 2005. CLUB HONOURS: Young Shield winner: 2001 [Isle of Wight]; Pairs Championship winner: 2002 [Isle of Wight]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003 [Isle of Wight], 2009 [Lakeside]. RIDER LINKS: Nephew of David Shields (born: 1 October 1957, Waratah, New South Wales, Australia). Cousin of Ben Shields (born: 10 December 1981, Mulbring, New South Wales, Australia) and Kurt Shields (born: 28 December 1986, Kurri-Kurri, New South Wales, Australia). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.79 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Shields initially appeared at Premier League level for the Isle of Wight in May 2000 and, having showcased an abundance of natural ability, he went on to establish himself as one of the second tier’s biggest hitters over the course of four seasons in the Islanders’ colours. During what was to be his final term for the club – in 2003 – he also ‘doubled-up’ with Eastbourne and the two tracks were to reach agreement on a transfer that became effective at the cessation of the campaign. The Aussie was to remain with the Eagles until the end of the 2006 season, before following promoter Jon Cook to Lakeside. During his time on the books of the East Sussex outfit, Shields received a broken collarbone whilst representing Vargarna in a home Swedish Elite League fixture versus Luxo Stars on 9 August 2005.
The rider from Kurri-Kurri was in the wars again on 6 May 2008, when he sustained a dislocated shoulder after Magnus Zetterström had collected him during a league meeting in Sweden. Representing Rospiggarna in a match at Indianerna, Shields’ injury occurred in heat sixteen, when ‘Zorro’ caused both the Australian and his team-mate, Greg Hancock, to fall after a desperate attempt to overhaul both visiting speedsters. Having returned from injury, he found a rich vein of form that helped propel the Hammers towards the Play-Offs but, on 21 August, regrettably sustained spinal injuries in a heat twelve smash during a league encounter at Peterborough, which saw his campaign come to a premature end.
Shields recovered to again demonstrate his immense talents as a mega-popular skipper of Lakeside in 2009, but, whilst on international duty with Australia, he was unfortunately struck down by a broken collarbone on the final lap of heat twenty-four in the Speedway World Cup Race-Off at Leszno, Poland, on 16 July. The Hammers duly signed Piotr Åšwiderski as a temporary replacement, with the rider from New South Wales subsequently passed fit to resume after a six-week lay-off at the start of September. He went on to help the Essex side win the Knock-Out Cup in October, when they defeated Coventry on aggregate.
In January, it was confirmed that Shields would once more captain Lakeside in 2010 and he again showed good form until being hampered by illness, which had an affect on his scoring in the latter part of the league campaign. Following the Hammers’ failure to qualify for the Play-Offs, having slipped from third to fifth position in the week leading up to the cut-off point on 9 September, it was decided that Lee Richardson would take over as club skipper in order to allow the Aussie to recapture his form without any other distractions.
However, he was to suffer an alarming tumble in heat seven of Lakeside’s Knock-Out quarter-final tie at Eastbourne on 23 September, when he ran into the back of Eagles’ Lukáš Dryml and somersaulted through the air, before landing heavily on the Arlington raceway. He took no further part in the meeting and was also forced to miss the return leg twenty-four hours later.
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 3 Events: 4 – 9th on Australia’s list; 74th on SWC all-time list Points: 26 – 8th on Australia’s list; 69th on SWC all-time list Finals: 0 Gold medals: 0
SHIELDS, Kurt Douglas DATE OF BIRTH: 28 December 1986, Kurri-Kurri, New South Wales, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Rye House. RIDER LINKS: Son of David Shields (born: 1 October 1957, Waratah, New South Wales, Australia). Brother of Ben Shields (born: 10 December 1981, Mulbring, New South Wales, Australia). Cousin of Adam Shields (born: 8 February 1977, Kurri-Kurri, New South Wales, Australia). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Shields started riding bikes at just three years-of-age, but it wasn't until 1998 that he first rode a speedway machine on a farm owned by the Shields family. The youngster spent part of the 2004 season in the UK, acting as a mechanic at Swindon. He again returned in 2009 and, following a few practice laps at Newport, participated in the Teesside Open Pairs at Redcar on 20 August, when he partnered fellow Aussie Ty Proctor to third place. Impressed with his riding, the Bears' management offered him a team spot for 2010. However, in September, Shields informed the Redcar promotion that he wished to be based in the south, nearer his cousin, Adam.
Towards the end of November, one of the sport's less well-kept secrets confirmed that the newcomer was on course to join Rye House. Rockets' boss Len Silver had received his sponsor's licence from the UK Border Agency enabling him to employ Shields as a rider needing a work permit. The Aussie still required the permit from his end, of course, but things continued to move in the right direction and, early in January, it was confirmed that the necessary paperwork had been received.
He was well organized for his first term of UK racing, as he used a machine that was prepared for him by his cousin, whilst a second bike was set-up by Rockets' skipper Chris Neath. He also became a local resident in Hoddesdon, living within walking distance of the Rye House circuit. After a slow - but encouraging - start in the distinctive yellow and blue club colours, he really sprung to life in a home league match versus Berwick on 3 May, when his never-say-die racing yielded an excellent 11+4 points from seven starts.
However, in mid-June, the Rockets announced that they had moved to reinforce their line-up, with Lee Strudwick - a member of Rye House's National League side - promoted into the team at the expense of Shields. Despite his paid 15-point tally against Berwick and a 7-point return at Edinburgh, the Aussie's form had lapsed to the extent that he had managed a total of just 6 points across his last five fixtures for the club.
SIMMONDS, Mark Douglas DATE OF BIRTH: 10 May 1971, Truro, Cornwall. BRITISH CAREER: (1989-96) Exeter; (1997) Isle of Wight; (1998-04) Exeter; (2008-10) Plymouth. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2000 [Exeter]; Premier Trophy winner: 2004 [Exeter]; Conference Trophy winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; National Trophy winner: 2009 [Plymouth]; Pairs Championship winner: 2010 [Plymouth]. RIDER LINKS: The father of Simmons’ wife, Tony Sanford (born: 31 July 1951, Exeter, Devon), unfortunately lost his life the day after crashing on the first bend at Exeter on 7 September 1981. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.65 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Simmonds spent much of his career with Exeter, aside from a year on loan at the Isle of Wight in 1997. He first appeared officially for the Falcons in 1989 and, in total, was to spend fifteen seasons with the Devon club. During this lengthy span, the Truro-born rider deservedly enjoyed a successful testimonial meeting at the now defunct County Ground on 20 September 1999, when his own Simmo’s Select defeated Colesie’s One 2 Six – a team headed by Michael Coles – 47-43.
The former Exeter captain made a surprise comeback bid in 2008, when he agreed to be a back-up rider for Plymouth. Having not ridden since the end of the 2004 season, this came after he had completed eight practice laps at Newport, followed by another sixteen laps at the Devils’ Press and Practice Day a week later.
He was to remain with Plymouth in 2009 but, what should have been one of the season’s highlights turned into a nightmare for the veteran speedster, when he appeared in the National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House on 26 September. He lost control and fell on the first bend of heat one and, after a pile-up with Jade Mudgway in heat fourteen, ended up being taken to hospital with a suspected fractured ankle.
Thankfully, subsequent X-rays showed nothing broken, although Simmonds did sustain very bad bruising and swelling, the effects of which kept him out of action for the remainder of the term. Despite that, in November, he agreed a deal to remain with Plymouth in 2010. And, he was to enjoy another term of high scoring with the Devils, which featured winning the National League Pairs Championship – alongside Nicki Glanz – at Newport on 7 August.
Despite one ot two knocks during the year, ‘Simmo’ accumulated plenty of big scores on his way to an average in excess of 9 points per match and – having clearly had his enthusiasm for the sport rekindled – the Devils’ management revealed in September that he had signed a full contract with the club as they prepared to build a team for Premier League racing, having applied to step-up a level in 2011.
SIMMONS, Nicholas (Nick) Steven John DATE OF BIRTH: 24 July 1981, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1997) Shuttle Cubs, Ryde; (1998) Newport, Newport II, Isle of Wight, Exeter; (1999) Isle of Wight, Stoke, Newport II; (2000) Arena-Essex; (2001) Newport, Newport II, Somerset; (2002) Isle of Wight; (2003) Stoke, Mildenhall; (2004) Exeter, Weymouth; (2005) Exeter, Sittingbourne; (2006) Isle of Wight; (2007) Newport; (2008) Newport, Belle Vue; (2009) Newport, Isle of Wight, Scunthorpe, Somerset; (2010) Isle of Wight. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1999 [Newport II], 2003 [Mildenhall]; Conference Trophy winner: 2001 [Somerset]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2001 [Somerset], 2003 [Mildenhall]; Premier Trophy winner: 2004 [Exeter]. RIDER LINKS: Son of former junior rider Steve Simmons (born: 25 December 1955, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 10.07 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider from Leamington Spa broke his tibia and fibula whilst riding for Arena-Essex in a Premier Trophy fixture at Newport on 2 April 2000. The accident occurred in heat four, when he lost control and hit the safety fence with some force. Having represented a plethora of clubs in the interim, Simmons was in the wars again on 8 April 2007, when he broke his scaphoid while representing Newport in a Premier Trophy match versus Mildenhall at Queensway Meadows. The damage was done in heat seven, after team-mate Phil Morris and visitor Kyle Legault had collided on the first bend, with Simmons being catapulted into the fence as a result of riding over his partner's machine. Although he was to ride in the Wasps' next four matches, he finally had to take a break from racing in order to recuperate.
Newport staged a testimonial meeting for the Leamington Spa-born racer on 16 March 2008, when Lewis Bridger took victory in an individual event. However, the Welsh club was forced to close down shortly afterwards, following promoter Tim Stone's death on 26 April. Only the side's Premier Trophy matches were permitted to count in the riders' records and Simmons subsequently re-located to Belle Vue. Having again linked with Newport in 2009 - whilst also representing the Isle of Wight at National League level - the much-travelled rider sustained a hand injury in April and was subsequently replaced in the Wasps side by Kyle Newman. Upon his recovery, he continued to represent the Islanders and also returned to the Premier League in June, when he was signed by Scunthorpe as a replacement for Byron Bekker.
His stint with the Scorpions didn't last long, though, since he was replaced towards the end of the same month by Adam Allott. Early in July, however, he again returned to PL action, joining Somerset in place of Jay Herne. Following the season's conclusion - in December - he was named in Berwick's starting seven for 2010 and, later the same month, he was also unveiled as the man to head the Isle of Wight's challenge in the National League. However, early in March - on the eve of the season - Simmons was called into hospital for remedial surgery to an old shoulder injury, which would sideline the Warwickshire-based speedster for the early part of the campaign. Following a frantic series of phone-calls, Berwick were able to announce the capture of Anders Andersen as his replacement in their line-up. Thankfully, though, Simmons recovered in time to take the No. 1 race-jacket in the Islanders' first match of the season on 5 April, when he showed no ill effects and notched 10 points as they entertained the USA Dream Team.
ŠITERA, Filip DATE OF BIRTH: 18 April 1988, Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic. BRITISH CAREER: (2008-10) Coventry, Belle Vue. MAJOR HONOURS: Czech Republic Under-19 Champion: 2006, 2007; Czech Republic Under-21 Champion: 2006, 2007. CLUB HONOURS: Craven Shield winner: 2008 [Coventry]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Coventry]. RIDER LINKS: Grandson of Miloslav Verner (born: 25 June 1938, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic); Nephew of Václav Verner (born: 6 May 1949, Prague, Czech Republic) and Jan Verner (born: 9 March 1951, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.69 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially started his UK career with Coventry in August 2008, the Czech star returned to the Bees' line-up in 2009 as a replacement for Ricky Wells, whilst the young New Zealand-born rider awaited receipt of the necessary permit. Šitera's spell in the side proved brief, though, covering just two Knock-Out Cup matches versus Peterborough. However, when Ben Barker sustained a broken leg on 26 April, Coventry again turned to Šitera with his second stint of the season beginning in May. Barker was subsequently deemed fit to return late in July but, due to an injury to Jordan Frampton, the Czech maintained his spot in the side.
He finally lost his place in the team at the end of August, however, when Frampton - together with fellow ‘doubling-up' rider Josh Auty - was recalled to the team's declared squad. In December, though, the young Czech ace was named in the Bees' starting side for 2010. But, having struggled for points in the early weeks of the campaign, he was released towards the end of May, being replaced in the side by Lewis Bridger. However, he was recalled to the Elite League early in August, when he filled the spot at Belle Vue that had previously been vacated by William Lawson. The talented Šitera is a double World Under-21 finalist (2007, 2008) and was placed third in the European U-19 Championship in 2007.
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 1 Events: 1 – 14th on Czech Republic’s list; 161st on SWC all-time list Points: 2 – 13th on Czech Republic’s list; 143rd on SWC all-time list Finals: 0 Gold medals: 0
SKIDMORE, Hugh DATE OF BIRTH: 2 November 1990, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2009-10) Sheffield. MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales State Champion: 2009. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.06 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The teenager beat Darcy Ward to win the New South Wales State Championship for 2009, prior to notching a 5-point tally in the Australian Under-21 Championship. As such, he attracted much attention from the UK before linking with Sheffield in June, when he initially replaced the injured Ritchie Hawkins. The Aussie had impressed in second-half outings at Owlerton, having purchased equipment from former Grand Prix star Chris Louis.
The youngster went on to produce some eye-catching performances for the Tigers but, regrettably, his season ended prematurely in heat one of a league match at Newport on 20 September, when he fell heavily and sustained a broken radius bone in his wrist. Prior to jetting back home to Australia at the campaign’s end, Skidmore was the first rider to agree a return to Sheffield for 2010.
Skidmore was taken to hospital after an alarming crash in heat one of Sheffield’s home league fixture versus Berwick on 20 May. Although he had a suspected neck injury, he did have full movement and the treatment was of a precautionary nature. Thankfully, it was reported the following day that X-rays had revealed no broken bones and, after a short period of recuperation, he was able to resume in the Tigers’ line-up.
Ironically, he was in the wars again, however, during Sheffield’s return match against Berwick at Shielfield Park on 14 August, when he suffered a shoulder injury after hitting the deck in heat eight. But he was able to again return to action for the club in a home league fixture versus Redcar on 26 August. He went on to total 225 points from thirty-nine official matches for the Tigers, which equated to a real-time average of 6.36 and, on 3 November, the club announced that they had agreed a new deal with the Aussie to return in 2011.
SKÓRNICKI, Adam DATE OF BIRTH: 22 October 1976, Wolsztyn, Poland. BRITISH CAREER: (2000-04) Wolverhampton; (2005) Wolverhampton, Arena-Essex; (2006) Oxford; (2007) Belle Vue; (2008) Poole; (2009-10) Wolverhampton. MAJOR HONOURS: Latvian Champion: 1999; Polish Champion: 2008. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2008 [Poole], 2009 [Wolverhampton]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.24 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The immensely popular ‘Sqóra' became the first-ever Pole to participate in British speedway for ten successive seasons in 2009, when he rejoined Wolverhampton after spending the previous term with Elite League Champions Poole. Skórnicki had played a crucial role in the Pirates' domestic domination and proved to be a mega-dependable second-string rider. The hugely entertaining speedster also enjoyed prestigious individual success by romping to a superb victory in the Polish Championship. Adding to his success of the previous year, he enjoyed back-to-back league title glory in 2009, in what was also his second Championship triumph with the Wolves.
Regrettably, shortly after that accomplishment, Skórnicki suffered knee ligament damage and a dislocated shoulder, when he tangled with Peterborough's Claus Vissing in heat eight of a Midland League clash at Monmore Green on 26 October. He returned home to Poland for an exploratory operation on his knee and subsequently underwent surgery on 17 December. He was wanted for another stint in the Wolverhampton side in 2010 but, worryingly, it was thought his recovery time could be up to six months. As such, the club kept Skórnicki's team place open and agreed a deal with Joe Screen as cover whilst the Pole recuperated. It was reported in February that aside from going through physiotherapy and rehabilitation on a daily basis, he was also swimming regularly in a bid to be back on a bike quicker than expected.
On 23 April, Wolverhampton moved to clarify the position surrounding the much-admired speedster. They revealed that Skornicki wasn't ready to resume his British career at the time, even though he was making good progress with his return to fitness. Indeed, the Pole had expressed reservations about going through the season riding in Poland, Sweden and England, and the hectic schedule that accompanies it. However, at the tail-end of May, the Monmore Green-based outfit was delighted to announce that he had declared himself ready to return and, as such, their re-declared line-up showed the Wolsztyn-born rider back in the side in place of Joe Screen. And Skórnicki marked his return to the side with a wonderful paid maximum (14+1 points) versus Eastbourne in a league match at home to Eastbourne on 31 May.
The Pole was in the wars once more in his opening ride for Wolves in a league match at Belle Vue on 30 June, when he tangled with home rider Patrick Hougaard in a horror crash. He spent the night in hospital in Manchester, having suffered serious facial injuries that required several stitches. He also had a problem with his knee, although it wasn't deemed serious and there was no lasting damage. Skórnicki travelled to his homeland the following day to be with his family and to have more treatment.
He made a bold attempt to make a quick-fire return from injury on 4 July, scoring just 1-point from three rides in a Polish League clash, before pulling out. On medical advice, he was then told to rest for seven days. After that, he once again returned to the track in Poland the following weekend and resumed with Wolverhampton in a league encounter versus Swindon at Monmore Green on 12 July.
Skórnicki carded 12 points in a Knock-Out Cup tie versus Coventry at home on 19 July, but missed out on a heat fifteen appearance with worries over the knee he had injured the previous year, having earlier fallen whilst performing one of his trademark doughnut celebrations. He was left in severe pain and had to pull out of a Swedish League fixture the following day, although he still travelled to the Scandinavian country in order to seek specialist advice on his knee.
He returned to action once more in Poland, only to again aggravate his knee problem. As a result, on 4 August, he went under the knife for an exploratory operation in order to try and ascertain the full extent of the damage on his troublesome knee. And, having had corrective surgery on his cartilage, he was able to return to the track for Wolverhampton in a league match versus Poole at Monmore Green on 23 August.
SÅABON, Krzysztof (Chris) DATE OF BIRTH: 21 February 1981, Wroclaw, Poland. BRITISH CAREER: (2002-03) Ipswich; (2010) Ipswich. RIDER LINKS: Son of Robert SÅ‚aboÅ„ (born: 15 September 1953, Wroclaw, Poland). Grandson of Adolf SÅ‚aboÅ„. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.75 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: SÅ‚aboÅ„ was Polish-born, but moved with his family to Canada at an early age. His initial speedway rides occurred in Sweden on an 80cc machine when aged 12 years and he subsequently tried a full size machine at Bydgoszcz four years later. The following season - 1998 - marked his first term of official racing, as he followed in the footsteps of both his father, Robert, and grandfather, Adolf.
Having honed his skills at the Polonia Stadium, he lined-up for Bydgoszcz and amongst his illustrious team-mates was the remarkable Tomasz Gollob. He was to spend three seasons with the club, before relocating to Wrocław in 2001. In his second term with the Olympic Stadium-based side, he also journeyed over to the UK to link with Ipswich. Słaboń was to make twenty-six appearances for the Witches, yielding 158 points and a satisfactory 6.18 average.
In 2003, he moved to Zielona Góra in his homeland, whilst also spending a second term with Ipswich alongside fellow Pole Jarosław Hampel, who had also represented the Witches in the previous season. Słaboń was to post a slightly lower average of 5.93 with the Suffolk outfit, having notched 142 points from twenty-three matches. There would then be a long break, before he returned once more to ride in Britain.
In the interim, he re-joined Wrocław in 2004 and was to spend two seasons on board with them, prior to a year with Toruń in 2006. He made another return to Wrocław in 2007, but again moved on from them when joining Gniezno in 2009. Słaboń accepted an invitation to appear in the Welsh Open Championship at Newport on 11 July 2010 and, after notching 12 points from the qualifying heats, he put himself firmly in the shop window by taking the chequered flag ahead of Ryan Fisher, Edward Kennett and Craig Watson in the final. And, the following weekend, Ipswich announced that they had re-signed the rider following the release of Olly Allen.
SMART, Lee Mitchell DATE OF BIRTH: 5 April 1988, Swindon, Wiltshire. BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Swindon II, Stoke II; (2004) Mildenhall; (2005) Somerset, Weymouth, Mildenhall; (2006) Plymouth; (2007) Birmingham, Weymouth; (2008) Birmingham, Mildenhall, Weymouth; (2009) Weymouth, Glasgow, Stoke, Birmingham; (2010) Dudley, Stoke. MAJOR HONOUR: National League Riders’ Champion: 2010. CLUB HONOURS: Conference Trophy winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; League Championship winner: 2004 [Mildenhall], 2008 [Weymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.45 (NL), 3.90 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: It all began for Smart in junior grass-track racing when he was just six years-of-age. He began to practice on a speedway machine three years later and a further two years after that, in 1999, he was identified as the club mascot for his hometown team, Swindon. The ultra-keen youngster began participating in second-halves in 2001, before making his official debut for the Sprockets a day after his fifteenth birthday in a Conference League fixture at Carmarthen, on 6 April 2003. The rules of the day permitted riders to also appear for a team that was participating in the Conference Trophy and Smart jumped at the opportunity to link with Stoke Spitfires.
The Swindonian first teamed-up with Graham Drury at Mildenhall in 2004 and what a season it was to be, as the Fen Tigers scooped no less than four trophies, winning the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup, Conference Trophy and Four-Team Championship. Although Smart didn’t feature in the Four-Team success, he was very much a regular in the side for their other three trophy wins. His impressive performances for the Suffolk outfit led to him being capped at Under-21 level on 15 August, when he represented Great Britain against Mildenhall at West Row and notched a solid 8+1 points.
Following regular second-half outings at Somerset, it seemed only natural that Smart would step-up to the PL by linking with the Rebels in 2005. And the year saw him also continue at Conference level, initially with Weymouth, before he returned to Mildenhall. Although it was understandably tough going with Somerset, it still came as a shock on 22 July, when a re-declared line-up saw both Smart and Jason King deleted from the side and replaced by Trevor Harding and Chris Mills, respectively.
In 2006, he was to ride solely for Plymouth in what was their first season of activity at the St. Boniface Arena. The Devils made a sensational return to the sport, actually finishing on top of the league table, but losing in the Play-Off final to a powerful Scunthorpe side. Plymouth also reached the finals of the Knock-Out Cup and the Conference Trophy, but again had to play second fiddle in both to the all-conquering Scorpions.
Smart subsequently made great strides in his first term with Birmingham in 2007; in fact, so much so that he became a fully-fledged asset in July, when promoter Graham Drury took up the option to purchase his contract from Somerset. Indeed, the Wiltshire lad played a big part in the Brummies’ amazing comeback season, which featured appearances in the finals of the Premier Trophy and Young Shield, as well as a second-place finish in the completed Premier League table.
When his commitments would allow, he also continued to hone his skills with Weymouth in the Conference League and, all-in-all, enjoyed a wonderful year of progress. However, after beginning a second season with the Brummies, Smart was to lose his team spot early in August when a raft of changes also saw James Birkinshaw and the injured Jack Hargreaves axed. Replacing the trio were Tomasz Piszcz, James Cockle and Jay Herne.
The Wiltshireman was immediately snapped-up by Mildenhall, but lost his place in the side after only six matches, following the takeover of the club by Keith and Jonathan Chapman. As a result, Smart returned to Weymouth for the final two months of the campaign and played a vital role in the Wildcats’ Four-Team Championship triumph, closely followed by their first-ever League Championship success as they defeated Boston in the Play-Off final.
He was still identified with Weymouth at the start of the 2009 campaign, but was drafted into the Glasgow side on a short-term basis, following a leg injury sustained by Anders Andersen in Denmark on 24 April. When his spell in the team came to an end, Smart was replaced by Lee Dicken in the Tigers’ line-up.
The Swindon-born rider subsequently joined Stoke in June at the conclusion of Mark Burrows’ temporary stint with the club. Meanwhile, his association with Weymouth came to a sudden and acrimonious end on 2 July, when the Wildcats visited Bournemouth in a Knock-Out Cup tie. Following his exclusion in heat eleven, when home rider Jerran Hart had laid his machine down, Smart immediately left the stadium after being signed out by the track doctor with a wrist injury.
That led to a dispute with the promotion, the upshot of which saw his ties with the club severed. Unable to find a suitable replacement, it looked as if Weymouth would eventually re-introduce the injured Jon Armstrong into their declared 1-7, thus allowing them a facility in his continued absence. That moved was vetoed, however, and they instead brought in Benji Compton.
Back in the Premier League, Smart’s time with Stoke was to last a month, before he was recalled by parent club Birmingham to fill the space vacated by Manuel Hauzinger. Meanwhile, the gap created in the Stoke side was subsequently filled by Craig Branney towards the end of July. The Swindonian was to make fourteen official appearances for the Brummies, yielding 67 points and a 5.27 real-time average. During the close season, in February 2010, it was revealed that he had linked with the new Dudley outfit as their top rider in readiness of the side embarking on their first season of National League activity.
He was to be rewarded for some impressive early-season form with the Heathens by winning a Premier League deal with Stoke in early May, when he replaced James Holder in the Potters’ line-up. Quite simply, he was to enjoy his best season in the sport, as he went on to achieve a 6.66 average for the Potters, having notched 236 points from twenty-nine official appearances. Indeed, his sterling efforts were recognized on 17 October, when he scooped the club’s Rider of the Year award.
Meanwhile for Dudley, he scored 238 points from twenty-two matches for a real-time average of 9.84, as the former Cradley club reached the Play-Offs and eventually topped the completed league table. That led to him representing the Heathens in the National League Riders’ Championship at Rye House on 30 October, when he crowned a tremendous campaign by taking the title in a dramatic finish. Smart – who dropped just 1-point from his five rides – took advantage of previous leader Simon Lambert coming to grief in the penultimate race, which set up a showdown between Smart and defending Champion Craig Cook of Buxton.
Cook went into the race trailing Smart by 1-point, but brought his rival down as the two riders contested the first bend. And the Dudley rider’s win in the re-run was sufficient to land the crown, the Swindonian being joined on the rostrum by the second-placed Lambert of King’s Lynn and Buxton’s Adam Allott in third.
SMETHILLS, Lee Kenneth DATE OF BIRTH: 30 March 1982, Bolton, Greater Manchester. BRITISH CAREER: (1998) Mildenhall; (1999) Workington, Buxton, Rye House, Belle Vue, Newcastle; (2000) Workington, Buxton; (2001) Workington; (2002) Hull, Belle Vue; (2003) Exeter; (2004) Newcastle, Berwick; (2005) Exeter; (2006) Berwick, Wolverhampton, Rye House; (2007) Glasgow, Oxford II; (2008) Sheffield; (2009) Buxton, Weymouth; (2010) Plymouth. CLUB HONOUR: Premiership winner: 2002 [Hull]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.96 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Smethills is something of an all-rounder, since prior to taking his first speedway laps at Sheffield's training track in November 1997, he was crowned British Cycle Speedway Champion on three occasions and also represented England in the European Team Championship. He was a useful runner, too, and once took victory in the Salford Cross Country Championship. The Bolton-born rider represented Workington in 2000, but his season came to an abrupt halt on 3 September when, in heat eight of a home engagement against Swindon, he tangled with Olly Allen on the home straight and came down awkwardly. Unluckily, the upshot was a serious hand injury.
Having represented a number of teams in the interim - mainly at PL level - Smethills dipped into the National League in 2009, rejoining one of his first club's, Buxton. But, following a home match versus the Isle of Wight on 5 July, he requested some time out of the sport and, as such, was handed a 28-day ban because he was deemed to be withholding his services. His place in the Buxton squad was eventually filled by Greg Blair at the end of the same month.
After much speculation - and having served his ban - Smethills returned to the sport in August, when he linked with Weymouth as a direct substitution for Matt Wright. After the conclusion of the campaign - in December - Plymouth announced that they had pulled off a major coup by signing the Bolton-based rider for 2010, having come to a satisfactory agreement with his parent club, Newcastle. But, both he and Paul Starke were released in July in order to accommodate Nicki Glanz's return to the Devils' line-up. However, Smethills immediately re-located to the Isle of Wight where he took the place that had previously been filled by Ricky Scarboro.
SMITH, Jamie Paul DATE OF BIRTH: 20 July 1983, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1998) Norfolk; (1999) Eastbourne, Glasgow; (2000) Newcastle, Peterborough II, Hull, Somerset; (2001) Hull, Somerset; (2002) Hull; (2003) Swindon; (2004) Somerset, Coventry; (2005) Somerset; (2006) Somerset; (2007) Mildenhall, Stoke; (2008) Reading, Boston; (2009) King's Lynn II; (2010) Rye House II. CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2001 [Hull and Somerset]; Conference Trophy winner: 2001 [Somerset]; Premiership winner: 2002 [Hull]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2003 [Swindon - non-riding reserve]. RIDER LINKS: Brother of Darren Smith (born: 19 May 1981, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 10.34 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Smith's 2003 season came off the rails in a home match for Swindon against Somerset on 3 July when, on a track left heavy by rain, he lost control on the pits corner in heat five and came down, with the closely following Graeme Gordon unable to avoid the stricken rider. The upshot was torn muscle and knee ligament damage for Smith and he was out of action for a little over two months. Despite the obvious hindrance of his injury, he determinedly returned to the saddle in August, but was only back for five weeks before a further hefty knock in a home fixture versus King's Lynn aggravated his knee injury and spelled the end of his campaign. Having subsequently linked with Somerset, he sustained broken ribs when he crashed whilst representing the side in a Premier Trophy encounter at Newport on 24 April 2005. This occurred in heat eight, when spun around on the first corner and hit the safety fence, after being forced wide by home rider Kristian Lund.
Regrettably, the 2006 season had barely got underway, when Smith was involved in a much-publicized freak collision with the track grader after winning heat twelve of Somerset's Premier Trophy match at King's Lynn on 29 March. His season was immediately over and he spent the rest of the year recuperating from a shattered left tibia, together with damage to his knee and ankle. Bravely, he returned to track action with Mildenhall in 2007, but was to be involved in another horrific early-season accident. This occurred at the Fen Tigers' West Row venue on 7 April, when Newport provided the opposition in a Premier Trophy encounter. In heat fourteen, Smith tangled with Nick Simmons on the pits bend and his throttle appeared to jam open, sending him careering into the safety fence at high speed, prior to cart-wheeling over the 12-foot high stock-car barrier and on to the greyhound track. He received a cracked right tibia and a broken ankle, although things could so easily have been much worse.
Having recovered, he made another comeback with Stoke some three-and-a-half months later, on 21 July. Regrettably, Smith was once more in the wars on 28 July 2008 when - whilst representing Reading - he fell awkwardly on the pits bend during heat seven of the Racers' home league match versus Glasgow and sustained a broken left shoulder that ended his season on the spot. After recapturing his fitness and enthusiasm, Smith replaced Benji Compton in King's Lynn's National League team just prior to the commencement of their 2009 campaign. However, he was again badly injured whilst representing the Buccaneers in a league encounter at Mildenhall on 31 May. The accident, in heat three, saw Smith slam into the safety fence on the pits bend - in the self same place he had come to grief a little over two years previously - and he was subsequently taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, having sustained multiple injuries, including a broken hip and spine damage.
The unlucky speedster made a brave attempt to return from injury when he put in some practice laps at King's Lynn on 7 August, but he ended the session suffering severe pain in his lower back and ruled himself out of action for the remainder of the campaign. In December, clearly with his fervour rekindled, Smith was revealed as the No. 1 for Rye House's National League side in 2010. Regrettably, he suffered more rotten luck during the Cobras' Press Day on 15 March when, following an on-track tumble, he felt increasing pain and admitted himself to hospital later the same day. He was informed by doctors that he had suffered a severely torn left calf muscle and was told that he would need to have the leg put in plaster for three to four weeks. In a major blow to both rider and club, he was also advised that the injury could well take between three to five months to heal.
Smith was replaced in the declared line-up a matter of days later by Chris Mills. However, before his stand-in had made his Rye House debut there was more optimistic news on Smith a couple of weeks later, when he was told that he didn't need a plaster after all and, a short time after that, he was amazingly declared fit to resume racing. As such, Mills' services weren't required and he was snapped-up by Bournemouth in place of back injury-victim Jay Herne. He subsequently participated in second-half races at Ipswich on 8 April and then won both his post-match outings at Rye House two evenings later, before taking his official bow with the Cobras and notching 10+1 points in the side's opening National League encounter of the campaign at King's Lynn on 18 April.
Unfortunately, the 2003 World Under-21 finalist suffered a knee injury in a heat fifteen fall during the Cobras' league fixture to Scunthorpe on 4 July. Doctors originally recommended rest and the minimizing of any weight-bearing situations while the swelling subsided, but ensuing X-rays revealed the need for keyhole surgery and that meant another extended run on the sidelines for the rider. At the end of the month, he was replaced in the Rye House side by Joe Jacobs.
SMITH, Kozza DATE OF BIRTH: 20 March 1988, Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2008) King's Lynn; (2009-10) King's Lynn, Ipswich. CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2009 [King’s Lynn]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.52 (PL), 3.52 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider, formerly known as Korey Williams, made his UK debut with King's Lynn in March 2008, and enjoyed an encouraging first term to attain a real-time average in excess of 6 points per match. Having finished as runner-up to Darcy Ward in the Australian Under-21 Championship at Gosford, New South Wales, on 31 January 2009, he was again named in the King's Lynn side for a second term and also filled one of the ‘doubling-up' spots at Ipswich, alongside Carl Wilkinson. However, when the Witches entertained Lakeside in a challenge match on 19 March, Smith sustained a punctured lung and broken shoulder blade in an alarming heat two spill.
He returned to track action in mid-May, but was injured again on 8 August, however, when a fall in a league match at Rye House left him nursing a dislocated right ankle. The injury occurred in heat eight, when he got into trouble on the third and fourth corner of the Hoddesdon raceway, before coming down awkwardly. Regrettably, he was to miss the remainder of the campaign and returned to Australia before the end of October. He had been told that his right ankle required another operation, so had journeyed home in order to get the necessary medical attention as soon as possible.
Despite his injury problems, King's Lynn again named Smith in their starting line-up for 2010. The New South Wales speedster sometimes pushes the boundaries of his experience and ability but, nonetheless, is the sort of rider who adds excitement to every meeting in which he appears. His whole-hearted efforts saw him maintain a solid average in excess of 7 points per match for the Stars and, in mid-July, he again linked with Ipswich in a ‘doubling-up' capacity after the Witches had released Carl Wilkinson.
SNEDDON, Derek DATE OF BIRTH: 27 July 1982, Falkirk, Scotland. BRITISH CAREER: (1998) Hull; (1999) Linlithgow, Isle of Wight; (2000) Ashfield, Edinburgh; (2001) Edinburgh, Glasgow; (2002) Newcastle; (2003) Edinburgh; (2004-05) Armadale; (2006-08) Edinburgh; (2009-10) Newcastle. CLUB HONOURS: Conference Trophy winner: 2005 [Armadale]; Premier Trophy winner: 2008 [Edinburgh], 2010 [Newcastle]; League Championship winner: 2008 [Edinburgh]; Play-Off winner: 2008 [Edinburgh], 2010 [Newcastle]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2010 [Newcastle]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.95 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The Scot sustained a badly broken left femur whilst representing Edinburgh in a British League Cup fixture at Workington on 29 March 2003. The accident occurred on the first lap of a re-run heat eight, when he was involved in a coming together with home rider Chris Collins on the exit of the second bend.
As a result, Sneddon straightened up and smashed through the safety fence, before ending up on the Derwent Park terracing. The Falkirk-born racer reconstructed his career with Armadale at Conference level over the course of the next two seasons, playing a key role in the team’s Conference Trophy success of 2005.
Sneddon returned to the Edinburgh line-up in 2006 and was appointed captain of the Monarchs a year later. With his trademark competitive approach, he subsequently led the side to Premier Trophy and League Championship glory in 2008, but fractured his jaw in a heat two spill at Armadale in the first leg of the Play-Off final against King’s Lynn on 17 October.
Unable to be accommodated within the points-limit in 2009, the popular team man linked with Newcastle on loan and enjoyed a solid campaign as the Diamonds overcame a difficult start to end up filling third place in the final league table. Late in November, the Geordie club was delighted to announce that the Scotsman would be remaining with them for a second successive term in 2010.
Sneddon was to help Newcastle to victory over Birmingham in the Premier Trophy final during July. Then, despite suffering lower back damage in a collision with team-mate Kenni Larsen during the Diamonds’ home league match versus Edinburgh on 8 August, he quickly returned to action and was an integral part of the side that went on to take victory in the Play-Offs, defeating Sheffield in the final.
As ever, he was a tremendously influential off-track figure and, in maintaining an average of close on 6 points a match, he also proved his worth on the race track. Unfortunately, he was to suffer an injury to his left knee during Newcastle’s home leg of the Relegation/Promotion Race-Off against Ipswich on 24 October and it was initially thought that his season was over.
However, he bravely returned for the Knock-Out Cup final against Edinburgh, scoring a vital 5+2 points in the second leg at Brough Park on 31 October, as the Diamonds claimed a narrow 91-88 aggregate success to land their third trophy of the campaign.
STACHYRA, Dawid DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August 1985, Lublin, Poland. BRITISH CAREER: (2009-10) Ipswich. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.89 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: The youngster joined Ipswich for 2009, once again confirming the close links that the Witches have held with Polish riders in their recent history. Stachyra rode for Rzeszow in the Polish Extra League in 2008 and prior to that he had represented his hometown club, TZ Lublin, in Division One. He first appeared at Foxhall Heath in the annual 16-Lap Classic in October 2008, when he netted a 5-point tally in a meeting won by Scott Nicholls. Some good performances for the Suffolk side yielded a real-time average of over 4.5 points per match and led to confirmation from the Witches' management in December that he would remain on board for the 2010 season. However, due to a backlog of fixtures in Poland caused by inclement weather, both he and compatriot Robert Miskowiak were not been given start permission by the Polish authorities to ride in the UK until a week later than originally scheduled.
STARKE, Paul Simon DATE OF BIRTH: 18 November 1990, Cradley, Nr. Ledbury, Herefordshire. BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Buxton; (2008-09) Plymouth; (2010) Plymouth, Rye House, Isle of Wight. CLUB HONOURS: Conference Trophy winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; National Trophy winner: 2009 [Plymouth]. RIDER LINKS: Son of Tony Starke (born: 7 December 1965, Hereford, Herefordshire). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.04 (NL), 3.00 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Starke rode for both Swindon Sprockets and Birmingham Bulls in the Academy League in 2007 and, having impressed, he officially came into Buxton’s declared squad on 3 August that year. He went on to make a dozen appearances for the Hitmen, before linking with Plymouth in time for the start of the following season. He made great strides with the Devils, posting a real-time average in excess of 7 points per match; a figure that he replicated with the Devon outfit in 2009 as he helped them win the National Trophy, adding to their Conference Trophy and Knock-Out Cup successes of the previous year.
In what was a year of real progress, he also appeared in the British Under-21 Championship final and was capped at that level, too. In November, it was announced that Starke would again line-up for Plymouth in 2010. But, despite again maintaining an average of over 7 points per match, both he and Lee Smethills were released in July in order to accommodate Nicki Glanz’s return to the Devils’ line-up.
Within a week, however, the rider from Herefordshire was signed on loan by Premier League Rye House to replace Lee Strudwick. And, he also returned to the National League in August, when the Isle of Wight pounced to acquire his services in place of Ben Hopwood. Despite his move away from Plymouth, the Devils’ management revealed in September that Starke had signed a full contract with the club as they prepared to build a team for Premier League racing, having applied to step-up a level in 2011.
However, Starke was to end the season on the injured list after a collision with Newport’s Todd Kurtz in heat two of the Rockets’ league match at Queensway Meadows on 19 September. Hospital X-rays confirmed that the British Under-21 finalist has sustained a badly broken collarbone, which was subsequently pinned and plated.
STEAD, Simon Trevor DATE OF BIRTH: 25 April 1982, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1997) Peterborough II; (1998) Peterborough, Buxton; (1999-2001) Sheffield; (2002) Sheffield, Peterborough; (2003-04) Workington, Wolverhampton; (2005-07) Belle Vue; (2008) Coventry; (2009-10) Swindon. MAJOR HONOURS: Youth Development League Riders’ Champion: 1998; British Under-21 Champion: 2001, 2002, 2003. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1997 [Peterborough II], 1998 [Peterborough], 1999 [Sheffield], 2002 [Sheffield]; Four-Team Championship winner: 1999 [Sheffield], 2000 [Sheffield], 2004 [Workington]; Young Shield winner: 1999, 2002 [both Sheffield]; Premier Trophy winner: 2001 [Sheffield]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2002 [Sheffield], 2005 [Belle Vue]; Pairs Championship winner: 2003 [Workington], 2006 [Belle Vue]; Craven Shield winner: 2008 [Coventry]. RIDER LINKS: Son of Trevor Stead (born: 24 May 1956, Sheffield, South Yorkshire). Nephew of Ian Stead (born: 25 April 1964, Sheffield, South Yorkshire). Cousin of Adam Allott (born: 19 March 1983, Stockport, Cheshire). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.79 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Having spent the 2008 campaign on loan at Coventry, Stead became a full Swindon asset in 2009, when he figured in a swap deal that saw Charlie Gjedde cement his move to Belle Vue. The Sheffield-born rider – who has accumulated a host of club honours during his British career – was the Robins’ highest profile acquisition of the winter, being a flamboyant racer who had always previously excelled on the fast-paced Blunsdon raceway.
During a career that had begun a dozen years previously with Peterborough in the then-Amateur League, ‘Steady’ has represented Great Britain at international level and appeared as both a wildcard and reserve in the Grand Prix series, making four appearances between 2003 and 2006. He was also a non-riding reserve for the British GP at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in both 2008 and again in 2009.
His liking for the Abbey Stadium raceway was fully emphasized on 4 June 2006, when he combined with Jason Crump to win the Elite League Pairs Championship in the colours of Belle Vue. In the final, the duo came up against the home pairing of Leigh Adams and Sebastian UÅ‚amek, and whilst Adams sprinted clear, Stead battled past UÅ‚amek on the back straight to slot into the crucial spot behind his partner and win the coveted title.
He was to become something of a fans’ favourite during his first year in Swindon’s colours, acquiring a tally of 301 points as he remained ever-present throughout the side’s forty official matches for a real-time average of 7.38. Following that, on 29 December, the Wiltshire club confirmed that he would remain with them for 2010 and he was to enjoy his best-ever term in the top-flight, finishing second only to Leigh Adams in the club’s averages on an 8.21 figure from thirty-three meetings.
On 23 October, at Swindon Speedway’s annual Dinner/Dance, Stead was named as the first rider on the club’s team-sheet for 2011 and – capping a fine evening for the British ace – he was visibly shocked when Leigh Adams formally handed over the captain’s armband to him, a move that was warmly received by those in attendance.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record: Grand Prix ridden: 4 – 79th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix points: 7 – 95th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix races: 12 – 85th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 5 Events: 9 – 4th on Great Britain’s list; 33rd on SWC all-time list Points: 53 – 7th on Great Britain’s list; 42nd on SWC all-time list Finals: 3 Gold medals: 0
STEPHENS, Seemond Lee DATE OF BIRTH: 9 August 1967, St Austell, Cornwall. BRITISH CAREER: (1998) St Austell, Exeter, Sheffield, Swindon; (1999) Eastbourne, Swindon, St Austell; (2000-01) Exeter; (2002) Trelawny, Exeter; (2003) Exeter, Eastbourne; (2004-05) Exeter; (2006-10) Plymouth. CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1998 [St Austell], 2000 [Exeter]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1998 [St Austell], 1999 [St Austell], 2008 [Plymouth]; Premier Trophy winner: 2004 [Exeter]; Conference Trophy winner: 2008 [Plymouth]; National Trophy winner: 2009 [Plymouth]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.84 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: A versatile motorcyclist, Stephens first sat on a speedway bike – aged 30 – at St Austell’s famous Claycountry Moto Parc venue at the end of the 1997 season. Prior to making a full-time switch to the shale sport, he had been the Cornish Moto-Cross Champion on no less than ten occasions. His career in speedway has seen him predominantly based in Cornwall – where his roots are – and Devon. He was a fast learner at the discipline and soon developed a reputation for lightning quick starts. Exeter’s County Ground circuit was ideally suited to his style, but since its unfortunate closure at the end of the 2005 season, he has been associated with Plymouth.
Stephens also had a go at sidecar racing in July 2008, when he partnered Gary Davey in the Mid-Cornwall Premier Club’s all-star meeting at Porth, near Newquay. In a family link, his mother, Shirley, was part of the promotion at Trelawny during 2001 and 2002. In November 2009, the St Austell-born rider again agreed to represent Plymouth for a fifth successive term in 2010. And, in the New Year, the date of 3 April was announced for Stephens’ benefit meeting; however, in early-February, it turned out that the necessary permission had not been received from the sport’s authorities and the event was put back until 2011, pending an application.
ŠTICHAUER, Hynek DATE OF BIRTH: 17 June 1987, Pardubice, Czech Republic. BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Wolverhampton; (2010) Stoke. MAJOR HONOUR: Czech Republic Under-19 Champion: 2005. CLUB HONOUR: Elite League Championship winner: 2009 [Wolverhampton]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: For the 2009 campaign, Wolverhampton gave a British debut to the promising young rider, who had caught the eye of the promotion after an impressive second-place finish – behind Matěj Kůs – in the previous year’s five-round Czech Republic Under-21 Championship. Regrettably, Štichauer’s season was interrupted by a vertebrae break, which he sustained in a first heat crash whilst representing Lublin in a Polish Division Two fixture at Miskolc on 19 July.
Although he returned to action on the continent later in the season, he wasn’t recalled by Wolves but was credited with being a Championship winner with the side, having made sixteen league appearances prior to injury. At the tail-end of November, Stoke announced that they had recruited the Czech on loan for the 2010 campaign. And Štichauer showed good form during the UK close season to finish fourth in the 11-round Argentinean Championship.
The Pardubice-born rider was briefly left out of the Potters’ line-up amidst a number of team changes in early June, which also coincided with the end of a 28-day facility for the AWOL Klaus Jakobsen. Despite lacking consistency, the Czech produced several eye-catching scores for the Staffordshire club and was maintaining a healthy average in excess of 6 points per match when he was injured during an away league encounter at Scunthorpe on 16 July.
He picked the knock during heat fifteen when, with the home duo of David Howe and Carl Wilkinson heading for a 5-1, Štichauer decided to ride an unprecedented line around the final two bends and ended up cart-wheeling down the home straight. The crash resulted in a hospital trip for the Stoke representative and he subsequently required surgery after breaking bones in a hand. Early in August, the Potters announced the signing of Frank Facher as his replacement. In a reverse of that move – and having had pins taken out of his hand – the Czech came back into the side at the expense of the German in a Young Shield encounter at Workington on 10 October.
STOKES, Tom DATE OF BIRTH: 23 April 1994. BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Rye House II. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Stokes was named as the No. 8 rider for Rye House Cobras at the end of June 2010, filling the previously vacant position in the squad. Prior to his elevation to an official position, he had ridden as a guest for the side. The youngster had also been a regular in amateur meetings run by both Dragons Speedway and the Southern Track Riders, particularly at King's Lynn where one of his best performances was a second place finish with partner Lewis Kerr in the ‘B' final of the Club Class Pairs event on 4 April.
He surpassed that with a first position in the David Nix Memorial on 18 April, when accompanied by Sam Woods in the Intermediate Pairs contest. Then, on 2 May, he tallied 10 points for the Southern Track Riders ‘A' side as they defeated Scunthorpe Stags ‘A' 57-35 in a challenge match. And, on 20 June, he finished first in the ‘B' final of the Club Class individual event, ahead of Luke Wiltshire, Conor Dwyer and Steve Lockyer.
Stokes represented the Cobras in a National League match versus Scunthorpe at Hoddesdon on 28 August but, in heat eleven, he fell not once but twice, suffering a nasty finger injury. Despite the discomfort, he rode through the pain barrier to represent the side in a further home fixture against the Isle of Wight just two days later.
STONEMAN, Danny DATE OF BIRTH: 22 April 1992, Cullompton, Devon. BRITISH CAREER: (2007-09) Plymouth; (2010) Weymouth, Bournemouth. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Stoneman linked with Plymouth for a third term in 2009, initially in the club's No. 8 role; however, he was promoted to a position in the declared 1-7 at the expense of Marc Andrews in June. He was to make fifteen appearances for the Devils, which yielded 29 points and a real-time average of 2.67. The Devonian was initially without a team berth in 2010, but was called into the Weymouth side in May at the expense of Nick Lee.
Despite some promising performances, he lost his place in the Wildcats' squad in mid-June, when the Dorset club opted to sign Luke Chessell. However, Stoneman returned to action with Bournemouth in August amidst sweeping changes at the South Coast club that also saw the arrivals of Jerran Hart and James Sarjeant, whilst Karl Mason, Daniel Halsey and John Resch were all released.
STRÓŻYK, Grzegorz DATE OF BIRTH: 26 May 1988, Poland. BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Berwick. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Stróżyk (pronounced Stroo-Shek) has ridden for a trio of Polish clubs, namely Wrocław (2008), Poznań (2009) and Kraków (2010). When the latter completed their fixtures for the season, he loaded up his two bikes, ventured over to the UK and lived out of his van, begging second-half races at as many UK tracks as he could. Although several clubs took an interest in taking him on, it was Berwick who got him a British licence and cleared his permission to start racing in the UK.
As a trialist, he took the place of the injured Michał Rajkowski in the Bandits’ line-up against Redcar in the Tweed-Tees Trophy at Shielfield Park on 4 September and produced a sensational performance, winning his first race and going on to score 11 points. Following that, the Berwick management handed him a team place for the rest of the season, as a replacement for the seriously injured Adrian Rymel preferring to track their own man rather than guests.
STRUDWICK, Lee DATE OF BIRTH: 23 July 1988, Pembury, Kent. BRITISH CAREER: (2005) Wimbledon; (2006-09) Rye House II; (2010) Rye House, Rye House II. RIDER LINKS: Cousin of Niall Strudwick (born: 29 May 1990, Pembury, Kent). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.26 (NL), 3.00 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Strudwick first rode officially at Conference-level for Wimbledon in 2005, before linking with Rye House the following term. He remained with the Hertfordshire side until the conclusion of the 2009 campaign, before deciding that his future lay elsewhere. However, in January - in a dramatic turnaround - he was again named in the Cobras' starting line-up for 2010. This, after putting together a strong second-half to the season, which eventually saw him complete fifteen official meetings for 105 points and a real-time average of 6.48.
He showed great form at National League level for Rye House, lifting his average to over the 8-point mark. His form led to a guest appearance for the senior Rockets team in a Premier League encounter versus Sheffield at Hoddesdon on 15 May and he responded superbly to register 5+3 points. Shortly afterwards, Strudwick had four wisdom teeth extracted, ruling him out of the abandoned Four-Team Championship at Mildenhall on 6 June, but he was able to return to action in the week that followed.
Ten days after the 4TT, his pre-dentist treatment efforts were rewarded when Rye House announced his elevation to the PL line-up at the expense of Kurt Shields. In further good news for the youngster - and in an effort to ease his transition to a higher sphere - the club stated that he would be using engines prepared especially by former World Champion Michael Lee. It was stressed that the rider would also continue to represent the NL side and, because of inter-club payments, the Cobras would have first call on his services in the event of a fixture clash.
Strudwick sustained bruising to his ribs during a National League match versus Buxton at Hoddesdon on 26 June but, despite that, he didn't miss any meetings and bravely rode on. But, towards the end of July, he was to lose his place in the senior Rye House side, as the Rockets' management moved to strengthen their team by replacing him with Paul Starke. Strudwick had struggled to make the big step-up from his role with the Cobras and had been unable to replicate the form he had shown as a guest against Sheffield in May. In fact - since replacing Kurt Shields - he had only registered 11 paid points across seven fixtures.
STRUDWICK, Niall DATE OF BIRTH: 29 May 1990, Pembury, Kent. BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Mildenhall. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00. RIDER LINKS: Cousin of Lee Strudwick (born: 23 July 1988, Pembury, Kent). ADDITIONAL INFO: Strudwick began riding at just 9 years-of-age and, after continuing to hone his skills, enjoyed regular second-half outings at Mildenhall in 2009. This culminated in an appearance in the Shareholders’ Trophy at the West Row circuit on 11 October, when he was one of four hopefuls who filled the reserve berths. He got to take two outings on the day and was easily the pick of the quartet; his performance included beating his his much more experienced cousin, Lee, in heat twelve. Following that, in November, the Fen Tigers’ management revealed that they had signed the youngster as both a club asset and their official No. 8 rider for the 2010 season. SUCHÃNEK, Tomáš DATE OF BIRTH: 7 April 1984, Pardubice, Czech Republic. BRITISH CAREER: (2003) King’s Lynn; (2005) Isle of Wight, Poole; (2006) Redcar, Wolverhampton; (2007) Somerset, Mildenhall; (2008) Reading, Eastbourne; (2010) Redcar. MAJOR HONOURS: Czech Republic Under-21 Champion: 2002, 2003; Slovakian Champion: 2009. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.72 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Prior to participating in domestic speedway on these shores, Suchánek showcased his talents in his homeland, winning the Czech Republic Under-21 Championship in 2002. He linked with King’s Lynn as part of their British League Cup squad the following year, making just three appearances and totalling 11 points. His best performance of the three occurred on 11 July, when he revelled at Peterborough’s East of England Showground circuit, netting 7+2 points. That was to be his sum total on these shores, although the year also saw him scoop a second success in the Czech Under-21 Championship.
He was to miss the 2004 campaign in the UK, but success came his way in the shape of League Championship glory for his hometown club, Pardubice, as he followed up similar title victories with the side in 2001 and 2002. Suchánek subsequently joined the Isle of Wight in May 2005, replacing Jason Bunyan, who had suffered a broken a leg. His stay was to be brief with the Islanders, though, as Poole came in with an offer for his talents in August. In twelve league matches for the IOW, he achieved a 4.68 average, having notched 47 points. At Poole, his stay was to be even shorter and, after seven league matches had yielded just 7 points and a 1.33 average, he made way for Robert Kościecha.
On the world stage, he suffered the misfortune of missing out on a major title in bizarre fashion. This happened in the World Under-21 Final at Wiener Neustadt, Austria on 17 September, when the meeting was curtailed by poor weather conditions, with both he and Krzysztof Kasprzak tied in first place on 8 points apiece after three rides. Incredibly, it was decided to toss a coin to settle the issue and it was Kasprzak who won, leaving Suchánek a dejected and frustrated runner-up.
Suchánek began the 2007 season with Somerset, but he was axed from his team spot in May, when a shake-up saw Stephan Katt recalled to the side. At the time of his departure, the Pardubice racer had appeared in just seven Premier Trophy and two league matches for the Rebels. It wasn’t long before Mildenhall stepped in to sign both the Czech and the late Paul Fry at the same time, the incoming duo taking the places of Mario Jirout and the injured Jamie Smith.
The move gave Suchánek the confidence-boost he needed and he began by scoring 12+1 points on his debut for the Fen Tigers in a Knock-Out Cup tie versus Rye House at West Row on 3 June. He was to hit several other double figure scores, including home and away league tallies of 14+1 points against King’s Lynn. In total, he made twenty-six appearances for the Suffolk side, recording 204 points and a 6.37 average.
In December that year, Reading announced that they had signed Suchánek for the 2008 term but, in what transpired to be the Racers’ final season of action at their Smallmead venue, the Czech was to reveal patchy form. Sometimes brilliant on his favoured inside line on his home track, he also failed to score in five of the Berkshire side’s away matches and produced low returns in many others. This resulted in a reduced real-time average of 5.34, the rider having tallied 190 points from forty-one official appearances.
After missing out on a UK berth in 2009, it was announced in December that former club Redcar had secured his services for 2010. However, the Bears were to endure a difficult term and finish some way adrift at the foot of the Premier League standings, with the Czech posting an average of little over 5 points a match.
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 2 Events: 3 – 9th on Czech Republic’s list; 94th on SWC all-time list Points: 4 – 10th on Czech Republic’s list; 121st on SWC all-time list Finals: 0 Gold medals: 0
SUMMERS, Aaron Richard DATE OF BIRTH: 1 March 1988, Adelaide, South Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Buxton, Edinburgh; (2008) Edinburgh, Redcar II; (2009) Edinburgh; (2010) Birmingham, Coventry. MAJOR HONOUR: Australian Under-16 Champion: 2004. CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 2008 [Edinburgh]; League Championship winner: 2008 [Edinburgh], 2010 [Coventry]; Play-Off winner: 2008, 2009 [both Edinburgh]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2010 [Birmingham]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.92 (PL), 3.00 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Summers' short visit to the UK in 2007 convinced the Edinburgh management to sign the Aussie and it was a decision neither the rider nor the club regretted. His entertaining style produced a real-time average in excess of 6 points per match as the Monarchs stormed to a League Championship, Premier Trophy and Play-Off treble in 2008. And, in another super season for the club in 2009, he again posted a similar average as the club once more won the Play-Offs, defeating King's Lynn in the final. Due to the points-limit, however, Summers was unable to be accommodated within the Scottish club's team-building plans for 2010 but, in mid-December, he linked with Birmingham in a loan deal from the Monarchs. Then, in January, Coventry completed their squad by naming the Aussie as their No. 8 rider.
Summers rode very well to maintain an 8-point average in the opening months of the campaign for the Brummies, but endured a spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken collarbone in a heat twelve tumble during the side's Knock-Out Cup quarter-final tie at Somerset on 25 June. The race saw home rider Sam Masters lead from the tapes, before being challenged out wide by the Birmingham speedster. But, with Masters also on a wide line, Summers didn't have much room to manoeuvre and, just at the vital time, he caught some grip and lifted. Having got out of shape, he caught the safety fence and fell heavily on the back straight.
Following a practice spin at Glasgow, Summers had hoped to return to action for the Brummies in the first leg of the Premier Trophy final at Newcastle on 25 July, but further checks on his collarbone injury resulted in the Aussie being told to rest for another fortnight. However, he made a surprise return to action on 29 July, making a vital 5-point contribution as Birmingham secured a narrow 46-44 league success at Redcar.
SUNDSTRÖM, Linus Erik DATE OF BIRTH: 28 October 1990, Avesta, Sweden. BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Rye House; (2010) Rye House, Ipswich. MAJOR HONOUR: European Under-19 Team Champion: 2008. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.74 (PL), 3.37 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Sundström caught the eye when he made several late-season appearances in open events at the tail-end of 2008, including riding in the last-ever meeting at Reading’s Smallmead Stadium on 19 October, when he qualified for the final and finished fourth overall. He was snapped-up by Rye House for his first full term of UK racing in 2009 and produced many excellent performances to post a real-time average in excess of 7 points per match.
It was thought that the Swede’s campaign had ended prematurely on 19 September, when he was brought down by Edinburgh’s Ryan Fisher in heat eleven of the Rockets’ Knock-Out Cup encounter at Hoddesdon. A fractured left scaphoid was the initial diagnosis, but he fortunately escaped with severe bruising and was able to return to action for Rye House in the Young Shield quarter-final at Sheffield on 1 October.
Having enjoyed such a fine debut season in Britain, it came as little surprise in November when Rye House agreed terms to keep Sundström on board in 2010 and, the following month, Ipswich revealed that he would also fill a ‘doubling-up’ role with them, alongside Carl Wilkinson.
The Swede began his second term in sensational fashion, hitting high scores on a regular basis and surging to the top of the entire Premier League averages courtesy of a figure in excess of 10 points per match. He was temporarily halted in mid-April, however, when marooned in his homeland due to the enforced airport closures caused by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.
Sundström was involved in an alarming crash in his homeland whilst riding for Piraterna in a home match versus Dackarna on 22 June. This saw a first bend domino effect involving all four riders, which sent the Rye House man into the safety fence and led to him being hospitalised overnight on an observational basis. Fortunately X-rays showed no damage and he was discharged the following day. He did, however, require a short break from racing whilst he recuperated.
In the season’s final analysis, Sundström slipped back to third place in the overall Premier League averages, having been overhauled by Newcastle’s Kenni Larsen (10.06) and Edinburgh’s Ryan Fisher (10.01). Even so, his final figure of 9.84 was an excellent return, the Swede having totalled 404 points from thirty-five official appearances.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record: Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 141st on SGP all-time list Grand Prix points: 1 – 132nd on SGP all-time list Grand Prix races: 2 – 130th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a
SWALES, Stuart John DATE OF BIRTH: 8 May 1975, Northallerton, North Yorkshire. BRITISH CAREER: (1991) Middlesbrough; (1992-93) Middlesbrough, Bradford; (1994) Middlesbrough, Bradford, Long Eaton, Cleveland; (1995) Middlesbrough; (1996) Cradley Heath & Stoke; (1997-2000) Newcastle; (2001) Glasgow; (2009-10) Redcar. CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 1993 [Bradford]. RIDER LINKS: Son of Jack Swales (born: 3 September 1935, Hutton Rudby, Yarm, Cleveland). Nephew of twin brothers Tim and Tony Swales (born: 25 February 1948 Hutton Rudby, Yarm, Cleveland). Cousin of Jonathan Swales (born: 11 June 1975, Northallerton, North Yorkshire), Jamie Swales (born: 5 March 1982, Northallerton, North Yorkshire) and junior rider Matthew Swales (born: 25 September 1984, Northallerton, North Yorkshire). Second cousin of Andrew Swales (born: 27 November 1977, Northallerton, North Yorkshire). 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.06 (PL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Swales hails from a speedway dynasty and spent much of his career as a spirited performer based in the North-East until a switch to Glasgow in 2001 but, after a run of disappointing returns for the Scottish outfit, he quit the sport at the beginning of July that year. He was replaced in the side a month later by Henning Bager, who took his UK bow with the side. However, almost eight years later, Swales made a dramatic return to Premier League racing in July 2009, when he linked with Redcar in place of the released Benji Compton. This followed some impressive performances at non-league level in the Summer Championship at Scunthorpe.
His comeback proved successful, so much so that he yielded an average in excess of 5 points per match (including bonus) and was named as a definite starter for the Bears in 2010. He managed to replicate that figure, but sustained hand and knee injuries when he crashed heavily after tangling with Nick Morris in heat two of Redcar's league match at Glasgow on 13 June. Although both the rider and his club were optimistic of a quick recovery, Swales' knee proved slow to heal and - with the need for a consistent team line-up - the Bears moved to sign Peter Juul for a 28-day period as cover in mid-July.
SWEETMAN, Richard Thomas DATE OF BIRTH: 28 July 1990, Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Isle of Wight; (2009) Birmingham, Swindon, Belle Vue; (2010) Birmingham, Coventry. MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales State Under-21 Champion: 2007. CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2010 [Birmingham]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Coventry]. 2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.44 (PL), 3.22 (EL). ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially begun competing in junior level racing at just eleven years-of-age, Sweetman is another of many young Australians forging a route to the top in speedway. After winning the New South Wales State Under-21 Championship in 2007, he was the target of many British clubs and subsequently made his way to the UK for a season of racing at Premier League level with the Isle of Wight the following year. A move to Birmingham followed in 2009, when he also filled the position of the No. 8 rider at Swindon until a switch in July saw him replaced in the role at the Wiltshire track by Cory Gathercole.
As a full asset of the club, he still remained very much a part of the Robins’ future plans, though, and a couple of performances from the reserve berth for the Brummies fully emphasized why – on 8 July, he bagged 19+1 points in a PL match versus Berwick at Perry Barr; then, on 12 July, he scorched to a 20+1 paid maximum haul in a home league encounter against Workington. Sweetman’s excellent form had been noted by Belle Vue and he was to link with the Aces in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity in September, alongside fellow Aussie Joel Parsons. In November, Birmingham announced that the rider from Down Under would remain with them for a second season on loan from Swindon in 2010 and – in January – Coventry revealed that he would fill a ‘doubling-up’ role with them, alongside Josh Auty.
He was to post an average of around 8.5 points per match for the Brummies and was part of the side that won the Four-Team Championship at Peterborough on 15 August. Meanwhile, in top-flight circles, he averaged over 6 points a match for the Bees, as a stunning late-season revival saw them grab the last spot in the Play-Offs. They then defeated Peterborough at the semi-final stage, before facing runaway table-toppers Poole to decide the title.
After winning 51-39 in the first leg at Brandon on 27 September, Coventry journeyed to Wimborne Road for the return fixture seven days later. And they completed an astonishing transformation from early-term relegation candidates to Championship material on a stunning night when they overturned the overwhelming favourites – not only by defending their 12-point first leg lead, but also by winning the away leg, 50-40, as well.
The following is an A-Z list of riders who are contracted to appear in 2010, at Elite League, Premier League and National League level.
SANCHEZ, Emiliano Diebo
SARJEANT, James
SCARBORO, Ricky John
SCHLEIN, Rory Robert
SCHRAMM, Chris
SCREEN, Joseph (Joe)
SEDGMEN, Justin Maxwell
SHIELDS, Adam Matthew
SHIELDS, Kurt Douglas
SIMMONDS, Mark Douglas
SIMMONS, Nicholas (Nick) Steven John
Å ITERA, Filip 
SKIDMORE, Hugh
SKÓRNICKI, Adam 
SÅABON, Krzysztof (Chris)
SMART, Lee Mitchell
SMETHILLS, Lee Kenneth
SMITH, Jamie Paul
SMITH, Kozza
SNEDDON, Derek
STACHYRA, Dawid
STARKE, Paul Simon
STEAD, Simon Trevor
STEPHENS, Seemond Lee
Å TICHAUER, Hynek
STOKES, Tom
STONEMAN, Danny
STRÓŻYK, Grzegorz
STRUDWICK, Lee
STRUDWICK, Niall
SUCHÃNEK, Tomáš 
SUMMERS, Aaron Richard
SUNDSTRÖM, Linus Erik
SWALES, Stuart John
SWEETMAN, Richard Thomas
