RAJKOWSKI, Michał
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 December 1984, Rawicz, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Newport; (2008) Belle Vue, Mildenhall; (2009) Edinburgh; (2010) Stoke, Berwick; (2011) Glasgow.
CLUB HONOURS: Play-Off winner: 2008 [Edinburgh]; League Championship winner: 2011 [Glasgow].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.88 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Polish thrill-merchant was handed a late position in Newport’s starting line-up in 2007, after the club had been unable to conclude a deal with Craig Watson.

The Pole had impressed at Queensway Meadows during that January’s New Year Classic and, after initially starting in the No. 1 position, he enjoyed a phenomenal spell at reserve that saw him elevated back to the top spot in the riding order, from where he continued to excel.

Although his scores did tend to be laced with inconsistency as the campaign wore on, there was little doubt that Rajkowski’s contributions had transformed him into a real favourite with the Newport supporters.

A full-time transfer took him to Belle Vue the following year, but the step-up proved too big a climb at that stage of his career and he eventually dropped back into the Premier League with Mildenhall. Rajkowski made the move to reigning PL Champions Edinburgh for 2009 and also featured in a late-term return to the top-flight in a ‘doubling-up’ role alongside Joel Parsons at his parent club, Belle Vue, in August.

That was part of a sweeping change at the Manchester club, which also saw the Aces sign Jason Crump and Luboš Tomíček. Meanwhile, those replaced were Tomasz Chrzanowski and Morten Risager, together with the injured Charlie Gjedde.

However, before turning a wheel in anger for the Manchester side, Rajkowski was himself replaced in the ‘doubling-up’ position by Richard Sweetman who, it was felt by the Aces’ management, was more conveniently based.

The Pole was to enjoy a solid campaign with Edinburgh – and being based in Scotland with his father/mechanic certainly aided this – posting a real-time average of over 7 points per match. Regrettably, his season came to an end in the second leg of the Play-Off final at King’s Lynn on 20 October when, whilst leading heat eight, he lifted and hit the fence.

The upshot was an ankle injury that meant him missing out on the Knock-Out Cup final versus King’s Lynn and also the Promotion Play-Off against Belle Vue. He was subsequently unable to be accommodated within the Monarchs’ team plans for 2010 but, in December, Stoke revealed that they had concluded a deal to sign him on loan from Belle Vue.

However, having found points hard to come by, the Pole was released by the Staffordshire club in May and replaced by Adam Roynon. At the time of his departure from the Potters, he had registered only 26 points from ten meetings for an average of 3.33.

He wasn’t without a club for long and linked with Berwick shortly afterwards, displacing Anders Andersen in the Bandits’ line-up. And, riding out of a reserve berth, Rajkowski piled-up an astonishing 16+3 points as Berwick gained a crucial 50-40 away win from their basement battle at Redcar on 8 July; ironically, he only dropped points to the Bears in what was arguably his easiest race in heat eight, when beaten into third place by Ben Wilson and Tomáš Suchánek.

He again proved to be a trump card for the Bandits with a paid 15-point haul, when they dented Birmingham’s title aspirations courtesy of a 50-43 success at Shielfield Park on 17 July. Unfortunately, though, he sustained serious damage to his left knee and lower leg in heat eight of a home league clash versus Newcastle on 21 August.

That occurred after visiting rider Derek Sneddon had passed ‘The Raj’ going down the back straight and, with the Pole chasing hard and close to his opponent, the Scot lost grip on bend three and fell. Rajkowski tried hard to avoid the fallen Diamond but, having turned to his right, he collided heavily with the safety fence.

The injuries were sufficient to rule him out for the rest of the season and Sneddon was quick to apologise for the incident. The Newcastle rider’s immediate and obvious regret about what was an accident in every sense was fully accepted by the injured rider and everyone in the Berwick camp.

Having completed sixteen matches for 109 points and an average of 6.55, Rajkowski was replaced in the Berwick side in September by the returning Craig Branney. His best score at home was a tally of 14+1 points from six rides in a league fixture against Birmingham on 17 July, whilst away it was that amazing haul of 16+3 points from seven starts at Redcar on 8 July. Looking at his season as a whole, the addition of his earlier spell at Stoke gave him a total of 135 points from twenty-six meetings and an overall average of 5.52.

After gaining a clean bill of health from the medics, the Pole was the second of two new riders to join Glasgow for the 2011 campaign – the other being Theo Pijper – when the entire line-up was revealed on 27 November at Hampden Park’s Nevis Suite. In saying that Rajkowski did represent the Tigers as a guest on one occasion in the high-profile Sky Sports-televised meeting at Somerset on 9 August 2010, when he netted a creditable 7 points in a hard-fought 45-45 draw.

The Pole played a key part as Glasgow hit the ground running and, from the first half of the season, he was to average over 5.5 points per meeting. Then, on 18 June, he recorded a brilliant haul of 14+3 points in the Tigers’ stunning 62-28 victory at Leicester. The win not only took the Scottish side to top spot in the Premier League table, but it was also the biggest away victory in the club’s 65-year history.

Rajkowski again starred for Glasgow when top-scoring with a whopping 16+1 points from six rides out of the No. 7 berth on 10 July, as the Tigers posted a home victory over Somerset to reclaim first position in the PL standings.  

RAYSON, Oliver (Olly) Henry
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 March 1993, Culford, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Boston; (2009) Mildenhall; (2010-11) King’s Lynn II.
NOTE: Rayson also appeared for Mildenhall prior to joining King’s Lynn II in 2010, but this is not credited in his career record because the club closed down prematurely, with all their matches expunged from the records.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.96 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially started riding at 9 years-of-age, Rayson was a highly-rated prospect whose fledgling career was highlighted by a stunning performance in the Standing Family Trophy at Sittingbourne in 2007 when, aged 14, he only just missed out on first spot.

He subsequently appeared in the Conference League for Boston in 2008 and was identified with Mildenhall in the new National League in 2009, when he netted 124 points from twenty-seven official appearances for an impressive 5.66 real-time average.

He again represented the Fen Tigers in 2010 and was maintaining an average of over 6 points per match before the track closed down prematurely, with and all their results expunged from the league standings. Having been on the sidelines for over a month, Rayson re-located to King’s Lynn’s second side as a replacement for Ricky Wallace at the end of August.

He was to make six appearances for the Young Stars, scoring 26 points for a 5.67 average. And, on 16 February 2011, it was announced that Rayson was returning to a resurgent Mildenhall Speedway following the successful negotiations that saw ex-riders Chris Louis, Michael Lee and Kevin Jolly take over the running of the West Row track.

However, prior to turning a wheel in anger for the Fen Tigers, Rayson re-located to King’s Lynn as a full asset on 24 March. In return, Lewis Blackbird went in the opposite direction to Mildenhall on a full transfer, with the Fen Tigers’ management grateful to their counterparts at the Norfolk Arena for the way they had co-operated in the deal.

READE, Ben William
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 March 1991, Swindon, Wiltshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Plymouth; (2011) Stoke.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Reade first rode a speedway bike at his hometown circuit, Swindon, in 2003, before spending the following year competing in schoolboy grass-track racing. Then, in 2006, he was delighted to represent Swindon Sprockets in the Southern Area League and again represented the side a year later in the re-branded Ochiltree Academy League.

After a term away from speedway, a couple of late-season guest appearances came his way at National League level with Plymouth in 2009 and, following Darryl Ritchings’ late decision not to join Newport, he was signed by the Welsh club in 2010.

This came after some impressive showings in the Sunday training sessions at Queensway Meadows, in which he did sufficiently well to be offered a full contract. Unfortunately, he was unable to break into Newport’s National League side – save for three guest appearances – and in mid-June, he joined Plymouth as a replacement for Dan Berwick.

A week or so afterwards, he was moved into the club’s No. 8 berth as David Gough and he traded places. Then, in July, following the re-signing of Nicki Glanz and the release of Paul Starke and Lee Smethills, Reade was again upgraded into a position within the Devils’ 1-7. He went on to represent the club on sixteen occasions, scoring 33 points for an average of 2.87.

On 23 March 2011, Reade was named as the final piece in Stoke’s team-building jigsaw following the Loomer Road club’s winter decision to drop down from the Premier League to British speedway’s third tier for financial reasons. His team-mates in the declared line-up were Simon Lambert, Tony Atkin, Tim Webster, Gareth Isherwood, Jaimie Pickard and James Sarjeant.

The Swindonian crashed heavily whilst representing the Potters in a National League fixture at Newport on 17 April. The accident occurred in heat nine of the encounter and it was initially feared that Reade had sustained a broken neck. Thankfully, having been taken to hospital and kept in overnight, he was told that he had suffered ligament and muscle damage.

Due to a fast heading process and the exhuberance of youth, Reade amazingly returned to action for Stoke in the No. 6 berth when they visited Buxton in the Knock-Out Cup on 1 May, scoring 3+1 points as the Potters went down to a single digit defeat, 45-44, in a hard-fought first leg encounter.

The youngster was to keep his place in the side until September, when Stoke opted to instead give grass-track star Tim Nobes a run in the side at reserve.

RESCH, John Martin Thomas
DATE OF BIRTH: 5 January 1993, Pembury, Nr. Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Bournemouth; (2010) Bournemouth, Isle of Wight; (2011) Isle of Wight.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.29 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Resch first rode on a 125cc Honda at the Sittingbourne junior track, when aged twelve. He contested the British Under-15 Championship in 2008, winning a round at Stoke on 10 July and eventually finishing third overall.

He turned 16 years-of-age in January 2009 and was subsequently installed as Bournemouth’s No. 8 rider in May. He was to make just nine official appearances for the side but, in December, he was confirmed as a starter in their line-up for 2010.

Despite maintaining a satisfactory average in the Buccaneers’ colours, he was released amidst sweeping changes in August. Both Karl Mason and Daniel Halsey were also relieved of their duties, whilst replacing the trio were Jerran Hart, James Sarjeant and Danny Stoneman. At the time, he had represented the side on fourteen occasions and scored 53 points for an average of 5.33.

However, Resch returned to action the following month, when he was signed by the Isle of Wight as cover for the injured Brendan Johnson. He went on to make three appearances for the club, which yielded 14 points and a 5.33 average.

That gave him a combined total of seventeen appearances at NL level for Bournemouth and the Islanders, from which he totalled 67 points and an overall average of 5.33. And, on 8 February 2011, he was rewarded with a full contract for the season ahead by the Isle of Wight.

Regrettably, Resch was badly injured in the Islanders’ league match at Mildenhall on 29 May. He came off turn four in heat two, picking up grip and was simply a passenger as he slammed into the unforgiving safety fence from third place on the second lap.

After a lengthy delay with the paramedics treating the rider on the track, he was transferred to the waiting ambulance and whisked off to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where it was revealed he had broken his thigh in two places.

More tragic news for the youngster came on 2 June when, following a short battle with cancer, Jean Resch, devoted father of John and loving husband of Vivienne, passed away at home. Jean had dedicated the previous six years to enabling his son to be a speedway rider. Mechanicing, supplying his equipment and teaching him how to care for his bikes, his dad was a perfectionist and always wanted to make sure John was turned out immaculately.

Having been successfully operated on, with a titanium rod being inserted the length of his thigh, it was then a matter of time for recuperation for Resch, who returned home to recover. Gary Cottham was subsequently drafted in by the Islanders’ management to fill the gap in the side.

RICHARDSON, Lee Stewart
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 April 1979, Hastings, Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (1995) Reading; (1996) Reading II, Poole; (1997) Reading, Peterborough; (1998) Reading; (1999) Poole; (2000-03) Coventry; (2004) Peterborough; (2005-07) Swindon; (2008) Eastbourne; (2009-11) Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOURS: World Under-21 Champion: 1999; Elite League Riders’ Champion: 2003.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1997 [Reading]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1998 [Reading], 2008 [Eastbourne], 2009 [Lakeside]; Craven Shield winner: 2000 [Coventry]; Pairs Championship winner: 2005 [Swindon].
GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHTS: Grand Final Champion: 2002.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Colin Richardson (born: 24 November 1958, Southwark, South-East London). Nephew of Steve Weatherley (born: 26 November 1957, Dartford, Kent).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.45 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Hastings-born speedster hails from a talented sports family and boasts several other links besides those to former riders Colin Richardson and Steve Weatherley: Grandad Eric Richardson played football for Sunderland juniors from 1946 to 1948; Aunt Julie Clark (nee Richardson) won 27 England caps playing basketball; Uncle Keith (Marner) was Light Welterweight Boxing Champion of Southern England in 1994.

Richardson made his debut in the 21-team Premier League with Reading in 1995, before spending the following year on loan to Poole. In 1997, a return to Reading coincided with a real upsurge in form and by the end of 1998, he had raised his average to 9.60 with the Racers courtesy of 418 points from thirty-three official meetings. His efforts also helped the Berkshire side to lift the League Championship in 1997 and the Knock-Out Cup in 1998.

A full-time move into the Elite League beckoned and it was to Poole he returned in 1999. ‘Rico’ subsequently linked with Coventry in 2000, when the Bees paid £22,500 to secure his services. This was a year when his new side won the end-of-season Craven Shield competition. In all, he was to spend four seasons in Coventry’s distinctive colours, his best year with the Warwickshire team occurring in 2002, when he posted 366 points from thirty-three official meetings for a final average of 9.07.

Individually, Richardson brilliantly took victory in the World Under-21 Championship at Vojens, Denmark on 7 August 1999, netting 13 points to finish ahead of Aleš Dryml (11) and Nigel Sadler (10). And another major honour came his way on 18 October 2003, when he scooped the Elite League Riders’ Championship at Coventry, defeating Andreas Jonsson, Scott Nicholls and Jason Crump in the final.

Turning to the Grand Prix series, he made three wildcard appearances (British GP 2000 and 2002; European GP 2002), prior to becoming a regular competitor in 2003. This after stunningly winning the World Championship Qualifying Round Grand Final at Piła, Poland on 25 August 2002, when scoring 14 points to finish ahead of Bohumil Brhel (12) and Piotr Protasiewicz (11).

Richardson was also a regular for Great Britain in the Speedway World Cup tournaments. At Wrocław, Poland in 2001, he raced to 15 points as Britain lost out in a dramatic Race-Off meeting on 5 July, when Greg Hancock defeated Mark Loram for the last place in the final. Britain again missed out on the final in 2002, although Rico did all he possibly could in their cause, scoring 16 points in the Race-Off at Peterborough on 8 August.

Great Britain did make it all the way to the World Cup Final at Vojens, Denmark, on 9 August 2003, but they finished last in a meeting won by Sweden, with Richardson topping his side’s scoring on 14 points. Then, in a dramatic Final at Poole on 7 August 2004, the British boys ended as runners-up – just a single point behind Sweden – with the Sussex-born rider’s contribution being 10 points.

The 2004 campaign was spent on loan at Peterborough and, although the Panthers finished just one place off the bottom of the final table, he did well to record 271 points from twenty-eight appearances for a very healthy average of 8.62. It also proved to be his best year in the Grand Prix, as totalled 76 points to finish eleventh overall.

Next up, Swindon captured Richardson’s prized signature in 2005. Big things were expected from Rico at Blunsdon and, by and large, he didn’t disappoint despite an abundance of unfortunate motor problems. He simply got on with the job and rode through the gremlins to remain ever-present throughout the Robins’ 46-match schedule, plundering a wonderful tally of 457 points to give club kingpin Leigh Adams fabulous top-end support courtesy of an 8.84 average.

Indeed, the duo featured in many exquisite demonstrations of team riding, especially at Peterborough on 27 March, when they combined beautifully to retain the Elite League Pairs Championship, which Adams had won the previous year with Swindon when partnered by Charlie Gjedde.

Richardson’s transfer fee was finally settled early in July, when Terry Russell agreed a deal with Coventry owner Avtar Sandhu, paying a club record fee of £32,000 plus VAT. And the fast-riding speedster was Great Britain’s undoubted star in the Speedway World Cup, scorching to a wonderful 15-point maximum at the Abbey Stadium on 31 July, as he led his side directly through to the final.

Regrettably, it wasn’t to be for Team GB in the showdown at Wrocław on 6 August, as host nation Poland dominated proceedings to win the coveted prize, although Rico enjoyed another super meeting to again head his side’s scoring with 12 points.

He was to prove extremely popular with the Blunsdon faithful, finding many different racing lines to beat opponents from the back, in the process dispelling the myth that he was reliant purely on his sharp-starting ability. Luck deserted Rico in the GP series, though, and only in the Polish round at Bydgoszcz on 27 August did he excel after netting 8 points from the qualifying heats.

That earned a spot in the second semi-final, which resulted in a scintillating win ahead of Greg Hancock, Leigh Adams and Andreas Jonsson. Although he tried his heart out in the subsequent final, he eventually had to settle for second place behind Polish maestro Tomasz Gollob.

On 13 December 2005 – following much speculation – then Swindon boss Alun Rossiter named Richardson as a member of his side for 2006, when the British international once again joined Leigh Adams in the heat-leader role and the duo were hoping to continue their dynamic partnership of 2005.

However, Rico unfortunately never reached the high standards he had achieved in the previous year and, by his own admission, endured a generally disappointing campaign as he struggled to recapture the sparkle that had brought the Abbey Stadium to life in the previous year.

Problems with machinery severely affected his form and he went through several barren periods of scoring. Despite his troubles, Richardson remained philosophical throughout and continually thanked the Swindon fans for their wonderful support.

A succession of impressive performances towards the end of the season was well received by the Blunsdon faithful and Rico was visibly happier with his riding. In the final analysis, he totalled 322 points from forty-one meetings for a reduced average of 7.19. In a season fraught with frustration, he also struggled to make a serious impact on the Grand Prix series, scoring just 39 points from the ten rounds.

Remaining with Swindon in 2007, he enjoyed a more fruitful campaign to net 387 points from forty-one official meetings, which equated to an improved 8.48 average. But, after three terms with the Robins, he moved on loan to Eastbourne in 2008, when he formed a potent spearhead alongside fellow Brit Scott Nicholls to net 346 points from thirty-six meetings and an average of 8.65.

The former Grand Prix regular and Great Britain’s all-time highest scorer in the Speedway World Cup, who rides with pace and aggression – and is also well-known for conjuring extremely quick starts – moved again to Lakeside in 2009.

He went on to complete back-to-back Knock-Out Cup wins, helping the Hammers to lift the prestigious trophy, having been victorious with Eastbourne the previous year. At the season’s end, having scored 359 points from thirty-eight meetings to top Lakeside’s averages on an 8.86 figure, he underwent an operation to repair a damaged cartilage and ease long-standing problems with his left knee.

Following that, in November, Richardson had fully expected to remain on board with Lakeside in 2010. However, there was a flurry of speculation that he might return to Swindon after the Robins’ management had contacted their counterparts at the Thurrock-based club but, in the end, a move back to Wiltshire didn’t materialise and the English rider looked set to miss the domestic UK campaign following the Hammers’ acquisition of Krzysztof Kasprzak.

Belle Vue had shown an interest in Richardson, but the logistics of the long-distance travelling from his home in Hastings meant the parties didn’t get beyond an initial discussion. The rider instead busied himself by riding for Rzeszów in Poland, whilst also signing contracts for meetings in Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic and Denmark.

However, in May – having gained permission from his parent club, Swindon, to re-open talks the previous month – it was revealed that he was to return to the British racing scene after all – replacing his replacement, Kasprzak, in the Lakeside team!

Prior to his seasonal debut for the Hammers, Rico crashed in his second outing (heat five) of the British semi-final at King’s Lynn on 12 May. He left the Norfolk Arena by ambulance after sustaining a foot injury and was fortunate not to suffer concussion in an accident that wrote off his crash helmet.

With Lakeside unable to call upon a replacement because he had yet to appear in the re-declared team, Richardson was quick to assure the club’s management that he would be able to take to the track as scheduled for the visit to Ipswich the following evening, when he determinedly netted 11+1 points on his seasonal debut.

Richardson re-aggravated a long-standing knee injury during a meeting in Sweden on 6 July and subsequently flew out to see a specialist in Poland in order to have a brace fitted so as to minimise his time out of action. Then, a week later on 13 July, he was taken ill prior to leaving for another meeting in Sweden. However, he was quickly back on track and became the Hammers’ star rider in comfortably maintaining an average of over 9 points per match.

Following Lakeside’s 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 he would take over as skipper from Adam Shields due to being more of a natural captain and his keenness to play a bigger role at the club. And, on 22 September, the Hammers were delighted to announce that Richardson would be staying with them in 2011 and beyond after they had agreed terms with his parent club, Swindon, for a full transfer.

The rider’s season was to end prematurely through injury, though. Representing Elit Vetlanda in the Swedish Elite League Play-Offs, he endured a torrid time in the semi-final clashes against Dackarna on 28 and 29 September. When he subsequently visited hospital it was found that he had been riding with broken ribs, bringing his racing for the year to a sudden and painful halt.

The final statistical run-down for the campaign gave Richardson, who was voted Lakeside’s Rider of the Year, a real-time average of 9.35; his figure derived courtesy of 223 points from twenty-one appearances. That was sufficient for him to finish fourth in the overall top-flight averages, behind Fredrik Lindgren (10.23), Leigh Adams (9.90) and Kenneth Bjerre (9.62).

In February 2011, Richardson announced that he had decided to call it a day as far as his international career was concerned with Great Britain, having previously considered calling it quits for his country a couple of years previously.

The popular speedster crashed in heat ten of Lakeside’s home league encounter with Wolverhampton on 1 April, sustaining soft tissue damage to his knee. This resulted in him leaving the track by ambulance and taking no further part in the meeting. Thankfully, he was soon back in action and leading the Hammers.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 38 – 25th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 234 – 28th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 185 – 26th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 30 – 27th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 2 – 38th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 10
Events: 21 – 1st on Great Britain’s list; 8th on SWC all-time list
Points: 240 – 1st on Great Britain’s list; 8th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 6
Gold medals: 0

RICHARDSON, James Alan Scott
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 September 1988, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005-07) Scunthorpe; (2008) Scunthorpe II; (2009) Scunthorpe II, Buxton; (2010) Scunthorpe II; (2011) Belle Vue II.
CLUB HONOURS: Conference Shield winner: 2006 [Scunthorpe]; Conference Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both Scunthorpe]; League Championship winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2007 [Scunthorpe].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Derek Richardson (born: 22 July 1958, Earlsheaton, West Yorkshire).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.16 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having spent his entire career on the books of Scunthorpe since first representing them in 2005, Richardson again returned to the Saints’ National League squad in May 2009, when he replaced James Sarjeant.

However, on 14 August, in a home league match against Rye House he unluckily sustained a broken collarbone in a heat fifteen crash and looked likely to sit out the rest of the season. This was a great pity for the Yorkshire lad, as he had been due to partner Simon Lambert in the NL Pairs Championship at the Isle of Wight just four days after his accident, on 18 August.

Richardson’s injury led to a recall to the Saints’ declared line-up for John MacPhail. Having recuperated, the Mirfield-born rider was signed by Buxton towards the end of September in place of the injured Greg Blair.

In early-February 2010, he was once again named in Scunthorpe’s National League side for the new season, thus subsequently becoming only the fourth rider in the club’s history to represent them in six different league seasons. Two other riders, Nicky Allott and Ray Watkins, had also ridden in six seasons whilst Rob Woffinden, who sadly passed away on 30 January aged just 47, was the only rider to have featured in seven separate campaigns.

Unluckily, Richardson re-broke his collarbone in the same place he had damaged it the previous August, when he crashed during a bizarre heat fifteen in an away league fixture against Bournemouth on 25 April. The race had to be re-run on three occasions, but still wasn’t completed when the Yorkshireman, together with team-mate Adam Wrathall and home rider John Resch all came down together in a heap, with the meeting result having to stand after fourteen completed races due to safety fence damage.

With typical speedway determination, he returned to action not long afterwards, on 16 May. Then, on 2 July, the Saints journeyed to Weymouth for a National League fixture and Richardson came away with a career-best score of 18 points, his tally including a 6-point tactical ride in heat twelve of the fixture.

Regrettably, though, he was in the wars again during a league encounter at Buxton on 22 August when, in heat eleven, he crashed out towards the end of the race and dislocated his shoulder. After a period of recuperation, the rider declared himself fit to return to action three weeks later. He went on to total 85 points from sixteen appearances for an average of 5.22.

Following the close season decision of Belle Vue to run a second team in the 2011 National League, the Manchester outfit announced on 16 February that Richardson would be part of a solid line-up that also included local boys Kyle Howarth and Jason Garrity, along with Byron Bekker, Adam McKinna, Karl Mason and Chris Widman. There was, of course, a family link with Belle Vue as his father, Derek, had represented the Aces from 1976-80.

RISAGER, Morten
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 September 1987, Arhus, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-06) Coventry; (2007) Coventry, Eastbourne; (2008) Peterborough, Wolverhampton; (2009) Ipswich, Belle Vue, Swindon; (2010) Swindon; (2011) Ipswich, King’s Lynn.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005, 2007 [both Coventry]; Elite Shield winner: 2006 [Coventry]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2011 [Ipswich].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.10 (PL), 3.66 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Risager (pronounced Rizz-air) first rode at a very young age, in 1993, and attributes his father, Kartsen, as being the biggest influence on his subsequent career. He made his official British debut with Coventry on 1 April 2004, marking the occasion with 5+1 points against Belle Vue in a Knock-Out Cup tie.

A total of thirty-four appearances for the Bees that year yielded very acceptable first term figures of 188 points and a real-time average of 5.85; his best performance among several being a match-winning contribution of 15+1 points from a reserve berth when Coventry narrowly defeated Poole, 46-44, at Brandon on 10 June.

His progress continued in 2005, when he was an integral component of the Bees’ League Championship success, which culminated in an aggregate victory over Belle Vue in the Play-Off final. The only downside of an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable season was almost a month on the sidelines following a heat eight crash in a home league match versus Eastbourne on 23 May, which left the youngster nursing wrist and ankle breaks.
 
Regrettably, Risager’s career stuttered in 2006 and he missed much of the concluding third of the season because of a badly broken right tibia and fibula. The injury occurred in heat six of an Under-21 international match for Denmark against Poland at Poznań on 11 June, when he collided with Ronnie Jamrozy. Bravely, he returned to the saddle with Coventry in September, but clearly wasn’t fully fit and rode in only two matches before returning to Denmark to further his rehabilitation.

Having completed his recovery, the Dane began his fourth season with Coventry in 2007 and, although he started very brightly, his form tailed-off and he was replaced by Steve Johnston in June. Risager subsequently joined Eastbourne, initially on a month’s loan to cover for the injured Dean Barker, but was to remain with the East Sussex club until the season’s conclusion. Throughout this time, he greatly impressed the Eagles’ management and also rediscovered his touch.
 
During the winter break – in December – Coventry and Swindon concluded a direct swap deal that saw Olly Allen join the Bees on a permanent basis, whilst Risager became an asset of the Robins. However, it was stressed at the time by the Wiltshire club that he would spend the 2008 term on loan elsewhere, as they were unable to accommodate him within the then 38.85 points limit.

As such, the Dane linked with Peterborough for the campaign, but he was to lose his team spot in a major August shake-up that saw Ryan Sullivan, Lukáš Dryml and Karol Ząbik all return to the club.

Risager joined Wolverhampton a month later, somewhat ironically as a replacement for the elder of the Dryml racing brothers, Aleš, who had been released by the West Midlands outfit. His spell with the club lasted just eight matches as, in the Elite League Relegation Play-Off, he sustained a broken hand at Peterborough on 16 October. This occurred when he was involved in first bend mêlée after team-mate Fredrik Lindgren had tangled with the Panthers’ Daniel King on the charge to the first bend.
 
The Swindon asset was signed by Ipswich on a month’s loan in April 2009, following an early-season injury to then club skipper Leigh Lanham. Upon Lanham’s return to fitness, Risager was immediately snapped-up by Belle Vue, when a team re-shuffle saw the Aces replace Steve Boxall and dispense with their other ‘doubling-up’ rider, Thomas H. Jonasson.

His stay with the Manchester side lasted until August, when he was released amid a raft of changes. Both Tomasz Chrzanowski and the injured Charlie Gjedde also saw their names deleted from Belle Vue’s team declaration, as dramatic modifications were effected.

Incoming was the returning Jason Crump, together with Luboš Tomíček, whilst the Aces also opted to sign both Joel Parsons and Michał Rajkowski under the rule that permits Premier League riders to ‘double-up’ with clubs in the higher sphere.

The likeable Dane wasn’t without a team for long, though, as he joined parent team Swindon almost straight away, when the Wiltshire club made the decision to dispense with Jurica Pavlić. His tenacious racing style gained many admirers on the Abbey Stadium terraces in his short stint before the season’s end and, on 29 December, the club announced that they had retained his services for 2010.

The Dane was to endure a torrid season and suffered with a loss of confidence as decent scores became hard to obtain with any regularity. This saw him slip down to a reserve berth in July, but still the points didn’t come and this led to the Swindon team manager, Ronnie Russell, announcing that he would be rested from successive away matches at Lakeside and Ipswich the following month.

However, the former meeting at the Arena-Essex Raceway was postponed due to inclement weather and, due to an injury sustained by Cory Gathercole whilst representing Somerset in the PL Four-Team Championship at Peterborough, Risager was recalled to the side for the trip to Foxhall Heath against the Witches.  

He was finally released by the Wiltshire club in September, when they opted to utilise the services of their No. 8 rider, Justin Sedgmen. Ironically, this came after the Dane had enjoyed two of his best performances of the campaign, tallying 7+1 and 6+2 points in successive matches against Lakeside on 3 and 9 September, away and at home, respectively. He had completed a total of twenty-nine official meetings for the club, which yielded 112 points and an average of 4.39.

It was revealed on 8 December that Risager had re-joined Ipswich ahead of the 2011 campaign, having briefly previously represented them for a short spell in 2009. That followed the Witches’ decision to drop down to the Premier League at the BSPA AGM in Bournemouth the previous month. It was subsequently confirmed by Swindon that he had shuffled to the Suffolk club on a full transfer, for an undisclosed fee.

On 17 December, it was confirmed that he would also hold a shared team position, alongside Tomáš Topinka, at King’s Lynn. This came after the Stars’ decision to move in the opposite direction to Ipswich and re-join the Elite League, having last participated in the top-flight in 2002.

Unfortunately, in Ipswich’s opening match of the season – the first leg of the Anglia Cup – against Rye House at Foxhall Heath on 17 March, Risager took an alarming second bend tumble. He sustained soft tissue damage to his left knee, which meant a short spell on the sidelines for the cheerful racer.

The Dane subsequently returned from injury seven days later and, despite burning out a clutch, he collected 7 points, including two race wins, in the Witches’ 53-42 win over Berwick, which marked the club’s first outing in Premier League circles.

Risager had begun to show reasonable form in British speedway’s second tier, but was injured again when Ipswich appeared in a league fixture at Rye House on 2 May. He was leading heat seven, when he over-cooked the fourth bend and snared into the safety fence. A 35-minute delay ensued before he taken to hospital with severe damage to the little finger on his right hand.

Having had a wire put into his finger, the injury still looked set to take up to two months to heal; as such, he was replaced in the King’s Lynn squad by Lee Complin on 16 May. The change triggered a re-shuffle of the Stars’ ‘doubling-up’ members, with the incoming rider sharing a berth alongside Lasse Bjerre, whilst Topinka’s role was switched to a position with Sam Masters.

Risager was finally able to return to action for Ipswich in the second leg of their Knock-Out Cup reply at Scunthorpe on 1 July, when he scored 2 points from the No. 4 slot as the Witches safely made it through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

As the season moved into the second week of August, Belle Vue revealed the signing of Risager to replace Kozza Smith in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, alongside Craig Cook. This marked the Dane’s second spell with the Aces, following a stint with the Manchester club in 2009. However, his stint with Belle Vue proved short-lived as he was replaced by Mark Lemon in mid-September.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 140th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 2 – 124th 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

RITCHINGS, Darryl Jake
DATE OF BIRTH: 11 August 1994, Swindon, Wiltshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Dudley.
CLUB HONOUR: National Shield winner: 2011 [Dudley].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Swindonian took his first rides on the mini-track at Blunsdon in 2007 and later practised at Coventry’s Brandon Stadium. He continued to work on his technique in the interim, before being called into Newport’s National League side as an unattached guest for a home match versus Buxton on 14 August 2009.

Riding from the No. 7 berth, he made a dream start by following team-mate Sam Hurst across the line for a 5-1 in heat two. He followed that up with a last-place finish two races later, before being involved in a three-man pile-up with the visiting duo of Lewis Dallaway and Danny Hodgson in heat eight. This resulted in him and Dallaway being taken to the city’s Royal Gwent Hospital.

It was initially thought that Ritchings was fine but, having returned home, further medical attention eventually revealed a broken hand. Such was his determination to regain fitness that the youngster did actually get back on a bike before the season’s end and hoped to get fixed up with a regular National League berth in 2010. And, in January, his ambition was realized when Newport revealed that he would be part of the Hornets’ squad in the new term.

With the subsequent acquisition of Mark Jones in February, it meant that Ritchings would fill the club’s No. 8 berth. However, later that month he informed the Welsh outfit that he had decided against riding for them and, early in March, he instead linked with Dudley in the No. 8 capacity. And, on 12 August, the talented youngster signed forms for Swindon – just one day after his sixteenth birthday – as he joined the Robins’ asset base.

On 8 February 2011, Dudley announced that they had promoted Ritchings into their starting line-up for the new term. The Wiltshire-born rider had spent the previous season patiently waiting for his chance as the team’s stand-by rider, but was also hit by injury and bike problems. As such, he had only made a couple of appearances for the former Cradley Heath club, from which he yielded a single point in a league encounter at Buxton on 18 April.

On 31 May, Dudley pulled off the comeback of all comebacks to snatch all three points from a National League thriller against Hackney at Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green racing strip, eventually winning 49-41. With five races to go, the Heathens had trailed 34-26 – but they then hit the Hawks with three successive 5-1s, two of them involving Ritchings who, from a reserve berth, enjoyed his best performance in the club’s famous colours. Indeed, in a key showing, he totalled an excellent 11+1 points.

ROBSON, Stuart Anthony
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 November 1976, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
BRITISH CAREER: (1993-94) Newcastle, Edinburgh; (1995) Coventry; (1996) Coventry, Middlesbrough; (1997) Hull; (1998-2002) Coventry; (2003) Coventry, Newcastle; (2004) Coventry; (2005-07) Rye House; (2009-10) Lakeside; (2011) Newcastle, Lakeside.
CLUB HONOURS: Craven Shield winner: 2000 [Coventry]; League Championship winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Premier Trophy winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside]; Premier Shield winner: 2011 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Son of John Robson (born: 12 February 1950, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear). Brother of Scott Robson (born: 15 August 1971, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.55 (PL), 3.93 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Robson originally made his official racing debut in 1993 for Newcastle in the then-Division Two and first dipped into the higher sphere with Coventry two years later, going on to become a long-serving Bee. The Sunderland-born rider was awarded a testimonial in 2004, with his special meeting going ahead at Brandon on 11 July, when Steve Johnston and Chris Harris came out on top in a pairs event.

Regrettably, ‘Robbo’ was in the wars when he shattered his pelvis and suffered serious back injuries, whilst also fracturing his sternum and receiving extensive internal bleeding in a frightening crash at Mildenhall in a Knock-Out Cup tie for Rye House on 29 April 2007.

The accident occurred in heat nine of the match and saw the rider’s machine lift when the throttle jammed open on the run to the first corner, prior to him hitting the board and wire safety fence at full tilt. The meeting was subsequently abandoned and Robson was to miss the 2008 campaign, although he did appear late in the season in some open events.

The experienced rider joined Lakeside on a full-time basis in 2009, when he jumped on the comeback trail in British speedway’s top-flight. And he ended the term with a Knock-Out Cup winner’s medal, following the Essex team’s aggregate success over Coventry in the final.

Having attained 198 points from thirty-eight official meetings for a 5.23 real-time average, his return to the sport was considered a great success and, in January, the Hammers’ management confirmed that he would again represent them in the 2010 campaign.

The former Coventry rider haunted his old club with one of the best performances of his career in a league match at the Arena-Essex Raceway on 21 July. Robson, who of course celebrated a testimonial at Brandon in 2004 before moving on, piled up a massive 17-point haul at reserve from a seven-ride schedule and his efforts were key in the Hammers being able to edge to all 3 Elite League points.

However, he was to suffer a dramatic loss of form in the latter sector of the league programme, which saw his average slide below 5 points per match. Having said that, Robson was one of only two riders to remain ever-present for Lakeside throughout the club’s 36-match programme (the other being Kauko Nieminen), from which he garnered 158 points and a 4.64 average.

The rider had made some late-season guest appearances for Newcastle and starred for the Diamonds with a five-ride paid maximum (14+1 points), as they secured an aggregate victory over Edinburgh in the second leg of the Knock-Out Cup final at Brough Park on 31 October.

On 30 November, Lakeside revealed that Robson would be returning to the Geordie outfit in 2011, following an 8-year Tyneside absence. The Hammers also stated that the mega-popular rider was also likely to represent them in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity. And this was subsequently firmed-up by the Lakeside club on 19 January, with Robbo sharing the role alongside Kyle Legault.  

Robbo showed great form at Premier League level in the opening weeks of the season and led a dramatic Newcastle recovery as the Diamonds hit back from 12 points down to defeat Sheffield at Brough Park on 1 May. Indeed, he romped to an 18-point maximum and helped the side overturn a 30-18 deficit to win 49-44.

Meanwhile, he was to maintain an excellent average in excess of 7 points a match for Lakeside over the first sector of the campaign, before the Hammers revealed a slight amendment to their ‘doubling-up’ resources in July, with Kevin Doolan moving to share a berth with Kauko Nieminen, whilst Robson reverted to a similar role with Chris Neath.

Later that same month, Lakeside opted to make another change and paired Robson with Nieminen in a single shared berth – rather than two – thus allowing them to dispense with both Neath and Doolan by drafting in Kim Nilsson.

Robson was forced on to the sidelines, though, after being taken to hospital with rib and lung injuries following a crash during Newcastle’s home league encounter versus Workington on 31 July. Although his injuries were serious, thankfully he looked to have avoided the leg and wrist injuries that had initially been reported.

The Diamonds’ management acted fast to re-declare their line-up in early August, with René Bach returning to action in place of Robson after recovering from a broken leg he had sustained in April. Meanwhile, Robbo was rushed back into hospital a couple of days after being discharged from the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and was transferred to the Freeman Hospital in the city where a litre of blood was drained from his damaged lung.

Amazingly, Robson returned to the Newcastle team in early September, with René Bach standing down. He was back to fitness ahead of schedule, whilst the Dane had taken another knock to the leg he badly broke earlier in the season and was set to sit out the remaining weeks of the campaign.

ROYNON, Adam Wayne
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 August 1988, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Swindon II, Armadale; (2004) Newcastle II, Mildenhall; (2005) Mildenhall, Boston, Glasgow; (2006) Buxton, Rye House; (2007) Rye House, Plymouth; (2008) Birmingham; (2010) Workington, Stoke, King’s Lynn; (2011) Redcar, King’s Lynn, Dudley.
MAJOR HONOUR: Conference League Riders’ Champion: 2006.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2004 [Mildenhall], 2007 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; National Shield winner: 2011 [Dudley]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2011 [Dudley].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Chris Roynon (born: 22 May 1946, Bristol, Avon).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.85 (PL), 3.00 (EL), 7.70 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Roynon is the son of a former rider; his father, Chris, represented Plymouth, Doncaster, Barrow, Paisley, Coatbridge and Workington in a career that spanned some thirteen seasons, beginning in 1968.

Prior to racing speedway bikes, Adam actually won the Under-8 British BMX Championship at Chesterfield in 1996. He then enjoyed a stint at karting and was also part of the junior scene at Blackburn Rovers FC.

He first cut his teeth with a speedway machine on a Cumbrian beach in 1999 and, after impressing in second-halves at various tracks, he made his debut in the Conference League for Swindon the day following his fifteenth birthday in 2003.

He went on to make nine appearances for the Sprockets, which yielded 61 points and a splendid 6.52 average. The season also saw Roynon ride in a single Conference Trophy meeting for Armadale on 6 September, when he notched 6+1 points in a home encounter with Stoke.

In 2004, he joined Peterborough’s second side; however, he was to only represent the Pumas in a three-team tournament at the East of England Showground, before the team withdrew from the Conference Trophy competition on 16 April due to the problems in securing the necessary support services for Sunday meetings.

He then linked with Newcastle Gems, but made just two Conference League appearances for the side before joining Mildenhall. Regrettably, his appearances for the Fen Tigers were restricted by injury, since he broke both wrists in a spill against Buxton at West Row on 31 May.

Then, shortly after returning to action, he suffered a hairline fracture to his upper right arm in a crash at Wimbledon in a Conference Trophy engagement on 22 September. Thankfully, he again returned before the end of the campaign and played a part as Mildenhall romped to victory in the Knock-Out Cup, claiming a 15-point maximum as they walloped Boston 69-12 in the second leg of the final.

That completed a glorious clean sweep for the Fen Tigers, as they added that particular trophy to previous successes in the League Championship, Conference Trophy and Four-Team Championship.

Remaining with Mildenhall in 2005, Roynon averaged 8.18 from five league matches, prior to joining Boston. His stay with the Barracuda-Braves was to be brief and, in fact, saw him ride in just three Conference Trophy meetings, plus one in the Knock-Out Cup. An opportunity in the Premier League had presented itself with Glasgow in early July, when the Scottish outfit re-declared their side and he was to grab the chance with both hands.

His wholehearted efforts were appreciated by the management and fans alike but, regrettably, the injury bug was to strike once more. On 11 September, the Tigers entertained their counterparts from Sheffield and, on the second bend of heat two, Roynon unavoidably clashed with Paul Cooper, sustaining a broken arm and bringing his season to a premature end.

Having recuperated, he began the 2006 term with Buxton and consistently produced excellent performances to head the side’s averages. And the pinnacle of his fledgling career occurred on 9 September when, at Rye House, he strung together five superb outings to win the Conference League Riders’ Championship with a 15-point full-house.

He had made a number of guest appearances for the Hoddesdon-based club during the season and just prior to his CLRC success, he had been drafted into the side officially in place of the injured Jamie Courtney. Unfortunately, though, he was to once more suffer injury when, on 16 September, he received a broken right ankle in a home encounter with the Isle of Wight.

Having again recovered his fitness, ‘Royno’ was a key component of the Rockets’ line-up in 2007 that scooped the Premier League title, as he posted a solid average in excess of 7 points per match. Rye House faced the Isle of Wight in the Play-Off semi-final, narrowly losing 46-44 in the first leg at Smallbrook Stadium, before dispatching the Islanders 61-29 in the return match on their own patch. Roynon’s contribution was respective tallies of 4+1 and 8+2 points, and he was to also produce the goods in the final against Sheffield.

The Rockets travelled to Owlerton Stadium for the first leg on 18 October and dug deep to restrict the Tigers to a 51-42 success on the night, with Roynon topping his side’s scoring on 11+1 points. That clearly made Rye House the favourites going into the second leg and they duly completed the job with an emphatic 69-23 victory on 20 October, when the Cumbrian helped himself to 7+2 points.

The year also saw him enjoy a brief and high-scoring early-season spell in the Plymouth side, appearing in just four Conference League matches and one in the Conference Trophy.

After signing for Birmingham in 2008, Roynon was in the wars once more when he received a broken leg whilst representing the side in a Knock-Out Cup tie at Rye House on 31 May 2008. This occurred in a re-run of heat one when, on the third bend, his team-mate Phil Morris tumbled down after he had been cleanly passed by home rider Robert Mear.

The closely following Roynon attempted to lay his machine down, but was unable to avoid his stricken colleague, with the resultant crash causing the break. Having joined Workington for 2009 and agreed to ‘double-up’ with Coventry, the Barrow-born rider was seriously injured in a pre-season crash at King’s Lynn on 6 March, whilst practicing with the Team Great Britain squad.

After initial treatment at the track and at the local Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, he was taken to a high-dependency unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge – where he spent a week on a life support machine – with a blood clot on the brain and a broken bone in his neck.

He underwent surgery and gradually began the long recuperation process wearing a protective metal halo after being discharged, but it was reported in August that the screws holding a bone called the odontoid peg together hadn’t held it tightly enough, meaning it hadn’t healed.

The setback put his hoped-for comeback on hold and meant the likelihood of another operation for the youngster, which would fuse the vertebrae together. However, there was much more positive news towards the end of the following month, when he was given the all-clear to resume a normal life by his specialist after a surprise decision that he didn’t need a further operation after all.

In November, another huge step forward saw Roynon named as part of Workington’s team plans for 2010 and, the following month, he was also confirmed in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity by Peterborough. He subsequently came through his first competitive meeting in nineteen months without incident – and without any muscle fatigue – as he notched 7 points in the Christmas Cracker event at Scunthorpe on 27 December.

Early in February, however, it was revealed that the BSPA Management Committee had ruled that Roynon couldn’t ‘double-up’ between the Panthers and Workington because he hadn’t raced in the Premier League in 2009. And, early in March, the Speedway Control Bureau turned down Peterborough’s plea to permit him to appear for them in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity.

With the season underway, Roynon was battling hard to regain his form and confidence after the life-threatening crash of the previous year, when he took a fall in a Premier Trophy encounter at Edinburgh on 16 April.

A doctor’s note the following day indicated he would be out until further notice, but the Barrow-based rider posted a message on his website stating that he had been fit to ride and, in effect, had been sacked by Workington ahead of the return match versus Edinburgh.

On 20 April, the club responded to the rider’s comments and reiterated the fact that he wasn’t permitted to ride due to a medical certificate, which stated he couldn’t race until further notice. With that in mind, the Comets signed former favourite Rusty Harrison on a short-term deal later the same week. Roynon’s stint in the side had lasted just five meetings, from which he recorded 12 points for an average of 3.11.

The following month, Roynon was to link with Stoke as a replacement for Michał Rajkowski, as he looked to kick-start his campaign. The unlucky rider was struck down once more in the Potters’ away league match at Newcastle on 30 May, though, sustaining a broken ankle after he appeared to collide with the Diamonds’ Derek Sneddon on the back straight in the initial running of heat ten.

Roynon’s machine then clipped the safety fence, causing him to be thrown over the handlebars like a rag doll. It was later confirmed to be the same ankle he had broken at Rye House in 2006. During the week that followed, Stoke made major team changes; this saw the Potters’ management draft in both Claus Vissing and Jan Graversen in place of Roynon and the absent Klaus Jakobsen. At the time of his departure from the declared line-up, the Cumbrian had represented the side on five occasions and scored 21 points to achieve a 4.57 average.

In July, Roynon received the all-clear to resume riding following the removal of a cast from his ankle and, early the following month, he returned to action with King’s Lynn – on a two-year deal – after being drafted in to replace Joe Haines. The move triggered an unprecedented level of team activity at the Norfolk club, as it was immediately followed by another four amendments to the team declaration.

Both Casper Wortmann and Chris Mills were released, whilst the injured Kevin Doolan and the unwell Darren Mallett also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced Doolan in the No. 1 position, with the other incoming riders being Lasse Bjerre, Jamie Courtney and Cal McDade.

The Cumbrian was to end the season on the injured list after a heat six crash with William Lawson whilst guesting for Newcastle in the first leg of the Knock-Out Cup final at Edinburgh on 29 October. Regrettably, the effects of the accident left Roynon with damaged knee ligaments.

He had ridden in fifteen official matches for King’s Lynn, which had yielded 77 points and a 5.24 average. When adding together his record for Workington, Stoke and King’s Lynn, it gave the rider a seasonal tally of 110 points from twenty-five official meetings, which equated to an overall average of 4.75.

Roynon had been scheduled to again represent King’s Lynn in 2011, but the Norfolk club’s dramatic elevation into the top-flight naturally created a scramble of activity and it was Redcar who won the race for his signature, a loan agreement with the Stars being announced on 5 December.

That wasn’t the end of his association with King’s Lynn, however, as four days later, he was confirmed as their No. 8 rider for the new season of racing. And, on 25 January, Dudley revealed that he would also represent them in their second term of National League racing.

Roynon quickly became a Heathens’ hero by winning a staggering 19 races in the former Cradley club’s first five matches of the campaign [1 National League, 2 National Shield and 2 challenge]. But, the almightily unlucky rider was to suffer a broken femur when he crashed out of Redcar’s Premier League meeting at Ipswich on 28 April. He was subsequently replaced in the Dudley side by Kyle Newman.

Meanwhile, Redcar battled on gamely with the rider replacement facility in his absence but, following a couple of narrow home defeats, the club announced on 23 May that they had drafted in Luboš Tomíček to plug the gap in the side.

Roynon returned to action in the prestigious FAST Golden Hammer at Wolverhampton on 26 July and he made a largely successful comeback from injury with 7 points from his first three rides, although he sat out his final outing as a precaution after coming to grief in his fourth.

The following day, a team re-declaration at Redcar saw him slotted back into the Bears’ 1-7 in place of Tomíček. He also re-took his place in the Dudley line-up, with his Heathens’ injury replacement, Newman, standing down from the side in accordance with their agreement struck in April.

After netting an excellent 8+4 points as the Bears forced a 45-45 draw in a Premier League fixture at Somerset on 29 July, the following evening saw Roynon lead Dudley to the National League Fours Championship at Stoke.

On 8 August, Roynon moved to deny speculation that his season was over and determined to play his part in Dudley’s Play-Off push. Having recently returned after three months on the sidelines, the rider had suffered a series of crashes in the handful of meetings he had raced in for both the Heathens and his Premier League club, Redcar. The Cumbrian-based racer admitted he was battered and bruised, but insisted suggestions his season was over were way off the mark.

However, he was forced to pull out of Dudley’s trip to Scunthorpe on 12 August and the Heathens’ management reacted by signing Jamie Courtney because the rider replacement facility put too much pressure on the other team members. It was stressed, though, that the former Cradley club had left the door open for Roynon to return once he felt fully fit to resume racing.