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; (2011) Sheffield.
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].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.64 (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. Then, 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, 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 visiting guest 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.

At the time of his campaign-concluding accident, he had ridden in thirty official matches for the Bears and registered 235 points for an average of 7.12. His best performance at home was a return of 14 points from five starts in a league match versus former club Sheffield on 28 May, his tally on the night enhanced by 6 points from a tactical outing in heat eight. Meanwhile, on the road, his personal highlight was a score of 12+1 from five rides in a Premier League match at Workington, earlier that same month, on 8 May.

On 2 December, Sheffield Speedway was delighted to welcome the Argentinean ace back to their team line-up for the 2011 Premier League campaign. Sanchez had remained an asset of the Tigers in the interim and previously rode for the club in 2006, when he won the fans’ Rider of the Year award.

The Argentinian ace crashed out of Sheffield’s season-opening ‘War of the Roses’ challenge match at home to top-flight Belle Vue on 18 March and went to his local hospital with rib and shoulder damage. It appeared nothing was broken, but there was some swelling that made racing almost impossible. As such, he was told to take a few days’ rest and, thankfully, was able to return to action in a league encounter against Berwick at Owlerton on 31 March, when he notched an 8-point tally.

Sanchez was again sidelined for a short spell with an elbow injury following a crash in Sheffield’s televised league win at Somerset on 31 May. This occurred when he fell on the opening corner of heat seven. As the field broke level and entered the opening bend four abreast, Tigers’ Shane Parker moved out from gate two and pushed Rebels’ Alex Davies and Sanchez even wider still.

As they reached the second turn, the pair were right out by the safety fence and – with nowhere to go – Sanchez hit the dirt, taking a heavy tumble. He was down for a time, but eventually regained his feet and walked back to the pits despite the presence of the ambulance.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 1 – 7th on Italy’s list; 165th on SWC all-time list
Points: 6 – 1st on Italy’s list; 115th 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; (2011) Stoke.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.91 (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. He had represented the former Cradley Heath club on eight occasions, scoring 22 points for an average of 3.27.

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.

He returned to action before the season’s end and was to total four appearances for Bournemouth, which yielded 28 points and an average of 6.73. With the addition of his earlier matches for Dudley, it meant Sarjeant had completed a dozen meetings at NL level for 50 points and an overall average of 4.65.

The former Sheffield mascot was confirmed as a member of the Stoke line-up on 21 February 2011, as the Loomer Road outfit prepared for a season of National League activity, having made the decision to drop down from the Premier League for financial reasons.

SAUNDERS, Charles (Charlie) Alan      
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 August 1990, Swindon, Wiltshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Isle of Wight.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Saunders, whose tag-line is ‘No Half Measures!’, started British youth grass-track racing in 2003 – earning a reputation as a teenage sensation – before progressing through the ranks. In 2007, he showcased his potential by finishing third in the British Under-21 Championship at the first attempt.

He subsequently went on to be highly successful in his chosen discipline and, having previously shown how well he could also handle a speedway bike with Swindon Sprockets in the Academy League of 2007, Saunders finally accepted the offer of a regular team berth when the Isle of Wight snapped him up as a replacement for Lee Smethills on 1 July 2011.

However, Saunders’ stint in the side wasn’t to last long and, after being replaced on a number of occasions by Rikki Mullins, the move was to become a permanent one towards the end of August.

SAYFUTDINOV, Emil Damirovich
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 October 1989, Salavat, Russia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Coventry.
MAJOR HONOURS: Russian Under-21 Champion: 2005, 2008; World Under-21 Champion: 2007, 2008.
GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHTS: Czech Republic GP Champion: 2009; Swedish GP Champion: 2009; Slovenian GP Champion: 2009.
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Denis Sayfutdinov (born: 2 June 1981, Salavat, Russia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Sayfutdinov (pronounced: Say-Foot-Dean-Off) was born into a Tatar family; his parents being Damir and Tamara. He gained his speedway licence in 2005, just before his 16th birthday and began his career in the Russian League with Mega-Lada Togliatti.

His team went on to win the League Championship and Sayfutdinov was one of their leading riders. Remarkably, though, in only his first season of racing, he also took victory in the Russian Under-21 Championship and was sixth in the senior National Championship.

In 2006, he signed for Polish side Polonia Bydgoszcz, riding his first meeting for the club on 9 April – an away Ekstraliga fixture at Wrocław, where he failed to score from a solitary ride. He went on to total sixteen league appearances for the side, which yielded an average of 4.94. Sayfutdinov didn’t race in the Russian League during the season and, therefore, could not defend his Under-21 title.

He remained with Bydgoszcz in 2007 but, in a poor season for the club, they finished last in the Ekstraliga and were relegated from the top division for the first time in their history; the Russian’s contribution being 51 points from nine league appearances for a slightly improved 4.98 average.

The season also saw him his debut in the Swedish Elitserien with Masarna Avesta, whilst a return to the Russian League ended in a title triumph for Togliatti. Individually, he took the runner-up spot in the country’s Under-21 Championship.

Meanwhile, after winning the quarter and semi-finals, he qualified for the Under-21 World Final and, on 9 September, he became a world title winner at Ostrów, Poland, where he twice broke the track record on his way to a fantastic 15-point maximum to finish ahead of Chris Holder.

Despite their relegation to the Polish League One, Sayfutdinov was again identified in the colours of Bydgoszcz in 2008 but, courtesy of 251 points and an average of 9.33 from nineteen league appearances, he helped them win promotion back to the top-flight. Regrettably, it wasn’t the same story with Masarna in Sweden, who were relegated after finishing the campaign in last spot.

However, in his homeland he again won the League Championship with Mega-Lada Togliatti. And, on the individual front, he took the Russian Under-21 title and finished second in the country’s senior Championship. On 4 October, he successfully defended his World Under-21 title at Pardubice, Czech Republic, becoming the first rider ever to do so, as he again relegated Chris Holder to the runner-up slot. He was knocked-out of the qualification rounds for the 2009 Speedway Grand Prix but, nevertheless on 28 October, the SGP Commission nominated him as a ‘permanent wild-card’ for the series, along with Fredrik Lindgren, Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls.

Amazingly, at just 19-years-of-age, he was to win his debut Grand Prix at the Marketa Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic, on 25 April, defeating Lindgren, Jason Crump and Leigh Adams in the final. Proving that was no fluke, he won round three of the series at Gothenburg, Sweden, on 30 May and also took victory in round nine at Krško, Slovenia, on 12 September. Overall, he finished third in the World Championship, behind Crump and the second-placed Tomasz Gollob.

The year saw him busy on the team front, as he represented Piraterna Motala in Sweden, Vojens Speedway Klub in Denmark, Turbina Balakovo in Russia and Bydgoszcz in Poland, for whom he made twenty league appearances for an 8.30 average.

Sayfutdinov sustained a break to his upper left arm when he collided with Chris Harris’ back wheel and hit the fence at full speed in heat fifteen of the Czech Republic GP in Prague on 22 May 2010. He returned to the fray at the Scandinavian GP at the G & B Arena, Målilla, Sweden, on 14 August, having missed the previous three rounds whilst he recuperated.

However, he sustained a sprained wrist when he crashed in the original running of heat seventeen and subsequently confirmed that he would miss the rest of the series. In what was an injury-plagued season, he had ridden in just six league matches for Bydgoszcz, registering an average of 8.76.

Sayfutdinov made his return to the GP series in 2011 and, following an off-track injury to Hans Andersen, it was announced on 19 May – after much speculation – that the Russian was to join Coventry as the Dane’s replacement, rather than race regularly in Sweden.

The sensational rider had previous racing experience at Brandon, as he rode as a teenager for his country back in Round Two of the 2007 Speedway World Cup staged by Coventry on 16 July that year, picking up 6 points.

The move to the Warwickshire outfit followed previous interest in the UK from Swindon, although he was ruled out of the Robins’ plans as it was felt that his assessed level for a GP rider of 8.00 would be prohibitive, especially when visiting many British tracks for the first time.

The all-action rider made his Bees’ debut in a league match at King’s Lynn on 25 May and it was a top-scoring start for Sayfutdinov at the Norfolk Arena courtesy of a 12-point haul, although it was the home side that had the final say as they secured maximum points from the meeting after winning 50-40. The Russian star showed plenty of signs of exactly what to expect, making some strong moves to gain positions, although he had to give best to the home No.1, Kenneth Bjerre, who scored a full maximum.

Coventry were to endure an astonishing 2011 injury jinx and it unfortunately struck again when Sayfutdinov was ruled out of a home league clash with Eastbourne on 20 June. The flying Russian had been involved in a big crash during a Polish fixture for Bydgoszcz at Łódź the previous day, when he suffered concussion. However, he returned to action for the Bees in a league fixture at Wolverhampton on 27 June.

Sayfutdinov was forced to pull out during his Polish League fixture on 14 August after suffering the effects of two crashes during the previous evening’s Scandinavian Grand Prix in Målilla. The Russian damaged shoulder ligaments in the GP and only completed one race for Bydgoszcz the next day before he had to pull up and couldn’t carry on.

He was to miss six successive league matches for the Bees, before returning for their final domestic fixture of the campaign at Eastbourne on 12 September. But, despite heading their scoring with 15 points, the Russian throttle-jockey couldn’t prevent Coventry from going down to a 53-40 defeat. That ended the Warwickshire club’s hopes of a place in the end-of-term Play-Offs and also the chance of retaining the League Championship, which they had won so dramatically in 2010.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 22 – 36th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 244 – 27th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 130 – 31st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 47 – 21st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 3 – 13th on SGP all-time list      
Grand Prix finals: 8 – 17th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 4
Events: 6 – 6th on Russia’s list; 54th on SWC all-time list
Points: 72 – 2nd on Russia’s list; 34th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

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; (2011) Belle Vue.
MAJOR HONOURS: South Australian State Under-16 Champion: 1998, 1999, 2000; Australian Under-16 Champion: 2000; Australian Under-21 Champion: 2003, 2004; South Australia State Champion: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Elite League Riders’ Champion: 2011.
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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.92 (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. At the time of his departure from Brandon, he had scored 93 points from a dozen meetings for an average of exactly 7.00.

His best home meetings for the club had seen him obtain 12-point returns from five rides apiece in a league clashes with Lakeside and Ipswich on 22 April and 14 May, respectively. Away from home, meanwhile, Schlein’s leading performance occurred at Wolverhampton on 3 May, when he tallied 13 points from five starts; his total on the night at Monmore Green was enhanced by 4 points from a tactical ride in heat twelve.

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.

The Aussie went on to average 7.25 for Peterborough, having recorded 210 points from twenty-six appearances. Looking at his combined record for the season with the Panthers and Coventry, the Aussie’s overall real-time figure was 7.17 courtesy of 303 points from thirty-eight meetings.

On 28 January 2011, Belle Vue revealed that Schlein would be re-joining them and would form a strong spearhead alongside Chris Harris in the season ahead. The Aussie, of course, had previously represented the Aces in 2003 and 2004, when he ‘doubled-up’ from Premier League Edinburgh.

He was to show an upsurge in form and headed the Belle Vue averages with a figure in excess of 9 points a match over the first half of the season. He also took victory in the Steve Johnston Farewell meeting at Swindon on 23 June and followed up that individual success by collecting his third Scottish Open title at Edinburgh on 29 July, in what was the 400th senior meeting staged at the Armadale venue.

Then, on 15 October, the Belle Vue star secured one of the biggest results of his career with victory in the Elite League Riders’ Championship at Swindon. Schlein edged out home man Scott Nicholls and defending Champion Fredrik Lindgren in a dramatic final race in front of a big Blunsdon crowd.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 4
Events: 7 – 7th on Australia’s list; 47th on SWC all-time list
Points: 36 – 9th on Australia’s list; 58th 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; (2011) Ipswich.
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].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.21 (PL).
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 – although he had been earmarked for a possible spot at Stoke – 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, they 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.

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.

In total, Schramm netted 357 points for the club from forty-five official appearances, which equated to an average of 7.54. Meanwhile, for top-flight Eastbourne, he rode in ten matches to yield 45 points and a 4.61 average. His highlight at home for the Eagles was a tally of 3+2 points from three rides in a league match against Ipswich on 2 September whereas, on the road, his best showing was an excellent score of 10+1 points from six rides at Coventry on 28 May.

Although there had been talk of him possibly remaining with the Comets for 2011, it was revealed on 8 December that he had re-joined Ipswich, whom he had previously represented in 2007 and 2008. That followed the Witches’ decision to drop down to the Premier League at the BSPA AGM in Bournemouth the previous month.

On 10 May, Swindon announced the acquisition of Schramm in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, following Newport’s signing of Justin Sedgmen the previous day. A re-shuffle of the Wiltshire outfit’s pack meant Schramm would share the role with Josh Grajczonek. Meanwhile, Sedgmen switched to splitting a similar position with Cory Gathercole at the Blunsdon-based club.

However, prior to be called upon by the Robins, Schramm was seriously injured whilst making a guest appearance for Glasgow in a Premier League fixture at Newport on 4 June. Regrettably, he chipped a vertebra following a crash in heat nine of the encounter after Charlie Gjedde – making his Wasps’ debut – had dived underneath him going into turn three on the third lap.

Although a clean pass by the hard-charging Dane, Schramm ended up losing control and hit the safety fence with a hefty impact. The rider was subsequently kept in traction for a week in hospital to guard against further damage to his back and had to come to terms with the fact that his season was over, although he vowed to be back in 2012.

On 27 June, Ipswich announced the signing of Mathieu Trésarrieu as his replacement. Then, on 31 July, Swindon announced the acquisition of Russian World Cup star Sergey Darkin to replace the injured ‘doubling-up’ duo of Schramm and Grajczonek in a permanent reserve berth position.

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; (2011) Glasgow, Birmingham.
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], 2011 [Glasgow]; Premiership winner: 1994 [Bradford]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1995 [Bradford], 2002 [Eastbourne], 2005 [Belle Vue]; Elite Shield winner: 2010 [Wolverhampton]; Pairs Championship winner: 2011 [Glasgow].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.84 (PL), 5.44 (EL).
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 – whom he had joined the previous year for a £20,000 fee – in an Elite League fixture at King’s Lynn on 25 April.

That occurred in heat eleven of the encounter, when team-mate Joonas Kylmäkorpi slid off on the third bend. Screen was forced wide in order to miss his stricken colleague and, as a result, he thudded into the safety fence, causing the meeting to be abandoned.  

The injury was serious enough 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 – was 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’ subsequent 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.

However, his spell with Wolverhampton had seen him attain a new green sheet average, which allowed him to drop into the Premier League. And, in a massive boost for Tigers’ fans, ‘Screeny’ committed himself to the Ashfield outfit for the 2011 campaign, too – having become a full asset of the club.

He soon settled into his new surroundings to notch big scores with regularity, but suffered mild concussion when he crashed whilst trying to pass René Bach in heat ten of Glasgow’s home league match versus Newcastle on 29 August.

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 meetings of the season due re-occurring illness as a result of his crash at Ashfield in August.

He had ridden in seventeen official fixtures for the Stripes side, scoring 170 points for a 9.49 average. Meanwhile, his earlier stint for top-flight Wolverhampton had seen him register 90 points from sixteen meetings for a real-time average of 6.52.

Screen began the 2011 season on fire for Glasgow, including hitting a 15-point maximum in the Tigers’ first home match against Berwick on the re-vamped Ashfield circuit in a league fixture on 17 April. And, four days after that, Birmingham announced the signing of the vastly experienced racer in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity to replace broken leg victim René Bach.

The veteran was one of the leading performers at Premier League level and easily averaged over 9.5 points a match over the first half of the campaign, as Glasgow challenged at the top end of the standings. And, on 24 June, he added to his many club honours by partnering James Grieves to victory in the PL Pairs Championship at a rain-affected Somerset, as the Tigers saw off the Workington duo of James Wright and Rusty Harrison in the final.

Screen was to suffer ongoing problems with an elbow, which necessitated at least a week on the sidelines at the start of July dependent on how the affected area reacted to an injection. In a worst case scenario, it was possible he might have required an operation that could have ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

However, after missing league matches at home to Leicester and away at Ipswich, he returned to action for the Tigers at Ashfield against Somerset on 10 July and cruised to a 12-point maximum in inimitable fashion, as the Scottish side went top of the PL table.

Shortly after, the Glasgow skipper received a boost with a significant improvement to his elbow injury. On 12 July, the affected area seemed to crack and from then on he didn’t feel any major pain from it. Indeed, the following day he went out to do some moto-crossing and it was fine.

Screen overcame a chest infection at the end of July and went on to spearhead the Tigers to their first League Championship success in 17 years, as he maintained an average of 9.5 points per match.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 21 – 39th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 159 – 35th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 105 – 36th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 16 – 43rd 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 – 10th on Great Britain’s list; 65th on SWC all-time list
Points: 39 – 9th on Great Britain’s list; 53rd 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; (2011) Swindon, Newport, Plymouth.
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Ryan Sedgmen (born: 6 February 1990, Mildura, Victoria, Australia). Son of Gavin Sedgmen (born: 1 November 1965, Mildura, Victoria, Australia).
MAJOR HONOUR: South Australian State Under-16 Champion: 2008.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.27 (EL), 6.56 (PL).
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 won the South Australian State Under-16 title in 2008.

The following year, he finished fourth in the 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. And 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.

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 post a final average of 7.40, having totalled 334 points from forty-five official meetings. 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.

Indeed, he showed a maturity beyond his years, especially in quickly being able to weigh up the best racing lines at unfamiliar circuits. Following the Wiltshire club’s decision to dispense with Morten Risager in September, the Aussie was handed a late run in the side and he was to total 56 points from seventeen appearances for an average of 3.55.

Continuing his upward learning curve, Sedgmen took victory in the Jack Young Cup at Gillman, South Australia on 11 December. The meeting was abandoned due to rain, which forced the cancellation of the final. However, the Milduran was unbeaten on 12 points and claimed victory ahead of Nigel Sadler (10) and Pontus Aspegren (8).    

On 3 February, he was confirmed as the fifth starter in the 2011 Swindon side, joining the previously signed quartet of Simon Stead, Scott Nicholls, Maciek Janowski and Grzegorz Zengota. ‘Sedgie’ took a full-time position with the Wiltshire outfit after failing to secure a ‘doubling-up’ position with a Premier League club. However, as a club asset and having progressed greatly in his two previous seasons in British speedway’s middle tier, the young Aussie felt he was ready to make the big step-up.

Not having the benefit of a ‘doubling-up’ berth was to prove confidence-sapping for the Aussie, though, as his scores began to tail-off for the Robins but, on 9 May, Newport announced his signing as a replacement for fellow countryman Mark Jones after an indifferent start to their Premier League season. Meanwhile, the top-flight club moved the following day to clarify that Sedgmen would remain in their squad, sharing a berth with Cory Gathercole.

Despite plenty of effort, Sedgmen’s form was to tail-off and – towards the end of August – the Wasps’ management took the decision to replace him with Anders Mellgren, who re-joined the Welsh club for a third spell. The Aussie wasn’t without a team for long, though, as he was quickly snapped-up by Plymouth to replace Hynek Štichauer.

However, he quit the club due to a lack of confidence following a return of only 2+1 points from four rides in an away league match at Ipswich on 15 September. He had appeared in just four matches for the Devils and informed promoter Mike Bowden of his decision on the morning after the trip to Foxhall Heath. He booked a flight back to Australia shortly afterwards.

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; (2007-11) 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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.39 (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 in time for the following term. 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. With his season over, he had completed thirty-four official matches for Lakeside, from which he had gleaned 283 points and a 7.64 average.

Fit and raring to go again, he was once more named in the Lakeside team for 2011, the go-ahead club revealing the news via their popular internet magazine, Hammerzine, on 19 January. The Aussie formed a strong top three, alongside Lee Richardson and the returning Piotr Åšwiderski.

Shields was again maintaining a healthy 7-point average for the Arena-Essex based club, but was injured whilst representing his country in the second Test match versus Great Britain at the venue on 3 June. Riding at No. 2, the Aussie took victory in the opening heat, but then came down heavily a couple of races later when he picked up drive off the second bend and crashed alarmingly into the air safety barrier.

The rider was taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital, where he remained over that weekend awaiting specialist treatment to a knee injury. The Lakeside club was to operate the rider replacement facility in his absence, before agreeing a deadline of mid-July with Shields to decide if he would attempt a return to racing in 2011. However, that deadline was to pass before the Australian was eventually replaced by the returning Jonas Davidsson towards the end of August.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 3
Events: 4 – 11th on Australia’s list; 65th on SWC all-time list
Points: 26 – 8th on Australia’s list; 72nd on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

SIKE, Tamas (Tommy)
DATE OF BIRTH: 1 June 1986, Szeged, Hungary.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-09) Berwick; (2011) Berwick.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Sike first rode a 500cc speedway machine in 2001 at Gyula in his Hungarian homeland. He eventually paid his first visit to the UK in March 2008, initially as a mechanic for Norbert Magosi, but was a regular competitor in second-half events at Shielfield Park. He was to make only one official appearance for Berwick on 20 September, before sustaining an injury in the Ashfield Classic at Glasgow just eight days later.

Having become domiciled in the UK, the 2009 season saw riding with regularity in second-half events at Berwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow. As such, he jumped at the chance of representing the Bandits again towards the end of August, when he was drafted into the declared line-up in place of Frank Facher. He went on to make nine appearances, scoring 21 points for an average of 2.81.

In 2010, Sike – who had lived and worked in Borders area, near Lowick, since coming to the UK from his home at Szeged in Hungary in 2008 – raced uncomplainingly in Berwick’s amateur Northern Junior League team, won their Riders’ Championship at the end of term and showed the club’s forward-thinking management that he was ready to move up full-time. And, on 24 December, that became reality when he was named in the Bandits’ starting line-up for 2011.

Sike was to receive a certain amout of criticism from the terraces at Shielfield Park, but the under-fire rider stuck to his task to win his first race as a Bandit when taking the flag in heat two of a home league encounter versus Scunthorpe on 16 April. However, he then took a big crash in heat eleven of the match and was forced to sit out Berwick’s Easter schedule whilst he recuperated from facial injuries.

Although he soon recovered and returned to the Bandits’ line-up, the Hungarian generally struggled for points – despite giving 100 per cent effort in every race – and this was reflected in an average of a shade below 3 points per match. As such, at the beginning of June, he lost his place in the team when the management opted to draft in Australian Mitchell Davey.

SIMMONDS, Mark Douglas
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 May 1971, Truro, Cornwall.
BRITISH CAREER: (1989-96) Exeter; (1997) Isle of Wight; (1998-04) Exeter; (2008-11) 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.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
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. He hadn’t ridden since the end of the 2004 season, having been left out of the Falcons’ plans for their final year at the County Ground in 2005. His return to action with the Devils came after he had completed eight practice laps at Newport, followed by another sixteen laps at Plymouth’s 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 or two knocks during the year, ‘Simmo’ accumulated plenty of big scores on his way to an average of 9.42, which came via 284 points from the Devils’ full quota of twenty-eight official matches. He had clearly had his enthusiasm for the sport rekindled and the Plymouth 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.

Plymouth duly received approval and the veteran rider returned to British speedway’s second tier of racing some seven years after last riding at that level with Exeter in 2004. And, following news that Seemond Stephens was unable to commit to the start of the season, Devils’ boss Mike Bowden had no hesitation in appointing Simmonds as club captain.

He did well to average close on 6 points a match in the first part of the campaign, but required a spell on the sidelines after suffering concussion and a cracked bone at the base of a thumb when he crashed in heat five of the Devils’ league encounter at Sheffield on 9 June.

Having returned to action, Simmonds was injured again in heat seven of Plymouth’s league match at Edinburgh on 15 July, when he sustained a compound fracture of his right wrist. The Devils’ initially deployed the rider replacement facility in his absence, before the returning Lee Smart was drafted back in the fill the gap in a home league fixture versus Redcar on 22 July.

SIMMONS, Nicholas (Nick) Steven John
DATE OF BIRTH: 24 July 1981, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1997) Shuttle Cubs, Ryde; (1998) Newport II, Isle of Wight, Newport, 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; (2010-11) 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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.05 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Simmons made his official debut with the Shuttle Cubs – a composite side that shared fixtures between Long Eaton and Wolverhampton – on 31 March 1997, prior to also having outings for Ryde later in the season.

He had separate spells with Newport’s Conference and Premier League sides in 1998, whilst he also represented the Isle of Wight and Exeter in a season that yielded only sixteen appearances spread across the four teams.

The rider from Leamington Spa enjoyed an extended stint with the Isle of Wight in 1999 and was also identified with both Stoke and Newport Mavericks, as he continued to make his way in the sport. However, his progress was halted early in the 2000 season, when he broke his tibia and fibula whilst riding for Arena-Essex in a Premier Trophy fixture at Newport on 2 April.

The accident occurred in heat four of the match at Queensway Meadows, when he lost control and hit the safety fence with some force. Regrettably, it was his first official match of the campaign and he spent the remainder of the term on the sidelines.

Having represented a number 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.

He went on to make twenty-six appearances for the side and scored 256 points to yield an average of 8.97. And he was the first rider to put pen to paper for the Isle of Wight in 2011, the deal being confirmed by the club on 26 January.

Simmons went into the campaign with a career tally of 415 official appearances in the sport, spread across fourteen seasons and plethora of clubs. However, he had represented the Islanders more than any other team, his 155 matches under the guises of Ryde or the Isle of Wight yielding a club total of 857 points.

The Islanders’ skipper was to maintain an average in excess of 8 points a match for the Smallbrook Stadium club over the first half of the campaign and, on 13 July, he took victory in the Bronze Helmet by defeating holder James Cockle at King’s Lynn. And he went on to retain the coveted trophy on 9 August, when he beat Buxton’s Adam Allott at the Island raceway.

Å ITERA, Filip
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 April 1988, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-09) Coventry; (2010) Coventry, Belle Vue; (2011) King’s Lynn.
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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The talented Šitera was a double World Under-21 finalist (2007, 2008) and was placed third in the European U-19 Championship in 2007. 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, 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. At the time of his departure from the Warwickshire outfit, he had made ten official appearances for 27 points and a 3.38 average.

At home, his best performance occurred when Peterborough provided the opposition for a league fixture on 2 April, when he carded 8+3 points from six starts. Meanwhile, away, his highest return for the Bees came on 21 April at Poole, where he netted 3+1 points from six rides.

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. He was to make just five appearances for the Aces, which yielded just 12 points and a 2.80 average. That therefore gave him an overall average for the season of 3.20, the rider having scored 39 points in a combined total of fifteen matches for Belle Vue and Coventry.

On 17 January, King’s Lynn completed their 2011 line-up by announcing the signing of Šitera to fill one of their reserve berths. The Czech joined the club on the personal recommendation of club stalwart Tomáš Topinka, who had known his compatriot and his family for many years. The Stars’ legend was also prepared to take Šitera under his wing and was confident that with some special practice sessions around his new home track he would be faster than many of the visiting riders.

The rider fitted in very well at King’s Lynn and was maintaining an average in excess of 4 points per match when, on 2 June, the club revealed that they had finalised a deal to purchase Šitera’s contract from Coventry and make him a full-time asset.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 2
Events: 2 – 13th on Czech Republic’s list; 126th on SWC all-time list
Points: 6 – 13th on Czech Republic’s list; 116th 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: (2009-11) Sheffield, Belle Vue.
MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales State Champion: 2009.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.69 (PL), 3.41 (EL).
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.

Then, on 24 March, Belle Vue announced that they had made last minute changes to their squad. This resulted in Mark Lemon replacing Jordan Frampton in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, while Skidmore was introduced in the No. 8 department. The moves came about because Aces’ Polish recruit Tomasz Piszcz had his starting average re-assessed at 3.49, giving the team an extra 1.4 points to play with.

Skidmore made his own indelible mark in speedway history when, on 2 April, he became the first-ever race winner at Leicester’s Beaumont Park raceway, as the Tigers claimed an opening night 46-46 draw in the challenge match opener at the new venue.

He went on to maintain an average of around 6.5 points per match in the first half of the campaign for Sheffield, before producing his best performance of the season in the Tigers’ 62-30 Premier League demolition of Plymouth at Owlerton on 9 June. The Australian raced to a hefty tally of 14+2 points and only missed out on a paid maximum when he was beaten by Devils’ No. 1 Ben Barker in the final race of the evening.

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; (2011) Plymouth.
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].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.63 (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. And 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 recognised 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 in the big event – 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.

Following Stoke’s decision to drop into the National League, it was announced in December that Plymouth had signed the rider ahead of the 2011 season, having moved in the opposite direction and joined the Premier League.

Smart proved a popular winner of Newport’s New Year Classic on 2 January, as he saved his best ride of the day for the final. The rider, who had captained Dudley’s successful National League team in 2010, finished second in each of his four qualifying races and, having reached the final, he powered past David Howe and Kevin Doolan on the first lap to take the title.

Shortly after his victory in the Principality, Smart enjoyed another success when he was voted Dudley News Sports Personality of the Year by readers. Having scooped the National League Riders’ Championship at the end of the 2010 season, as well as leading the Heathens to top spot in the final league standings, he dominated the online poll to win comfortably from Halesowen Cycling Club’s Alister Clay, motorcyclist Michael Rutter and Dudley United Ladies’ boss Andy Mulligan.

Unfortunately, Smart required a skin graft on a leg injury he suffered in a league fixture for Plymouth at Berwick on 30 April. He picked up the knock in heat six of the encounter when team-mate Jesper Kristiansen went way too wide off bend two and clipped the safety fence hard and, in falling head over heels, sent his bike flying out of control and hitting his partner’s machine. That, in turn, sent Smart crashing down into the track as well and he had to receive extensive medical treatment on the track, not only to his leg but also facial bruising and cuts.

Plymouth initially operated the rider-replacement facility for the long-term injury victim – who had sustained serious burns to his thigh – but that didn’t really work for them. And following Berwick’s decision to release Hynek Štichauer on 23 June, the Devils pounced to snap-up the Czech racer to fill Smart’s team spot.

Remarkably, in July, Smart was expected to make a dramatic return from injury as Plymouth attempted to turn around a frustrating season. The rider had looked set to be ruled out of the rest of the campaign, but his comeback was a major boost for the bottom-of-the-table Devils. Indeed, he returned to action for the Devils in a home league match versus Redcar on 22 July, when he replaced injured skipper Mark Simmonds in the line-up.

However, he was to suffer injury again and was once more replaced in the side in September, when Kyle Hughes returned to to fold having himself recovered from a spell on the sidelines.

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, Isle of Wight; (2011) Isle of Wight, Scunthorpe/Sheffield II.
CLUB HONOURS: Premiership winner: 2002 [Hull]; League Championship winner: 2011 [Scunthorpe II/Sheffield II].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.70 (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.

However, both he and Paul Starke were released in July in order to accommodate Nicki Glanz’s return to the Devils’ line-up. At the time of his departure from Plymouth he had ridden in eleven matches, scoring 54 points for an average of 5.60.

Smethills immediately re-located to the Isle of Wight where he took the place that had previously been filled by Ricky Scarboro. He went on to register 104 points from fourteen appearances in the Islanders’ colours, which equated to a real-time average of 7.54. That gave him a seasonal tally of 158 points from twenty-five matches, which equated to an average of 6.72.

In February 2011, the Isle of Wight confirmed that Smethills would again line-up in their colours at the start of the National League campaign. He was to average a shade under 6 points a match over the first sector of the campaign but, on 30 June, the Islanders’ management announced that they had released both him and Brendan Johnson. The two were replaced the following day by Charlie Saunders and Danny Warwick, respectively.

Smethills was lost to the sport for several weeks, before it was announced on 28 July that he had joined the combined Scunthorpe/Sheffield National League side. This followed the unlucky Greg Blair’s decision to retire from the sport.

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; (2011) Berwick, Belle Vue, King’s Lynn.
MAJOR HONOUR: Queensland State Under-21 Champion: 2006.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2009 [King’s Lynn].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.23 (PL), 3.74 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider, formerly known as Korey Williams, began racing at the age of fourteen in Australian junior speedway and went on to win the Queensland State Under-21 Championship in 2006. He 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, though, 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. 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.

In the final analysis, he missed just one official meeting for King’s Lynn throughout the term, his thirty-nine appearances yielding 271 points and an average of 6.92. His best return at home was a tally of 11+1 points from fives starts, which he achieved on two occasions: against Scunthorpe in a league fixture on 7 July and versus Edinburgh in the Knock-Out Cup on 28 July.

Away from the Norfolk Arena, the Aussie’s highest return was 14 points from six rides in a league encounter at Scunthorpe on 7 May; his score on that occasion augmented by 4 points from a tactical outing in heat ten.

Meanwhile, in the top-flight, he made eight appearances for the Witches and scored 33 points for a 3.69 average. His most productive meeting at the re-shaped Foxhall Heath circuit occurred in a league encounter against Poole on 16 September, when he notched 8 points from seven outings. Meanwhile, on the road, his highlight was a return of 7+1 points – again from seven starts – at Eastbourne exactly two weeks prior to that.

Following King’s Lynn’s decision to join the Elite League after the BSPA AGM, it was announced on 18 December that Smith had agreed a deal to join forces with Berwick for 2011. And, on 19 February, he was named in a ‘doubling-up’ position at Belle Vue alongside Craig Cook.

He was to average over 8 points a match for Berwick over the first half of the season, becoming mega popular on the Shielfield Park terraces. Meanwhile, despite maintaining a figure of over 4.5 points per meeting for top-flight Belle Vue, he was replaced by Morten Risager in his ‘doubling-up’ capacity alongside Craig Cook in August. He was, however, immediately snapped-up by King’s Lynn to share a role with Sam Masters, as the Stars opted to dispense with the long-serving Tomáš Topinka.

The New South Wales speedster long since earned a reputation for sometimes pushing the boundaries of both his experience and ability but, nonetheless, was the sort of rider who added excitement to every meeting in which he appeared.

Smith was injured whilst representing King’s Lynn in a home league fixture versus Birmingham on 7 September, when he slid off while holding third position in heat two. His closely following team-mate, Filip Šitera, attempted to lay his bike down but couldn’t avoid the Aussie, who sustained a broken shoulder in the ensuing coming together. With Smith likely to be out of action for a considerable period of time, his Premier League team, Berwick, drafted in Linus Eklöf as an injury replacement.

SMITH, Robert (Rob) William
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 February 1988, Eastbourne, East Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) Mildenhall; (2005) Wimbledon; (2006) Plymouth; (2007) Boston, Plymouth; (2008-09) Rye House II; (2011) Isle of Wight.
RIDER LINKS: Brother of former junior rider Phil Smith (born: 16 January 1990).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having been afforded little opportunity in the previous season, it was announced that Smith had been signed by the Isle of Wight on 23 February 2011 ahead of the Islanders’ National League campaign.

The rider joined the club on a full transfer from Rye House as part of the deal that saw Ben Hopwood take the opposite journey to Hoddesdon, with the Smallbrook Stadium outfit grateful to Rockets’ boss Len Silver for his co-operation in the deal.

Smith had previously ridden for Mildenhall, Wimbledon, Plymouth and Boston, as well as the Rye House Cobras. In his last competitive season, 2009, he made seventeen appearances for the Hoddesdon-based outfit and scored 111 points for an average of 6.26.

Although a number of folk viewed his acquisition as something of a gamble by the Islanders, the club’s management had total faith in Smith and envisaged him upping his average, having previously not ridden at their circuit on a regular basis.

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; (2009-11) 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]; Premier Shield winner: 2011 [Newcastle].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.14 (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. Frustratingly, he had missed just one of Newcastle’s mammoth tally of fifty-two official meetings – being the club’s leading appearance maker of the season – as he notched 261 points for a 5.67 average.

On 8 December, the Geordie club confirmed that Sneddon would remain with them for a third successive term in 2011, as co-promoter Darryl Illingworth paid tribute to what a vital cog the Scot had been in the Diamonds’ wheel throughout the recently completed, trophy-laden campaign.

The rider remained the hub of the Newcastle team in maintaining an average of 6.5 points a match over the first sector of the season. However, he was injured when the Diamonds entertained Somerset in the Knock-Out Cup on 24 July. Sneddon crashed out of the tie with a foot injury that initially raised thoughts of a break, but X-rays revealed a small chip to the bone with lots of rest and ice prescribed for the Scot.

STACHYRA, Dawid
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August 1985, Rzeszów, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009-10) Ipswich; (2011) Belle Vue.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.58 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Stachyra joined Ipswich for 2009, once again confirming the close links that the Witches held with Polish riders in their recent history. Stachyra rode for Rzeszów in the Polish Extra League in 2008 and prior to that he had represented TŻ 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 Miśkowiak were not been given start permission by the Polish authorities to ride in the UK until a week later than originally scheduled.

Stachyra went on to produce several eye-catching performances on his way to an improved 5.83 average for the Suffolk outfit, having accrued 170 points from twenty-eight official appearances. At home, his best return for the club was 12+2 points from five rides in the Relegation Race-Off against Newcastle on 28 October, whilst on Ipswich’s travels his high spot had occurred just four days previously in the first leg of the showdown versus the Diamonds, when he notched 12+2 points from seven starts.

With Ipswich opting for Premier League racing in 2011, the Pole was left without a team berth. However, on 14 April, Belle Vue announced that they had signed the rider to replace his fellow countryman, Tomasz Piszcz, who resigned after failing to score for the third time in six matches three days previously in a home encounter with Eastbourne. Stachyra was the No. 1 target for the Aces, who concluded the negotiations and paperwork as quickly as possible to ensure the Pole’s speedy arrival on the Kirkmanshulme Lane scene.

However, the form of Stachyra was to quickly become a big concern for Belle Vue. The Pole was second in his first race for the club at home to Lakeside on 18 April, but followed that with a grim run of 11 last places, spread over four matches, as he failed to find the form he had shown for Ipswich the previous season.

But, he put his Aces’ career back on track in his fifth appearance on 23 May, when he looked sharp and much more confident in notching 6 points from four rides out of the difficult No. 2 position in a home league fixture against King’s Lynn.

That proved a false dawn, though, and after notching 2+1 points at Swindon three days later he failed to score from three rides at King’s Lynn on 8 June. That was to be the final straw and he subsequently spoke to Aces’ team manager Jim Lynch to inform him of his decision to quit the club and end his nightmare return to British speedway.

The Pole’s pronouncement was said to be for both financial reasons, as well as his continued lack of success on the track. Having resigned from the club, Stachyra was deemed to be withholding his services and, as such, the Aces received a 28-day facility to cover his absence.

Borys Miturski was eventually signed as his replacement in July, but he was injured before turning a wheel and, at the end of the month, Łukasz Jankowski re-joined the Aces in an effort to kick-start his British career.

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; (2011) 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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.06 (NL).
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.

Despite again maintaining a very healthy average, both he and Lee Smethills were released in July in order to accommodate Nicki Glanz’s return to the Devils’ line-up. At the time Stark had ridden in fifteen matches for the club, scoring 129 points for an average of 8.06.  

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.

In total, he made ten appearances for Rye House, from which he accrued 18 points and a 2.27 average. Meanwhile, at National League level, he represented the Isle of Wight on eight occasions and scored 54 points to post an average of 7.65. With the addition of his earlier record with Plymouth, it gave him a seasonal tally of 183 points and an average of 7.92 from twenty-three meetings in British speedway’s third tier of racing.

On 30 March 2011, the Isle of Wight completed their line-up for the National League season by signing Starke on a full transfer from Plymouth. He joined the side at the head of their averages, expressing the view that there was a good atmosphere in the Smallbrook Stadium pits and that the club was run with good management in the shape of Chris Hunt and Kevin Shepherd.

He was to maintain an average of close on 7 points a meeting over the first half of the season, but faced a spell on the sidelines after being injured in a frightening heat four crash when the Islanders visited King’s Lynn for a league fixture on 13 July. After picking up grip exiting the fourth turn of lap one, he lost control and careered into race leader James Cockle.

Both riders took very heavy falls, while Starke’s bike somersaulted along the track leaving Young Stars’ reserve Stefan Nielsen nowhere to go. Three riders down in a matter of seconds resulted in a lengthy delay. Cockle and Nielsen were able to take their place in the re-run, but Starke received medical attention before withdrawing from the meeting with rib and shoulder injuries.

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; (2009-11) 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).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.47 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Early in his career, Stead recorded back-to-back British schoolboy grass-track Championship successes at intermediate level, in 1995 and 1996. In the latter of those two years, he took his first speedway skids at the Sheffield training track, prior to appearing in second-half events at Peterborough.

Having turned 15 years-of-age, he made his Amateur League debut for the then-Peterborough Thundercats against the Anglian Angels at Ipswich on 5 May 1997, when he recorded 5+2 points from four starts in an impressive 44-34 victory. Riding alongside the likes of David Howe, Olly Allen, Paul Clews and Ross Brady, the talented side went on to lift the League Championship, with ‘Steady’ racking-up 195 points to boast an outstanding 9.14 average from twenty-two appearances.

In 1998, he moved up into the main Peterborough side, which was participating in the Premier League at the time. Unfazed by the step-up, he tallied 155 points from thirty-two official meetings for a splendid 5.46 average and played a vital role as the Panthers scooped the league title. Aside from appearing for Peterborough, Stead topped the Buxton averages in the re-branded Conference League, posting a huge 10.57 figure from seven appearances.

Furthering his experience, he also rode for Peterborough in the Youth Development League and an obvious early career highlight occurred when he represented them in the YDL Riders’ Championship at Buxton on 6 September. He was the pre-meeting favourite and didn’t disappoint, going through the card for a flawless 15-point maximum to take victory ahead of Paul Burnett and the late Mark Steel.

Stead had clearly acquired the Midas touch early in his career and took his golden qualities to his hometown club, Sheffield, in 1999; a year that saw Peterborough return to the Elite League. With the Tigers, he remarkably secured his third League Championship win in successive seasons and also helped the South Yorkshire outfit to further victories in the Four-Team Championship and Young Shield. Showing sensational form for one so young, he tallied 273 points from forty official appearances for a 7.76 average.

Stead remained with Sheffield in 2000 but – as always happens with League Champions in speedway – the Tigers had to de-strengthen in order to fit within the points-limit, losing calibre riders André Compton and Scott Smith. As such, a fourth-place finish could be considered very satisfactory under the circumstances.

There was some success, though, as Sheffield retained the Four-Team Championship at Peterborough’s East of England Showground, courtesy of a final victory against the Isle of Wight, Swindon and Berwick, as Stead added further to his trophy haul. A closer inspection of the end-of-term statistics revealed an improved 8.31 average for the Yorkshireman, thanks to a total of 379 points from forty-three meetings.

Again identified in the Tigers’ distinctive colours in 2001, there was yet more glory for the Sheffield-born speedster, as the club topped their Premier Trophy group before defeating the Isle of Wight in a dramatic, replayed semi-final. They then went on to thrash Swindon in the final, winning the first leg at Blunsdon 53-37 and following it up with a crushing 65-25 success at their own patch in the return fixture.

The undoubted high point of the year had occurred earlier in the campaign at Wolverhampton’s superb Monmore Green raceway on 21 April, though, when he won the British Under-21 Championship through a full 15-pointer. He had to dig deep for it, however, after he was involved in a heat six smash with defending Champion David Howe, which left him nursing hand injuries and a severely damaged bike. Meeting official Frank Ebdon excluded Howe and awarded that particular race, with Stead subsequently showing great determination to go on and bag another three wins for his maximum and the Under-21 crown.

By the season’s cessation, he had made fifty-one official appearances, which yielded a staggering 618 points and a huge 9.98 average. Showing the advancement in his riding, he also notched a remarkable fourteen maximums (9 full and 5 paid).

For a fourth season on the spin, Stead once more represented Sheffield in 2002, whilst also dipping his toe in the top-flight for the first time in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity with Peterborough. Regrettably, the season had barely got underway when he sustained a hand injury whilst representing the Panthers in a league match at home to Coventry on 1 April.

Bravely, he competed in the British Under-21 Championship at Sheffield on 18 April and – in an explosive meeting – successfully defended his title. This followed dramatic last bend drama again involving David Howe in the final, which saw the Wolverhampton rider crash down after Stead had driven hard underneath. Howe was furious, but referee Dave Dowling saw nothing wrong and the home rider retained his crown, ahead of Ross Brady and Olly Allen.

Stead was to be seriously injured in a World Championship qualifying round at Lonigo, Italy, on 27 April when, in heat six, he was firstly hit by Czech Josef Franc and then struck by Russian Eduard Shaihullin, who had nowhere to go. The upshot was four crushed toes for the Englishman and a lengthy recuperation process.

Having eventually returned to the saddle in July, it understandably took a considerable amount of time for his free-scoring form to return for the Tigers. As such, his average dipped to 8.53 from thirty-five matches, Steady having accrued 332 points.  

There was further success, though, as the South Yorkshire side completed a glorious treble, winning the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield. In fact, they almost collected four trophies, but lost out narrowly on aggregate in the Premier Trophy final to a determined Trelawny side that included the likes of Chris Harris, Pavel Ondrašík, Steve Masters, Emiliano Sanchez and Richard Wolff. Meanwhile, at top-flight level, Stead made a dozen appearances for Peterborough, recording 68 points and a 6.54 average.

After the conclusion of the season, in November, he was controversially ruled out of Sheffield’s team plans for 2003, as former Owlerton favourite André Compton returned from Newcastle, leaving Stead feeling shocked. Shortly afterwards, however, he figured in a full transfer to Workington after the Comets had shelled out an £18,000 fee to his parent club, Peterborough.

Aside from representing the Derwent Park-based Cumbrian side, he also enjoyed more outings in the UK’s highest sphere of racing, initially with a mid-June meeting for Eastbourne before, a week later, joining Wolverhampton in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity in place of Swede Magnus Karlsson, who had struggled for points.

Remarkably, on 24 April, on a Sheffield racing strip left very heavy following a mid-afternoon downpour, Stead enjoyed a trouble-free evening to win a third successive British Under-21 title, defeating Olly Allen, Edward Kennett and Andrew Appleton in the meeting’s grand finale.

More silverware came his way on 19 July, when he joined forces with Carl Stonehewer on home shale to win the PL Pairs Championship for Workington. Having forged a safe passage through the qualifying heats and semi-final stage, the duo faced Newport’s twosome of Frank Smart and Niels-Kristian Iversen in the final, but rode to an emphatic 7-2 as Stead followed his partner across the line.

Unfortunately, his season was to be curtailed, when he sustained a badly broken left arm whilst making a guest appearance for Swindon in a Premier League match versus Newport at the Abbey on 25 September. Stead, who had won his first two rides in superb fashion, got away well from the tapes to lead heat nine, but went wide on the first and second bends before thudding sickeningly into the safety fence. He subsequently required surgery that night to straighten his arm, before a further operation the following day when metalwork was inserted.

With a touch of irony, earlier in the campaign, he had crashed out of the Championship of Great Britain semi-final at Swindon on 1 May. This saw him pile-up with Simon Dyminski and Seemond Stephens after the latter had locked-up whilst leading heat nine. The diagnosis was a wrist injury and, although nothing was broken, he was told to rest for six weeks. However, he bounced back quickly from that knock by defying medical opinion and returning to the saddle with the Comets on 24 May.

His statistics for the year made impressive reading. For Workington, he occupied second spot in the averages behind club legend Carl Stonehewer, his forty matches in their colours yielding 464 points and a fine 9.47 figure. Steady’s one meeting for Eastbourne ended with 5 points against his name, while for Wolves he posted an excellent 7.02 average after totalling 58 points from nine appearances.

All systems were full steam ahead for the 2004 season and the Comets’ supporters looked forward to more of Stead’s sensational brand of speedway racing. However, in the club’s very first match of the campaign – a challenge fixture versus Swedish tourists Valsarna on 13 March – he tangled with former Workington favourite Peter I. Karlsson within yards of his first race, suffering a shattered left heel.

That meant a long period on the sidelines and he wasn’t expected to be able to ride again until August. Amazingly, such was his speed of recovery that he came back well ahead of schedule at the end of May. And, despite the seriousness of his injury, he was eager to make up for lost time and quickly got back into the routine of compiling double-figure scores.

There was time for further glory as well. On 21 August, at Workington’s Derwent Park strip, Steady was the leading rider as the Comets stormed to victory in the Four-Team Championship. He wasn’t so fortunate in the Premier League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield on 19 September, though.

Having booked a direct passage to the final through an immaculate 15-point maximum, the major event concluded dramatically with home track rider André Compton awarded the title following an horrific coming together with Stead on the third lap. Exeter’s Mark Lemon ended the meeting as runner-up, with Stead having to settle for third position ahead of Craig Boyce, who had suffered a time allowance exclusion prior to the race.

Undeterred, the Yorkshireman went on to top the Comets’ averages, ahead of Carl Stonehewer, as 337 points from twenty-nine matches equated to a 10.01 figure. Meanwhile, in the top-flight, he made five appearances for Wolverhampton, which yielded 49 points and an impressive 9.12 average.

In 2005, after receiving many offers to join the Elite League on a full-time basis, Stead re-acquainted with his Workington boss of the previous two seasons, the late Ian Thomas, at Belle Vue as he made the big step-up. And, without the Premier League as a support structure, he acquitted himself very well and – importantly – remained injury-free to post a solid 7.27 average, having notched 356 points from forty-seven appearances.

Boasting a strong side with Jason Crump at the helm, Belle Vue comfortably made it into the Play-Offs by topping the domestic table, before overcoming Eastbourne at the semi-final stage. But they subsequently lost 101-83 on aggregate to Coventry in the final. There was some consolation, though, as they also battled through to the Knock-Out Cup final where they defeated Eastbourne 97-83 over two legs. That triumph brought another addition to Steady’s extraordinary CV.  

Remaining with Belle Vue in 2006, the Sheffield-born speedster was to enjoy a fabulous term in the top-flight. From forty-nine appearances, he yielded 435 points and an 8.11 average to lend great top-end support to Jason Crump. In spite of this, the Aces missed out on a Play-Off spot and also lost to Coventry in both the Knock-Out Cup final and the Elite Shield.

The famous Manchester club didn’t dip out on all the silverware, though. On 4 June – as he had done on several occasions in the past – Stead again revealed his liking for Swindon’s Abbey Stadium raceway, when he combined with Crump to win the Elite League Pairs Championship.

In the final, the duo came up against the home pairing of Leigh Adams and Sebastian UÅ‚amek, and whilst Adams sprinted clear, Steady battled past the fast-starting Pole on the back straight to slot into the crucial third spot behind his partner and win the coveted title.

A third and final year with Belle Vue followed in 2007 when, in an injury-hit campaign, Steady was unable to build on his form of the previous year. Despite the knocks, he still did very well to achieve a 7.48 average, courtesy of 282 points from thirty-six appearances.

During the Christmas period, he agreed terms to join Coventry on loan from Belle Vue, rather than link with Ipswich who had also targeted his services. The Bees had, of course, completed a glorious treble in 2007 and their home at Brandon was closer to Stead’s base than the Witches’ Foxhall Stadium.

The Coventry circuit was one on which Stead had excelled in the past and, over the course of the 2008 campaign, he was to average over 9 points per match at home. He was to suffer an injury at Brandon, though, which saw him ruled out of action for a 6-week period during the latter sector of the season.

Stead returned to action for the last three matches of the season and helped the Bees to a comfortable aggregate victory over an injury-hit Lakeside in the Craven Shield final, as they retained one of the trophies they had claimed the year before. The addition of an away average of a little over 6 points per match to his yearly statistics produced a final figure of 7.59, the rider having accrued 289 points from thirty-eight matches.

He was to become a full Swindon asset in 2009, when he figured in a swap deal that saw Charlie Gjedde cement his move to Belle Vue, the Danish rider having spent the previous campaign on loan with the Aces from the Wiltshire club. The Sheffield-born speedster was the Robins’ highest profile acquisition of the winter, being a rider who had always previously excelled on the fast-paced Blunsdon raceway.

He was to become something of a fans’ favourite in his first year at Swindon, 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.

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, having acquired 282 points from thirty-three appearances.

His high spot at home was a 15-point maximum against Belle Vue in a league fixture on 22 April. Meanwhile, on the team’s travels, his best tally was 12 points from five rides at Peterborough on 16 July; his score on the night being enhanced by 6 points from a tactical outing in heat nine.

Then, 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 the retiring Leigh Adams formally handed over the captain’s armband to him, a move that was warmly received by those in attendance.

Having ridden in the Robins’ opening challenge match of the season at Lakeside on 25 March, Stead crashed during a meeting in Poland the following day. This occurred whilst representing Wrocław in heat three of a challenge match at Grudziądz. The Wiltshire club originally thought their skipper may have broken his ribs and dislocated his shoulder, but X-ray results thankfully showed no breaks.

Although Steady turned up to represent the Robins in their first league match of the campaign at Belle Vue on 4 April, he was ruled out of action by the track doctor due to badly bruised ribs. Despite that, he still carried out his captaincy duties on the night. And, after missing Swindon’s trip to King’s Lynn two evenings later, he bravely returned to the saddle for a challenge match at home to Lakeside on 7 April.

Stead continued to ride through the pain barrier in a further two meetings for the Robins but, on 19 April, the Wiltshire club revealed that the rider had been told to rest for 10 days. This meant he missed Swindon’s trip to Poole, as well as a home match against Birmingham and the return at Perry Barr on Good Friday. Regrettably, much to his own frustration, he still wasn’t fit to return after that period and his continued absence stretched into mid-May.

The Swindon skipper finally returned to the side on 28 May, but his tally of 6+1 points on the night couldn’t prevent a solid Belle Vue team from claiming a deserved 49-41 victory at the Abbey Stadium.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 4 – 82nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 7 – 97th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 12 – 88th 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; 34th on SWC all-time list
Points: 53 – 7th on Great Britain’s list; 43rd 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; (2006-11) 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].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
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.  

The fast-starting speedster became the highest scoring rider in the history of Plymouth Speedway on 18 September, when he recorded a 12-point maximum in a National Trophy fixture at home to Weymouth. That performance saw him overhaul the previous record holder, Pete Lansdale, who notched 1,630 points for the Devils at their former Pennycross home between 1948 and 1954. By the season’s end, Stephens had extended his tally for the club to 1,684 points.

Following Plymouth’s application to join the Premier League and subsequent approval, promoter Mike Bowden confirmed that Stephens would be in his starting line-up for 2011 and would continue to skipper the side, as he had done since 2006.

There was a shock in store, though, when the rider was unable to commit to the start of the season due to pressure of work and business. That left Devils’ boss Mike Bowden to re-jig his proposed side without the Cornishman and he immediately handed the captain’s armband to Mark Simmonds.

But, on 5 April, a dramatic turnaround of events saw Bowden reveal that Stephens was to make a sensational return to the city team for the 2011 season after all. The promoter explained that the barrier to Stephens’ return had been overcome and he would come into the side in place of untried Dane Claes Nedermark.

However, on 24 May, Plymouth revealed that the rider had announced his retirement from the sport due to outside business commitments. It was also revealed that the 43-year-old – who had found points hard to obtain in the Devils’ opening meetings at PL level – would be replaced by Kyle Hughes.

Å TICHAUER, Hynek
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 June 1987, Pardubice, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Wolverhampton; (2010) Stoke; (2011) Berwick, Plymouth.
MAJOR HONOUR: Czech Republic Under-19 Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOUR: Elite League Championship winner: 2009 [Wolverhampton].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.97 (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, though, 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 Å tichauer 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, Å tichauer 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. But, 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. In total, Å tichauer made twenty official appearances for the club and his tally of 137 points equated to a real-time average of 6.45.      

During the close season, the personable Czech indicated that he wanted to return to the Premier League in 2011 and, on 6 January, his wish was granted when he was named as the final piece in Berwick’s team jigsaw.

He linked with the Borders outfit on loan from Wolverhampton and completed a cosmopolitan line-up, as he joined fellow countryman Josef Franc, Denmark’s Charlie Gjedde, Australian Kozza Smith, Englishman Lee Complin, Hungarian Tamas Sike and New Zealand’s Jade Mudgway in the club’s distinctive black and gold colours.

Štichauer somehow dislocated his left shoulder before arriving at the tapes for heat eight of the Bandits’ home league clash with Scunthorpe on 16 April; yet still rode the race of his season, bravely passing a couple of riders round the outside and taking two excellent points whilst in extreme agony.

Understandably, he took no further part in the meeting and missed the following day’s encounter at Glasgow, although he was declared fit to return a week later. That proved to be a false dawn on 25 April, though, when he was forced to withdraw from the Bandits’ league encounter at Workington after suffering a reaction to his shoulder in his opening outing.

In mid-May, it was reported that Å tichauer would be out of action until early in June due to ongoing shoulder problems. Despite a rigorous programme of physiotherapy, his severely-dislocated joint had responded only slowly.

It was also stated that he would have to wear a specially-designed shoulder brace every time he gets back on his bike. This would be a permanent requirement until the end of the season, at which point he would have to go under the knife for an operation to make a permanent repair.

Following understandable concern from the management of the Bandits surrounding the unexpected extended period on the sidelines of Å tichauer, the Borders club announced the signing of Swede Alex Edberg on 22 May as a temporary injury replacement for the exciting Czech racer.

However, Edberg was to prove such a hit that, on 23 June, the Bandits made the difficult decision to retain the Swede and release Štichauer with their sincere thanks for his efforts. Having returned to fitness, the Czech was immediately snapped-up by Plymouth as a replacement for the injured Lee Smart, with Berwick’s strong recommendation to the Devils of his qualities. Smart was a long-term absentee due to serious burns to his thigh and the rider-replacement facility had not really worked for the team.

The Czech was to make just nine appearances for the side before suffering a knee ligament injury, which required surgery in his homeland. He was replaced at the beginning of September by Justin Sedgmen, who had been released by Newport.

STOKES, Tom
DATE OF BIRTH: 23 April 1994.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Rye House II; (2011) King’s Lynn II.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
RIDER LINKS: Cousin of Lewis Blackbird (born: 21 February 1987, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire).
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.

In January, he was named as one of the reserves – alongside his cousin, Lewis Blackbird – in King’s Lynn’s National League line-up for 2011. The completed side saw the remainder of his team-mates listed as James Cockle, Darren Mallett, Jake Knight, Lewis Kerr and Adam Lowe.

STONEMAN, Danny
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 April 1992, Cullompton, Devon.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007-09) Plymouth; (2010) Weymouth, Bournemouth; (2011) Mildenhall, Dudley.
2011 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. At the time, he had made just four appearances for the club, which yielded 14 points and an average of 3.20.

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.

In April 2011, he was named as a temporary signing by Mildenhall as cover for Cameron Heeps, whose arrival in the country from Australia was delayed until his paperwork was completed. Then, on 5 May, Dudley brought in Stoneman to complete a team re-shuffle.

The Heathens had already signed Kyle Newman to replace the injured Adam Roynon, but needed to make a second change to come under the points limit and, as such, the Devonian took the position in place of Luke Chessell.

That came after club partner Gary Patchett had taken a call from Stoneman’s camp explaining that they would prefer to take up the option of a team place with the former Cradley outfit rather than waiting for Mildenhall to decide if they wanted him – and even then it was only short-term to cover for Cameron Heeps.

Stoneman was to average over 3 points a match for the Heathens, but was released by the former Cradley club on 30 June and replaced by Adam Portwood amidst a shuffle of the pack for the side racing out of Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green arena.

However, on 4 August, Dudley announced that Stoneman had re-joined the club – a little over a month after he was axed. In a reverse move, he replaced Portwood, who was invited to fill the club’s No. 8 slot for the remaining weeks of the National League season.

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; (2011) Redcar.
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].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL).
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.

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.

That 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.

Summers went on to total thirty-eight appearances for the Brummies, which yielded 296 points and a 7.76 average. Meanwhile, for Coventry, he achieved a 4.39 average courtesy of 36 points from ten appearances. His best showing at top-flight level occurred on 28 May, when he tallied an excellent 9+3 points from five rides against Eastbourne in a league encounter.

After the season’s conclusion, on 5 December, the Australian’s parent club, Edinburgh, confirmed that he had been transferred to Redcar. That outcome, perhaps, illustrated the problem of having a lengthy list of riders who couldn’t all be accommodated within the points limit.

SUNDSTRÖM, Linus Erik
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 October 1990, Avesta, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Rye House; (2010) Rye House, Ipswich; (2011) Peterborough.
MAJOR HONOUR: European Under-19 Team Champion: 2008.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.12 (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 Edinburgh’s Ryan Fisher (10.01) and Newcastle’s Kenni Larsen (10.00). Even so, his final figure of 9.84 was an excellent return, the Swede having totalled 404 points from thirty-five official appearances.

Meanwhile, in the top-flight, he was called upon by Ipswich on ten occasions and registered 85 points for a 6.79 average. At home, his best performance was a haul of 14+1 points from half-a-dozen outings in a league match against Peterborough 23 September, whilst on the Witches’ travels his high spot was notching 8+1 points from five starts at Lakeside on 27 August; his tally on that occasion included 4 points from a tactical outing in heat eight.

The ambitious Swede joined Peterborough in the close season for a reputed £23,000 and looked forward to a new challenge in the Elite League. However, the Panthers were involved in a winter-long dispute with the BSPA – part of which allegedly centred around the conversion rate of averages for riders moving up from the Premier League to the top-flight – and, as a result, were late in coming to the line for the campaign.  

Sundström suffered a broken right thumb in his homeland on 3 May, but vowed to ride on for Peterborough. Although there was a clear crack in the thumb, the Swede explained that it would be alright to continue racing with the injury strapped up.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 146th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 1 – 136th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 2 – 133rd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

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; (2011) Leicester, Coventry, Glasgow.
MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales State Under-21 Champion: 2008, 2011.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2010 [Birmingham]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Coventry], 2011 [Glasgow].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.68 (PL), 5.13 (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 for 2008, 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.

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 emphasised 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 maintain an average in excess of 8 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 season’s final statistics emphasised just what a terrific campaign Sweetman had put together. For Birmingham, he remained ever-present throughout the club’s forty-six official matches and scored 394 points to average 8.37.

Meanwhile, when called upon to ride in the top-flight by the Bees, the quiet, unassuming rider performed very well; evidenced by his record of 115 points from twenty-one appearances and a solid 6.11 average. His highest return at home for the Bees was a score of 11+4 points from six starts versus Lakeside on 22 April whilst, away from Brandon, his leading return was a crucial 7 points from three rides from the No. 2 berth in the Play-Off semi-final at Peterborough on 20 September.

After returning to Australia, Sweetman took victory in the New South Wales Under-21 Championship for the second time in his career when defeating Sam Masters, Micky Dyer and Taylor Poole in the ‘A’ Final at Tamworth on 4 December. Later that same month, on the 22nd, Leicester announced that they had signed the Maitland-born rider on loan from his parent track, Swindon, ahead of their first season of racing at Beaumont Park Stadium in 2011.

The Aussie also again claimed a ‘doubling-up’ role at Coventry, sharing the berth with compatriot Travis McGowan. This came after Bees’ team boss Alun Rossiter felt he owed Sweetman something after what he had done for the club the previous season, describing the rider as a ‘the slow burner’.

However, the Aussie failed to build on his Elite League form of the previous term and his average plummeted to below 4 points a match for the Brandon-based club. As such, on 16 June, Coventry announced the signing of Workington’s Danish star Peter Kildemand to replace Sweetman, who had stood down from his position after a disappointing run of scores.

Shortly after his departure from the Bees’ line-up, the Aussie informed Leicester boss David Hemsley that he wanted to take a break from racing and, on 26 June, the Lions confirmed the signing of Henning Bager as his replacement.

He wasn’t without a team berth for long, though, as Glasgow revealed that they had signed him as a replacement for injured compatriot Josh Grajczonek on 1 July. He was to enjoy both a return to form and a dream debut for the Tigers two days later when he netted 9+2 points against his former team, Leicester, in a league encounter at Ashfield.

ÅšWIDERSKI, Piotr
DATE OF BIRTH: 11 May 1983, Gostyń, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2006-07) Peterborough; (2008) Ipswich; (2009) Ipswich, Lakeside; (2011) Lakeside.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2006 [Peterborough]; Elite Shield winner: 2007 [Peterborough].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.48 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Świderski was a huge hit in his first season at Ipswich in 2008 and his return for 2009 was greeted with universal approval by the Witches’ fans. The rider first linked with Peterborough in 2006 and returned to ride for the East of England Showground-based side the following term after an impressive debut campaign.

His never-say-die attitude and solid performances subsequently saw Ipswich swoop for the Pole in 2008 on a loan deal from the Panthers. The Gostyń-born rider was unable to replicate his good form for the Witches in 2009, however, and this led to him being released and replaced in the side by Troy Batchelor in a July shake-up.

He wasn’t out of work in the UK for long, though, as he joined Lakeside on a temporary basis following an injury suffered by Hammers’ skipper Adam Shields in the Speedway World Cup Race-Off at Leszno, Poland, on 16 July. The Pole’s run in the team came to an end at the beginning of September, when Shields was fit to resume racing.

It had been thought that ‘Swidders’ might return to the Elite League during the 2010 season but, in the end, this didn’t materialise. However, on 19 January 2011, the forward-thinking Lakeside club was delighted to announce that the popular Pole had agreed terms to resume with them for a second spell in the season ahead.

Although Świderski was present for the Hammers’ Press and Practice Day, he subsequently returned home to Poland amid issues over the new silencers and, as a result, missed the club’s season-opening challenge match versus Swindon at the Arena-Essex Raceway on 25 March. He wanted to ride for the Lakeside club, but hadn’t been granted start permission by the PZM [Polski Związek Motorowy], who objected to the new silencers.

As a result, on 28 March, Lakeside revealed that club asset Jonas Davidsson was on stand-by to provide cover for Åšwiderski should the Pole’s start permission problems continue. The Swede had previously elected to sit out British racing in 2011, but with the fixtures in his homeland not commencing until late April he would be available for the Hammers’ opening league schedule if the ongoing row over Polish riders and the new silencers wasn’t resolved in time.  

Two days later, Lakeside confirmed that Davidsson would return to the side in his trusted No. 4 position in the line-up for a tough clash with track experts, the Wolverhampton Wolves at the Arena-Essex Raceway on 1 April.

The Swede replaced Świderski in the Hammers’ line-up after the club decided that they could wait no longer for a firm decision from the PZM on lifting a ban on the rider, and several of his fellow countrymen, from racing abroad amid rumours that a meeting was likely to remove the measure.

On 7 April, Lakeside Speedway was delighted to announce that Świderski had finally received clearance from the Polish authorities to ride in the UK. And he duly appeared for the club in a challenge match at Swindon that very evening to help him acclimatise to the new silencers. This brought Jonas Davidsson’s brief stint in the side to an end.

The Pole was averaging close on 7 points per match for the Hammers when he top-scored with a tally of 13 in a defeat at Peterborough on 19 May. Making the performance all the more remarkable was that he damaged a cornea in his left eye during the meeting. The following evening, however, he failed to score any point at all in another defeat at Coventry, spending a large amount of time in the medical room due to his eye problem.

Świderski crashed out of the Hammers’ narrow league defeat at Poole on 27 July and subsequently flew home for treatment on an ankle injury. But whilst he made a return from the injury in his homeland four days later with the help of pain killers, he informed both Lakeside and his Swedish club that he wasn’t in a position to be able to resume with them so soon after racing in discomfort.

However, he did return to action for the Hammers in a home match versus Coventry on 6 August, scoring 12 points. Regrettably, though, the Pole was ruled out of action for the remainder of the season shortly afterwards, when he suffered a broken leg in his homeland just eight days later. He was subsequently replaced in the Lakeside line-up by compatriot Tomasz JÄ™drzejak in September.  

But Jędrzejak hadn’t even turned a wheel for the Essex club before he sustained an ankle injury whilst racing in Sweden on 13 September, which curtailed his year. The club instead reverted to using the rider replacement facility for Świderski.

SZCZEPANIAK, Mateusz
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 February 1987, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Poole.
MAJOR HONOUR: World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2007.
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Michał Szczepaniak (born: 1 August 1983, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Szczepaniak first rode officially for Piła in 2003, but linked with Częstochowa the following year and was to spend five seasons with them. He joined Poznań for two terms in 2009, before switching to Łódź in 2011. Backtracking to 2007, he was a member of the Poland side that took victory in the World Under-21 Team Cup.

On 15 August 2011, Poole announced the signing of the rider for his first taste of British league racing, having decided to dispense with the ‘doubling-up’ duo of Kyle Newman and Christian Hefenbrock, although the latter did retain a place in the Pirates’ squad after being shuffled to the No. 8 berth.